To say that Claude's not entirely pleased to be here would be a vast understatement. It's not the exact situation as last time where he'd also been facing down a number of strangers intent on doing who knows what to him. This time Sylvain's somewhere nearby in the commotion just like before, and this time he does know who the people are - the acolytes - and what they want - probably to return them to that infernal cavern. But but they as the group have no weapons besides what they'd scavenged up in the wild and magic and now they also have a month's worth of bad health slowing them down on top of that even if the search team is supposed to be close.

The odds, if he stops to think of them, likely aren't much better than before where it'd ended in the abduction. They're outright bad, if he wants to be completely honest from the tactical standpoint. Claude knows this and yet, also like before, he's not going to go down without a fight.

The pursuing acolytes seem to be sticking to the edges of their group and waiting for a chance (or so a bout of paranoia thanks to the ritual surfacing tells him, whether that's true or not) and he doesn't intend on giving them one. Magic should likely be rationed in case they need it but he still calls forth Sagittae and swings his hand to send the black magic arrows towards the nearest acolyte.

It draws their attention - and that of two others - and now Claude squares himself up for what will come next as they advance.