Geez, my wing freakin' hurts. I can feel my blood dripping down my side and coagulating. I deserve a bath after fighting a freaky monster like that. At least this flower arrow person made it out alive, and she gets to rest a little on our way back to Tuiran. I need a snooze, too, but I can't do that before we're safe. I just hope that was the only one of those thousand-limbed jerks out there because I do not want to have more bones break. I've already broken too damn many bones! And it freakin' hurts...

I'm gonna focus on something else, so I don't notice the pain as much. Like the darkening sky. With the sun setting, the stars are showing up and creating a wonderful The sky is turning darker as night approaches, stars showing up and becoming quite a beautiful sight now that the battling is done. And the trees do try their best to keep us from seeing it, although perhaps I'm the only one of us watching the stars right now...

I don't think this deer person is doing too well. She seems to be drifting in and out of consciousness, so I hope either Lauren or Merciferus can help her. We both seem to be doing quite badly, but I certainly appreciate that she healed and strengthened me as much as she could. And, as far as I can tell, she managed to do it without me taking all of her magic, which might mean it's possible to make me less of a magic leech!

Musings about turning me into less of a magic magnet will have to wait, though. I can smell wolves gathering around us. They haven't done anything yet, but they're keeping close. I hope they're smart enough to know that I'm still very dangerous, even though I'm wounded. Regardless of what they do, I'll just continue walking toward Tuiran and see what happens, since I'd rather get healing sooner than later. And I'm sure this deer person could use some rest as well because she does not look well at all.

Even through her furred face, she looks pale and anemic. I think I need to hurry, so with a little more disregard for my own well-being, I pick up the pace. The wolves do so as well, but continue to keep their distance. Although they do seem to be chasing away other critters in our path, giving me a mostly clear run to Tuiran. It's still not a clear path, given that the trees aren't willingly moving out of my way.

At least that'll give the lumberjacks of Tuiran something to work with, so it's not all bad. My sense of direction on the ground seems to be off as we hit a crowded road with a lot of startled wanderers and traders. With a glance north, the clay walls of Tuiran come into sight, but, dang it, that's a long line of people. When did Tuiran start having a queue to get in?!

I'm gonna be rude and just scootch in between a small wagon and a... Oh, the guy behind it stepped aside. That's nice of him. More room for me. Still not enough for me to properly step onto the road, but as the line moves ahead of me, I get more room.

Geez, these people aren't traveling light. I'm seeing all sorts of goodies, from barrels of delicious smells to heaps of pelts and grains. This feels like far too much for Tuiran to buy, but if we can get a few pelts and such for winter, then my goblins would be better prepared for the cold. I have no idea how our own stores are doing, or even how Turo is managing the town's money.

A soft groan reminds me of our urgency, and as I start tapping a talon, some of the folks around me start giving me stares, but one of them is waving at me with a very nervous expression on his face.

"Might I offer you my spot in line?"

I'm definitely taking that offer. As I do, he pulls his cart out of the queue, but he isn't the only one to do so. Soon, the entire dang line has moved onto the patch of grass next to the road, giving me a clear shot to Tuiran. It's possible that I should have stopped them, given that some of those carts are gonna get stuck in the dirt, and I could have stepped over them without any issues. But I can't worry about that now, I have to go find Lauren!

Reaching the gate presents a very predictable problem: I should have climbed a wall... Well, stepped over at this point, but I can't dwell on the past. Instead, I'm going to just walk through it. This gate is about to become dragon-accessible.

Tugging the deer person under my chin, I bend my head down a little and continue walking through the gate. Given my size, it doesn't really offer much resistance as it crumbles before my strength.

"Where are we?"

"Twuiwan."

I might need some practice speaking with my tongue extended, but I think I was clear enough to be understood.

"She means Tuiran! It's our home! Are you okay, Kira? You don't look so good."

Evidently not...

All it takes to change her worried face to a smile is a simple nod. And with that, she scampers off into the crowd before disappearing down an alley. I have no idea who that was, but she seems nice and we're apparently on good terms for her to refer to me by name. If I see her again, I'll need to make sure to learn her name. For now, this deer lady and I will continue toward the square, so we can find some help.

The good news is that the deer lady seems awake and strong enough to look around with quite an amazed face. Even doing some stargazing before she starts muttering about something or other. Between the murmuring of people around us and her soft voice, I can't tell what she's saying...

No matter. We're almost at the square, so I need to be responsible and get someone to make sure Lauren and Merciferus are there. Raising my tongue so I don't bonk the deer lady into the ground, I nudge a nearby goblin and, as well as I can, ask her to find the two healers and bring them... Dang it, Kira! Think! That's the second time in the last hour that I haven't done the obvious! I could just send a mental message for Lauren and have them meet us... The goblin has already run ahead, though, and we're almost there.

These new broadened streets are amazing, and I haven't met any resistance on my walk at all. I have met a bunch of worry, though. Both from goblins and merchants, as well as fear from the latter. Admittedly, I do need a bath. I am very covered in the remains of a scary monster and my own blood.

My deer lady has been squirming a little to get a good look around us, and since I can't go around carrying her all night, I lower my head to the ground and try to put her on her feet. We're practically at the square anyway, so if she wants to walk the... She fell over...

"Sorry. I thought you could stand on your own. Dear Merciferus. Please come heal this deer lady! She's hurt and needs help!"

"By the gods, Kira! Who did you kidnap now?!"

"What?! First of all, I don't kidnap people THAT regularly, so your assumption is unfounded. And secondly, I rescued her, which is only kidnap-adjacent!"

My very reasonable argument is met with nonsense as Lauren starts yammering on about the differences between kidnapping and rescuing. I'm not sure she realizes that she's arguing in my favor, but I can tell that she's distracting herself because she's worried about me. And I can appreciate that.

Merciferus, on the other hand, is far more goal-oriented as she reaches out a hand for the fallen deer, pulling the lady to her feet.

"Mairleark is proud of you, Arienna. You have gone far beyond what was asked of you, and you deserve the peace you have earned."

I'm not sure what that means, but it seems to fill this Arienna person with joy. Until her smile is replaced by a frown and a lowered gaze.

"I thank you, but I ask that you grant me your peace, not hers. And I must apologize for my greed, but I also ask that I may be reunited with my coven upon my death. I would understand if my request were to be denied, as the choice to drain my soul was my own…"

I feel a tug on the very core of my being as Merciferus tells her that she'll get what she wants. A sudden wave of exhaustion hits me, and I feel quite tired. Geez, I need a rest.

Merciferus pulls Arienna into a hug and the deer lady's body relaxes, becoming limp before turning to dust...

"Did you just freakin' kill her?!"

"Kira, she asked for my peace; this is what she wanted. Trust that she is safe, and I will explain once you have rested and we have healed your injuries."

"No. Explain now, because I very much feel like lashing out. Why did you kill her? I brought her here to help her and, as far as I can tell, you did the fucking opposite."

Merciferus takes a deep breath and releases it with a sigh before she starts telling me about Arienna.

"She was a Sorrow Seer. Chosen of Mairleark to purge the corruption. And you must understand that I would not do something like this, were it not for a very good reason. Seers simply do not survive without their pack, and she had lost hers. Should she be left alive, she would be no more than a soul locked within a rotting husk by the next winter harvest."

Okay, freakin' geez... I wouldn't want that for anyone, but I... I don't know anything about her or her people. I have no clue how I might have helped to prevent that husk stuff, or if I even could, but I would have wanted to try... I feel my anger growing again as I focus my sight on Merciferus.

"So what? You just turn people to dust and send them on their way? That doesn't sound healthy at all. In fact, it sounds suspiciously like killing. I know you said you would start interfering, but I didn't expect you to start killing people. Especially not ones I wanted to help... I brought her here to get her healed..."

"Oh, Kira... You did. Because of your actions, she felt that she had earned her peace. And I should explain why you feel weak. She had burned her soul's energy to win that battle. Energy which she had spent a lifetime to gather and that would have been spent to cross into the next life, but-"

"Wait, what?! She sacrificed her afterlife, and you still killed her?!"

"Please do let me explain, Kira. You feel weak because I took from you to strengthen her. I believe you were told by a lich that you have more than a common soul. With it, you create an abundance of energy, more than you ought to. And I siphoned some of that energy to ensure that she would not become lost in between worlds. She will find her next life much more enjoyable, and you will recover given time. If you rest and heal."

Fucking hell, that's a lot to unpack... So...

"What does that mean for people who haven't had time to gather this soul energy nonsense? Do they just get lost between worlds? That would be so freakin' messed up..."

"It is extraordinarily rare for a soul to be created with insufficient energy to reach their next life, but not unheard of. Those who become lost must have given or had their soul's energy taken to not reach an afterlife. I once told you that your funeral rites made a difference. Your willingness to give and wish for their greatness strengthened the fallen goblins. With your strength, Arienna will find a world in which she will find joy. And with your effort in battle, she could rest easy knowing her final battle was victorious. Most warriors die not knowing whether their quarry has fallen as well, but she did, and she was happier for it."

I don't know what to do with all that. I do trust Merciferus, so I don't think she's lying. I didn't even know Arienna, so it feels odd to care so much for someone who is essentially a stranger. Regardless of all this soul business, one thing is clear. The corruption is not something that can be friendly. Both Frosty and this thing felt wrong and only wanted to consume.

I'm tired and I want to lie down, so I'm gonna, but I'd prefer not to block this particular street more than I already am. Stepping over Lauren and Merciferus takes me into the square properly, which means plenty of room to lie down.

Plopping down on my belly and leaning to the side quickly proves to be two mistakes as my spines cut through more of my hurt wing's membrane... I'm blaming Merciferus for that, since she made me extra tired. I need to figure out how to get it off my back before I start healing myself, and the only ones I know who are strong enough to lift an entire wing are myself and Merciferus. And I can't do it because of stupid leverage... I'd risk ripping the dang thing off.

"Kira, I am aware that you are displeased with me, but know that I do not take such actions lightly. Please at least allow me to mend your wounds and restore your flight. By killing the Growth of Corruption, you have done a great service to the world, and I wish to repay you."

I didn't say I didn't want healing... In fact, I'd prefer hers over my very painful healing any day, since she just puts her hand on someone and boom, healed. Giving her a nod to accept her offer, she approaches me to heal the rather alarming open wound showing my ribs. Nobody can say that I don't look forward, because I had not seen how bad that actually was... Geez, at least my ribs are freakin' tough, considering the dang monster broke my wing.

As the wound regrows, bits of crusty dirt and debris fall away, even a... that's an arm... an actual human-adjacent arm. Freakin' hell, that was a gross monster. All wobbly limbs and cries of anguish. I will not regret killing that, and if killing more earns me more favors from Merciferus, I might just hunt the dang things.

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Thinking about that thing is promptly interrupted by Merciferus having moved behind me and ripped off my dang dangly wing. Freakin' fuck, that hurt!

"What the fuck, Merc?! You bitch! Why didn't you heal it?! I can't fly with just one wing."

Fucking hell! Stupid fucking goddess should have warned me before she did that!

"Kira, trust that I know what I am doing. Your wing had been severed from the core of your being and could not be healed. The Corruption was taking hold of it and would soon consume it."

Before I get a chance to get up properly, Merciferus takes hold of my newly acquired stump and pulls me to the ground again. Stupid, excessively strong god...

Instead of struggling against her freakish grip and hurting myself even more, I wait for her to get to work. And it doesn't take long before a sense of comfort and warmth hits me like a mountain. Going from a dull, throbbing pain and the very unpleasant sensation of the rest of my freakin' right wing being ripped off to comforting warmth is jarring.

What's even weirder is feeling more and more sensation as a cool breeze touches my regenerating nerves as I regrow more and more of my wing. Watching the bones form like spires of stalagmite as meat coats them slowly is an experience, but it's better than suddenly being flightless.

"Merc, how will this soul stuff affect me?"

"It will not. Unless you intend to die before the next winter harvest. Think of a soul like the clouds in the sky-"

"You can make them go away?"

"Well, yes, I can, but please do let me explain. As with clouds, they form the rains that nourish the lands. So do souls. But this rain must be collected in barrels, so it may be saved. You are not born with all the barrels; yet, particularly in your case, it can rain more than the barrels can contain. With that, you may see my action as taking the contents of one or two of your rain barrels and offering them to Arienna's parched soul. It was so far from what she had, yet it did so much to improve her end."

I guess that makes some kind of sense, but...

"Then what happens to all the rain that doesn't go into these barrels?"

"It spills out. Other beings may collect it for their own supply, or it may just nourish the land. You will find that your influence on the people around you is not entirely your personality or your magic, but also the strength of your soul. Simply by being here, these goblins are becoming stronger through your territorial magic as well as the excess energy of your soul."

Can't help but notice that she left out my personality in that last part... Bit rude of her.

But I still don't think she's lying about all this, and if I can recover that energy within a year or so, then it shouldn't be a problem. I certainly don't expect to die again in such a short time. Ideally, I'd live for a long time on top of a giant pile of precious metals. Maybe with some gems sprinkled in for variety's sake.

"Kira, please stretch your wings. I need to make sure the sinew has connected properly."

The rude goddess doesn't even wait for a reply before she starts pushing me onto my belly. Since I'm here, I might as well comply and get the best care she can offer. Folding and unfolding my wings a few times feels strange. With my new wing, there's a sense of it not being aligned properly, so my muscles tense up too much and don't relax properly. Which Merciferus seems to agree with as she blasts me with a wave of healing, resulting in a spike of discomfort. At least it isn't painful. Instead, it feels very tingly and like my bone marrow has been replaced by very curious ants. I don't like it.

While we're working on my wing, Lauren approaches my face, looking more than a little concerned.

"Kira, I can tell that you aren't doing well. Please don't hesitate to talk to me about your fight."

"Dang mood eyes! Merciferus, you bitch! I can't keep any secrets..."

"I don't need your eyes to tell me that you're struggling with the aftermath of your battle. Your scales are still tense and there's a glow of magic around your talons. You're still ready for battle, but you're safe now."

"It would appear you are the bitch, jumping to conclusions like that."

Dang that smirking god... At least she hasn't mentioned anything about punishments or the like.

"Behave yourself, Merciferus. Kira is hurting, and we should support her. And Kira, I'd like to hear about your fight. You were so hurt when you came back here, and if I had known you would be at such a great risk, I would never have sent you alone."

Haha! Merciferus got a talking to! Neener!

Lauren's raised eyebrow suggests that she may have figured out that I'm feeling gleeful about the talking-to, so I'm gonna distract her by being honest.

"I know you wouldn't, dummy. It was an undead mess that just felt so wrong. It made me feel this feeling like my insides tried to twist together so hard that they might burst. It was made up of a huge amount of corpses of animals and people, and I think they were still sort of alive in there."

"How could they be?"

"I don't know, but as I started biting my way through the monster, they cheered and tried to climb into my mouth. It gave me the impression that killing them would set them free, but I don't know if that was actually the case or just frenzied thoughts creating reasons to attack more."

"What you describe is a known monstrosity of the Corruption. It binds the bodies of other beings to itself, forcing them into undeath as their souls become tormented in time with their bodies rotting. We may consider ourselves fortunate that it was young, but if they have begun growing once more, we are headed for truly dark times..."

Well, Merciferus certainly isn't being ominous at all, geez.

"You know what I wanna know? What the fuck even is this corruption crap? My old world had some pretty nasty fungi and stuff, but this puts all of those to shame. So, please do explain. And I don't wanna hear any of that 'Oh, I'm not telling you to keep you safe' because that never works. It just leaves the person you're trying to protect unprepared."

"You would dare command a Goddess?"

"Yep."

I don't like that Merciferus has a glint of mischief in her eye. At least she does get on with the explaining, but not before giving me another dire warning about forbidden knowledge.

It began so long ago. A monstrous being descended upon the world as we Gods stood above mortals, guiding them. But we were greedy in our actions and sought to control those who walked beneath us. We drove them to worship and accepted their sacrifices in our names. With each gift came intoxicating power.

Our high speaker guided his flock to our domains for us to feast upon the very rains I described as they were promised glory. He spoke well of us, convincing so many to step up to the altar and offer themselves to us, and for so many eons, this was the way of the world.

Through our blessings, they lived with little to fear. Our watchful eyes kept the world safe, our might tamed the wilds, and our obsession kept them in line. As we took action, our followers grew emboldened to strike down those who opposed us, offering the heathens as sacrifices as they asked for our blessings to remain.

Though not all mortals believed our lies, some sought to end our reign, and we punished them for their transgressions, none more fiercely than Terragaraem punished his beloved humanity. With each action taken by the Pantheon, our high speaker's devotion faltered, but he did not break from us. Doubt filled his heart, but he continued his preaching as it was all he had known.

He wandered through the villages of old, gathering those who sought salvation in our embrace until he met a young man who felt deeply for our speaker. It began as simple meetings, joyous outings, and stolen glances, but soon it would grow beyond that. The young man, Toren, would soon attempt to steal our speaker for his own devices. He was a heathen, and he would teach our speaker the way of magic.

Soon outings became meals, and then studious sessions to learn the arts of old. We forbade our speaker from associating with this heathen, yet that merely banished their actions to the shadows. Calling for swift action, Terragaraem struck Toren, leaving his body broken and taunting our speaker with threats of further punishment should he refuse to follow our command.

With his beloved dead, he saw no recourse and succumbed to the threats. Soon, he would continue his preaching, gathering those who would listen, but his words became twisted. With his words, he sowed doubt in the Pantheon and gave rise to the wild gods. An opportunity they were swift to seize as their power grew.

Conflicts rose as the Pantheon fought the wild gods, yet they grew in strength by the day as we weakened. Their growth enabled by our hubris. We could have sustained ourselves on the prayers of mortals, but we wanted more. We were not satisfied with the natural order and thought ourselves too great to rely on simple faith.

Our descent did not end there, as our speaker continued spreading words against us. His devotion faltered ever more as he walked the lands, turning mortals away and guiding them to the wild ones. It left us divided in our actions, as some called for calamitous punishment to drive our supremacy into the hearts of mortals, yet others called for abandonment of our wicked ways.

As our might diminished, the wild gods gained ground in the mortal plane, warming the hearts of mortals during winter and keeping their bellies filled. Promises we could not match as they were provided with our gifts through the means of the wild ones.

With the Pantheon divided, some of us grew reckless, seeking to settle this matter with ferocity. I did not know who struck, but one of us smote Toren, killing the poor man and leaving our speaker's heart as broken as his faith. With vengeance sworn, he stepped into the world at large, seeking ways to strike back at us.

The wickedness of the Pantheon showed itself once more as his body was cursed with frailty and immortality. Withering and alone, locked behind the curse of time, he wandered, voraciously consuming all knowledge he could find. The folly of our actions would reveal itself in time, but as millennia passed, most of the Pantheon had left him forgotten. A mere inconvenience of times past.

Though most had dismissed him as a mortal struck by madness, I kept watch over him. We had driven him to his madness when he showed us love and devotion. His learning of our deeds crushed him as his mind kept a ledger of all he had sent to our domains.

Though I could remove the mocking curse of frailty, I could not grant him death as I could not undo the Will of the Pantheon on my own. And it was our will that he would suffer for eternity.

The same bright mind that had led him to us would be our downfall as he found slivers of knowledge throughout his many years. Madness and hatred kept him from giving up as it would, to him, mean forgiving our sins. With his maddened mind, he brought the slivers together, creating the first eldritch ritual. With his ritualistic theory prepared, he began praying. Whispered words of anguish and threats of endless doom.

Though it had not been so easy as to simply cast a spell. No, he needed reagents of power to fuel the spell. Blood of a devil, essence of a god, a bone from the In Between. I understand that your view of me may change, but I offered him the essence of my gifts so that we may end our conflict and let the mortals flourish once more.

His prayers reached me, asking for my guidance as we delved deeper into the wretched realms of madness. The Pantheon had wrought such cruelty upon the world, and I wished for it to end. With my aid in trapping a devil, we had most of what we needed. The final part was to summon a being from the In Between, and, as a god, that was a simple matter as I had familiarity with the realm.

It had been so easy. The devil was trapped in a simple ritual, and as I entered the In Between, a weakened eldritch being was present for the taking. In my own pride, I thought myself that skillful, not seeing the traps laid out before me as I strolled through them.

With the reagents at hand, we performed the ritual, creating a rift to the Nothing and carving a shard for us to wield against the raging gods, so that we might bring peace. Though I had assisted in his wicked machinations, I had not been forgiven, and I was the first god he sought to strike down.

Consuming the shard of Nothing granted him immense power as his flesh rotted off his body, unable to contain the grotesque malignancy. He would become the font of Undeath, the first undead monstrosity to walk the lands.

Relief and sadness washed over me as he struck me down, his new might tearing through my body, though he did not seek to kill me. Instead, he whispered, "You gave me a chance at life after I had been struck down, so this is yours in turn."

Wounded, I stood little chance of survival. We are powerful, but we are not almighty, and our gifts do not empower us. So I could not heal my own wounds as I would those of another. Much like you were, my wing had been broken, and I was left to the kindness of those around me.

I am ashamed to admit that I had not spent much time with mortals, yet as I lay bleeding, a young child found me and called for help. With the help of their village, my wounds were tended to, and in return, I offered my gifts. My thoughts of our benevolence were soon left shattered with each person healed of their injuries. Simple survival had left many wounded with missing limbs and lasting maladies. Whether by neglect or as a result of our ongoing conflict with the wild ones, we had not kept our promises.

It did not take long for our speaker to use the Nothing to enact his plan as he struck down another god of the Pantheon. His ageless body, unbound by frailty, let him stand above those who sought to control him. And he used his restless power to skew the scales of our conflict in favor of the wild ones.

But he did not know that we were not merely ascendant beings. We were the pillars of the world, keeping the In Between at bay while it attempted to overrun the world of mortals. With each god he felled, another pillar shattered, and soon they began to spill into our world.

Guided by the alluring scent of death, they encroached upon our lands, consuming all in their path, twisting the mortals caught in their wickedness, and binding souls to their will.

Had our speaker not struck me down, I would have guided his hand as was my purpose. To dismantle the Pantheon while keeping the pillars standing, but I could not see the grudge he held.

Soon, the Pantheon had grown weak, the pillars barely capable of keeping the flood of monstrous beings from the In Between at bay. Wiser than I, he saw the mistakes he was making and sought to remedy them before they could not be undone. Grasping the cores of the gods he slew, he infused the wild gods with the responsibility of the world, uniting them with the remnants of the Pantheon.

By the end of it all, we stood five of the old gods among eight of the wild gods in the new Pantheon, and together, we vowed not to bring our might to bear in the mortal realms again. Sequestering ourselves to our domains with only our gifts given to the mortals as they offered their worship.

We had seen many conflicts between gods before these calamitous events, yet every one of them paled in comparison. Never before had we seen such death among our own, and it would soon repeat as some sought power as the memories faded. Breakers of the treaty were struck down by a new darkness in the realm while the corruption spread through cracks to the In Between. I loathe to admit that it had taken an aspect of my own as it spread across the land. My gift of health was twisted to make it a disease spreading to corpses and those with the misfortune of becoming afflicted.

Irathmar was one such god. One of the old who guided his dwarves with pride as they hammered out the innards of mountains and forged their homes in vast hollows. Deeply reverent of the soul, the dwarves sought to break all undead and free those trapped by the curse. And they fought well for so many years until a party came upon a treasury holding an abundance of souls captured within vessels of runic might.

With their prideful hearts, they shattered the vessels, sending the wayward souls to Irathmar through prayer, but it would be this connection to their god that would be his downfall.

The keeper of the souls had not imprisoned them through malice, but love. Souls it could not let go of while he sought to solve the riddle of rebirth.

With the vessels shattered, they were forced onto the God of Dwarves through prayer. The abomination that had kept the vessels safe found itself enraged as it latched onto the prayers' power and brought its defiling essence into Irathmar, desecrating the God of Dwarves from within and leaving naught but a rotting husk in its wake.

Through the unity of the Pantheon, we fought the abomination and our battle laid waste to great swathes of land, yet we were victorious and banished the wickedness from the land. In its final moments, I felt the spirit of our speaker once more, shattered and in ruins as the shard of Nothing vanished back from whence it came.

But the wounds still lie upon the land as monstrous beings like Lord Faran and the Undead King continue to threaten life, while the Corruption spreads its grotesque miasma.

"You mentioned the abomination, right? If that's the big bad abomination, then Lauren thinks that's Lord Faran. She seemed pretty sure about it, so I would have thought she must have prayed about it at some point."

Judging by the intense stare from Merciferus currently being drilled into Lauren, I suspect I might have shared too much.

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