Corruption: Chapter 4

Wisps.

 

Corrupted wisps.

 

And there were too many to count. Not like that mattered to Bren though. Getting out of here unscathed with a particularly-angry-and-very-corrupted runner stryx was more paramount. Behind him Cersul bristled as she readied her stag wisp to do battle.

 

Return to the city! All of you!

 

Several of the volunteers exchanged glances, as they wondered who among them had just spoken, never having heard spirit-speech before. But it was Bren who replied back.

 

"I will stay and help!" he began, but he was cut off.

 

Guthane, no! They are too many!

 

"But this is what I was trained to—"

 

No! I cannot fight them and protect you at the same time! You must go with the others!

 

"Cersul—"

 

GO! Go now! Protect the others! Cersul's tone did not invite disagreement.

 

Realising that Cersul was not about to change her mind on the subject, Bren turned to face the others and began shouting his instructions to them as the first wave of wisps began their assault on the group. It took every skill as a guthane that Bren had been taught since boyhood to help keep the others from being attacked as his fellow tribeswoman, Kether had been. Images of what must have happened that night not so long ago filled his mind, and so he did what he could to quiet it and bring on the focus he'd need to protect the others as he hopped aboard another's stryx, now that he no longer had a mount to carry him back to the city.

 

Once it was clear that Bren had his part mostly under control as he, the Solstian captain and their volunteers rode back towards Sol, dragging a very-uncooperative stryx behind them, Cersul gave an unearthly cry of defiance as she and her stag wisp launched themselves at the stag's corrupted kin, ready to do battle and either drive them off or capture them and send them back into the world they properly belonged in...

 

*******

 

Do not worry about me, Bren. I cannot truly be harmed by such things, Cersul said gently as Bren inspected the damage the corrupted wisps had caused the spirit-shepherd. But, it was a spectacular battle, nevertheless.

 

And a long one, judging by the looks of things, Bren noted silently. They'd been attacked by the wisps three days ago, and in that time the guthane fretted over Cersul's welfare. She was alright, desipte what the wisps had done to her, but that didn't stop Bren from worrying about her regardless.

 

I doubt the others are as badly off as I am, given that they are not as I am, and therefore easier to hurt.

 

"We all made it back, and mostly undamaged."

 

Which, given what could have happened, had the guthane not been there... Bren shuudered at that thought. He did not want to think about a disaster unaverted.

 

Yes. It was a good thing that you were there. To keep them all safe.

 

As it was meant to, it reassured the guthane about not being able to be with Cersul when the wisp assault happened. That trusting Cersul's wisdom was the right choice to make. He'd done what a guthane should do.

 

Come, Bren. You have been through much strife lately. And stress. Come with me for a walk. It will do you good.

 

*******

 

The only thing a stroll through the streets of Sol with Cersul did for Bren was reenforce his dislike for cities. It wasn't that life in his tribe's village didn't bring things like people living in close proximity to each other, but the sheer number of people living so close to each other made the guthane bristle and wish he was back out on the taiga, where at least if you wanted some solitude, you didn't have to get close to another hundred or more people to get it.

 

It is taking your mind off your other concerns, Cersul said as she strode behind him. She had managed to scale her body size down to permit her an easier time of getting between the buildings and the people out walking the streets, and who were giving the pair odd looks. Apparently it wasn't every day that the Solstians got a good look at someone who spent his life out in the wildlands beyond the city's borders.

 

I would have preferred that "taking my mind off my other concerns" did not bring me discomforts of its own, Bren protested. He'd quickly stopped speaking aloud to Cersul in what appeared to be a one-sided conversation with the goddess he was spending his time with when it kept earning him odd looks. Which should not have bothered him, but lately he had found his patience wearing thin, making things like being stared at difficult to tolerate. I would have preferred—

 

A new source of corruption washed over Bren at that moment. Not a large source, but that didn't mean very much. And it wasn't that far away. Without hesitation, the guthane ran to find its source; to seek it out before yet more trouble could be caused. But the thing was, as its energy was weak, finding where it was coming from was proving to be difficult. He couldn't tell if it was a strong-yet-far-away source, or a weak-yet-close-by one.

 

Up one street. Down another. And Bren was getting tired. But as it would happen, a lucky break was coming his way, as he heard someone shouting for help. Forgetting his exhaustion, Bren ran to where a small, half-grown young tyto was tearing about one of the city's ports. Its corruption was weak, and the guthane suspected that it might have just recently been infected. Still, weak or no, it needed to be stopped.

 

"Don't worry; I have it!" Bren heard someone shout. It was the Solstian captain, preparing to wrangle a bird that didn't offer up much of a fight, and by the time the guthane reached her, it was being taken away to keep it and the others safe.

 

"They've somehow managed to get inside the city!" she called out to him. "How, I don't know, but we have to find out and keep more of them from getting in!"

 

Bren slapped his forehead suddenly as he felt nausea rise up in him. This newest source was particularly potent, and the captain was eying him with fear and concern.

 

"There..!" he pointed weakly.

 

Rest you; I will deal with this one, Cersul told them both as a stryx sporting ram's horns came into view. While the captain helped steady Bren, Cersul charged at the ram-stryx to bring it to heel, as it turned and ran towards one of the docks, ready to tear up the place...

 

*******

 

"Are you well?" a voice said from what seemed to be far away.

 

"The... The corruption..," Bren replied weakly.

 

"It's been caught, thank heavens. But are you alright?"

 

"In... In a moment... Where is Cersul?"

 

"Giving that horned stryx hell, from what I can hear, anyways. Sounds like quite the battle."

 

That was an understatement. Now that his head was clearing up he began to wish it hadn't. Far away or close, Bren couldn't tell. The sounds of the beast's screaming was terrible and deafening. And there was even more screaming to be added, as a new stryx readied itself for battle. The original screaming stopped for a moment, then sounds of crashing, and then suddenly the ram-stryx came into view, ran straight at Bren and the captain, sidestepped them, then jumped off one of the docks and out of sight. Cersul flew in shortly thereafter.

 

"Captain, we tried," someone said to the captain. "Geiger came in and it decided to run."

 

"Never mind that," she spoke sharply. "We need to follow it. See where it came from. Perhaps, in its attempt to escape, it will lead us to the source."

 

Quickly procurring stryx for everyone else to ride, the Solstian captain rode off in the direction of the ram-stryx's escape route, with Bren aboard Cersul and wishing that he'd stayed unconscious...

 

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Wordcount: 1342

 

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AP count:

Wordcount [1342]: +27

Wisp companion: +1

Rider: +5

Event: +4

Personal art: +3

 

Total: +40 AP

 

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Tickets:

Base wordcount [800] +1

Extra words [+500] +4

 

Total: 5 tickets