Woods surveyed the applepeach orchard that Matt had crafted on his own, his eyes widening in surprise at the efficiency and attention to detail that had gone into the project. Pollination, root spacing, and even irrigation—the farmer had thought of everything, ensuring the crops would thrive without the need for constant babying. Woods let out a low whistle, impressed by Matt’s work. Maybe all those lectures about farming hadn’t fallen on deaf ears, and he’d absorbed much more information than Woods had originally thought.
Applepeaches were known for their rapid growth and abundant fruit yield, making them the perfect choice for an orchard. Despite being planted only days before, the saplings already towered over Woods.
He glanced at the irrigation spigot, a subject that Clay and Rock had discussed with enthusiasm the previous night as the other sprites played Uno. Matt had managed to persuade both the Cave Spirit and the River Spirit to collaborate on crafting metal pipes beneath the land’s surface, connecting them to the well. Woods shook his head, amazed that Matt had managed to convince the nature spirits to help him with something so beneath them. He thought the farmer had always been too casual with nature spirits, but that attitude seemed to work in his favor.
Clay and Rock had also shared that Matt had issued stern warnings to the sprites not to touch the spigot. However, both Clay and Rock couldn’t resist the temptation and had attempted numerous times to turn on the water. Woods couldn’t help but chuckle at their antics. Telling the younger sprites not to do something basically guaranteed that it would happen. Woods was surprised the orchard hadn’t been flooded yet.
At the edge of the orchard waited Woods’ glorified babysitters—Finn and Skye. Woods watched as they chatted amicably a few paces away from him, their constant chattering growing tiresome. While their initial interactions with each other had been cold, the past few days had made it obvious just how alike the two of them were, though both would loathe to admit it. More often than not, they bickered like an old married couple.
Woods understood why they were keeping an eye on him, and he agreed with the precautions. After all, if anyone else had been corrupted, he would have advocated for the same measures. However, he couldn’t deny that it was somewhat heartwarming to see Finn show interest in someone other than himself for once. At the moment, Finn was regaling Skye with tales of Crimsonshores, the place where the sprite brothers had grown up. Woods listened briefly to Finn’s story, wondering which one Finn was currently embellishing.
“…a sea monster as big as Matt’s farmhouse. I’m serious! It was colossal…”
Woods lost interest and shifted his focus to Skye. She appeared somewhat engaged in Finn’s storytelling, even if it was simply a way to pass the time.
As Woods stared at the pair of sprites, an intrusive thought invaded Woods’ mind with shocking violence. Kill them both. He blinked, taken aback by the sudden and disturbing notion. Horrified, he pushed the gruesome thought from his mind and took a step back from them. Woods stared at the duo, probably for too long, as Finn noticed Woods’ gaze and cleared his throat, pulling him from his thoughts.
“Everything all right, Woods?” he asked.
Kill him. He abandoned you during the culling, he doesn’t deserve to live. Woods blinked again, his eyes widening in shock. “Did you hear that?” he asked, unable to contain his unease.
Finn and Skye exchanged puzzled glances, clearly oblivious to the sinister voice.
“No, what did it sound like?” Skye asked, her brow furrowing.
Woods clenched his jaw. He had never experienced such violent urges toward any other sprites. Oh, but you have, the voice said, as if reading his thoughts. He swallowed hard. He truly couldn’t remember anything that happened when he was corrupted, but the others had told him enough. He’d done terrible things, things that would haunt him the rest of his life. The truth was, he was still corrupted, and the danger he posed to everyone on the farm was palpable.
“Never mind,” Woods muttered. “It's probably nothing.” He tried to dismiss the alarming whispers in his ear and turned back to the orchard, but a pit grew in his stomach. Kill the farmer, the voice insisted. Woods began looking around frantically for the source of the voice that clearly wasn’t his own. He scanned the forest, searching for any signs of Corruption, but found none. He turned back to Finn and Skye, who had resumed their chatting.
“Could you two come with me to the forest for a few minutes?” Woods asked urgently, trying to keep his composure despite his growing concern.
“I swear, Woods, you’ve got to stop drinking so much water. This is the third time today—" Finn started, but Woods cut him off, his voice tinged with irritation.
“It’s not that. Just come on.” He turned to the forest, walking quickly to the tree line. “Try going two entire seasons without drinking or eating, and then see how you feel when you wake up,” he muttered, keeping his voice low. Something was wrong, and Woods needed to figure out what was happening to him and where these thoughts were coming from. Corruption had to be somewhere on this farm, somehow affecting Woods’ very thoughts.
As they reached the edge of the forest, he stopped and briefly scanned the trees before continuing past them. The forest grew denser as they moved deeper into the wilderness, the thick branches casting shadows that darkened the deeper the trio ventured. His steps slowed as he caught sight of a pulsating purple circle of magic amidst the trees, radiating hues of gold and violet that spiraled slowly around its center. Woods approached cautiously, his instincts on high alert.
“What is that?” Woods said, his eyes fixed on the mesmerizing display of magic. The circle looked like a portal of some sort, but there was something peculiar about it that gnawed at him. He brought a hand up to cover his still-green eye, the one that hadn’t been injured. The swirling magic remained in his vision. He then moved his hand to his other eye, the one that had been lost but had since regrown, now a deep purple color that almost matched the hue of the magic before him. As he covered that eye, the circle vanished.
You belong to me. You will kill them all, and you’ll remember everything this time. You’ll enjoy tearing your friends apart. The voice echoed in his mind, as if whispered directly into his ear, sending a chill down his spine. Woods staggered back, his mind reeling from the intrusion. He turned to look at Finn and Skye, his hand instinctively reaching for his bow and the new quiver of arrows that Reed had made for him. He pressed the weapons into Finn’s hands, his brother giving him a startled look. Right now, Woods was in charge of his mind, but the violent thoughts made him worry, and as they neared what seemed to be a concentrated source of corrupt magic, Woods didn’t want any weapons in his trained hands.
“Woods, what's gotten into you—” Finn began, but Woods silenced him with a stern glare and turned back to regard the swirling magic circle.
“You two can’t see that, can you?” Woods asked urgently, pointing at the magical anomaly.
Finn and Skye exchanged a concerned look.
“What are we supposed to be looking at?” Skye asked, her voice blunt.
Kill her. Kill them all before they kill you. They kept you imprisoned for so long. I’ll set you free.
Woods flinched against the thoughts now, as they seemed to be louder in his mind. Swallowing hard, he turned his attention back to the magic circle. He felt a strange pull, urging him to give in to the corruption. The purple hues of magic swirled and pulsed, drifting around the portal like a toxic miasma. The sinister voice continued to feed thoughts into Woods’ mind. I can give you great power, greater than even the nature spirits.
“I think I’ve just found a spawn point for corrupt monsters.” Woods’ voice was steady despite the turmoil raging inside him. As if to prove his point, spindly spider-like legs emerged from the portal, twelve in total. They anchored to the ground, pulling up a grotesque, corrupted body covered in dark, beady eyes. All eyes focused on the three sprites.
“What is that thing?” Skye asked, aghast. She drew a sword, only one of her many weapons.
Finn started. “Did it just come out of the ground?”
Woods wasted no time in grabbing the bow and arrows from Finn, his movements fluid and practiced. He aimed at one of the creature’s eyes and let the arrow loose without hesitation. Upon impact, black blood spattered the sprites. Three more arrows followed in quick succession, plunging into the eldritch horror’s head and thorax. It shrieked with an otherworldly voice, rearing up on its back six legs. Woods fired one last arrow into its soft underbelly, and the creature fell backward, dead before it hit the ground. Its body disintegrated into black dust within seconds, as if it had never been there in the first place. The blood that had coated the sprites disintegrated as well, leaving them clean yet perturbed.
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Woods turned to the other sprites. “That proves it. This is a spawn point for corrupt monsters. There was one deep in the forest last summer, but it was destroyed by the forest fire. Because the magic is shifting with the seasons, there must be enough corruption in the forest now for this one to manifest. In fact,” Woods slung his bow back over his shoulder and felt his pockets for something he hadn’t worn in a long time—something he’d almost thrown away, simply because it was no longer needed now that his eye had grown back. He pulled the eyepatch out of his pocket and placed it over his normal green eye. Woods grimaced, the eyepatch now focusing and sharpening his purple eye’s sight, revealing what he hadn't been able to see before. His heart sank as he realized the extent of Corruption’s spread. Just in his limited vision, three other portals of varying sizes were scattered amongst the forest, their purple magic swirling and catching the light.
“What is it, what’s wrong?” Finn asked, still shaken by the encounter with the corrupt spider.
“We’re surrounded,” Woods said, his voice steady despite the rising sense of urgency. “There are three more of these portals in the immediate vicinity, and they’ll only get bigger the longer they’re here. We need to act now. Tell Matt. And the wizard, too.”
Finn and Skye exchanged worried glances, their expressions mirroring Woods’ concern. The corrupt monsters were a formidable threat, and with the portals multiplying, it wouldn’t be long before the sprites were overwhelmed—just like what happened the previous year. With this many portals, it would be a matter of months before the monster threat was greater than the sprites could handle, if not weeks. Memories flashed of last summer, where the sprites had battled against monsters every single night, enduring relentless combat. But this time around, Woods couldn’t depend on his bear form, as he didn’t know if he could control it. What if he succumbed to those violent urges as a grizzly bear? A shudder ran through him.
“If there really are corruption portals, we can't just leave them here,” Skye said, motioning to where the spider had spawned, bringing Woods out of his thoughts. “We have to destroy them.”
Woods paused, furrowing his brow as he pondered the situation. Destroy the portals? The idea seemed almost impossible, but he couldn’t afford to dismiss it. The spawn point last summer had been destroyed by fire, something that Matt and the Forest Spirit would probably be against, and for good reason. A spark of insight flared in his mind. Perhaps, by countering the corrupt magic, he could weaken the portal. He raised an experimental hand toward the nearest portal, the one the spider-like creature had crawled out of just moments before.
“Woods, what are you—” Finn began, but it was too late.
Woods touched the floating miasma of corrupt magic, feeling a surge of dangerous power from the portal. Woods focused on his own magic, drawing upon the wellspring of power within him. He could feel the raw energy surging through him, his body a conduit for the opposing magical forces.
The portal shuddered as it resisted, crackling with dark energy as Woods’ own magic clashed with the corrupted magic. He could feel the immense strain on his body and mind as he fought to overcome the malevolent force. The portal’s defenses were formidable, but Woods refused to give up. He gritted his teeth as he poured every ounce of his strength and willpower into the effort, his eyes glowing with a fierce determination.
For a moment, it seemed like the portal would hold, pushing back against Woods. But then, with a final burst of power, the corrupt magic dissipated, causing the portal to implode in a burst of dark energy, leaving behind a void where it had once been. The resulting shockwave sent Finn and Skye staggering backward. They shielded their eyes from the blinding light.
As the dust settled, Woods stood there, panting, his hand still outstretched where the portal had once been. The corrupted magic was gone, replaced by a sense of emptiness. He’d done it. He had destroyed the portal. A combination of relief, triumph and exhaustion washed over him, but he knew his work was far from over. A familiar pain spread through his body, reminding him of the corruption sickness he’d endured the previous fall. Even so, there were more portals to deal with, so he would have to rest later. He moved to the next closest portal but stumbled as his vision blurred. Finn was beside him in an instant, catching him before he hit the ground.
“Woods, stop!” Finn’s voice was tinged with concern. “You’re completely drained, you can’t do that again.” He paused as he took in Woods’ condition. “Let’s get you back to the shelter. Melvin will know what to do.”
With a nod, Woods pushed himself upright and leaned heavily on Finn for support. As they made their way through the dense forest, Woods couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. He knew that Corruption’s influence was spreading fast and that time was running out. He glanced back at the portals they had left behind, their purple hues standing out vividly against the natural colors of the forest.
“We need to warn the others and gather all the sprites,” Woods said, his voice resolute despite his exhaustion. “We can’t let the portals spread any further.”
“Well, well, well,” Alder’s accent drawled. He stepped out from the dense trees, a smug smile on his face. “Y’all couldn’t wait to get rid of us, and now it looks like you’ll actually need our help after all. What a joke.”
Woods straightened and pushed Finn away as he turned, meeting Alder’s bright orange eyes. Alder had Fern and Coal with him, the two other southern sprites flanking their leader, their expressions wary as they sized up the situation.
“Alder, you don’t understand,” Woods began, his voice urgent. “What’s happening here will slowly move southward. It’ll infect your homeland as well. No one is safe from Corruption.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Alder agreed, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to Woods. He was taller by a few centimeters, and he used his height to his advantage, looming over him. “But you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Woods? Truly, no one is safe from corruption.”
Kill him. He’s weak. It would be so easy. Woods swallowed hard, trying to push the disturbing thoughts away. Woods didn’t mind the southern sprites. At least, he hadn’t minded them until they’d shown up unannounced and tried to kill him, and Woods suspected that was solely Alder’s idea. Alder and Woods hadn’t gotten along in the past, but certainly Woods never wished death upon the southern sprite leader. Until now, maybe.
Skye tried to intervene, putting a hand on Alder’s shoulder to keep him away from Woods. “Alder, please, you don’t know what we just saw—” Alder shrugged her off, his attention still fixed on Woods.
“I think there's something you're not telling us, Woods,” Alder said, his voice low and dangerous. “You may have been a hero all those years ago, but something’s changed. And it’s not just that pretty purple eye of yours. What other atrocities have you committed, Woods? What trap are you trying to spring?” Alder suddenly pushed Woods to the ground, barely exerting any effort to do so. Woods landed hard on his back in the dirt.
A split-second later, Finn was between them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said, glaring at the southern sprite, his tone menacing.
Alder chuckled as if Finn had just told him a joke. Woods knew Finn’s magical reserves were still low, but maybe he’d healed enough to turn into his crocodile form.
“What, the great hero of the culling can’t defend himself anymore? How pathetic—” Alder crooned.
Woods felt a surge of anger rise in his chest, the corruption that coursed through him trying to take control, urging him to lash out. But he fought against it, refusing to give in to its dark desires. He took a deep breath, standing shakily and dusting himself off.
“My brother is the only reason the southern sprites survived the culling,” Finn said hotly.
Alder shrugged, looking past Finn to meet Woods’ eyes. “Then a little duel should be no problem for him. What do you say, Woods? Should we see which leader is stronger?”
Woods sighed. Alder’s animal form was a rabbit, easily bested by Woods’ bear form, but Woods had a feeling Alder knew he wouldn’t use his own animal form. Plus, destroying the portal had drained him of energy. He couldn’t shift into his animal form even if he’d wanted to.
“Alder, listen. I’m not your enemy.” Woods kept his voice measured.
Alder opened his mouth, probably to voice a snappy comeback, but the words died in his throat as two slithering abominations emerged from the foliage, their many, multi-faceted eyes locking onto the group of sprites. With lightning speed, one of them lunged and swallowed Alder whole in a single gulp, while the other turned its attention to Fern, rearing back to strike like a snake.
Time slowed for Woods as he realized he had to act fast. Other sprite’s lives were in danger. Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, he hurled himself between Fern and the serpent poised to strike.
For a heartbeat, the snake hesitated, fixating on Woods’ purple eye as if momentarily hypnotized, but it was all the sprites needed to mount their counterattack. Woods knocked an arrow and shot it into the serpent's head and pinning it against a nearby tree. The monster twitched once under the arrow before going limp and slowly dissolving into inky black dust.
Finn transformed into his crocodilian form a second later and clamped down on the remaining serpent’s head, while Skye drew her serrated blades and sliced into its writhing back. Trapped and wounded, the serpent could barely move.
As Fern stumbled backward from the skirmish, Coal stepped up, wielding his axe but unsure where to strike. Woods barked orders, pointing to the snake’s exposed neck. “Cut Alder free before it dies, or he’ll be killed!”
Coal nodded, leaping into action and slicing a wound from just below the serpent's mouth to its stomach, flaying the snake. Alder emerged, dazed but intact, and the serpent convulsed, disintegrating into a cloud of black smoke.
Finn returned to his sprite form, looking queasy as he scrubbed the black residue from his tongue onto his sleeve. Woods winced. He’d tasted his share of corrupt monsters while fighting them in his bear form, and he could only imagine how bad it must be for Finn. He’d had a good portion of the snake in his mouth when it died.
“Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” Woods muttered, shaking his head and extending a hand to Fern to help the dazed sprite to her feet.
The black smoke surrounded Alder, lifting the serpent’s innards from his body in a gruesome display of dissolving guts, but leaving him completely clean from the residue of the corrupt creature.
“What on Etheria was that thing?” Alder stammered, his voice quivering. Woods knelt beside him, their eyes level.
“Those were corrupt monsters, small ones,” Woods replied, narrowing his gaze at Alder. “That’s what’s spreading southward. That is your true enemy.” Woods paused, meeting Alder’s eyes. “You and the others are free to return to the south, but if you don’t help us fight Corruption, your land will be overrun and everyone you know and love will be killed. It’ll be worse than the culling. Worse than anything you’ve ever seen.” Without waiting for a response, Woods rose to his feet and began limping southward to the farm he was determined to protect.
Finn, though still looking like he could lose his lunch at any second, followed Woods, dipping his head under his brother’s shoulder to support him while walking—hitching him like a barnacle on a boat. Skye shot a glare down at Alder, as if hoping the numbskull had learned his lesson before following the brothers. Fern didn’t spare Alder so much as a side-eyed glance before running after the sprite that had selflessly put himself between her and certain death, her eyes starry. Coal gave a sympathetic nod to Alder before trudging after the group. Alder sat in the grass for a few seconds before jumping at the sound of a twig snapping. He ran after the sprites, not wanting to be alone in the forest.