“What are you hoping to find, my lady," Claire asked.
They had been on the road for nearly an entire day. This should have been a major pathway between the Kingdom and the Empire, yet it was deserted. The few people they had encountered were merchants peddling their wares. Unlike the guards who should have been patrolling the area, those entrepreneurs would brave anything for a few coins.
Christina frowned. This part of the country was under the protection of the White Tiger clan, yet none could be seen. All the villages along the road had closed their doors and barricaded themselves inside. They felt like ghost towns.
The further west they rode along the river, the more abandoned settlements they found. The outskirts of the forest were always scarcely populated; only the most hardy made a living there. Yet, even those people had chosen to leave.
“I’m not sure, but I feel that we are approaching the source of this calamity,” Christina replied.
"Isn't it odd?" a knight asked. "We travelled the forest's edge along the way, yet we saw almost no beasts. It's almost like they were all headed towards Redwaters."
"Or, something led them there."
“The reported black ooze you mean?” Claire replied.
“We’re almost at the village where they were first sighted. We’ll know soon enough.”
They left the road and continued on the dirt track. Their destination was an isolated village where the forest met the river separating the two nations. The area was wild. The locals subsisted on hunting and gathering within the forest. The fur trade was their primary business. The villagers initially welcomed the increase in animals within the village's perimeter, but they sighted an increasing number each day.
The village was far removed from the center of the western region. Without any intrinsic value, the White Tiger clan chose to ignore it; not even one guard was stationed in the village. Fearing they would be overwhelmed, most decided to flee with their family. Only a few remained.
When Christina and her group arrived at the village, they could not believe their eyes. The once peaceful settlement was now covered in what seemed like a black blanket, submerged within a dark, dense ocean. The wooden houses had caved in under the weight of the black ooze. Not a single thing had remained intact.
A knight approached the black substance and plunged a small metal dagger into it. The sharp blade smoothly pierced the matter, but as it dove further, the pressure mounted, eventually stopping once it reached the hilt. He tugged on the blade, but the ooze was so viscous that the blade stayed stuck. He had to use both hands to dislodge it. Once the blade was free, the knight noticed the metal was partly corroded. He held the blade between his gloved fingers and exerted some pressure on its edge; the blade crumbled soon after. The knight's expression turned grim.
“Spread out and search for survivors," Christina said, noticing the blade's end. "Remember not to touch anything contaminated by the black ooze. We have no idea what effects it will have on living tissue."
The group acknowledged her order and left the Princess and her bodyguard alone.
“What do you make of this?” Christina asked.
"The way it moves resembles a living thing," Claire replied after pondering. "I've never seen anything like this before."
“I have.”
Claire turned to face her liege and waited for her to continue.
“Well, I have heard of something similar, at least. I hope I'm wrong. It's too soon to rush to a conclusion."
The girls stayed silent and resumed their search for survivors. A few moments later, the party regrouped at the village's entrance.
"There's no one; this village is completely deserted. We haven't seen any corpses or traces of battle. According to our reports, over two dozen people remained in the village," a knight said.
“Do you reckon they just evacuated?” Claire asked.
“Maybe,” Christina said. “Something doesn’t add up, however. We didn’t receive any reports of a second group of refugees from here. We should have seen them on our way. My guess is they are all dead."
“Why would you think so?”
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As she was about to answer, the black ooze moved violently while bubbles formed on its surface. They expanded and then shattered, spreading the black substance everywhere. One knight stood too close, and some slime landed on his armour. Smoke burst from the contact as the acid bore through the metal.
The knight panicked and tried to remove the compromised armour. Unfortunately for him, the goo moved as if alive through the gap in the metal, reaching his skin. Pain shot through his nerves, and a scream of agony escaped his lips.
“Don’t move!” Christina said.
The group paused a distance away and watched the knight struggle. They wished to help, but orders were absolute. The knight struggled so violently that the metal armour came undone. In one swift motion, he grabbed the compromised breastplate and threw it into the viscous lake. The slime lept into the air, catching the piece of metal in what resembled a mouth before dissolving it into a cloud of smoke. Seconds later, nothing remained of the armour.
The man was still thrashing violently as he grabbed at his shirt, tearing it apart. His skin changed from a healthy pink to a dark grey, with black veins scattered across his chest. The knights watched in horror their comrade's transformation, unable to help. Some couldn't stomach the grotesque sight and vomited. Even Claire had no choice but to avert her eyes; only Christina stared at the man, unflinching. Her face was a mask of stone.
After a moment that felt like a millennium, the man couldn't scream anymore and fell to the ground, lifeless. The knights had something to say, but Christina's eyes were still riveted on the corpse as if anticipating something more. Uneasiness mounted within the group. However, they were elites, and without Christina's orders, they would stay still and await further commands. They didn't wait long. Moments after the body hit the ground, it rose back up. Its eyes were pitch black, devoid of life. Although what remained of its flesh was moving, Claire sensed no breath.
“I was afraid of this," Christina said, unsheathing her sword. The knights did the same and went into formation around the Princess. "This is something my mother warned me about. I thought it was merely a legend at first. I stand corrected."
“What is it?” Claire asked, never taking her eyes off the corpse of the former knight.
“Devilish corruption.”
“Devils?! I thought those were just stories from the Age of Myths."
“So did I, at first. Mother, however, was strangely insistent on the subject. It seems she was aware of something resembling this."
“Is there anything we can do?”
“For him? No. He’s dead. That’s just his corpse moving through devilish energy. The only thing we can do is stop him from infecting anyone else.
“Does beheading work?" A knight asked.
“Yes, but that’s not what worries me...”
Before she could finish her thoughts, the corpse had pounced toward them at an uncanny speed. The knight in front was slow to react and could barely stop the cadaver's charge with his blade. The corpse's strength was immense, and the knight could scarcely resist. The former knight, having been thwarted, opened his mouth and screamed. His teeth had become long fangs, and his saliva black.
Black slime oozed out of his open maw, threatening to splatter onto the unfortunate knight. Christina reacted in time, using her mantle to shield the knight from the black goo. Claire followed her lead, pulling the knight out of harm’s way while simultaneously kicking the corpse in the chest. The carcass flew into the air, recoiling from the impact before hitting the ground a short distance away.
"Burn it!" Christina said as she discarded her mantle, throwing it towards the corpse.
Claire obeyed, flames sprouting from her hand. She brought the fire to her mouth and exhaled. An inferno formed, barrelling towards the knight's remains, bathing it in boiling heat. They watched eagerly for the flames to reduce their target to ash.
The corpse struggled to stand as the flames incinerated its muscles. Its flesh melted from the boiling heat, uncovering its now blacked bones. After a few moments, the corpse collapsed on the ground, flames still dancing upon his remains—the black substance oozed from its pores, fighting the blaze. The fire clung to the carcass, evaporating the seemingly infinite black liquid. As time passed, the equilibrium slowly broke as the slime ate away at the fire. Claire breathed new life into the flame but was of little help.
“The truly terrifying thing about devilish corruption is its ability to adapt,” Christina said to the group. “No matter how strong the flame, it won’t be enough to deal with it.”
“What can we do?” a knight asked.
"It's pointless to deal with this; we must find its source. Unfortunately, it originates somewhere in the middle of the forest."
While she talked, the corpse devolved into ashes. All that remained was the black ooze still aflamed. That flame, however, was short-lived. The slime spilled onto the damp ground, blanketing the earth. The flame resisted with all its might but was soon extinguished by the inexhaustible flow of black matter.
The slime then coalesced into a mountain resembling a mound of flesh. Tentacles sprouted from it in all directions, attacking everything in its path. The knights used their swords to block the blows as best they could, but the slime eroded the metal of their weapons, reducing them to dust.
“Retreat!” Christina said.
Despite the dire situation, their retreat was orderly. The group comprised the most elite knights, and their teamwork was superb. Each of them was on the lookout for unexpected blows, covering each other's blank spots. Christina stood in the middle of their formation, giving directions.
Their teamwork was flawless, but they couldn't win the battle of attrition as their blades succumbed to the corrosive substance. Christina wracked her brain, looking for a way out of their predicament, until she remembered something her mother had told her long ago.
"Listen well, child," her mother said. "Our Royal Family's lineage dates back to the founding of the Kingdom, at the end of the Age of Myths when legendary creatures roamed the land. One of those creatures was a gold dragon that was said to have served during the war against the devils. Our history books state that during that time, our ancestor stumbled upon the lair of that creature. She managed to acquire the blood of that dragon. This is the origin of our bloodline. The legend implies that the golden blood is fatal to devils. Although, I have yet to see any evidence of such a thing since devils have long gone extinct with the death of their creator.”
The blows rained continuously. Time was running out. Christina chose to trust the words she had heard so long ago. She ducked, weaving out of the formation. Claire tried to restrain her, but she evaded her hold and swiftly approached the mass of black goo.
“I’ll be fine,” she said without looking back, thrusting her hand into the blob.
She held her breath, expecting a searing pain to assault her now-buried hand. When the pain failed to manifest itself, a small smile cracked her lips. She had bet and won. Gold scales grew on her skin, starting from her finger up to her shoulder, shielding her from the corrosion of the mass. Sparks of lightning cracked in the air, originating from the centre of the mound of flesh, splitting its surface. Light erupted from its depth, propelling chucks of slime into the air, resembling macabre fireworks.
Christina stepped back, retracting her draconian hand, lightning still dancing upon its surface. Claire threw herself at her, disregarding all pretense of hierarchy, scrutinizing her once buried limb for any signs of corruption. She sighed when she certified the hand as pristine.
“Never do this again,” she said, a tear at the corner of her eyes.
Christina couldn’t promise anything. Fighting devils was in her blood, literally. She could only offer her worried guard a helpless smile. She looked towards the mass of corruption, only to see it turn to dust as the wind swept its remains. The once blackened village was now pure once again. The lightning she emitted remained, travelling upon the ground, cleansing the land. However, once it reached the forest's edge, it could go no further and disappeared amidst the blackness.
It seems I was right, she thought. Nothing can escape the darkest of abyss.