Forum Thread

One thing that hadn't really been mentioned was in front of the helm there was a small map of the whole arena, they could see little islands with labels and their own boat, which was headed for the light green island labeled "plains." Charlie pointed at the map, hoping that Faith would at least understand what Charlie couldn't say.

Hearing the word "seasickness" Akane looked up and stopped organizing to help Jeremy. Jeremy looked at the bottle with wide eyes as his face notably lost color, the smell nearly making him give in to the whims of his stomach. Thinking quickly, Akane took the bottle and set it aside with the promise that Jeremy would eventually get to it. Well, maybe not with how Jeremy was barely keeping it together. Consuming anything at this point wasn't really considered to be a possiblity, at least not until his stomach settled some.

Akane placed a hand on his back and began rubbing it back gently. Jeremy closed his eyes as his organs continued to twist sickeningly inside him, but the feeling of Akane's warm hand against his back eased that somewhat. Continuing the impromptu massage Akane murmured gently to him.

---

Molly's brow was pinched as he examined the wound. As suspected, the arm was simply beyond saving. The fallen tribute's power had done a lot more than just break bones, it had even twisted flesh and wrung the arm dry of any blood. It certainly wasn't pretty and with how extensive the damage was, it would be a fools errand to try and save it. What Molly couldn't quite understand, however, was that Ibaraki didn't seem to be in any kind of pain, taking the poking and prodding quite well. When asked, however, the answer of "it doesn't hurt more that it normally does" was quite worrying. It was a bit upsetting to think that someone so young had chronic pain but that unfortunately wouldn't be the worst thing he has seen in his time as a doctor's assistant. The only thing he could do at this stage is ebb away the pain. Catching sight of where they were going to go, he pondered over what he knew grew within the plains. White Willow bark was the best painkiller in these situations with ginger and rosemary being other alternatives. Perhaps he could find rosemary in the plains as he didn't know if white desert willow had the same properties as regular white willow. But for now, while Ibaraki's injuries didn't seem life threatening, it would be best for the group to make land where Molly can safely work on cleaning and removing the lame arm.

---

Moona looked at Molly, a little worried. "So we can't save his arm?"

Akane and Jeremy were locked in their own conversation, or partial conversation anyway. It was mostly a battle between Jeremy trying to keep his stomach down and his stomach trying to remove alleged toxins from his body.

The whole time Akane gently rubbed his back speaking gently. "You'll feel better when you get off the boat I'm sure. I don't think we have anything on hand to help ease the nausea though."

---

"Not without pulling some physics defying stunts, no. Its too risky to preform such feats considering our situation. Please don't think badly of me, but my priority is not in one person but is the collective. If I heal the arm of one child, then I risk letting twenty two people die because I can not heal their subsequent wounds. Besides, there is a chance that if we amputate the arm, we may also remove the child's tracker." Molly replied, smiling apologetically. "Rest assured, the child won't die. It is a mystery, however, how you are still conscious despite having lost so much blood. Normally one would be passed out or in the very least dizzy from such wounds. Are all children such scientific mysteries? Perhaps I should keep an eye on our third little one." With that thought lingering in the air, Molly simply laughed and shifted to look at what was in the packs. What he had grabbed was full of fabrics meant for keeping people warm and he mentally did a fist pump. This was the best outcome, really, a pack that capitalized on his strengths. And Molly showed his proficiency with the cloth by weaving a spare shirt into an acupressure bracelet. Taking the woven bracelet, he adjusted the fibers as he tweaked the areas of pressure until they were fixed between the two tendons running through his inner arms.

Satisfied with it, Molly unhooked the band and walked over to Jeremy. Tapping the man's shoulder, Molly presented him with the band. "Wear it around the wrist and it should help with the seasickness. Tell me if it sits comfortably and I'll make the other one." He instructed, frowning at how pale the other looked. His second offer came a bit more reluctantly, not quite trusting himself to not mess up. "If you trust me enough, I know which points to press that can alleviate some seasickness. It will also improve stamina and energy while providing stability and grounding."

---

As Molly left, Ibaraki payed Moona no mind and instead shuffled over to the side of the boat where the child's hand dangled into the water. In Ibaraki's lap was Tragedy, crying as Ibaraki stared into the empty sockets and let a pain muddled mind wander. The child couldn't be too careful, everyone on this boat a potential enemy. There wasn't anyone Ibaraki could trust, surrounded on all sides by inescapable danger. The only one who was trustworthy was hidden and Ibaraki wasn't even sure if the child's safety was guaranteed. If someone wanted, the ones present on the boat could easily turn on one another, making it a second bloodbath. It wouldn't be a bad way to go, Ibaraki supposed. With one arm missing, there was little the child could do anyways. Lethargically, red tipped claws sent ripples bursting down the water surface, leaving a trail as Ibaraki stared unseeingly into the sea. A quick shake of the head knocked that thought out of Ibaraki's head however. It wouldn't do anyone any good to be thinking like that. For now, what the child should be doing is planning an escape as soon as possible. Ibaraki didn't want to hang around people who could betray the people Ibaraki liked at a moments notice.

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"Thank you Molly," Akane seemed a little more confident in tackling Jeremy's seasickness issue now that she had a little more knowledge on her figurative belt. She took the band and slipped it on one of Jeremy's wrists, silently wishing it would kick in very soon.

There was no stopping this one. The partially digested remains from breakfast that day came screaming up Jeremy's esophagus before he even had a chance to fight back. Akane continued rubbing his back as he threw up, sympathy written in her eyes.  After two agonizing minutes, Jeremy slumped over the railing in clear exhaustion, but his innards refused to calm down.  His stomach grumbled irately in response to the nausea and having been violently emptied by it, but the dizziness had passed for the time being.

When Jeremy had finished Akane gently steered him away from the railing to one of the beams sticking out of the ship, this he leaned against and fiddled with the bracelet until it was comfortable around his wrist. As did this, Akane found a decent-sized bucket and set it beside him, "Just in case."

---

A soft bumping came from the side of the boat, something more then just the waves lapping against the side. A shape, hidden in the shadow of the boat, was being pushed against the hull with every wave. After a few moments, though, it became clear that the shape was a body, or at the very least what was left of one. The chest was nearly missing, it seemed, a vast cavern where internal organs should have been. The body did not move, nor twitch, nor otherwise react. Cree seemingly took no notice of it, his sleek, pale shape passing under the body without pausing. The creature below the water had been patrolling the ship for a good while now, acting like it would kill him if he stopped.

---

A body on the deck, tormented and mutilated by both the consuming power of the Virus and by their own power, Tyler patrolling his ship with a sense of brutal authority. He was the captain here. No, he was greater. He was a demi-god, riding the seas on his patrol. However, he grinned when golden light came into view on a small island, small green towers covering the landscape. This was where he'd been called, it seemed. The image of sand on the beach slowly darkening and turning purple only made Tyler grin wider. The ship soon grounded itself in the shallow waters, Tyler leaping off with his prize in tow, the mauled Tribute under his arm. Taking a breath of the hot desert air, Tyler stepped up to the corruption that was already spreading. Setting his arm on the sand, he watched as the Infection started to spread faster, the virus multiplying rapidly in the presence of a life form. Turning back to his beautiful sailboat, Tyler pressed his hand into the water, which was stained purple in a moment. A burst of the infection shot across the sand, several spikes shooting up out of the water and lifting the boat slowly into the air, careful not to damage the hull. The stone below the sand held firm, reinforced by the virus that had caused it to grow so quickly. Glancing behind him, Tyler watched as more spires started to rise out of the sand, the infection working quickly with Tyler's mental encouragement. One large spire rose out of the water, branching off of the burst of infection that Tyler had sent for the ship. Tyler took ahold of the dead Tribute near him once more, quickly slicing a length of rope from the ship and tying one end to the top of the mast, the rope snaking through the ribs and collarbone of the Tribute and attaching to the large pillar: a warning, to all of hell and heaven, all things in between. This was Tyler's domain now.

"So, Molly," Akane began slowly. "Do you think you could make a second one of those bands? I think it's working."

Moona watched Ibaraki. "How much does your arm hurt normally? Like a lot?"

---

Ibaraki blinked slowly, mulling over the question. It had hurt at first. And it hurt every time the curse ran its course, warping its vessel into various appearances, but it was something Ibaraki was used to. Loosing an arm, it was just like making the ugly things disappear. "No, ma'am." Was the answer the child settled on. "It hurts like it does with anyone. Dad says it gets worse when we grow up but he also says that I am really good with pain. Is that why you asked? Because you are scared that the pain is getting worse and it hurts? Maybe you should ask the pink haired sir. He seems to know a lot about medicine."

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"First off I'd like to check in the band is putting even pressure on P6." Molly muttered, hands stitching together a second bracelet. "That's one of the two pressure points that you can find that helps alleviate motion sickness. The other one is ST36 and it's found on the shin. It's quite a bit harder to put pressure on through bands though given how the gastrocnemius moves and how frequently it does so P6 is much easier to stimulate than ST36." It seemed that his mumbles were more of a note to himself rather than explaining anything, terms thrown around without a care for the listener. "Jeremy, was it? Tell me if the pressure is centered around the flexor capri and flexor digitorium. The tendons on your inner arm. Three fingers down from the wrist."

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Moona sat down next to him, though she still kept her distance incase he attacked, personal space and all. "But why does it hurt so much? Is it from you power?"

Jeremy still felt pretty rocky so he wasn't quite out to the woods, yet, but he nodded hearing his name. "I think so, I'm still feeling rocky so it's a little hard to tell."

---

“Forgive my rude interruption. I believe, well, correct me if I’m wrong, that your pain comes from your power. Something internal, I assume, that is being affected?” Natalia mumbles quietly, glancing surreptitiously at Ibaraki and Moona. She smiles kindly, before waving her hand over the water, as a ice cube seemingly floats up. She picks it up. “Would this help, to cool you down, however little? You appear nervous, yet hot”

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Ibaraki subtly shifted away, drawing lightly scraped knees up to appear smaller. "No thank you ma'am. Thank you for the offer though." Did these two not feel as if everything hurt? As if just taking in a breath was a struggle and each movement sent yet another hot bolt of pain running through their body? It was odd for the child to think that such people existed. Ibaraki knew that Dad had a lot of headaches that hurt a lot so the natural thought process for the child was that everyone experienced blinding pain whenever they went about their daily lives. To learn that there were outliers was a slight shock for the child. What was life like for them then? Probably a lot easier, Ibaraki supposed.

---

Molly hummed, fitting the newly made band around his own wrist first. As expected, the pressure had to be adjusted slightly but soon Molly was handing the second band over. "Put it on the other wrist. If you still feel sick, tell me and Ill see what else I can do." He instructed

---

Jeremy nodded and thanked Molly for his help as he took the other band and slipped it on his other arm. Now came the hard part, waiting. He leaned his head against the board and kept his eyes on the horizon to the best of his ability.

Akane, seeing Jeremy doing a bit better, went back to helping Tayla organizing the bags again. "So what did we all get food-wise?" Akane asked as she handled a sleeping bag that reflected body heat. Her tones had dropped slightly at the mention of food just in case she accidentally set Jeremy off again, which she didn't want.

Charlie perked up slightly at the map, they were getting close to land, while it would still be uncertain as an exact time, but it would have to be soon. Waving a free arm at Tayla, trying to get her attention.

---

"More than enough for one or two people. But for a group of this size... Not enough" Tayla responds while gesturing to the measly pile of survival packs and granola bars. "We'll have to go hunting or fishing. But let's worry about that once we get to land."

She glances up from her work and towards Ibaraki. She was glad that others were talking to him, perhaps it was a good distraction from the pain he was in. But she could tell that he was nervous, or maybe she was reading into this too much? No matter the answer, she was certain that he would appreciate some sort of reassurance. "Why don't we let Ibaraki rest for a bit? Would that be best for him?" Tayla asks while glancing at Molly. "I'm sure we're getting close to approaching land. We'll be safe over there. Cree is also close by, so you don't need to worry about a thing." At least, she hoped that Cree was close by. But she certainly wasn't going to check anytime soon.

Unfortunately, she quickly broke her internal promise. Noticing Charlie, she stands up to approach her. She visibly relaxes when she notices that they were quickly approaching land. "Any minute now! Is Faith still doing alright?" She asks Natalie.

She’s fine. She lost hold of her dolphin form a while ago, so now she’s using gillyweed. Speaking of which, Faith and I can go hunting if you wish. I’ll trap the animals, and Faith can kill them. She’s a animagus, you see, so she can turn into a tiger, or wolf. One of those, I forgot.”

---

Upon hearing that they were almost to land Jeremy gave a huff of relief, soon he'd be off this cursed mode of transportation and he'd never have to step foot on it again! Well, hopefully.

Soon enough the boat lightly bumped against the land (after Charlie showed off her sick boat parking skills) and teh group was faced with a wide vast open plain. The long grass was dotted with patches of wildflowers, small scruffy dead trees, and the occasional oak. Animal wise there wasn't much of an option at the moment aside from the bird call above them, but Charlie did notice a small mammal scurry past about as big as a prairie dog even though the animal wasn't.

Akane glanced around as a hopefully breeze blew past. "Alright, now for the big question: do we use the boat as shelter, or do we make one up close by?"

---

“We should keep the boat, in case we need a quick getaway. We can use these trees and stuff to build a shelter to accommodate all of us. We need people to keep watch, people to get fresh water, people to build the camp. Natalia and I are going hunting. Anyone want to join us?” Faith transfigured back into a human, looking slightly tired but determined. She took out her wand, and began casting protective enchantments around it. She then turned to the others. That will keep the tributes out, but I think we should still take those necessary safety measures. I want all those severely injured, seasick, to stay and rest. Regain your strength, the Games are bound to get harder.” Faith looks extremely determined, though slightly pale. Natalia hands Faith an apple slightly worried for her friends’ well being. She sharpens her sword, and quickly crafts a wooden bow and some sharp materials for arrows. She then wanders around, finding a piece of wire and a long piece of string. She fashions a fishing rod out of it, before handing it wordlessly to Akane

---

Akane took it with a nod of thanks when the sound of what was the best guess was hammering made them jump. Akane whirled around to find Charlie had opened her fanny pack (which revealed her inventory) and had placed a crafting table down, and was in the process of making a bow for herself with some sticks and some string. Though Charlie had paused when Akane and Natalia looked at her. In front of the crafting table was a newly made wooden axe.

"Looks like someone already knows what they're doing," Akane remarked, rather intrigued by the child.

---

Not bothering to help, Ibaraki shuffled towards the sea's edge. Crouching down, the child kicked off useless shoes and dipped clawed toes into the salty water. A small cough bubbled up followed by another, the spit tasting distinctly salty. Really, the child was only waiting for Cree and following the other tribute around. Doing anything else just seemed much too risky and Ibaraki definitely didn't trust anyone else. Tayla maybe but to trust so many people was just asking for too much. The differences between them and the child were simply too much and Ibaraki couldn't trust someone that the child couldn't predict. It was just too risky. So Ibaraki stuck with what was trustworthy, waiting for Cree to emerge.

---

"I'll help in anyway I can" Tayla responds while standing up and grabbing a crossbow, which was one of the few weapons that Akane and Jeremy managed to grab. A crossbow was probably the best weapon for her to have. It was like a gun, easy to fire and aim with. Although loading it could be pretty tricky to anyone who wasn't use to using them. Another benefit was that they were silent. The main downside to using a crossbow over a gun was the fact that she would only be able to fire off one shot before she'd have to go through the slow process of reloading it.

Honestly, Tayla silently begged she wouldn't have to use it against anyone. It felt wrong to kill other tributes. Most of them weren't bad, they were just trying to survive. Bur if it came down to it... She was also trying to survive and protect her alliance. "I can both keep watch over everyone and help build a shelter" she offers while stepping onto the beach. She is quick to put distance to herself and the water. "We should move quickly. I'd like to have these jobs done before nightfall."

At the sound of a falling tree, Tayla looked over and saw that Charlie had chopped down a decent-sized tree and had put in its place a small sampling. As for the big tree, Charlie was trying to push the tree back to the group, and clearly failing to do so, rather performing a somersault in her efforts.

Akane stretched a little then looked at Faith. "You two be careful, be sure to make it back by nightfall." She then turned her attention to Tayla. "I can start purifying some of the water, that way we at least have something to drink."

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