Corruption: Chapter 6

For the moment, it seemed like all the chaos of the past few weeks was mostly over, and everyone in Sol could breathe easier once again. Bren had taken this opportunity to sequester himself away in one of the only green spaces the city still had: a medium-sized park where a particularly large and ancient tree stood. It had been there long before the city had been built, the tree had told the guthane, and had once been part of a large forest that still covered the area when the first houses went up, which angered Bren considerably. This park was one of the last bits of forest that was left untouched by the citizens in their desire to expand their home, and the tree wasn't entirely sure how much longer its stay of execution would last before the Solstians decided that they needed the park's land to build on. For now, though, the only thing keeping it from being felled like all the others was its powers of healing, which didn't seem to be enough to save its kin.

 

A shame.

 

Bren sat there with his tokotas and Cersul, in silent communication with the tree, angered that one of the Solstians had intimated that he was little more than an uncivilised barbarian, since his home was out in the wild lands of the north, and not in some crowded city like these people, who seemed to think that made them better than the rest. Well, they could think that, as they took more and more "barbarous" wilderness to convert into civilised city—a thing his people would consider unthinkable. It wasn't that the peoples of the north had an edict against such things; it was simply impractical to do. Which, in a way, had helped to keep the wild north wild.

 

We cannot all be so enlightened.

 

The guthane smirked to himself. These people had no idea just who the barbarians were in this picture as he saw several figures approaching him with a small flock of angry stryx in tow, waves of corruption wafting them and making the guthane feel lightheaded and queasy. Bren recognised three of them once the group got closer for him to get a good look; the rest were mostly unknown to him. Thankfully, there was no sign of the rude volunteer amongst them.

 

"—I don't know what else there is to try if this doesn't wo— Oh!"

 

Obviously, not one out of the group had noticed him there beneath the vast tree.

 

"I see you have discovered our healing tree," Maja said as she greeted Bren. "We were bringing these stryx here in the hopes of... Well. We hope it can help us."

 

Did Maja doubt the powers of this ancient being? Probably not. It wasn't so much the tree's abilities so much as it was what the tree was being asked to cure. Treating corruption was no small task. Hence why the edict had been issued to destroy any creature bearing the taint. Even the guthanan struggled to fight back against it. And Bren feared that they were all losing ground against it as it prepared to drown the north and turn it into a twisted mockery of its former self.

 

They could not let that happen.

 

He could not let that happen.

 

The others were talking to him now, he realised, and with considerable embarrassment, asked them to repeat themselves. Cersul laughed at him, and the others just smiled.

 

"You've been wondering just how to deal with the Wraith's corruption, yes?" Maja smirked. "Perhaps it would be best if we started with a bit of a history lesson."

 

Bren did his best to temper his annoyance over having been so inattentive, and nodded to Maja to begin.

 

"See, the Wraith is a part of Solstian history, or so I believe," she began, telling the guthane about the unhappy story from ancient days; of an ancient war, a magician and a stryx twisted by its emotions into the creature that now haunted the city, and who had somehow resurrected a long-thought-dead breed of stryx back to life and turned into her emissaries. To spread the corruption that had made the Wraith what it was.

 

"Well. If our theories are correct... About the Wraith..."

 

"We're not going to find out by standing around talking," Kali said brusquely. "If you'll excuse us..."

 

"I wish to attend this healing of these birds."

 

"Out of the question."

 

"Kali, please," interjected Maja.

 

"This is a Solstian manner!" the captain nearly shouted.

 

"The Wraith's activities affect more than just your city," Bren pointed out, informing them of the edict concerning contaminated creatures. "The corruption has reached my own home as well, and given that your Wraith is endangering my lands and my peoples, I insist that I attend."

 

"'Our Wraith'?" Kali was livid now. Bren seemed to have a lot of nerve making such demands from his hosts. Even if he did have reason to.

 

"Kali..."

 

"Perhaps we should," a small voice interrupted the growing squabble. It was the herald, Rhett, this time. "If his home is in danger from us we owe him the chance to find a way to help those most affected."

 

Kali looked angry enough to spit fire, but she knew she'd just been outvoted on this matter.

 

"Come with us, then, guthane. Cersul," Maja said as she led the group back towards the tree to begin the ritual of extracting the Wraith's corruption from the small flock of rhakos, who put up a fight, resisting her efforts, even with Rhett there to help calm them.

 

No.

 

The stryx weren't the ones fighting; it was the taint they bore. It didn't want to be removed from its hosts, and Bren felt the fraction of the Wraith imbedded inside these helpless creatures grow steadily angrier as Maja's ritual went on.

 

So close... The Wraith was so close....

 

So close to ... what?

 

What exactly was it that this monstrosity wanted? What were its objectives?

 

Bren, are you paying attention?

 

Slowly, with great reluctance, the corruption that plagued these hapless birds was being extracted, coalescing into something somewhat crystaline, and once removed, the bird that had been contaminated became slightly dazed and docile now that they'd been freed from it. Bren made it a point then and there to ask Maja how she'd managed to do it, as if maybe it could be done to other creatures who'd been touched by it. It would prevent unnecessary loss of life, for sure. Extracting the corruption was taking its toll on Maja, though, and she nearly collapsed to the ground at the base of the tree when the last crystal was collected.

 

"That's the last of them," Maja said weakly, holding up a bag that she'd placed the corruption crystalsn in. "I doubt I would be able to heal any more of them if there was twice as many."

 

"We achieved a lot, though," Rhett pointed out. "These stryx are free from the wraith now, and won't be causing us trouble any more."

 

"We hope, anyways." Maja again.

 

"I will take these stryx back to the stables where they can rest," Kali offered. "And you should rest, too."

 

"I will, Kali. Be assured of that."

 

HOW DARE YOU!

 

A red glow bathed the park where the healing tree stood, and Kali and her volunteers were trying their best to keep the now-panicking rhakos from stampeding off into the city, where they might be injured by a citizen who wouldn't realise that the birds were no longer dangerous.

 

Wisps. Thousands of them. Corrupted wisps. Swarming everywhere. Attacking everyone. Cersul's wisp was already unleashed to do battle, but it really wasn't much use. There simply was too many of them.

 

"GET THESE BIRDS TO THE STABLES BEFORE THEY'RE REINFESTED!" Kali barked, showing signs that even she felt the fell energies these spirits were giving off as she assisted the others in dragging the rhakos back to the stables. Rhett, too, who was running as fast as she could to get away from the crimson swarm. And Maja? Where was—

 

Bren!

 

Splayed out, on the ground, unconscious, was Maja.

 

"Maja!" Bren cried, his senses warped by the waves of taint the wisps were giving off. "Maja!"

 

Maja's ritual had clearly drained a lot of her energy, leaving her with nothing to protect herself from the effects of having so many corrupted wisps around her.

 

Bren wasn't doing any better. It was everything he could do to stay lucid, while the wisps began to cluster together.

 

YOU DARE!

 

Bren! Get Maja and you out of here!

 

"Cersul I cannot!"

 

This is not up for discussion! Cersul shouted as the masses of wisps began to form even larger clusters. Get out now!

 

"I am staying with you!"

 

Bren do not argue!

 

"I took the cloak of the guthanan to protect the peoples of the north from all manner of threats both mundane and spiritual!" he cried, trying to stand up against a surge of corruption that was battering him.

 

Foolish child! Do as I say!

 

"Guthanan do not run. I will not run."

 

YOU WILL ALL PAY!

 

Bren...

 

But he was resolute, and despite her anger over his defiance, she could not help but feel proud of him. So young. So earnest when it came to the performance of his duties. So brave against this terrible threat.

 

The Wraith roared out its rage and its desire to destroy as its enormous figure began to appear, bathing the world in a crimson light that radiated from it while the Solstian citizenry either screamed in terror or grabbed their own birds to engage the monster in battle.

 

Cersul disappeared for a moment, taking Maja with her, before reappearing again.

 

Are you ready?

 

It was his out. If he had somehow changed his mind...

 

"Always was."

 

Climbing aboard the spirit shepherd, Bren did what he could to calm himself. His mind was a whir of thoughts and memories, beginning from when he was a child encountering his first brush with the world of spirits. The elders of the tribe had noted that the boy had become someone of interest to the inhabitants of the ethereal realm, and it wasn't long before the guthanan took him under their wing, teaching him everything he needed to know. History. Stories. Healing. Law. Lineage. And many more things besides, for the guthanan were all things to all the peoples of the north. For Bren, it seemed so much, but he was willing, though some said he was a little too eager to carry out his new role, giving counsel to others despite his lack of years and experience. Sometimes he'd wonder if maybe his advice was ill-thought, but if it was, no one had said.

 

Perhaps they might never say. Perhaps he might never hear them say.

 

The scene ahead was absolute destruction, as stryx both flighted and runner fell away from the behemoth like so many broken insects, carrying their riders to their demise. Was he going to join them? Was this it? Was this his end?

 

Tears stung his eyes for a moment, and then finally the calm he sought was achieved, his mind stretching out and out, out beyond him. Out beyond Sol. Beyond everything mortal. If this was his fate, he was going to it willingly.

 

Guthanan did not run.

 

Bren did not run.

 

His brothers and sisters knew this just as they now knew what was happening to one of their kin.

 

Cersul gave a shriek of defiance, directing her rage at the monster before them, and it bellowed in return.

 

This was it. This was what the guthane had been training for for nearly twenty years.

 

Together, facing their fate, man and bird flew directly at the terror of Sol.

 

The Wraith.

 

-------

 

Word count: 1967

 

-------

 

AP count: