Chapter 168 - Take The Iniative

Sliding his boot across the slick blades of verdant, the lighting Outlander swiped his palm through the air, unleashing a veil of lightning that ruptured against the trio of these rotting bodies, slicing them into many sections while charring their already tainted flesh. 

--I hate to admit it, but the big guy is right; if these really are husks, then trying to brute force our way out of this zone could risk being infected, Sirius thought to himself, forget the mission--we might not all make it out at one piece if the husks have already reached this point. 

After piecing apart the couple dozen of decrepit bodies that came their way; the assault seemed to finally come to an end as Sora plunged his sword into the soil with a huff. 

"We need to find Lucas and get back on our path towards Lemasdale."

Sirius made sure the husks remained down, sending minuscule bolts against the back of their inanimate skulls. 

"Huh? No, we're going to find Lucas then get the hell out of here!"

"What're you saying?"

Hearing the objection from his comrade, Sirius raised an eyebrow, prodding for the man to explain further. 

"You know what I'm saying; look how far the husks have already expanded. We need to group back up at the base and organize a proper team."

"...Getrude will be dead by the time any of that is done."

Sirius interjected, calmly uttering his words as if it was a factor that Sora had simply forgotten. 

"That's not our problem."

"Bullshit--"not our problem"--you heard her; this mission is paramount to the main goal at hand, Sora. If Getrude dies, not only do we lose a valuable ally, but Mastorn is going to be ruled by some greasy sack of shit no better than the current king!"

As he drilled his words into Sora, Sirius grabbed hold of the collar of his armor, pulling him closer to make sure his words hit his ears. 

"Listen to yourself--Mastorn, Lemasdale...None of that is our problem! This isn't our world, they aren't our people! What matters is us and not losing any more of our group that we have to! Don't forget; we're just here until we finish Beatrice's mission. It doesn't do us any damn good if we die along the way."

"What the hell is the matter with you? This is nothing like you at all! You're fine with people just dying when we can do something about it? Did you train all of these years just so you can stick your tail between your legs and run like a fucking coward?!"

Sirius' grip tightened on Sora's collar, who responded by grabbing hold of the man's wrist, meeting his azure gaze with his crimson jewels. 

"No, I put my body through hell so I could get back home! Didn't you do the same? What about your siblings, huh?! Don't you want to see them grow up? Watch them graduate, find love, have kids? Be an uncle?"

"...Of course I do!...But how am I going to face them if their beloved older brother is a coward who abandons helpless people?!"

Sirius pressed his forehead against Sora's as their words became sharper and more fearsome, shouting within the bowels of the fog-covered forest. 

--I understand where you're coming from, I do; you just want to make sure Lucas is safe. You're not the type to leave the weak behind, Sora. I know that, Sirius thought. 

"...alright, alright! I got it! You're stubborn as hell…"

"And you aren't?"

Sirius smacked his knuckles against the heavy-plated armor on Sora's torso with a smirk, the tension dissipated between the two in an instant. 

"Still, how the hell are we supposed to find our way to Lemasdale now? Finding that map is going to be next to impossible if it wasn't torn to shreds in the crash."

"Easy; we find Lucas. He was buried in that map the entire time. I'm sure the route to the town is ingrained in his mind at this point."

Tapping the side of his head, Sirius answered Sora with a reliable smile. 

"Okay, smart guy--how the hell are we supposed to find Lucas then?"

"Willpower and positive thinking!"

As if it was an appropriate plan to go off of, Sirius responded with a snap of his fingers, speaking in a tone befit for a commentator. Sora slumped his shoulders hearing this, letting out a sigh as he shook his head and plated his palm against his face. 

"I'm kidding; sort of, maybe. Look, we have no choice but to locate that sharp-tongued guy. So, are you with me or not?"

"Of course I'm with you, just not too pumped about wandering aimlessly through this damn fog without a plan."

Ruffling his own vermillion tufts, Sora rested his weapon that looked as if it was wielded by a giant against his shoulder. 

"Actually, I've got a plan; I think you'll like it, in fact."

"Oh?"

It was a somewhat worrying smile from Sirius that brought upon Sora's questioning "Oh?", the man who believed so fervently in his own genius. 

"I'm betting Lucas is looking for us right now; he likely woke up before us or maybe never even was knocked unconscious in the first place because of his ability. The thing is--I believe he came to the same conclusion I've reached."

"What's that?"

"In this fog, it'll take the winds out of anyone's sails trying to find someone, especially with the thick bounds of the forest. He probably realized it would be much better to wait somewhere that we were all heading anyway."

"...Lemasdale."

"Bingo."

Sirius snapped his fingers as he guided Sora to the same idea. Nodding his head a few times, Sora brought his fingers to his chin as he leaned back against the cedar, his dense form causing pollen to dance down from the limbs of the oak. 

"That still brings up the damn question...We don't know where Lemasdale is."

"True, but that's not to say we can't still find it."

Knowing another self-reliable part of this plan was going to come from Sirius, Sora braced himself for whatever daredevilish method was coming. 

"...I'm all ears."