CHPT 70: Fears forced to Overcome

Claude and the squad that picked him up walked the dark and cold streets of SkyHaven in relative silence, aside from the light chatter between the group and the background noise that spilled out into the streets from bars and crowded shops nearby. On their way out, he was introduced to the rest of the close knit group one by one.

The Tank was a tall and thick boned man named Ansel Armstrong. His great beard and facial scar reminded him of a younger badass version of Santa— if Santa wore heavy armor and wielded a sword and shield almost as big as himself.

The other Damage dealers name was Riley Scout. She was an energetic and perky Archer who looked closest to Claude's age. Frosty seemed to dislike her company and tried to growl at her a couple times— much to Claude's dismay. He also noticed she seemed to like the Squad Leader, Chadwick, quite a bit. Every time she spoke to him, she'd twirl her silky black hair around her fingers and bat her long eyelashes at him.

The second woman in the group was their Healer, named Brenda Grannus. Her looks convinced Claude that all Healers were beautiful, she had pure blonde hair that sucked up the light all around them and refreshing hazel eyes that complimented her lightly tanned skin. Unfortunately, her attractive features were in a constant battle with the sullen expression that almost never left her face. Claude assumed she was the closest to their fallen comrade.

Lastly, was their Mage, his name was Oliver Grant. He was a slender built quiet man that looked to be the oldest in the group. He held himself with pride and seemed to study everyone he looked at deeply.

"Alright, Carter. I've got to be frank with you, this is a pretty small squad compared to most. But, that means more exp for all of us.....it also means this Tangent will be more dangerous." Chadwick said from the front of the group.

"That's fine." Claude answered from his spot at the back of the group with Brenda.

The entire group relaxed at his answer and slowly began to sound like a group that has spent a great deal of time together.

"So, we're going for drinks after this right, Chadwick? It's been ages." Ansel said.

"That depends, I kinda want to get home to my wife and son."

Claude was decently surprised upon learning that Chadwick had a family. He seemed too young. Nevertheless, Claude had a new level of respect for him considering that he was risking his life every night to support his child.

"A Hero in its truest form." He thought.

"You goddamned family man!" Ansel yelled jokingly while they neared the gate. The group laughed quietly over the silence of the street.

"I think it's very respectable that you've got your priorities straight, Chadwick." Riley said after the groups laughing died down.

"Of course, you do. You damned groupie." Ansel said under his breath.

Riley raised her hand so Ansel could see her raised middle finger in response to his comment.

The group continued to walk through the quiet and dark city of SkyHaven for a few more minutes conversing lightly and mentally preparing themselves for the battle ahead.

After 20 or so more minutes of walking, they exited the gates of SkyHaven and headed west. The dirt road was empty— aside from rodents scurrying past and birds flying overhead. Oliver walked at the front of the group with a stick he lit on fire to light the way.

"So, Carter. Since your new, allow me to give you some valuable information. Now that we're out in the open— alone, this is the perfect time for thieves and bandits to attack us. So, stay alert and keep your weapon drawn." Chadwick said while the rest of the group pulled their weapons out in unison.

"Right, thank you for the heads up." Claude responded. "I never even considered the possibility of bandits, I wonder how often that happens." He thought.

"Got any family Carter?" Ansel asked in an attempt to make conversation.

Claude stayed silent for a moment before answering, "Yea, I have a little brother at home." He inwardly flinched at his response, since he assumed Ansel would dig for more information considering the fact that Claude looked too young to be taking care of anyone on his own.

"Ahh, that's good. Keep him close. He'll keep you focused and make you a strong Hero, everyone should have someone their fighting for." Ansel said to Claude's surprise.

He nodded to himself and lightly scratched Frosty behind the ears without anyone noticing.

The group neared their destination as they approached the entrance of a dark and gloomy forest. It seemed to be the only forest stripped of its greenery, giving it a haunting and starved look. The bare and sharp branched trees sprouted from the grassless ground few and far between like skinny wooden monoliths.

The only form of life he noticed from their spot at the entrance was the odd crow or two perched on branches that let out their signature lonely and eerie cries.

"According to the Quest Board, the Tangent is in this forest." Chadwick said.

"Talk about a fitting place for it to be." Riley said.

"Let's move." Chadwick said while taking the first steps into the creepy forest.

The group followed soon after. As they walked through the spacious and dead forest, they looked around cautiously from the effect the chilling atmosphere had on them.

"I'll never get over how uncomfortable all the Undead Races make me feel." Ansel said.

The group silently agreed while they walked deeper into the forest.

Claude couldn't help but feel anger for the lifelessness of the forest. He couldn't explain the kind of anger and sadness he felt, but he wanted to fix the forest— every last inch of it.

"Carter." Chadwick called from the back of the group.

"Yes?"

"As an Assassin, do you know what to do once we get in?"

"Uhhhhmmm....flank?" Claude said with absolutely no confidence in his answer.

"Heheh, there's more to it. Your class makes Ansel here your best friend and the key to your success. When he uses his taunt skill and attracts enemies to himself, that's when you slip in and kill a few. For the most part, you just do variations of that play. Since the Undead Races aren't known for their wits you should be fine. If there's forestry in this Tangent, then use it to sneak around and stay hidden so you don't draw their attention to you when your all alone, and if there's ranged enemies we need you to get ride of them....along with special targets who are alone. Cool?" Chadwick said.

"Very informative. Thank you." Claude responded with a little embarrassment. He suddenly remembered how Alessia and Julian fought the same way in the University's game of Mob.

"Dammit! I should've known that." He thought angrily.

"[Remember not to lose control in there and get as much exp as possible.]" Arne said.

"Right." Claude responded.

After another few minutes of walking, he noticed Brenda looked even more depressed than usual and it made him feel like he had an obligation to at least try and help— even if he was socially challenged when it came to talking to women.

He took a couple deep breaths to try and flush out his anxiety and cleared his throat before speaking.

".....Erhm....I....uhhhhhhh..." Claude froze once she looked at him and his mind went blank like an untouched canvas.

"[You're joking right?]" Arne said.

"Fuck off, this is difficult." Claude responded.

"Are you alright?" Brenda asked.

"No—YES!....erhm...excuse me. I just wanted to say...I've noticed you seem quite a bit more down than the rest of the group. I'm assuming it's due to the person who was here before me...." he said. In response Brenda nodded silently and waited for him to continue.

"Whoever they were, I'm sure they were great...and I'm sorry he or she isn't here right now. Anyway, I know you don't know me at all. But I'll do my best to be a good fill in and make sure I don't drag the rest of the group down." Claude said.

Somewhere in the middle of his speech, he stopped walking....but so did everyone else. They all stared at him— including Brenda who stood next to him.

He suddenly felt uncomfortable and embarrassed in the silence.

"Uh..." before he could find anything to say, Brenda's eyes welled up with tears and she smiled. It was the first time he'd seen her smile— even if he'd only met her an hour ago, it felt good to know she wasn't entirely filled with sadness. In that moment, he decided to just sit and enjoy how much the expression complemented her face.

"Thank you Carter, I'm sure you won't drag us down at all." She said while wiping away her tears.

Chadwick smiled and walked over to Claude.

"I'm sure you'll fill in well, your off to a good start already." He said while giving Claude a pat on the shoulder. The rest of the group agreed in silent support.

"[Well done, ladies man.]" Arne complemented in Claude's mind as they continued to journey through the forest.

Deeper in the forest, the trees began to get more scarce and there weren't anymore crows nearby. Abruptly, an ungodly smell of rot and something noxious and rancid seeped into Claude's nose.

"AUGH!"

Claude yelled out and began to cough. The smell hit him like a hammer. It left his eyes watering and his nose and mouth burned even though they were covered by cloth. He felt that Frosty was bothered by the smell as well.

"Carter are you alright?" Brenda asked.

"[Claude, your an Assassin, your senses aren't supposed to be that good. You have to play it off.]" Arne said.

".....Ugh...yes I'm fine...something got in eye." Claude said after he cleared his throat and wiped away his tears. The feeling was still there but it was becoming less intense— slowly but surely.

"You sure your ok?" She asked.

"Yes, absolutely, I'm fine. Let's keep going." Claude said to Brenda and the rest of the group,

"[I'm guessing you know that your close to the Tangent based on the smell?]" Arne asked.

"Yea, I assumed so." Claude replied.

The group continued to follow the smell until it became noticeable to them all. After a few minutes everyone was adjusted but they could tell the smell was getting stronger.

"Here it is." Chadwick said while pointing to the Tangent. It stood out in the barren and dead forest and its blue glow spread out for a few feet in the dark forest. Fog spilled out of it which must have come from the other side.

"Creepy." Ansel said.

"Damn right. Everyone ready?"

"Yep." The group answered in sync.

Everyone headed towards the Tangent, ready for battle— except for Claude. He stood still in his spot, cold beads of sweat rolled down his bronze skinned face and his legs felt like jelly. His breaths came out in rapid erratic puffs and inhales, yet he felt like none of the oxygen was entering him.

"[Claude, what's happening? Are you alright?]" Arne asked in a worried tone.

Claude began to remember the last time he stepped into a Tangent...more so he remembered not being able to leave— being forced to see his father be murdered. Slowly his thoughts took a dark turn.

"You won't be able to leave once you step in....."

"There won't be anything Undead inside.....only Lupines....they'll kill you....rip you to pieces.."

"They won't let you out....they won't let you out....EVER!"

Claude stood completely silent and shook lightly while he silently cried. All he could feel was Frosty gently bumping his hand with his nose.

After taking a few steps, Brenda noticed Claude wasn't with the group. She turned and saw him standing completely rigid in the dark.

"C-Carter....what's wrong?" She asked.

"...."

The group noticed Brenda didn't get any response and turned to see what was wrong. They all noticed Claude and turned back for him.

"You've got no reason to be scared. You have a full team of able bodied Heroes by your side. Come on it's ok." Riley said.

"That ain't fear, woman." Ansel said while they all stared at Claude— who was still frozen.

"What's wrong with him?" Chadwick asked.

"He may not be as new as we think. He's got some serious trauma." Ansel answered.

"Well, what the hell do we do?" Chadwick asked.

"We have to bring him back. He looks locked in his own mind.... he probably isn't even paying attention to us." Ansel said.

Brenda stepped in front of Claude and began saying his name to try and get his attention.

"Carter....hello? Carter?....Carter..."

"Ansel, could I use healing magic?" She asked.

"I'm not sure." He responded.

"It won't work. It's not a physical injury, it's mental." Oliver added.

Brenda's face twisted into an expression of determination as she slapped her hands onto Claude's face.

"Carter...wake up!....your ok....your safe...wake up!" She said repeatedly.

Claude's thoughts were slowly beginning to be interrupted by a faint voice. It picked up in volume slowly over the sound of his own thoughts until he couldn't ignore it.

"Your ok.....your ok..."

Claude listened to her speak for a while.

"How am I ok? They're going to kill me?" He responded in his mind.

"Your ok....nobody's going to hurt you....now wake up!" Brenda said.

The simple affirmation began to bring him back as she repeated the same sentence.

Slowly, he began to hear Arne again and see his surroundings.

"[Claude....Claude!?....Claude, your having some sort of panic attack...you have to wake up...hello?]"

"I'm back." He replied to Arne.

"Ah!"

He jumped back once he regained consciousness and saw Brenda so close to him. He quickly wiped away his tears and felt the strength coming back into his legs.

"You alright? We lost you there for a moment." Chadwick said with a look of concern.

"Erhm...yes I'm fine...I...I'm sorry that happened, but I'm good now. Let's go." Claude replied.

The group hesitantly complied and headed to the Tangent. During the brief but short walk, Claude was reminded of why he needed to overcome his fears and step inside the Tangents once again.

"Revenge."

***

VWOOMP.....VWOOMP

Chadwick and Ansel were the first inside. Claude watched as Riley and Oliver stepped in next.

"Ready?" Brenda asked him.

"For sure." He said.

"I need to go, I need to get stronger, I need to survive." He told himself as they stepped inside.

VWOOMP

Claude felt the familiar odd sensation that comes with stepping into a new world of sorts. That moment in between steps is always weird causing your first steps into the Tangents to be disorienting.

Once he placed his foot down on the other side of the Tangent, he was welcomed by the putrid and rotting smell of what he assumed was the Undead Race that inhabited the Tangent. They were in a forest similar to the one they had to trek through to get where they are, except fog settled over the ground like one flat and misty cloud. Their only source of light inside, were the stars and crescent moon that sat in the center of the deep navy blue night sky.

"Ok, Riley, use your vision skill to locate and determine what race of Undead is in here." Chadwick ordered.

"Right." She replied before her eyes began to glow red.

Claude tried to use his increased senses to provide aid to the group, but all he smelled was that horrid stench everywhere. He tried to look around the forest but all he saw was an endless expanse of lifeless trees and fog. He was beginning to think the Undead race that was in the Tangent already left. But the paper didn't say it was an opened Tangent.

"I don't see anything, Chad—CRUNCH!" Riley was interrupted by a loud crunching sound from beneath her feet that startled everyone. They all stopped in their tracks in response to the noise.

"What was that?" Chadwick asked.

"I-I stepped on something." Riley said.

"The fog.....move the fog!" Chadwick commanded.

Riley used her Wind Element and created a medium sized gust of mind that cleared the fog for a few feet.

WOOO!

They all gasped at what they saw. Bones were scattered out across the field riddled with scratches and bite marks.

"This just got more dangerous." Chadwick said as he studied the bones.

"Why?" Claude asked from the back.

"This is all that remains of at least two teams of Heroes. I'm not good at anatomy, but I see 8 skulls and if they were able to overpower two teams then whatever they are....they're pretty strong." Chadwick said.

"If they are that strong then we need to hurry up and get the drop on them before they accidentally find us." Ansel said.

The group agreed and continued to search the forest for any sort of den. They kept Riley and Oliver in front with Ansel for protection while she used her Wind Element to move the fog and clear their path and Oliver kept that path lit with his fire.

After a few minutes of walking, Riley stopped suddenly and just stared at the ground.

"Riley? Talk to me." Chadwick said.

"It's a lake...." she responded.

The group walked up to her and noticed the beginnings of a lake under the fog, they couldn't tell how large it was since the fog collected over the rest of it.

"It's so dark...." Claude thought as he peered into the black and motionless water.

He suddenly felt Frosty nudge up against him and he could tell he was uncomfortable around the water....Claude felt the same way.

"Alright, should we go around it and keep looking?" Claude suggested.

"Yes, let's go." Chadwick agreed.

The group began to slowly travel alongside the lake and continue deeper into the forest.

They walked for another 5 or so minutes in pure silence when they noticed the lake stopped. For some reason, they all felt relieved at that fact.

"KUH!"

Brenda made a sound as she tripped over a thick and chewed on femur bone. The bone flew out from under her foot and skidded backward into the black lake.

Sploosh!

Claude rushed over to help her off the ground.

"Brenda, are you alright?"

"Y-Yea, I just lost focus for a moment and tripped." She replied.

Claude helped her up and turned to look at the lake. It rippled outward from the bones point of impact, due to the movement, the fog moved along with the surface of the water and Claude began to get an idea of how big the lake truly was.

He turned back to Brenda and beckoned for her to lead the way. As they headed to the rest of the group, Claude watched their facial expressions go dark in a fraction of a second.

"Son of a bitch." Ansel said.

"What?" Claude said as he slowly turned to see what they were looking at.

His blood ran cold and his mouth went dry as cotton once he saw what they were looking at. The previously black and motionless lake was now rumbling steadily and chaotically as it cleared the fog inch by inch. The worst part was the lifeless and sickly glowing blue orbs now visible beneath the water. They stood in spaced out pairs that seemed aimed at the group.

"Those are eyes?" Claude thought.

"Everyone get behind Ansel, we're going to back away slowly and prepare for one hell of a fight!" Chadwick yelled to the group.

Claude and Brenda quickly ran away from the lake and met up with their group where they resided in the back.

"Carter, this is your chance to prove your worth. Once they fully exit the lake, you go to work on them alright?" Chadwick said.

"Right." Claude said with determination. He couldn't describe it, but he knew Frosty was in his fighting stance along with the rest of the group and knew that their enemies were in the lake. He even heard the PitWolf growling quietly next to him.

The water began to shake more violently and the eyes moved along the lake floor towards them in a coordinated unit that slowly fell into a sort of battle formation. Claude began to hear quiet lifeless wails and deep throaty grunts from underneath the water as they approached the surface.

"Here they come." Ansel said from the front of the group.

"What are they?" Claude asked.

"They're probably one of the worst kinds of Undead there is, Ghouls."