Footprintalicious Group

Pluto mainly ignored Leviathan at this point as she whined for Ganymede to carry her. It was his choice after all. She continued walking then paused, blinking as she realized the path divided. She sighed a little then crouched down, getting closer to the ground as she squinted a bit to try to see in the darkness, to try and see which way the footprints went. She let out a mild curse when she was unable to, and turned backward.

"Shadow, I can't see the prints anymore. Now is your time to shine. Which way do we go?"

Castle Group

Venus's eyebrows knit together at Enyalius's suggestion. Although they were all exhausted, Venus still believed they should push on. Yes, she was a lot more experienced and hardened than some, but even so, they needed to make as much progress as possible before relenting to sleep.

She scrutinized the two paths ahead, doing her best to see through the darkness. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke up again:

"We need to push on. Serenity assigned us this mission because she believed we would push ourselves to the limit to get as much progress as possible, and I don't think our limit has been reached. We need to take this path." And the send of her statement, the blue-eyed goddess of love moved towards the left path.

Footprint Group


Shadow followed the path with Pluto as she instructed him, feeling confident enough to follow the tracks that the ruthless little gnomes had left in their wake. Time continued to march in more ways than one, and soon the elder senshi passed him the figurative torch.

Something caught Shadow's attention. Was it a noise, a sudden movement, or a strange smell? Was he simply able to take notice of even the smallest hints of an enemy's presence, such as an aura of baleful intent? Whatever the case was, he did not want to remain at this fork for very long.

The nocturnal pathfinder turned around to face his allies, speaking with the appearance of quiet reflection. He gestured with one hand towards the forest, sweeping it in a slow circle to indicate their immediate surroundings.  "I don't think we're alone. if we're going to rest, let's not rest here."

After studying the trail to determine which way the gnomes had snuck off, Shadow quietly drew his weapon from its scabbard and approached a nearby tree. Using the tip of the sword's blade, Shadow etched an X pattern onto a tree overlooking the split in the road. A second crude mark was soon scored into the surface of the bark, falling to the left of the X.

OOC:

Castle Group


Achelois couldn’t help but smile as she listened to Enya talk about her training days on her planet.  She liked when her friend was able to speak about her past positively.  She enjoyed the chant that Enya spoke and closed her eyes as she listened. 

When they reached the path she was glad they stopped for a moment.  She was relieved when Enya mentioned stopping for the night.  She knew they should get to the castle as quickly as possible but she hoped that by resting she could restore some energy for the upcoming battles.  Plus if they went all night then they wouldn’t have much energy tomorrow.  She was just about to speak up when Venus told them she wanted to continue.  Achelois frowned slightly when she heard Venus speak.  It’s true they needed to go as far as they can…


“I also think it’s a good idea to stop for the night.” She paused before continuing, “Pushing yourself to the limit is fine, but only when you can get a rest afterward.  If we keep going it’ll only put us at a disadvantage when we do get there.”  It’s not that she minded not stopping but she knew that rest is a necessity and should be taken when the chance is presented.

Now that the adrenaline was no longer running, fatigue was catching up to her. When they reached another branch, Venus spoke up again, telling them to push on and once again seemed certain about where they were going. It still struck her as odd, her knowing this all of a sudden, and maybe it was her paranoia but combined with her desire to push forward it just made Andromeda feel quite uneasy. She looked around at the others, most of which suggested resting.

"Some of us have nearly died a couple times today," she said with a grimace. "And Achelois here has spent a lot of energy fixing us as well. I'd say if we were to reach the castle soon, whatever threat there will require us to fight at our prime condition. Sometimes it's better to be slower but safe..."

She felt strange contradicting the more experienced senshi, but she was worried about everyone's health and the fact that they could see practically nothing in this darkness.

Enyalius appreciated Venus's spirit, but she still believed that they should stop while they could. She folded her arms and looked in the general shadowy direction of where she believed Venus to be, "If we manage to get there;" she added to Achelois's statement. She remained quiet, listening to Andromeda's logic, nodding, then added what she could to convince the older senshi. "I have terrible night vision, and unless we're going to start holding hands in a chain I will be utterly useless from this point forward. Should we stumble into a nest or unnatural terrain of some sort we won't know it until it's too late. Unless we wanted to chance a light, I can't continue forward anymore."

Footprint Group

As the night grew even darker, Ganymede Knight realized that he could no longer see the trail they were following, which could definitely be a problem. He was just following everyone's voices to keep track of where they were. He almost stumbled on a small rock that caught his foot, but managed to stay upright without dropping Leviathan.

"Uh, is anyone else pretty much blind right now?" he asked aloud. "It's pitch black out here..."

"I CAN SEE EVERYTHING," Sailor Leviathan loudly proclaimed to Ganymede Knight. "That's what I would say, if I could see. But I can't."

She hugged onto him tightly, feeling quite content in her place on his back. Her plan had worked perfectly. She didn't have pride, but she knew how much it could mean to a proud knight like Ganymede. She practically nuzzled her face in his hair, now exposed without his helmet. She pretended his head was a pillow.

"I'm with Shadow," she practically mumbled in tiredness. "Whatever way he suggests we go, we should go. Let's rest somewhere else."

Castle Group

The senshi of love sighed in exasperation and tugged at her hair.  "Yes, I know you're all exhausted, and I understand, but I just..." she paused glancing around the area, "don't think we should stop here.  I'm just as exhausted as the rest of you, but I know there's still more in all of us.  I promise not to force you into the castle until we've all rested, but we should at least make a little more progress for tonight.  Please, can we just go a little farther?  I'll even take first watch overnight."

It was strange, having to beg for her companions to follow and understand her.  With the inner senshi, they always trusted her judgment when it came to safety and fulfilling their mission.

In truth, Venus was frantic.  She coule practically hear a clock ticking inside of her head, marking down the seconds until time was up.  'Serenity...'

Castle Group

Enyalius hated to hear the desperation in Venus's tone, but that didn't change the fact that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. "I can't go any farther - without any natural lighting I literally cannot see my hand in front of my face. Venus, I know and fully understand that we need to reach the castle as quickly as possible, but bumbling around in the dark isn't going to get us there any quicker. Andromeda, Bellatrix and Achelois - even you need to rest and recuperate from the catastrophes of the day."

She took a stand by taking a seat, putting her back to the tree she had carved her symbol into. "We'll wake at first light and start then, fresh and in the light."

DM wrote:

With Enyalius, Achelois and Andromeda voting to rest (and Bellatrix's perception being even worse than Enyalius's in the dark), the motion carries, and the Castle Group rests for the night. 

Do they make it?
--DM Rolls a 3
Castle Group is not attacked during the night.


Status Update: Changed original plans; allowing some MP to be regenerated.
Sleeping regains 5 HP 
Sleeping regains 5 MP
  Full stats in green.

	Player	HP	MP
Enyalius	Uranus	35	15
Achelois	Anait	30	28
Andromeda	Mercury	22	29
Bellatrix	Pluto	19	15
Shadow	Jasper	26	14
Soul	Addelyn	16	19
Ganymede	JupiterThunderCrash	19	13
Leviathan	CJ	14	15
Pluto	CrystalSetsuna	17	15
Venus	Miss Moon Rose	16	33

Castle Group is now in the morning of the next day.
Footprint Group is still moving at night.

Enyalius woke, as promised, at first light, having slept the night through without being awoken by the sixth-sense-like danger warning senshi get when sleeping, and counted their group lucky. She stood, stretched, and went about waking the others in the group who did not naturally wake up. Her stomach grumbling, she pulled out the berry reserve the fairies had gifted each of them, and quickly downed the tiny juicy morsels to stave off hunger pains. She stretched, loosening stiff muscles, used to the feeling of sleeping without a soft bed beneath her.

"We should get moving," she said by way of "good morning", and double-checked her tree marker was in place as the others prepared.

Footprint Group

Amina quietly walked with the group, finding herself lost in thought as they looked for Mossen. This was a strange planet indeed. She couldn’t help but wonder what had warped the spirits so much? She felt out of sorts not being able to communicate with the spirits, not being able to use her empathy. She felt cut off from her powers. A shiver tingled along her spine. She hated the idea of never being able to use them again. Having them locked up behind her mental shields right now for her own protection felt so wrong. She felt it in every fiber of her being. She just wanted to hurry up and get off this planet. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly as she continued to walk.

She finally caught up with the rest of the group in time to hear Ganymede offer to carry Leviathan and the younger girl taking the knight up on his offer, pointing directly at her saying that Ganymede had carried her earlier. Amina felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. He had only carried her because she had been injured…right? Yes, that’s right; he was a Knight and a man of honour after all. That was the only reason he carried her. Not because he liked her or anything, nope. She could feel tears in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall, instead she walked to the front of the group so she wouldn’t have to watch.

“I can see the path, but not very clearly,” Soul called, answering the Knight’s question. It was getting very dark and she couldn’t see as easily as she could before. Perhaps it may be smart to stop for the night. “I think we should stop. We’re no use to Mossen if we fumble around in the dark all night. The only thing that is going to accomplish is getting ourselves more injured. We’ve also had two back to back fights and I’m sure we could all use some food and some rest.”

Once he had marked their path, Shadow turned back to his group. Ganymede was muttering something about having a difficult time perceiving Zenar without the benefit of its sun. He would have considered a remark about the knight carrying Leviathan, but was too preoccupied with a certain something that was lurking just beyond his immediate vision.

It was watching them, and not out of curiosity. It was watching for a sign of weakness that would ensure its victory.

"I can see just fine.." His voice tapered off as he pondered the malignant presence. It was no more tangible than a voice over a telephone, but was substantial enough to cause his blood to run cold. Shadow swore inwardly; he hadn't felt this specific feeling ever since he was an orphaned urchin who resorted to evasive maneuvers for his own protection, or the time that he had started receiving malevolent phone calls in Tokyo.

"But.." He croaked with dry lips, feeling his voice falter. How was he going to explain that he felt something was out there, watching them? That was the opposite of what he hoped to accomplish. Shadow clenched his fists. If someone or something planned to attack them, he was hoping for a quick resolution so he could sleep afterward.

"From here, we would continue left.." Shadow's half-hearted attempt at keeping a straight face was losing steam. This wasn't like him. He hated this sensation; it had driven him to desperate measures in the past.

Sailor Venus jumped when Enyalius woke her up, and she took a few seconda to adjust to daylight. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she got up from her position on the ground and looked around. Something felt...different, somehow. She looked at the other senshi, analyzing them, before turning her gaze to the pathway she had chosen the night before.

Her eyes narrowed. There was definitely something wrong that wasn't there the previous night. "I've changed my mind," she said, her voice cracking from her sleepy haze. "We should go right."

Althought refreshed, sleeping had given time for the blows Venus received to become visible bruises on her body. Not a single limb was left without a hideous, purple mark. Touching them caused her to wince, but it could be worse, she thought.

Castle Group

Andromeda didn't sleep well, but that was to be expected given the conditions. When she woke up and found where she was, though, all she wanted was go back to sleep or take off from this planet as soon as possible. As it was, the mission was not done, and she began to wonder if it ever would be. Pushing herself up, she grimaced at the aches and soreness she was feeling all over her body, though the rest had in fact helped her feel a bit stronger, fitful as it was.

She was amazed nobody had actually tried to kill them while they slept. Trying to eat and drink quickly to fill her stomach, she figured the sooner they started going, the sooner they'd get there and have all this over and done with. The sun was barely peeking out from the horizon. A new day, a new challenge...

She turned to Venus when the senshi proclaimed that they should change directions. Alright... this was getting weirder and weirder. What was the elder senshi not telling them?

And yet, Andromeda still couldn't find it within her to question her.

Castle Group


Though Enyalius found it odd for Venus to have been so convinced they should go one direction the night before, only to wake and declare the other direction, she did not question her. She simply shrugged and made to mark the tree across their previous path with a right-facing arrow and waited for the others to be ready to go. She had no idea which way they were headed anymore, so either direction made little difference to her. They just had to walk it and hope for the best. 

But then... Enyalius looked up. While the sunlight was weakened and scattered by the thick miasmic clouds above them, it did seem to glow brighter down this right-facing path. Looking down around her, she said the faintest of shadows stretching out behind her. If this planet spun clockwise, Venus's newly chosen path should be east, towards the castle. "That looks East to me; let's go."

Footprint Group

Pluto felt a rush of gratitude for Shadow that nearly washed away her larger dislike of Leviathan. What state would they be in if he hadn't come with them? Pluto smiled softly to herself as she leaned slightly against her staff, listening to the faint shuffles as he checked the tracks. Then she paused, puzzled to hear a falter in his voice. She turned her head but was unable to see any real details, just a outline that told her where he was, darker than the surroundings. She moved closer to the side, leaning in slightly. “Left it is then.” she spoke aloud, then lowered her voice slightly, so Ganymede and Leviathan couldn't hear. “Are you alright?....I would hope you're not scared of the dark.” it was a vague joke, though she was concerned about him. Was he too tired to continue on?

Footprint Group

Ganymede Knight was very tempted to drop Leviathan and blame it on a tree root he fell over, but decided that was too petty for even him. He stiffened at her behavior instead and tried not to let it show how much it bothered him.

"Well, tell me if I'm about to run into a tree..." He turned a little to the left and continued walking, assuming he was still on the path based on Shadow and Pluto being ahead of him.

Footprint Group

The humor was lost on Shadow, but he didn't have time to consider taking offense at Pluto's statement. His answer came in the form of a terse reply as he continued to study the wilderness. "Only of what it hides from us.."

Shadow turned his head to check on Ganymede and Leviathan. So far, so good; they were still within his eyesight, as was Sailor Soul and Sailor Pluto. But he had reason to worry; something was out there.

"I feel we're being followed, but some of you are tired.. we may have to stop."

Shadow's eyes adjusted to the poor lighting, turning to Ganymede as he spoke to give the knight a sense of direction. Leviathan wouldn't be too helpful at the moment - she was tired and unable to see very well. A strong argument for rest.

A hand went over to his face as a slithering presence shifted. Was it changing direction? Shadow's breathing quickened as he strained to locate the malevolent thing. It was very close, now.. as close as his own companions.

Serenity help me..

Shadow didn't want to believe that the presence had infiltrated their group. He wanted to believe that his imagination was running wild with dire scenarios, based from stressful events that were experienced in the past. All he could think to do is to create an opportunity for it to reveal itself out of carelessness.

Footprint Group

Soul sighed before doubling back towards the Knight and the annoying Senshi he was carrying. "I'll make sure you don't run into any trees," she said walking beside him and placing her hand gently on his forearm to guide him if he should start veering towards any trees.

"Let's go left for a bit before we find a suitable place to camp, shall we?" she called out to Shadow.

Pluto tensed a little as she heard him. Something was following them? She scowled and looked around suspicious now. So much for trying to be subtle and not attract attention. She cursed mildly and reached into her pocket then paused a moment. The communicator she had been given had broken as soon as she had taken it out of her pocket. She had been reaching for a small electric lantern she had in her pocket, or the flashlights, but it dawned on her that possibly though might go the route of the communicator. She scowled and stopped a moment, running a tally of what she had in her pocket that she could use instead. She cursed mildly as she realized she only had half the equation.

“I have a firestarter. Can anyone figure out a way to make some torches and I'll light them?” she asked to the group in general, looking around. She sighed mentally and thought that from now on, she would take flares with her for situations like this.

Footprint Group

"Thank you..." Ganymede said, allowing Soul to show him the way. He'd usually insist on doing it himself, but he was too tired to bother trying to look capable anymore. The last thing he needed to do was get injured again.

"We can gather some tree branches and tie them together with cloth," he suggested.

Footprint Group

"I was thinking about that, but without any type of accelerant, once the cloth is done, we'd have no more torch. We need like gas or something," she said. She wondered if there was something on this planet they could use instead as a torch, something that would sustain a flame for a long period of time.

Sailor Leviathan would have commented on how terrifying the prospect of someone following the group was, but she was completely asleep. She wasn't as easily able to handle trauma and battle as some of the other newbies, so it would likely be no surprise she couldn't stay awake either.

As Ganymede Knight and Sailor Soul walked together, the senshi of illusion snored in a cute little wheeze. She drooled slightly on Ganymede's shoulder.

dm wrote:

The Castle Group heads down the path to the Right. They walk for about five minutes before realizing that the path ahead ends in a dead end.

As (roll determined) Enyalius crept forward to make sure the path did not continue in an unexpected way, the path dissolved beneath her feet!

Enyalius is stuck in quicksand!

castle group

As her foot sank below ground level, Enyalius struggled to keep her balance, but her momentum only carried her forward. To catch herself before she fell, her other foot shot out, soon also to be captured by the wet and heavy dirt. She struggled to free herself, but the more she struggled the deeper she seemed to get, both boots sinking down into the mud.

"Darn it!" She cursed, and tried again, only to sink further. Her shins were completely under, the mud nearly up to her boot tops. Realizing that all she was doing was making it worse, she froze in place. "I might need some help."

Footprint Group

Shadow turned to face his associates. He had a few moments to muddle over his fears, turning his doubts and worries over in his head like an industrial centrifuge.

No use in hiding it anymore. Perhaps he could trick their stalker into revealing themselves? He hoped so, because letting their guard down with such an obvious threat would be ruinous - not only to themselves, but to Queen Mana and to Mossen.

"I'm concerned.. someone, or something, is following us. No, I suppose that's too vague; they're standing with us right now. One of us is possessed or is an impostor."

Footprint Group

Ganymede rolled his eyes when Sailor Leviathan started snoring into his ear. He wished he could sleep that easily... He shuddered and pulled a face as something wet hit his armor. Was she drooling on him?

"An imposter?" he asked, getting serious. No one had been acting strange since they had split up, so when had someone slipped in? He shook the girl on his back a little. "Hey, get up."

Footpath Group

Deciding to try again to use her powers, Soul slowly lowered her shields, just enough to get a glimpse at everyone's soul. She would't be able to exactly tell what was wrong with anyone without lowering her shields more, but with the way this planet treated her, she wasn't willing to risk that. She looked at everyone, including her own arm, before her gaze finally landed on Shadow. There was something NOT right about him. She couldn't place her finger on it, and didn't want to risk lowering her shields anymore. Carefully she put them back up and made sure her body language stayed neutral.

"How can you be so sure Shadow?" she called out.

Footprint Group

"There's a presence nearby and I can feel it," Shadow felt himself speaking before he had time to finish forming his thoughts. He was pretty confident that he could have spotted the thing.. or could he? When Soul expressed her doubt, his teeth ground together in frustration. In spite of how the implication was casting doubts on his own character, she did have a very good point about his earlier statement.

How is it that I am so sure..?

Slowly, he raised his arms to eye level to look them over. Next would be the chest wound he received prior to the lake explosion. If Shadow couldn't be sure who was affected by this malignant thing, why not start with a closer look at himself?

Sailor Pluto and the Footpath Gang

"Noooooooo," Leviathan muttered as she continued to nuzzle into Ganymede's hair. "It's a Whale Day. I can sleep in."

Stirring awake, she blinked and looked at the others. Her face contorted when she realized they thought there was an imposter in the group.

"Who's an imposter? I'm not an imposter. I'm a senshi, just like all of you. I swear!"

For a moment, she thought they had found out she was a reporter, having intially joined their mission to get more information on them. She had no idea they meant there was an actual enemy.

Footpath Group

"Shadow," she murmured, moving slowly towards him, trying not to startle him. "How are you so sure something is following us? I don't sense anything." She kept to herself that she did, but what she sensed was something wrong with him. She reached out to put a hand on her soul brothers arm, hoping that perhaps touch would ground him in reality.