Gisle| There seems to not be any shelter offered within the visible range of the two. The dripping rain and the rustle of the leaves makes hearing anything specific difficult; made worse by the occasional gust of wind. There are faint alien sounds that penetrate the ambience, but short of having an extensive study of the local wildlife memorized, it's hard to identify which beings there are. Someone unfamiliar with the local fauna might be disheartened by that, though krogan tend not to be. The tree canopies shelter from the rain a bit, but there's nothing dry on the ground to use for a fire. As for maneuverability in the forest, the krogan would have no problem moving between almost any two trees.
#HuntingTime – November 24, 2013
Iressa shivers violently against the tree's bark, adamant to remain where she's fixed. "This is the best we've got." She retorts against the sound of the rain.
Iressa frowns, "Do you think you could find your way back? I have to say, I'm not eager to come out with you." She admits, trying to nestle further into the meager protective cover of the tree.
Darsk looks slightly concerned, but concedes to her judgement. "We'll wait and see if the rain lets up."
Gisle| A flash of lightning may be observed in the distance followed by the roar of thunder three seconds later.
Darsk walks a little ways away from their tree to get a better view of their surroundings, careful to stay within Iressa's visual range. He is hardly affected by the weather.
Iressa appears uneasey as the krogan begins to wander off, but holds her objections as she can still see him though the wind and the rain make it difficult.
Gisle| An animal seems to pass by on the krogan's 8 o' clock, about 30 feet away, but the limited visiblity and hearing due to the weather and time of day makes it impossible to identify before it disappears from view.
Darsk stays alert, looking around for the creature. He takes a few paces back towards the more vulnerable Iressa.
Gisle| He might catch a very brief glimpse of it in the distance, but after that, it's nowhere to be seen.
Iressa furrows her brow, standing up straighter against the tree trunk, interested and uneased by the krogan's movements.
Gisle| The only thing one could describe from the observation would be that it was quite quick, but even that might not be stated with certainty.
Iressa lets out a weary sigh, reluctantly pushing off from the tree and hurrying toward Darsk. With one hand she clutches her other arm, and with that hand she grasps the krogan's. "We'll search for a little while. If we only come across more forest, we'll stop and wait for the rain to pass. Alright?" She looks up, exhausted and only willing to explore the area if lead around by her tougher counterpart.
Darsk tries to support Iressa as best he can. "Let me know when you need a rest." He begins to head deeper into the forest.
Iressa shuffles alongside the krogan, appearing to regret this decision as she squints to see through the continuous rain. "What do you think you'll find?" She asks honestly.
Gisle| There is nothing new to see at first as they head deeper into the forest. The same faint alien sounds persists. The sounds of the rain against the river grows quieter as they walk further. Another lightning strikes, only two and a half second before the thunder this time.
Gisle| There is not much to see around them. He might glimpse another of the animals running past them, but it is even further away than the previous one.
Darsk continues forward, with nothing in sight to make this location any more viable than the previous.
Iressa takes an interest in their omni-tool, looking up now every once in a while to make sure she's still following close without having to hold on.
Gisle| The omni-tool mostly seems to have some entertainment media, a standard short-range comms system as well as one oddity: A melee combat program.
Iressa shakes her head, "However, I don't think I fully remember there being a melee combat program. I suppose I didn't think a lot of it at the time. It could prove useful if something larger crosses our path." She responds, looking up at where they're going. "Nothing yet?"
Iressa smiles in response to the krogan's deep rumble of a chuckle. Though still exhausted, she's pleased by this finding. "Let me know if you do."
Gisle| Another animal runs past them, but it being 50 feet behind Iressa, only the krogan would be able to catch a glimpse of it, but not enough to describe it due to the time of day and weather.
Iressa turns around, "What? I didn't even see it. It's hard to put a name to anything we're seeing out here. Point it out if you see it again."
Iressa looks all around her for the creature, uneased by the fact she didn't get a look at it. "How big was it?" She asks, watching behind their backs.
I'm not surprised to see creatures in this forest. It's only a problem if it appears to following us.
Gisle| The omni-tool's speakers start to make souns. "Hello. Anyone hear me?" It sounds like Renala's voice.
Iressa stops, bringing the omni tool up. "Darsk, wait." She says, beckoning him closer before responding over the comms system. "We hear you. What's going on?"
Iressa is somewhat relieved. "That's great." She begins. "Yes, we seem to be holding up alright, though he didn't seem to be able to help us from where we are. He suggested we try to make our way back to the landing site. Where are you two headed now?"
Darsk listens carefully to Renala, then interrupts. "Should we head back to the river? I don't think Malarus will be able to see us out here."
Iressa catches the sound of skittering over the rain and spins, alaramed at how close it seemed. She takes a few steps back, hovering her hand over the omni tool. "That one was close, Darsk. I don't know what it is."
Gisle| Iressa might be able to catch a glimpse of it, but not enough to identify it with any certainty.
Iressa responds over the comms system, "Toward the delta, if that means the cliff was on our left side. We'll be there soon."
Gisle| The sound of the rain hitting the river's surface become louder as they get closer, it being merely 45 feet ahead of them now.
Iressa hurries along toward the river, testing the omni tool's light now to make sure it's functioning.
Iressa gives one last look over her shoulder as she approaches the river bank, not getting too close for fear of sinking in. She looks and listens for the shuttle.
Gisle| The familiar sound of the shuttle might be heard faintly over the ambient noise, but it's not yet visible from where she stands. She might remember the river turning slightly rightward.
Gisle| The shuttle comes into view on the asari's left, slowly hovering about 5 feet above the river's surface.
Gisle| The pilot seem to respond to the signal by slowly descending to about one foot above water surface as he moves over close to the riverbank, the doorway's ledge just above where land meets water. After a second, the door moves out a bit before sliding towards the back of the shuttle. Inside, they can see Steve and Renala, but Malarus is likely in the pilot's compartment.
Iressa clambers into the shuttle, followed shortly by Darsk, both of whom are completely soaked. "I can't tell you how glad we are to see you." She says.
Steve is wearing the lower half of his armor. The upper half, and his helmet, are on the shuttle floor. "What a fucked up day." he says, clenching his side tightly. "Glad the two of you are okay." he grunts.
Iressa sets the pilfered omni tool on her lap, looking up to address the obvious strain in Steve's voice and the general condition of the pair. "What happened in there?" She questions with genuine concern.
Renala nods, a weary smile across her lips. "I can't beleive we actually made it out of there," she says. "You two are okay, I hope?"
Iressa nods, "I thought we might've ended up in trouble with some nasty creature in the forest, but it seems you came for us just in time."
Gisle| The shuttle door closes, and Malarus emerges from the pilot's compartment, but doesn't walk in. "Where are we headed next," he begins, looking at noone in particular, "to pick up Maria?"
Steve glances at Renala and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Maria." he sighs, "She didn't make it..."
Gisle| The turian sighs deeply. "I'm sorry to hear that," he says. "I'm heading back to Freedom Falls then." He returns inside, and closes the door behind him. The shuttle ascends shortly after.
Renala | "Sheer luck," Renala admits. "There was some internal conflict that gave us the break we needed to get away."
We found it. We took it. For a bunch of scumbags that seemed to take pride in what they did, they were poorly equipped.
Renala nods. "And their krogan was still in there, looking for us," she says. "I'm sorry, but we were pressed for time."
Renala frowns. "They were already gone," she says. "There weren't as much as a single weapon in their armory."
Steve sets it back on his lap and pats the Predator holstered on his thigh. "And this. Will have to do until I can replace mine..."
Darsk looks genuinely regretful. "That's a shame. I doubt anything on this world could replace my Graal."
Iressa frowns, "This is too bad. Perhaps we should look into getting you a new weapon, despite how irreplaceable it was."
Gisle| Twenty-five minutes later, the shuttle reaches Freedom Falls, where they would find a hospital and the Respite within a relatively short walking distance. Those that sustained an injury of any sort should get that treated. Malarus told them to await further notice within the next Aitian day.