pls don't judge me I have so many injured guren icons okay

[swordfucker]

[Compared to this, the talking furniture from ages ago seemed almost pleasant. The door clicks shut behind them, and Guren almost wants to drop down right here. It's the first building they've come across in a while now— some sort of cabin in the woods that's falling apart just like the rest of the town they'd started in. Guren was bleeding from a variety of areas— a number of spots on his torso, his head, his face, his thigh— and that doesn't even start on the broken bones he's sporting, but he had a demon to take care of those injuries.

The man he was trying to support next to him was a different story. Hadn't they said something about not wanting to test if he could die and come back...?]

Look at me, Dex. [Guren wasn't trying to hide his worry now. He'd arrived too late, or at least that's his perspective. He shows up and something is nearly finished toying with Dextera like he's some sort of doll— something grey, with wings. Guren couldn't grasp what was happening, but interrupting had shown him that he was nearly outmatched. Nearly. With some biting words, he'd slain the creature(?) just before he was about to be offed himself. It was risky, to say the least.

But they're indoors now. Indoors, and there have to be supplies they can make use of somewhere. He staggers his next step forward as he tries to lead Dextera in, coughing blood against the back of his own hand. He's noticing that even his own injuries are staying longer than usual, somehow...]

Damn it...

[But he needs to know how Dextera is doing. How much can he handle? Guren doesn't want to find out his limit right now. One hand grips at Dextera's shoulder. They've been supporting each other the whole walk here, and he's trying not to weigh him down. His other hand, though the back of it is bloody now, rests against Dextera's chest carefully.] Sit down here.

Comments

[swordfucker]

[ no matter how many times he gets relaxed or enjoys a quiet moment, it’s always back to how lost they are. This is bad, no matter how he tries to spin it. He can’t hold direction in this place, and he’s getting hungry. They have water, he’s been fine on that, but they probably can’t live on berries. At least, Guren can’t. ]

It’s still the same forest, I think, even with that fall. We’re pretty thoroughly lost.

[ He’s starting to wonder if they’ll ever get out, honestly. ] It never seems to matter which direction I pick for us to go, either.

[passio]

[ maybe you just have a bad sense of direction, guren!! ]

Do you think there's a trick to it?

[ he's just tossing thoughts into the air now, but it feels like something this forest would do, doesn't it? going forward offers no progress, but maybe if they walked back to the place they fell in... or they might just undo everything they've done already. ]

Or... it's just a deep forest.

[swordfucker]

I think... it might be sentient.

[ While saying this, he reaches out to mark a tree like he always does, staring at the chip in the wood as they pass it. ]

It changes by chance, and that feeling of being watched that occasionally comes without any other presence— I can’t imagine what else would explain that. [ He frowns a little deeper. ] It’s bad news for us.

[passio]

[ dextera realizes what guren is doing, and he thinks it's a good idea—enough of one that it feels like something they should have been doing earlier. ]

So... what do you think it wants from us?

[ if it wanted them out, it would have sent them out by now. right? unless it means to kill them in here, but even that could have been accomplished long ago. if it's got the ability to suppress guren's demon, it can do anything to them. ]

[swordfucker]

[ If Guren is guessing right, they’ll never see this marked tree again. No matter how the forest walks them in circles. ]

...Maybe to wear us out? [ He... doesn’t know. He certainly doesn’t know why that hot spring was the way it was, especially. ] It might be trying to create strain between us with everything going on, but it’s hard to guess anything when I don’t know what a forest would want in the first place.