[Mari]

The boo just sort didn't even notice Rider pop out of the ground. See, that was clearly impossible because it had just buried her under hundreds of pounds of dirt. She clearly wasn't right behind him getting ready to zap his behind. Wouldn't that just be the worst?

...Whoops.

The series of lightning attacks almost seemed to phase harmlessly through the ghost for a moment, passing through its ethereal body as if it weren't even there. Yet, as the ghost shifted to glance over its non-existant shoulder at Rider it's body abruptly bloated cartoonishly, as if a loveable rabbit had stuffed a bike pump in its mouth and went to town. It then proceeded to pop, a cloud of white ectoplasm rising into the air and beginning to dissipate over the next minute or so.

(( ...Rider. Schezo. You appear to be unchallenged. You may resume your perception rolls to try and find your lost companion. ))

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rider stared in silence as the ghost that tormented her just up and popped out of existence. Did it die or it just vanished? If one would pay attention to her, they would notice her wielding an expression only classified as a fusion of anger and confusion before she began taking deep breaths.

With enough efforts to calm down, she was back to her usual self...well, she at least looked like it.

"I think...we wasted enough time...let's keep looking." Rider said to Schezo.

zsC0wiAIp_1d20+3(Rider's Search.)

She didn't managed to see or notice much else this time, aside from extra patches of foliage. She was getting rather distracted this time, starting to ponder if she was really cut to save Raffine.1d20+3

[Rina]

Schezo took a deep breath, just covered in ash and all sorts of scratches. The battle took way longer than he should, and Rider's passive aggressive wording pretty much shows it. He does agree with her at the very least.

"Agreed, let's move onwards."

Schezo looks ahead... zQR34bE7p_1d20+4

And he, too, notices the foliage, with not much strange things to take note. Though, considering the bad streak of hostiles in the bushes, he's not touching them. Nope. Not happening.

Damage: 26%
Status: Normal
Areiado Cooldown: 21d20+4

[Mari]

This time the spirit did not re-emerge to slow them down. It certainly seemed like they were done anyway. ...Schezo and Rider would both become aware of a pair of feet sticking out of some foliage nearby as they continued their search. The darkness made it difficult to find, but once they got close it was quite easy to see them.

A pair of striped stockings and a pair of lovely if not practical shoes. Rider would likely immediately recognize them as belonging to Raffine and, make no mistake, they were still being worn. When the duo parted the foliage, however, they might find something ...off.

Raffine was definitely laying before them, but she didn't look quite herself, you see. She appeared weak and unfocused, her eyes milky and lacking any recognition for her saviors. A tinge of ominous purple floated through them.

It might become apparent that Raffine had been out here for far too long already, a fact foretold by Feli in the mission briefing. She was already entering the more advanced stages of starving exposure, but wasn't quite infected yet. Before either could offer her a hand, however, Raffine seemed to abruptly notice them and shoved herself into a standing position! She promptly took a swing at Schezo, but appeared to underestimate the extent of her injuries, immediately losing her balance and falling over harmlessly. She emitted a little yelp as she hit the ground, squirming away from the duo and struggling back to her feet.

Or rather, one foot. It didn't look like Raffine could put any weight on her right leg. It also didn't seem like she was a serious threat to either of them as a result, in spite of her apparent madness. "...What are you?? Stay away!" Raffine babbled out feverishly.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rider managed to spot the feet appearing from the foliage, and while she was initially somewhat happy of finally finding her, it soon turned into worry as Raffine was...clearly not in the best shape, both physically and mentally. Rider wasn't exactly sure what to do. She didn't want to hurt her, but if she kept trying that...well, she was at a loss just now.

She turned her glance to Schezo. Maybe the Dark Wizard could help her? He seemed to know a lot of things that she didn't...it would be at least worth a try.

"D-do you know what is going on with her...?"

[Rina]

Schezo peered over the foliage, noticing Raffine as well. Particularly at the aura that's emanating from her. It was dark, but something about it somehow intimidated him, even for a Dark Wizard; it was foreign to him. Concern brewed, but he tried to keep calm, as panicking would likely cause the situation to go downhill. Schezo turned to her, informing her of what's going on.

"Do you recall what the the briefing mentioned? It said that she was 'hidden in the foliage of a place that has not seen the light of day in a very long time' when the flier itself seems to have lingered for more than a day. She might be succumbing to the effects of the toxic starvia air, but it seems it has not taken complete hold of her. However..."

Schezo noticed Raffine's aggression, but she couldn't even take one step before collapsing again.

"She's in such poor condition, she has little strength to even stand. We must make haste and take her to the hospital for treatment."

[Mari]

Raffine did not acknowledge the conversation at hand. It didn't seem like she understood either of them. It almost looked as if she intended to box them on one leg, but her body language spoke of something else that plagued her. She trembled violently as she stood. It turned out that even a trained warrior like Raffine had a hard time focusing through the pain of a major injury. Days without food or water had rendered her mind and body weak, even disregarding the starvia and it's hallucinogenic effects. Her body soon gave out under her and she collapsed onto the ground bodily before Schezo and Rider, beginning to cry in a rather undignified manner.

"Nooo... Am I damned to perish in this wretched place, helpless and forlorn? Where's the justice..?! Is there not a charming prince in this universe who sees fit to come to my aid..? ...I'd settle for a woman! I just wanna go hoooome!" Raffine bawled dramatically, pleading with an unknown higher power.

It was perhaps a bit uncomfortable watching the girl crumble to pieces before them. She seemed to believe her end was nigh. One might be left to question if she would speak so freely if she knew someone was listening. It didn't seem like she had the strength to resist if they wanted to restrain her or carry her off.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

". . ."

As Raffine laid there miserable, Rider looked at her...and she didn't exactly know how to feel. The concept of seeing Raffine cry was...alien, and it showed. Most of the time, she saw her Raffine as this...very difficult person to wrap around and understand. Not helping this was how Raffine was easy to berate or insult her just like with others, stressing Rider to some degree and effectively distancing her from the pink-haired 'ladylike' girl.

Regardless, she knew it was a much tougher situation right now. Raffine pretty much needed absolute help right now. Rider wasn't the type of person whom would let a person to die, despite how they mistreated someone else or herself. It was a part of her belief. Everyone had something special. Something good to show for themselves. She knew...she knew that people had good in them...they just needed some pushes to bring that out.

Rider stood silent for a while...before calmly petting Raffine, hiding her face with her other sleeve. It seemed that she was trying to calm her down.

...Without any actual input from both the girl or his ally, Rider began hoisting Raffine up.

"P-please don't try to move...okay...?" Rider said, weakly trying to smile as she let out a tear or two. "...We'll take you to a hospital..."

[Rina]

Seeing Raffine in this pitiful state...it felt wrong to just leave her be for him. It's not like him, but he wouldn't feel right. He doesn't know her personally, only here for the credit, but he has to do something. He's unaware of her snobby attitude, he's unaware of her ladylike behavior, he knows nothing about her. As he watched Rider attempt to pick her up, Schezo offered to carry her instead. Being much taller and a bit more capable of carrying his weight, he should have an easier time.

"Here, I'll carry her."

And he spoke something to Raffine to give her some assurance. Wouldn't want her thrashing about. What he's about to say...is going to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

"Be at ease. Your prince has come to the rescue."

Blech! How do I purge those words from my tongue!? I am far from being someone's prince!

[Mari]

Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Raffine was just kind of ... tripping all sorts of balls. She seemed pretty scared of Rider as the other girl went to scoop her up, which would probably be hilarious if half the party wasn't crying. The lady warrior tensed in anticipation of some kind of blow but after a very long moment just sort of curled up in Rider's grasp, becoming docile. It seemed that though her mind was nearly gone, she was still conscious enough to recognize that she was not being harmed for one reason or another. Raffine became rather catatonic in Rider's arms, up until the time Schezo uttered a few key phrases.

...Her gaze ever so sluggishly trailed up to Schezo with wide, unseeing eyes. She, of course, saw no prince--but she'd clearly recognized something in his words. After a moment she lowered her gaze without further acknowledgement. It was up to Rider if she wished to hand Raffine off to her larger companion. Rider seemed to have managed to gain some of Raffine's trust through her actions, but it probably wouldn't impede the mission if she scared her a bit by handing her off.

There was, of course, the matter of their escape. Whoever was carrying Raffine might need protection should they run into any more spooky ghosts on their way out.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rider couldn't resist but to let her smile grow as Raffine allowed her to grab her up. Seemed like they were getting somewhere with her rescue, at least. Wrapping her hand around Raffine's left arm, she allowed the pink-haired 'lady' to rest some of her weight upon Rider, whom had the idea to function as a third leg of sorts for her. However, she came to a complete stop as Schezo offered her to pick up the slack and carry Raffine instead.

She raised her free arm, as to stop him in his tracks. As much as she wanted to stop and giggle when Schezo tried to comfort Raffine, there was something to be done.

"Mr. Dark Wizard, I appreciate your concern and your approach, however I must say...You are far more skilled and experienced in combat than me, and that is a fact I cannot deny."

After telling Schezo to basically handle the fights, she turned to Raffine. "Ms. Raffine...I dunno if you can listen to me, but...hoist your injured leg up...focus on hopping alongside me, okay...?" She tried to ask the clearly delirious classmate. Hey, t'was worth a shot! 

[Rina]

Rider does have a good point. Schezo's much wiser in the ways of combat, and him having to carry her around wouldn't allow him to fight. Rider is still in school, so her skill isn't nearly as developed as his. He nodded in agreement, taking the hint and drew his sword to ready himself for any hostile attacks.

"I see. I'll have my blade ready to fight off the hostile creatures."

His main concern is that he's still a bit more worse for wear than Rider. If he falls, then the mission is going to go downhill VERY quickly. Time to stay alert, Dark Wizard. You'll never know what will attack...

[Mari]

Raffine had become catatonic again, unresponsive to the outside world in its entirety. It was questionable whether she would have even been able to make the trip anyway, given how painful hopping around with an assumedly broken leg would have been for the already severely weakened girl. On the bright side however, Raffine had chosen to curl into a little ball, making herself a lot more wieldy. The sounds of movements in the distance signaled a predatory creature stalking the duo. Best not to linger too long.

((Rider! ...You do not need to roll to carry Raffine. Isn't that just swell?))

((Both of you do have to roll for your escape however. From now on, roll DEX each turn to see how much ground you can cover. If your DEX roll is below 14, you will also want to roll perception 14+ to prevent yourself from being potentially surprise attacked by a stalking enemy. Beware that if you both manage to fail all of your rolls, something unpleasant might happen.))

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Rider found herself carrying her fellow classmate with incredible ease. Huh, who knew? The wonder didn't last long as she heard distant steps of something...something huge. Adrenaline began rushing throughout her body, fear rising on her mind. But as soon as fear rose in, her previously bottled-up anger also rose back. She was going to have a field day if the monster ended up being the very same ghost that tormented it.

"I'm afraid we cannot linger here any more. We should return." Rider said.

((For some odd reason, the dice roller kept giving me '?' despite countless rerolls and checks. I had to use an d20 roller from another site and I attached a printscreen for the roll I had there for proof's sake.))

20-1=19 (Rider's Escape roll.)

Rider found herself as able to run with Raffine on her hands as she was able to pick her up. Huh, she was stronger than she leaned on.

Attachments:

[Rina]

"Naturally. We must make haste, but stay wary."

Schezo attempted to advance on... zaCQeIaZp_1d20

But he couldn't seem to adequately advance... p_1d20+4

However, he did sense a presence around them, readying his sword. Whatever it is, Schezo isn't going to get jumped on this time.

"I sense something. Be careful."

Damage: 26% 

Status: Normal 

1d20·1d20+4