As Dug traveled he considered the past few weeks, if it even had been a few weeks. The passage of time was always a dubious concept when you lived underground and especially when you were old. He was now a father to not one but two children and even he was surprised by the depth of feeling that accompanied that reality. The joy of teaching his daughter and son was only eclipsed by the joy of seeing them thrive.
In fact, the only reason he left them was because his spores had alerted him to something concerning. The spores he had dumped into the river were a rather unique creation of his. He called them Rivermind Sporecaps and they were useful in that they spread along the river and retained a connection to a main terminal sporecap which Dug could then use to communicate roughly with the network.
He had already been to the terminal sporecap, something he did after leaving Obu to her task. Now, he was en route down the river where one of the minor sporecaps had sent a distress signal. It could be nothing as occasionally the sporecaps would be found and nibbled on by wildlife. This one, however, had been sending its signal for some time which was troubling, as it meant something else was going on.
When Dug eventually arrived he found that his suspicions were confirmed but not in the way he had expected. His mushroom had been captured by a kind of slime and was slowly being dissolved. What set him on edge was the color of the slime, black and oozing miasma. He grunted in displeasure and activated his new powers.
Corrupted Ooze (D11 - Lvl 54)
Immediately, the System responded with a message.
“I was afraid of this. The people of this world have destroyed the purifying forces that normally would have kept the corruption at bay and now these ‘things’ have become a more prevalent sight. If you could destroy it and any others you find I would be most appreciative.”
* The Administrator
Dug snorted at the message, for once completely agreeing with the Administrator. People tended to create more problems than they solved, especially when they attempted to take divine matters into their own hands. Whatever guardians the Maker had set in place over this realm had been betrayed by the mortals who grasped for power beyond their control. That was the reason why Dug took steps to remain submitted to the Waag rather than give in to the allure of power.
Looking again at the ooze before him he sighed and stoked the flame within himself. He communed, requesting a subaspect of the Waag. Freedom was, by its definition, requiring Purity. Could you be free if you were tainted by something that took control of you? Freedom requires purity of purpose and a pure spirit, heart, mind, and body. Dug let the Aspect of Purity infuse the flames he let spill from his mouth.
It washed over the ooze with a crackle and Dug watched as the emerald flames ate away at the black miasma. The ooze squirmed in pain as its very being was eaten away until all that was left was a concentrated orb of slime. Dug walked over and picked up the blob. To his surprise, he could see hints of green within its depths, and not a hint of corruption remained.
Intrigued he activated his Sub-Administrator powers and looked at the creature in his hands.
Pure-Touched Slimeling (F2 - Lvl 10)
“Eh,” Dug grunted, first in surprise and then in consideration. “Yousa may beez dah perfec’ gift for Obu,” he declared with satisfaction before putting the slimeling on his shoulder. The creature seemed to wobble before settling into place. It didn’t, or more likely couldn’t, communicate but it seemed happy enough to remain in place. Dug then set off into the woods with the slimeling wobbling with each step.
He didn’t yet consider his task finished yet. The Corrupted Ooze had to come from somewhere and Dug wouldn’t be satisfied until he found where. Luckily for him, the path was simple enough as the ooze had left a thick trail of miasmic goop as it traveled. Dug cleaned that up as he traveled, even letting the little slimeling down once or twice once he figured out it liked eating the corrupted ooze. It couldn’t eat a lot but Dug wasn’t bothered.
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The simple fact that it could eat corruption made it even more imperative that his daughter receive the creature. Having such a creature in her Dungeon as a monster would be important to protect her from this corruption. His flames left a scorched but purified section of forest as he followed the trail. It led deep into the forest before turning back toward the mountains. He continued until he reached the source.
Darkness stretched before him, the yawning cave entrance seeming to repel the light. Dug simply belched fire into it, drawing on Obu’s staff. She would notice the drain and would investigate but he needed the extra oomph. It was a good thing he did as the roar of flame mixed with eerie howls of pain. He pushed, his eyes flickering before igniting into green flame. He gave himself over to the flames, hands bursting into bonfires as he began entering the cavern.
Twisted creatures cavorted as the miasma was purified from their bodies. Some of them were too far gone, bodies too twisted and strange to survive once the taint had been excised. Others passed through the flame intact but diminished, they slumped exhausted. Many were forest denizens who had become corrupted. Still others were oozes, concentrated corruption that had gained some measure of autonomy. Those all became Pure-Touched Slimelings.
The last creature to be purified was a huge beast with the antlers and body of a stag but the muzzle of some wolf or bear. Its fur was wispy, forming tendrils of corruption that lashed out at the flame consuming it. It roared and Dug drew deep on his reserves, though he was nowhere near depleted. The System flickered at the edge of his vision telling him what it was that he faced.
Adreus, The Wolven Stag
Corrupted Forest Lord (A22 - Lvl 107)
Dug grunted at the information, his heart clenching at the thought of any Awakened creature being possessed by such darkness. “Be pury-fied den,” he whispered and drove the creature back. Concentrated bursts of fire met its tendrils and waves cut off its escape deeper into the cave System. Dug lassoed the creature’s legs and antlers with whips made of purifying flame, pulling mightily to bring it low.
It fell with a thump that shook the cave, still struggling to escape. Dug, breathing deeply, finally approached the great beast and looked into its pained eyes. Placing a hand upon its massive head he could sense the truth lying below the surface. The great creature could sense its freedom was at hand and was struggling to break free from the inside. Dug grinned.
“Let’s get yousa outta der.”
With a flex of willpower and a request from the Waag that it was all too eager to accept, Dug flooded the creature’s Aether conduits with his power. The corruption within the creature roared, and the body bucked against its bonds with a surge of strength. It was futile. Dug excised the corruption like a surgeon, deftly wielding the Waag like a scalpel. Such control was normally quite difficult but the Waag could sense the importance of the task at hand and let him lead the dance this time.
Dug’s eyes blazed as he sought out every single drop of corruption and purged it. When he was done, the massive creature was much reduced. The corruption had added power and mass but now it was gone. The old goblin stepped back, feeling the age in his bones, but invigorated in spirit. Such battles reminded him again of his adventuring youth, saving the downtrodden and helpless. It was a good feeling, made even better as the creature raised its head to regard Dug with golden eyes.
“I thank you, pure one, for your aid,” its voice, at once regal and exhausted, rang in his mind.
“Yousa welcome, Adreus,” Dug said simply turning to survey the result of his work. The flames had mostly petered out, revealing the limp forms of tired forest creatures and little slimelings. Many of the creatures now sported green tinges to their eyes, horns, or fur, touched by the purity of the flame. Dug grunted in appreciation before turning to behold the Wolven Stag as it slowly stood on weak legs.
“‘ow did yousa come to beez in dis state?” Dug asked while observing the cave. There was a deeper section yet, his experience in the mines of his old home letting know instinctively.
“This place used to be a holy sanctuary for us creatures. An old druid lived here, serving the god of Wild Places. The druid disappeared one day and upon coming to this place in search of him I instead found corruption lying in wait. I…did not win.”
Dug nodded sympathetically. The genuine pain present in the stag’s voice let him know that he had not succumbed easily. It also answered some of his questions. An old priest of one of the gods had been here. Perhaps he had left after the god had fallen and the divinity in this place had gone bad. Worse was the thought that the druid had been corrupted by the fall of his god and had cultivated it. Either way, he would need to determine which it was and The Administrator seemed to agree.
“I know you don’t receive the Quests the System gives so consider this a standing request. Your flames seem to be oddly competent at purifying this corruption. I would consider it a favor owed if you would see to its end wherever you find it. Also, you will find a gift of Experience waiting in your Sub-Administrator bank for your help in what you have done so far.”
* The Administrator
Dug grinned, that was something he could do. Which was when he finally noticed the connection with his daughter pulsing. “Dad!” He winced as the loud thought entered his head. “What have you been up to?!” He sighed and began explaining his most recent adventure to calm his worried daughter.