Wind whistled by the archer, the scent of freshly spilled blood overwhelming but familiar. Stepping over decayed remains, his grip on the Fujin Yumi tightened. This was meant to be a routine patrol, at most leading to a few less faceless infecting the area. Not a solo mission that involved stalking further into the forest under the cover of night. The din of a raging swarm the soundtrack to his foolish curiosity. It sounded as if there were a battle not far from his position. Why anyone else would be this deep in the Woods of the Forlorn was beyond him, but he couldn’t in good conscious leave them at the mercy of a horde. Fortunately, it didn’t take him much longer to locate the source of all the chaos he’d been tracking.
It was certainly quite the sight.
Entrapped in a gruesome fight with several of the hulking beasts was another teenager. Their short blue hair matted with blood on the right side, likely a blow taken from being inundated with the sheer amount of enemies upon them. Seeing one of those monsters raise it’s oversized fists into the air, Takumi didn’t hesitate to strike them down. Lifting his yumi from it’s readied position, he released an arrow into the back of the beast’s head. Effectively dropping its body, limp and already decaying, to the ground. An action that had ended up earning him a fair bit of ire from the rest of the faceless. Holding his ground, the prince let loose a pair of arrows into the chests of two more of the assailants.
While their bodies didn’t fall, the duo broke from their last target with a handful of others to take down this new threat. Exactly as he’d hoped. Taking a calming breath, he slung his weapon over his shoulder as he ducked passed the advancing units. The action hadn’t been without punishment, but he’d managed to keep his footing through the fist that collided with his side. Once within the thick of the throng, he wasted no time in snatching the other teen into his arms. Carrying them out of the mass of violent fell creatures and into the dense woods.
It wasn’t the most graceful of plans he’d ever come up with, but it worked. That was all that mattered. Knowing that the duo was likely being pursued, he made an effort to cut through the smallest gaps in trees he could spot. With each tight fit he knew the army chasing them was thinning more and more. Faceless were neither fast nor agile, two things that he was willing to take full advantage of. Glancing down at the warrior in his arms, a frown decorated his features. They could easily be a soldier of Nohr, but their attire alone spoke otherwise. They were likely a foreigner. A mystery all its own.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the royal came to a halt just on the edge of the thicket. Kneeling down in the dying grass, he set the stranger down in front of him with an exasperated sigh. “What is wrong with you? You could have gotten yourself killed.”
While his tone was nothing but annoyed, he looked the other over with a measured amount of worry. Reaching into the pouch strapped at his waist, he produced a vulnery that was immediately passed to his companion. Angry as he was that this idiot was out here alone, he still wanted to help. At least enough to keep them from bleeding out before they could reach the closest town or something. “What were you even doing out here?”
