Ari fumbled to the ground and began to cough and vomit. His head swam and his vision was spinning as he struggled to make out the beastman’s words. There was too much motion and he was heaving for a few moments when the screech of birds sounded overhead. He recalled the crows momentarily in his hazy state, but this sounded too loud and heavy to be one such as them. By the time the young man managed to get himself upright, he could already see Ruenr in combat. Strange lizards and snakes thicker than Ari, each covered in a growth that slowly changed a myriad of colors from purple, to dark green, then yellow, to black, and deep blues they swirled and intermixed. It reminded Ari of mold, a strange arcane mold that covered nearly half of each beast’s body and sometimes even more.

“Cover your ears.”

Right as Ari did so the world shook. He watched as Ruenr opened his jaws wide before howling a barking cry into the deep night. Ari learned the words of Ruenr’s people, as it was a requirement to learn the druidic lore of those like Ruenr and the agelings. Ari understood the screaming for the words they were.

“Ancestors and fallen warriors, heed the call and step once more onto the battlefield! The champion of the laughing reaper demands it!”

A black fog descended from the skies that somehow glowed, defying logic. Ari understood that magic was a force that could defy logic, what is law for those without access to magic were merely suggestions to those with it. This dwarfed even the mightiest of the wizard Vandron’s spells that were demonstrated in Ari’s presence. The glowing shadow-like fog coalesced into forms that slowly solidified as the black fog dripped away like inky water poured onto them, each form was left with the eerie glow as the shadows melted into the ground. Mighty warriors made of blue-gray light each seven feet tall or more stood around the champion; some appeared to be of Ruenr’s race and others bore the lizard-like countenance that Ruenr described when speaking on the agelings.

The agelings were armed with slings and javelins that brought down massive birds, many with a wingspan greater than double or triple the champion’s height. As the massive avians fell, Ari’s attention was brought to the exiled, the name was often what Ruenr used when describing how his race was named. The exiled pounced upon all manner of terrestrial foe, wielding axes and spears they menaced and overpowered the grounded beasts, both avian and reptilian. In the center of it all was Ruenr, he danced through the battlefield bringing death as he barked his terrifying laugh. Blood painted the dark grass and mud like paint flicked off a brush. Only his strikes rendered flesh, however.

The ghostly apparitions of his people left no physical wounds, but those they struck out against were slain all the same. They took longer to defeat each for but not a single fell, as all the strikes and bites they would take passed through their shimmering forms. Ari slowly rose to his feet, his body yet a mess, and gauged the citation around him. Seemingly by design, Ruenr managed to fight in a circle around Ari leaving a clearing where he slowly put himself back together. He noticed a lone lizard-beast approaching and summoned his quarterstaff.

The creature looked somewhat like descriptions of alligators, but it has extremely long legs and a very long mouth with a double row of teeth. It was gray-white wherever the colorful mold wasn't hiding its skin, and as it charged him with opened jaws he took note of its size. It seemed to be thicker than him in the center, and with legs only slightly shorter than his own. Reared up and charging like it was, the bottom of its massive maw was at the same height of his collarbones- he could not gauge its length from nose to tail. As time seemed to slow down around him, he took note of how much difficulty simply moving was, but managed to dodge away just in time to avoid becoming the creature's next meal.

As it ran past him, Ari rested with his staff supporting his weight for just a moment. The bandit’s from the village were already the maximum of what he considered himself prepared for, he believed this beast would quickly end their encounter. Realizing none of the specters nor Ruenr was coming to his aide, Ari dug deep within himself to muster whatever energy was left for this fight. Right as the beast finished its charge, it turned much quicker than Ari imagined possible, and began to charge anew. Yet the young man stood ready, and only slightly daunted by his foe. He summoned two daggers and threw them right at the edge of his accurate range, continuing to do so and aiming at the beast's mouth as it neared.

It took various wounds from the projectiles, but Ari furrowed his brows as he realized it was not reacting from its wounds. As it reached him, he dodged out of the war this time in a different direction plunging a dagger into the beast's eye. Only then did it react, shaking its long snout as blood and frothy pink were sprayed by its still open maw. It only seemed to care about debilitating injuries, but Ari was not able to tell the exact locations the nearby summoned ghosts targeted since their strikes left no visible wounds. Right before Ari dashed to the alligator-monster’s blindspot, he was halted in his tracks by the sight before him.

The mold moved across the beast's grey body, leaving behind partially rotten flesh as it congregated in the hole where its left eye once was. The mold pulsed a few bright colors before retreating back to the rotten flesh, a strange glowing and furry purple eye left in the hole. Arri was horrified for a moment, before he readied himself for further combat. Right when Ari made to dodge to the creature’s right, it shifted to continue following him. The young man’s eyes widened in alarm, but then Ruenr appeared from the darkness behind it with a steady grip on the beast's tail. Ari started beating the creature with all his might, focusing his attacks on the top of the creature's head until it finally succumbed.

“Ari, I need to speak with the wizard. You decide what you are doing, I will find you. Just don’t enter the wilds without me no matter what. Don’t even head farther South if it can be avoided.”

“What was this? I don’t think it is safe for me to be left on my own.”

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“It isn’t, but I need to find out what the wizard knows. Just go somewhere and don’t die. Better yet, go kill more bandits along the mountains instead of heading further South.”

“Why?”

“Because they need to be killed and you have the time. I permit you to channel magic if you think you might die, but be ready for the consequences. Your meditations on nature and the scrolls will guide you. I expect to see you again within a month. I originally was going to drop you into the wilds for a month to survive alone, but with these corrupted beasts it is no longer the right choice. Go now.”

Ari stood dumbstruck. He was wounded, in territory that was more dangerous than previously thought, and was expected to continue fighting in these conditions but now without the backup of the massive beastman.

“Ruenr I don’t think this is the right idea.”

“You have been trained well enough to survive. If you fail to do so, then so be it.”

Ari attempted to get information from Ruenr, or convince him to let Ari stay or just simply survive in a town but the champion refused every condition or option that Ari requested. After a moment, Ari stopped his whining and stood staring straight in Ruenr’s eyes. The fearful and worried expression on his face is now gone.

“You will never manage to manipulate me Ari, I know you.”

“Aren’t you like me?”

“No, but sometimes I have to use similar methods to you. I know when to take off the mask.”

“I don’t always need the mask.”

“I know, but you haven’t lifted it for those close to you. Not unless you know they will like what’s underneath.”

Ruenr continued to gaze down at the short man, before he nodded toward the mountains behind him. Ari nodded, and stepped off into the night without a word. He considered telling Ruenr to leave a message with her if he met his demise, but thought that her knowing he didn’t turn around when it got dangerous might hurt her more than if he died unexpectedly. So forward he walked into the night as he searched for a place to make camp and tend his wounds.

Ruenr watched as Ari walked West, towards the hills that the locals of this regions thought mountains. The beastman waved the wizard that was floating out of sight down, and when Asther landed the mage began his pomp despite how outmatched the wizard figured himself to be.

“I inquired, my apologies Godslayer.”

“Godslayer is more important to you than Divine Champion?”

“You are the divine champion of a god that encouraged you to kill other gods, for all I know it's the god of death and not a god of death.”

“He is the last of his pantheon, he has been surrounded by so much death it has infused him. He was once the god of warriors, leaders, and explorers.”

Ruenr then switched from High Henos to the same elf dialect that he used when speaking with Vandron. Continuing to speak, he walked toward the mage as he reared up to his full height and towered over him. With each step Ruenr dismissed one of the phantoms called to battle, until he was looking down at the wizard who’s eyebrows slowly knit together.

“That matters not, Asther Torisan.”

“I was told to avoid you. But-”

“You should have followed those instructions, little mage.”

“Please, I know you are familiar with my master I am the hero of-”

“I know you, Asther Torisan. Last born elf, slave to the white sun, you will not accomplish your goals with necromancy by going farther South-at least not yet.”

As Ruenr spoke, he watched the confidence on the wizard’s face slowly be replaced by confusion and horror. The tall beast released his barking laugh at the elf’s expression.

“How- how could you know?”

“Because you never fail to accomplish your goals with magic in any world no matter the obstacle, and to go South would stand in my path. Listen and hear me, Asther Torisan, you shall travel South no further until I have granted you permission. Return to your experiments, torture and kill until you can save twice as many, but you will not interfere with my plans. To accomplish my goals I need you alive,”

A scythe slowly materialized out of twisting shadowy darkness, with the blade resting right against the mage’s waist. Ruenr gave a sinister grin at the now terrified wizard.

“but not whole.”

“But please! I only have a year until I have to kill Vandron.”

“Then you best not waste any time. But if you continue to try and go South, to try and interact with the corruption or its source, I will make it much much harder for you to meet your deadline of a year.”

Ruenr leaned in to whisper in Asther’s ear.

“You have been warned, little hero, go back and do whatever it is you do so secluded in your chambers- surrounded by corpses and those soon to join them. When I pull my head away from your ear, you will already be gone.”

As Ruenr spoke, it was so. The beastman gave his best approximation of a giddy grin, before he started to chuckle and laugh once more. Once done, he looked around at the corrupted corpses and their foul blood. He knew Ari would intuit its danger and properly cleanse himself, but now he must do the same to the very land. Darkness poured out from his form, covering the earth and corpses for yards in each direction. The darkness glowed with an impossible light, just below its inky surface, and then faded. When the darkness returned to coalesce into the form of Ruenr, everything from the corpses to the surface layers of soil were gone. Completely erased to the void that was Ruenr’s divine power, both stolen from that which he killed and granted by what he served.

Ari trudged through the darkness, unsure of what to do now that he was cut loose. Fighting bandits was much easier spoken than performed, and Ari had little doubts that it would be very easy to get over his head unless he did things correctly. He recalled the instructions from the woman in the forest, and considered if it would make his directions more or less difficult if he seeked her out. Ari believed her group seemed to be acting in direct opposition to the bandits and raiders from the Southern Islands. He reached the hills, and disrobed before burning what he wore. He cleansed himself before moving on to find camp, tending to his wounds once he arrived.

Once morning came, Ari packed up camp after using the map to figure out where he should head next. ‘Frenis’ wasn’t on any of the maps, but it could potentially be an unnamed village, he located a village near where he encountered the women and decided it was as good a place as any to ask. If it lead to a dead end, Ari decided he would just get right to the bandit hunting and do his best to survive the process.