Roth ran into Cundy near the center of the town as he rushed back toward the cabin, and he called his fellow crewmate to follow him back. It seemed like there were quite a few townsfolk already gathering in the town square, though Roth wasn’t sure as to why, since there was no way Jean could’ve spread the news of Raymond’s death yet.

Cundy didn’t have any trouble keeping up with Roth as they ran back to the cabin, their warm breaths creating tiny clouds as they arrived.

“That was quick. Were you able to discover anything?”

After confirming who was outside, Holl let the two of them in, then walked over to the table. Alisa peeked her head out of the bedroom to confirm that they were friendlies before rejoining the crew in the main room.

“Raymond is dead.”

“Bastard.”

Alisa’s fist slammed down on the wooden tabletop, and Roth could see her clenched fingers trembling. One of the small blue dots on the back of her hand glowed for a moment, then disappeared. The next moment, a third dog walked out from beneath the table, reaching its head up to softly nuzzle her hand.

“I didn’t take enough of the mist away. If it’s attacking the townsfolk now, it must not see me as enough of a threat anymore… and now Raymond is dead.”

Her voice wasn’t self-deprecating or lost. It was steady, filled with the same determination it had before.

“Were you able to find out anything else about it?”

Roth’s gaze lingered for a few moments on the third dog that definitely hadn’t been there when he walked in before he reached out and grabbed one of the small chunks of charcoal still lying in the center of the table.

“There was a mark like this, in the shape of a medal and ribbon on his chest… Jean Farsue said that it was the symbol of the Lord.”

Alisa frowned as she looked down at the unfamiliar drawing, then stood up and started walking around the table behind Roth.

“Ah!”

She let out a gasp as she stood behind the young man, viewing his drawing straight-on.

“I figured it out! That’s the same shape as a Catal military emblem! I was out trading at the time, but I heard about what happened from a few of the other townsfolk. A few years ago- a while before all of this mess started- Raymond’s son returned to the town. He arrived on a large Catal exploration ship and was the only one on board. He died within a month- before I got back to town.”

“There’s an exploration ship in that boat shed on the eastern side of town- I think it was called the First Light.”

Alisa nodded to Roth’s words.

“That’s the one. It’s been sitting in there ever since. It would’ve been impossible to sail a ship of that size alone… and Raymond’s son was the only one on board when he arrived. I looked into it a lot when all of this Enthenglem stuff started, but I couldn’t find anything off about the ship.”

Alisa moved back to her place at the table but remained standing.

“The source of the corruption- and probably the strange stuff that happened back then- is probably the medal, then. That’s what we need to look for. Afterwards… I’ll figure out how to deal with it.”

Roth glanced between his two crewmates, then at Alisa.

I can trust them, right? Alisa seems like she’s completely focused on saving the townsfolk, Holl and Cundy… I’m pretty sure they are good, too.

“I know where it is right now. Ehm… I can show you.”

After sweeping the chunks of charcoal off of the table, Roth pulled out his sheepskin map and laid it out over the wooden surface. The island map looked similar to before, with a single major change.

The red dot that had been wandering around outside of town had moved. It was still moving, but its location sent a shiver up Roth’s spine.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“It’s in the center of town…”

“What?”

Alisa leaned forward over the table.

“It’s a map of the town… did you draw this? I can see how this could be useful, but how do you know where the corruption is?”

Roth pointed his finger near the center of town, just outside the bakery.

“The red dot, can’t you see it? There’s another one by Tolus’s house, and a really dim one by the ship shed.”

Holl and Cundy also leaned over to see the map, and all three of them shook their heads.

“If you can see more stuff on here… is this some kind of bound artifact? You can use this to track stuff?”

Roth nodded his head at Alisa’s question, but when he looked around the table, neither Holl nor Cundy looked surprised.

“I guess. I’m not exactly sure how it works yet, but I think the red dots I can see on it are dead bodies. There was one exactly where Raymond’s body was, and I’m pretty sure that the current moving dot is where the corruption is right now.”

Holl’s eyebrows lifted subtly as he heard Roth’s mention of the map’s abilities, but Alisa’s reaction was much greater.

“So you can track it exactly? This is perfect! The moment it’s alone, we can launch an ambush and save the rest of the townsfolk!”

“Right now, it’s in the center of town… unless we want to be turned into Swiss cheese, we shouldn’t go anywhere near it.”

“Swiss… Swiss cheese?”

A frown started to grow on Alisa’s face as she tried to decode the meaning of Roth’s words.

“We’re going to get shot by all of the townsfolk. A lot of them have guns, and most of them are gathered in the center of town right now. Jean was just calling a gathering and getting people to team up in case the hunters try to kill more townsfolk.”

Roth’s voice trailed off for a moment before he decided to add something the baker said.

“Jean seemed pretty sure that it was Tolus that killed Raymond, even though it was pretty obvious it was from Enthenglem. I’m not sure if it’s possible-” Roth glanced up at Alisa, “But could Tolus, or another Regarded, fall under the influence of the corruption? I think there’s a chance Jean might’ve accidentally been correct about who is dangerous now. If Tolus was there, and is the new host for the emblem…”

“Now that it’s stronger… You might be right. It didn’t affect any Regarded before, but with how much mist it took in, I wouldn’t be surprised if it could now. Aside from your group, Tolus is the weakest one on the island… and knowing him, even with everyone searching, he might still have risked going into town.”

“So there is a chance we have to take down a possessed Regarded. Bullets should still do a fine job, correct?”

“Lethal, to almost all low-rank Regarded. Tolus included.”

Alisa stood up and started walking over toward the door as she continued speaking.

“I’m really hoping that isn’t the case, though. I’m not even sure how to deal with a corrupting artifact like what we’re up against… if it turns out that it can parasitize Regarded, I’ll probably still be safe, the three of you will be in danger.”

Alisa pulled the door open just a sliver and peeked outside to make sure the coast was clear, then let two of her dogs outside before closing the door once again.

“They will try to check around the town to find out more information. The corruption seems to have noticed that my dogs aren’t normal, but hopefully it won’t notice them this time.”

Alisa walked back over to the table, then pulled her chair over closer to where Roth was sitting.

“We need to be ready to attack the moment it leaves the town, or if it goes anywhere isolated enough. Keep an eye on your map. While we wait, I’ll show you how to use this part of my Regard that you ripped away.”

Alisa’s light eyes focused on the pale blue dot in the center of Roth’s hand. It was the exact same color as the ones remaining on her hand.

“Focus on the mark, then urge it to come out.”

Roth followed her unclear instructions, and nothing happened. Alisa tried explaining again, but it didn’t work. After a few attempts, Roth started trying things on his own, from tapping on the mark to speaking aloud. None of it worked.

“You are still Base, right? That’s probably why it isn’t working. You just have a Regard right now, but no mist. If we live through these next few days and take down the corruption, it should spit out quite a bit of mist. Absorb it.”

Alisa’s gaze diverted down to her own marked hand for a few moments before she looked back up.

“And if I die, absorb my mist too. And take good care of that dog you stole from me. I’ll haunt you on the seas if you don’t.”

“Mist… What exactly is it?”

The girl let out a sigh.

“I forgot how little you seem to know. It makes your Regards stronger. Get it out on the sea, in old treasures, or from dead bodies. Ah, or in jars- you can buy it as well, some folks would rather sell it than absorb it themselves. I was pretty relieved when I woke up this morning, I figured your crew was pretty good not to have ended me in my sleep to steal my strength. Now I see that you just might not have known that you could.”

“You can kill people to steal their mist? Maybe Lia wasn’t exaggerating when she said to run away from everyone before…”

“Yep. Whoever told you that was giving good advice. Trust no one. If you find someone you can truly trust, hold onto them with all your might. It’s the most valuable thing in the world. For me, the people in this town are the ones I could always rely on. I will be here for them, too.”

Roth looked up at Holl, then Cundy.