by Eric Vall
Could a demon lord have come here, or was the traveling scholar Olivier the culprit?
The timing of his arrival and Alyona’s attack was suspicious, not to mention he’d been very interested in the beautiful priestess. It was obvious to me that he suspected her to be the White Jade Sect’s Alyona. Maybe he was after her power?
“Evan!” Polina’s voice echoed throughout the atrium as the sounds of battle grew fainter.
The dryad was on the staircase and dressed in her dark leathers. I could smell putrid blood on her, and I picked out splotches of black blood on her skin. I could also see a wall of roots blocking off the entrance behind her as she ran down the stairs.
“What’s happening out there?” I nodded in the direction of the staircase as I shifted back into my human form. Then I picked Alyona up in my arms and carefully set her back on the chaise lounge.
“A summoning circle opened up inside of Hatra.” Polina winced as she sat down on the staircase. “Bandits, corrupted by miasma, poured out of it. There’s easily a thousand, maybe more. Most of them rot and fall apart with every step they take. The ones who are fighting number in the hundreds.”
As much as I wanted to stay with the priestess and watch over her, I couldn’t stay down here while people on the surface needed my help. I also didn’t know what I could do for her unstable soul core. I needed to speak with the Elders, and for that I needed to jump into the fray.
“Where’s Ilyushina?” Ilya spoke up and looked between us with worry etched into his little face.
“She’s safe with Elder Julia.” Polina stood up and wiped some blood off her face.
Ilya’s shoulders sagged with relief, and he swayed on his feet.
“Ilya, can you be brave for me?” I knelt in front of the young Asura and placed my hands on his shoulders. “I need you to stay here and watch over Lady Alyona while I go help the people on the surface.”
I was hesitant to leave the boy alone, but my dragon senses didn’t pick up anyone in the library, and I couldn’t hide down here while the city was being attacked.
“I can try,” Ilya whispered as he met my gaze from underneath his bangs.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” I promised him as I ruffled his hair again.
Ilya sat down on the floor and held onto one of Alyona’s lax hands as Polina and I ran toward the staircase.
“What happened to her?” Polina’s voice trembled as we took two steps at a time.
“Miasma and something more,” I growled as we reached the top. “I’m not sure how it got in here.”
Polina waved her hand, and the wall of roots shifted to allow us through. Then the embroidered tree on her gorget glowed, and she raised a hand to touch it.
“Laika is asking if I’ve found you and Milady.” Polina glanced at me with wide eyes as the roots closed behind us. “Do I tell her that Milady is, well, Milady cannot help us?”
“Tell her that Alyona is hurt, but that she’s safe in the library.” My jaw clenched as I took in the chaos that ran rampant all around us.
The majority of the bandits looked like extras from a zombie movie with their skin falling off in chunks and a rancid smell wafting off their bodies. Those bandits ambled aimlessly as they shambled forward, and they looked like relatively easy targets.
I focused on those creatures and wondered if they could be saved as words came into view.
Classification: Corrupted Corpses are the remains of those who have been consumed by the miasma.
My hands tightened into fists, and I could feel a ball of lead settle into my stomach. Those people were well and truly dead. There was nothing I could to save them from the miasma. Death wasn’t a disease.
“Those are the ones who have been falling apart.” Polina shifted her stance and widened her stance in preparation for any fight to come. “We’ve been taking those down but have been trying to subdue the ones who are still alive.”
“And how’s that going?” I concentrated on shifting back into my dragon form, and my body grew and molded itself into my draconic body as I stretched my wings the moment they appeared.
The creatures hadn’t even noticed us yet.
“Rather difficult,” Polina replied, and her voice dripped with frustration as she lifted her hand in the direction of the dead bandits.
Roots rose up from the ground and impaled the corpses. As the bodies crumbled and fell apart, the roots descended and returned to the earth beneath Hatra.
“Will you be fine by yourself?” I lowered my head until I was eye level with Polina.
“Of course!” The dryad gently knocked her fist against my snout. “I’m part of the famous Blue Tree Guild. If I can’t take care of some crumbly jerks, how can I be proud to belong to my guild?”
I shook my head and sighed. She was right, she’d been able to hold her own before, and she would be able to do it now. That wouldn’t stop me from worrying about her or any of the others, though.
“Try to get to the others so you’re not on your own.” Then, with a flap of my massive wings, I flew into the air just as Polina lifted her hand in salute.
From the air, I could see the hundreds of bandits Polina had mentioned and the piles of corpses that had developed around the inhabited area of Hatra. The smell was nearly unbearable, and I gagged as it buffeted my senses.
Other than the Corrupted Corpses, there were also the living bandits who had been corrupted and poisoned by the miasma. Their movements were sharper and stronger than those of the ragged corpses.
I could see how the villagers and the adventurers were fighting them off as well as they could. It was clear to my eyes that the villagers knew how to defend themselves and could hold their own in a fight.
But fighting against an enemy that felt no pain was a different story.
The Corrupted Corpses shuffled almost aimlessly, but the living corrupted moved in tandem to destroy the habitable areas of the city.
Someone had to be controlling them.
I flapped my wings and flew higher to get a better view of the situation when I saw a flash of grey fur and hair in the middle of the corpses.
Laika.
Horror filled me when I realized that the swordswoman had been separated from the other adventurers, and the corpses continued to push her away.
I dove toward her and landed with a roar. My tail swept a path clear as Laika panted next to me, and her grip tightened on the dual swords she wielded.
“I’ll keep them away, just go!” My claws dug into the earth as I moved my wings, and the air pressure buffeted the corpses away.
Laika nodded as her eyes narrowed, and she took off with a running start through the gap I had created and leaped for a nearby ledge. She pulled herself up onto the ledge and looked back at me.
I tried to take to the air again, but the corpses swarmed me, and they clambered on top of me as they tried to pin me down on the ground. I roared as I shook my body to throw them off me, but they were relentless, and I was close to being overwhelmed by the sheer number of them.
“Get out of here!” Laika yelled over the chaotic sounds of the battle. “Get back into the air!”
Rage fueled me, and I let my dragon instincts take over as I furiously swept at the corpses with my claws and shook them off my body so I could take to the air. I swung my tail, and the corpses shuffled backward as I flapped my wings and took to the skies.
Then I flew over Hatra as I tried to think of how I could fight the corpses and corrupted people.
Suddenly, an idea came to mind, and I wondered if it would work. I glided lower through the air, carefully so as to not knock down any of the buildings, and drew in a deep breath as I gathered my power. Then I opened my mouth and let out a huge roar that echoed throughout the city as my healing power trailed along with it.
The villagers shouted in triumph as I flew low and healed them, but the bandits didn’t react to the noise or to the healing glitter that settled over them.
A snarl left my maw
, and I drew together my power again so I could focus on healing the living bandits from the miasma. I let loose again another wave of power, and I watched as the cloud of glitter fell all around the villagers and bandits.
My body shuddered, and I lost altitude for a moment as my claws dragged along the rooftop of a building. Everything in my field of view had doubled, and I blinked furiously. Then I shook my head and looked down at the corrupted bandits.
The bandits staggered in front of the villagers, and some of them were on their hands and knees. They coughed up black blood, and instead of being healed, I could see that their bodies had reacted differently to my healing power.
They weren’t being cured of the miasma.
They were dying.
I stared in horror at the scene before me. This shouldn’t have happened. I had healed people who had been corrupted by the miasma before, and they hadn’t died.
I landed in the midst of all the dead and corrupted bandits. In front of me was a fox Demi-Human who couldn’t have been older than a middle schooler. He was just a child, and here he was, half dead. I focused on him, and the words that described his condition came up.
Classification: Fox Demi-Human.
Condition: Miasma poison and corruption. Bruises and stab wounds. Severe infection and fever. Multiple bone fractures. Possible internal bleeding.
Priority: Immediate healing required to stop further corruption, degradation of body and death.
Status: Corrupted. Imminent death.
Realization dawned over me. That was why they were dying.
I couldn’t just target the miasma inside of their bodies. I also had to heal what had been damaged while these people were under the miasma’s control.
I focused my healing power again on not just the miasma but also on all the wounds the corrupted had accumulated. Then I let loose another wave of healing magic with a roar, and this time I could feel the way the bandits’ wounds healed as the miasma dissipated completely.
Then my body seemed to droop lower and lower to the ground.
My vision grew hazy again, and I shifted on my legs as the world spun around me.
But still I held on.
I could smell and see how the bodies of the surviving bandits were changing. There was no longer any scent of putrid rot and decay that used to fill the air. Even the heaviness that had been in the atmosphere had vanished.
The living swayed on their feet, and I sensed that the pain of all their wounds, although they had been healed, were hitting them now. I had healed their bodies, but I couldn’t heal their minds. Many of them clutched their heads as they stumbled to the ground in a stupor and some of them fainted then and there.
Those that had been Corrupted Corpses didn’t come back. Their bodies just fell apart as the control of the miasma was cut. I could heal and bring back the living from the brink, but all that I could do for the dead was to free them.
From the hundreds upon hundreds who had attacked Hatra, less than twenty had survived.
And now it was time to recover from this attack.
I shifted back into my human form and staggered backward into someone’s arms. I looked up to see who had caught me, and it was a tired and scowling Laika.
“I take it that this has never happened before.” I motioned to the carcasses and the twenty living bandits collapsed in front of us.
“Not once has this ever happened.” Laika’s ears were flat on her head as she looked out around us. “This was pure evil.”
“It seemed awfully coincidental to me.” I looked up at Laika’s stormy eyes, and I could feel my pain and anger reflected in her own. “Alyona was attacked by the miasma. I partially healed her, but she won’t wake up. I think we need the Elders.”
“I can’t leave.” The swordswoman’s voice was soft as she looked back into my eyes. “What if they need my sword, and I’m far away?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go and find Polina.” I looked around the immediate area for the dryad who had gone in search of me earlier. “The bandits are all healed. They’ll be fine.”
Laika nodded. “I will send the Elders to you if and when I come across them.”
I moved onto my feet and caught sight of the emerald green eyes of the young fox bandit. They flickered closed just as soon as I caught hold of them, and I dove and caught the boy just as he passed out.
All the survivors had been healed by my power, so I knew the boy just needed to rest after what he had been through.
One of the female villagers, still covered in putrid blood, walked to where I stood.
“I’ll watch over him, Master Dragon.” She extended her arms, and I placed the boy in her arms. “He’s just a child.”
Sorrow was reflected in her eyes as her jaw tensed.
“Thanks,” I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair and glanced around me. “Have you seen Polina?”
The woman shook her head, and she glanced over at Laika. The wolf tapped on her gorget, and it glowed blue for a moment.
“She’s back at the library.” Tension seeped out of Laika’s shoulders, and she knelt to pick up two survivors.
I nodded and headed off in the direction of the library so I could check on Alyona and Ilya. The roots that covered the entrance to the underground library slowly pulled back, and I ran down the steps to where I had left Ilya and Alyona. When I reached the last step, a blur of blue hair ran toward me and latched onto my waist in a tight hug.
“You came back.” Ilya’s voice trembled, and his teardrops stained my clothing.
“Ilya, didn’t I promise you that I’d be back?” I patted the boy’s back as he held on tightly to me.
“I was worried you wouldn’t,” he whispered back to me. “Mama and Papa promised the same thing, and they didn’t come back.”
My heart broke into pieces at those words, and I silently vowed to never leave Ilya or his sister behind.
“But I did come back,” I whispered to him and knelt down on the floor to be at eye level with him. “And you kept your promise, too. You watched over Alyona for me.”
“I did.” Ilya’s voice was small as he turned to look at the comatose priestess. “But she hasn’t moved at all.”
I walked to where Alyona lay and pressed a hand to her forehead. She didn’t have a fever, and that was one worry blown away. I picked up the priestess in my arms, and she fit perfectly in them. Then I pressed my forehead to hers, and I hoped that everything would be back to normal and that she would wake up soon.
I wanted to ignore the words that floated above her, but I knew I had to read them.
Classification: Unknown.
Condition: Comatose due to deviation.
Priority: Immediate attention needed.
Danger: Deviation phase detected.
Status: Unstable soul core in process of stabilization.
My mind focused on the fact that she was stabilizing, and I wordlessly thanked whatever gods ruled Inati.
A noise over my shoulder startled me, and I turned to find Polina walking out from behind one of the bookshelves. She didn’t look worse for wear since I’d last seen her, and I smiled in relief.
“Are you alright?” I whispered.
The dryad nodded. “We’re all okay.”
I cocked my head at her use of “we” and looked over her shoulder, but I didn’t see anyone else.
“Where’s everyone?” I quietly asked Polina as she came to stand next to me.
The dryad lifted her hand to her gorget for a moment.
“They’re in the former living area,” Polina replied, and her voice was soft as it echoed throughout the underground library.
We left the library and walked toward what once was the living quarters of Hatra. The colorful tents and stone carved buildings were now covered in blood, and some lay in tatters from the battle. Bodies, both rotted and recent, littered the streets, but I was relieved that none of the bodies belonged to any of the villagers.
Still, it was a tragedy, and I wo
uld do anything to make sure it was never repeated.
The residents of Hatra used whatever fabric they could find, mostly woven rugs and large sheets of fabric, to set up makeshift tents. I set Alyona down in one of them, and one of the women of Hatra entered to tend to her. My instincts reared their heads momentarily, but I ignored it and walked to where the three Elders sat.
“Alyona’s gone into deviation phase, whatever that means.” The words tasted bitter as I forced them past my lips. “Miasma somehow attacked her, but her soul core is stabilizing now.”
The Elders collectively blinked at me for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” Julia began as she anxiously fanned herself, “I thought I just heard you say that Alyona went into deviation phase.”
“Is there anything you can do for her?” I asked hopefully as I looked at the Elders.
“Fuck,” Ruslan exhaled and rubbed his face.
“There’s nothing we can do for her,” Julia painfully explained. “She has to stabilize her core and spiritual sea by herself.”
“The miasma must have somehow triggered her inner demons,” Moskal murmured as he tilted his face to look at the sky. “Deviation was said to happen when a cultivator’s soul catches fire, and they are possessed by devils. There are many ways for deviation to happen to a cultivator, but Alyona is a priestess with divine protection. This shouldn’t have happened to someone with such a strong mental fortitude as her.”
“Then what happened?” I pleaded, desperate to know of a way to help Alyona. “There has to be some way, something to reverse it.”
“Evan, there’s nothing you can do,” Ruslan said, and his voice was firm as he spoke. “We can only wait for her to wake up and tell us what happened. You said she was stabilizing, that means she just needs to rest, and she’ll wake when she’s ready.”
I swallowed heavily and looked away. I didn’t want to accept what the Elders had told me, but I knew they were right. There was nothing we could do but wait.
All around us, people moved quickly to clean up the debris, but there was a face missing.
“Wait, where’s the scholar?” I glanced around at the villagers and survivors but couldn’t find Olivier anywhere.