The Dance of the Blades and the Leaves

Chapter Four

I didn't wake up for a long time. I didn't have any way of knowing how long, with no one around and no measuring device. But that really didn't matter anyways. I finally woke up about in the middle of the day, looking around. I lost precious time hunting down those two. I still didn't know what to make of Emiko's partner, but the lady herself was truly terrifying. I don't know how she could be killed, and that's to say nothing of her mysterious helper.

After thinking about all the problems, I eventually stood up and looked around me, seeing what was left of our hill top battle ground. The structures were toppled, with wooden trunks spread across the ruined town. The entirety of Emiko's plant monstrosities showed some sign of charring, which was odd. I know I made contact with the lightning-infused Dragon Axe, but I'd never seen... that. Why did this happen, or more specifically, how? That would allow me to abuse it in our next engagement, and that would happen. There was no chance in he'll she was getting away, especially not after that.

It didn't matter how much time I had lost, 6 hours, 2 days, 3 weeks, it simply didn't matter. She could only hide in so many places in Fiore, and that's ignoring the fact she had no idea where'd be. So I had the advantage in this game of cat and mouse. The problem, though, would be that she has an ally in the hooded woman. I had no idea how that might factor in to our next engagement, so I had to keep it in mind. I now knew that this wasn't an ordinary job, but something much bigger. With that in mind, I decided I should actually make a plan from here on out.

My buss was to head Southwest until I got to Cypress, I felt that she wouldn't try crossing the valley to the border provinces, not yet anyways.  I felt that she would either try to cause more chaos on the way there, or she would strike once she got there. That meant a journey that was almost as the crow flies, with one stop in the Balsam Village to restock, as it was the closest thing to a city on the way. I stretched and yawned, if this intercept course wasn't right, I had no way of knowing what to do next, but that came later. For now, I had to get there, and that meant leaving Amaris.

I looked around for any resources I could use to stock up on before heading out, but there really wasn't much left of the massacred town. I was able to refill my water, I found a second bottle as well, so the dehydration was simply not going to be an issue this time around. I found a thin blanket, so I could properly rest when the time came for it. But beyond that, I simply wasn't able to find anything. I threw my little supplies I had in my bag and started down the forest side of the mountain.

I didn't feel safe at all in the forest, it felt like every plant was staring me down, waiting to strike. Really, if Emiko was around, they very well might. I quickly came to the realization, however, that it was likely the hooded woman would strike me in the forest before she did. I didn't know what her powers were, but at the same time, I didn't want to know. She seemed far more dangerous than she let in on. But, in order to get to Emiko, I had a sinking feeling I had to face that woman. Whatever she could do to fight me, I would have to face.

I kept an eyed out though, I had to be weary. It was a simple fact that whoever got the first strike would have the initiative in battle, I couldn't let it go to them. However, an ambush wasn't forthcoming. Wherever they were heading, they didn't have any plan to stay and fight. I didn't see any of the signs that they were through hear. No vines, no mushroom monsters, no trees impaled with the rigid leaves. If they'd gone this way, they certainly didn't show it. The forest was vibrant with light bursting through the screen of leaves, the plants seemed in order, the wildlife in check. This was nothing like the mangled mess Emiko has left in Amaris and before I didn't know if they'd even gone this way.

The Balsam Village was a long ways away yet, I'd only been going for 30 minutes of the 20 or so hour journey, but even that felt unnerving to me. I couldn't keep going forever and my body still ached from that fight. It had to have been that vines, because my requip is by no means draining enough to cripple me days on end. Not that it mattered, I was getting to there. It wasn't that this was personal, it was much more along the lines of existential. I felt that many people were threatened now and I had to get there before more damage could be done.

9 hours had passed and the scenery hardly changed, a sloping forest. The creatures had begun to be less frequent, however, which I found odd. I needed to know where they were, what was threatening them. That was truly frightening. It could be the hooded lady, or it could be far worse. I just didn't have a clue, simply put. But, despite my fear, there was no attack, there was no enemy nearby. After a couple hours of the fear and paranoia, I decided I needed to get some rest. I found and open patch, took my blanket I had grabbed out, and laid down on the ground shivering as the harsh winds blew through the forest. I closed my eyes and sat there for a further hour or so, trying to fall asleep, when finally I did.