The road winded and dropped in elevation as they traveled toward Dawncoast. The green forest that Alice had restored with her magic was replaced by the decay of corruption that still needed to be cleaned. They returned to the King’s Road ready for the final leg of their journey. The further they traveled away from the temple the fewer trees were growing. Around them, the trees were replaced by graying bushes and wild grasses. Together they rode at a quick pace hoping to avoid more of the corrupted monsters.
Instead, the land reacted violently to Alice’s presence. She was the corruption’s antithesis and was getting closer to its core. Its instinctual defensive measures kicked in and all the nearby creatures were called in to defend it. The trio was riding through one of the many graying purple fields when the call of monsters was heard. Alice rose in her saddle but did not slow. They all turned to face the sound of the monsters.
“Don’t get off your horse,” said Alice.
“Can we outrun them?” asked Thompson.
“It may be possible. We have to try. Each time we hit a pack of monsters we will have to decide how to deal with them. Some we should be able to run away from.”
“You are the leader,” said Elias. “What are we going to do? Run or Fight?”
“Run. I will stay at the back. I’m going to try something.”
Thompson took the lead and raced ahead. He looked back and saw the corrupted beasts leaving their hiding places. The monsters dripped black ichor. Their forms shifted and squirmed as they moved. While they raced toward Alice and the others on four large legs, little else was recognizable to the other creatures they had faced. The corrupted monsters had no recognizable eyes or mouths. Their bodies were full of scales and spikes.
Alice rode behind the others watching as the monsters drew closer. Alice gripped her sword handle and drew it out of its sheath, her focus unwavering as the monstrous horde closed in. The corruption that infested the land seemed to pulse and throb with a malevolent life of its own, fueling the creatures' ferocious charge.
As the distance between them dwindled, she focused her power and let it flow out of her. The air around her sword began to shimmer, a faint glow at first that gradually intensified into a brilliant aura. The energy coalesced along the blade, pulsating with every beat of her heart. She readied for when they were close enough.
Thompson and Elias, leading the charge, dared not look back, trusting Alice to cover their rear. They could feel the ground tremble beneath the stampede of the corrupted beasts, each step a testament to the corruption's insidious strength.
Then, with a defiant cry, Alice drew her glowing sword. The power within her surged, a torrent of magic rushing to meet the blade. In a single, fluid motion, she swung the sword, unleashing a wave of radiant energy. It swept forward like a tidal wave, a brilliant display of light and power that tore through the air with an otherworldly roar.
The wave of energy struck the oncoming creatures with devastating force. Their corrupted forms were illuminated by the glow, revealing the grotesque nature of their being. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the wave of power enveloped them, searing away the corruption that had tainted their very essence. They shrieked and writhed. Some of the monsters were able to avoid most of the blast but they all were scarred by her power.
Alice had a second slash charging up ready for the next wave. A few of the monsters still stumbled forward hoping to reach her in a few strides. When she felt her power bubbling up to the surface she let it burst out through her sword. Another slashing wave of energy crashed into the corrupted monsters. They continued to roar as more were cut down.
When the light faded, the monsters lay still, the corruption that had driven them extinguished by Alice's magic. Some had been vaporized entirely. The land around them, once gray and lifeless, began to stir as if awakening from a long slumber. Faint hints of green peeked through the soil, a testament to the magic's restorative power.
Alice lowered her sword, her breath coming in short gasps. The effort had drained her, but the satisfaction of purifying the corruption brought a weary smile to her face. The horses slowed but Alice kept moving faster.
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"We press on," Alice said, her voice steady despite her fatigue.
Behind her, the few remaining monsters stirred but did not rise. Their connection to the corruption had been severed causing them to grow weaker at least for a time. The monsters did not disturb them as they rode through the afternoon. They stopped and ate lunch when they entered a valley. The plains they had ridden through dropped significantly as they continued on. Rocks jutted out from the sides of the valley casting shadows over the area.
The rocks themselves were of unusual formations, jagged and irregular as if sculpted by an erratic artist's hand. They were tinged with hues of dark purple and gray, hinting at the corruption seeping into even the unliving rocks.
As they rode deeper into the valley, the air grew cooler and a subtle mist began to rise from the ground, swirling around their horses' hooves. The mist seemed to carry whispers of the valley's past, echoing the battles and magic that had once raged here. Sparse vegetation clung to life among the rocks, with hardy shrubs and patches of wild grasses that had adapted to the harsh environment. The air grew chilly as they rode, and the mist thickened.
“It feels worse here than back at the Sword Temple. Each breath I feel the corruption reaching in and then each time my Sword Breath fights it back.”
“That is because we are getting closer to the core of the corruption,” said Elias. “What you and we are all feeling is the reason all have left these areas of corruption. If the monsters didn’t drive them out and the land dying wasn’t enough then this feeling was the final step for most people. Those who tried to stay or were forced to say because of illness and infirmity have long since joined the monsters and undead that they fought against.”
“I remember reading, in the royal library, accounts from people who had fled the southern cities. The stories were harrowing. People spoke of a deep, unshakable dread that settled over the land as the corruption spread. Those who could flee, often left behind everything they knew. They left most of their stuff behind in a hurry. The soldiers could only do so much for them as all the cities were evacuated. If they could leave then it was a terrible fate. Many were transformed into the very monsters we now battle. The corruption didn't just kill; it twisted and reshaped life into grotesque parodies. Whole families, communities, lost not just to death, but to a fate arguably worse.”
Elias interjected, "It's a grim reminder of what we're fighting against. Not just for the land, but for the people who once lived here, for their memories and their dignity."
"We need to end this," she declared, her voice firm. "Not just for us, but for all those who suffered because of this corruption. We carry their hopes with us. If I can clear the core of the corruption then I can end their suffering."
Thompson nodded, "Absolutely. And remember, according to the records, the closer we get to the source of the corruption, the more intense and dangerous it becomes. We must be prepared for anything."
Alice watched around them from the back for anything that might come out of the mist, but their ride was silent. She finally raised her hand calling forth her Sword Breath. Her magic was less focused without a sword in hand as she experimentally sent a small blast of energy around herself. The mist seemed to shiver and reacted to the magic. It curled back revealing more of the ground around them.
The mist recoiled, unveiling a landscape that seemed to hold its breath, as if aware of the magic Alice wielded. The ground, once hidden, revealed more patches of stubborn life, fighting against the corruption's stranglehold.
As they ventured further, the valley walls drew closer, funneling them into a narrower path. The mist, though pushed back by Alice's magic, clung to the edges of their vision. The sound of their horses' hooves echoed oddly in the confined space, a rhythmic beat that seemed out of sync with the eerie silence of the valley.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shuddered. A low rumble, barely audible at first, grew steadily, vibrating through the air and into their bones. Alice tensed, her eyes scanning the mist-shrouded landscape. From within the fog, shapes began to emerge, larger and more ominous than the corrupted creatures they had encountered before. These beings, cloaked in the mist, moved with a purposeful malice, their forms blurred but their intent clear.
"Be ready," Alice whispered, her voice barely carrying over the growing rumble. Her hand tightened around her sword hilt, the blade still humming with residual magic.
“Get off your horse now,” said Elias as he quickly slid off Thunderstruck.
“Protect the horses,” she quickly said to Elias. “I’ll remove the corruption and mist as best I can. Thompson watch my back.
The others followed. Alice drew her sword and Thompson drew back his crossbow’s string. The creatures, emerging from the mist, were unlike any they had seen before. Towering and twisted, their bodies were a mass of corruption, pulsing with dark energy. They moved with a lumbering grace, each step causing the ground to tremble.
Alice knew they could not outrun these beings. She glanced at Thompson and Elias, seeing the determination mirrored in their eyes. Elias held the horse's back with his sword firmly in his hands.
The air crackled with tension as the creatures closed in, their forms becoming clearer. They were giants of corruption, each limb twisted and grotesque, their movements deceptively slow but covering ground rapidly. The mist clung to their bodies billowing out like cloaks and adding a shimmer of covering.
Alice raised her sword, the blade gleaming with a light that contrasted starkly against the dark forms approaching. She channeled her magic, feeling it surge within her, a torrent waiting to be unleashed. Thompson and Elias positioned themselves, ready to fight alongside her.