Durim: Magma does not own Terraria. Any references to movies, games, products, TV shows, etc. are also not owned by Magma. Only Sarid belongs to Magma.

The World

The next few days were taken by re-building the road from the shore to the settlement, constructing a dock, and – when at the settlement – keeping an eye on Asher.

He ran about, looking at everything and examining it, even going as far as to pick up a slime. As soon as he did, it latched itself to his face, Sarid having to chase him down as he ran in blind panic, making him fall into one of the ponds and start to drown, when Sarid pulled him out.

After that, he jumped at almost everything, immediately covering his face to prevent such an occurrence from repeating itself.

One morning, Sarid went to his home, knocking on the front door.

After a moment of waiting, Asher opened it, a piece of toast in his hand.

"Hi Sarid." He said, swallowing the bread he had been chewing.

"I'm going to go exploring. Don't get into trouble." Sarid informed him, then turning and leaving.

Sometime later…

The trees were increasingly tall as Sarid wandered through the forest, sun light pouring through where it could. She had run across caves and tunnels, finding pots and chests with materials in them.

The air itself was still with calm, and the singing birds added to the peaceful atmosphere. Rabbits hopped about, butterflies flitted their wings, and a gurgling creek laughed somewhere among the trees.

While walking, Sarid came across a large pond, a fish jumping from the water, resulting in a splash. She marked the area on her map, as she could fish here for food.

She wandered on, and soon, she began to notice there were no birds.

It was silent.

The air was dead and still, the trees almost frozen giving the area an eerie presence.

Sarid drew her iron broad sword, continuing to walk.

After a few minutes, the air darkened more, and trees began to lose their color, the trunks turning to a bland grey and the leaves a faded purple, the same color the grass was turning to.

The stale air reeked of a foul scent, making her think of mold and rotting meat, things left better to not think about.

It suddenly grew worse.

Sarid sniffed the air, smelling fouled water and hearing a drip noise, as well as…something…

Turning, she saw it.

It was a horrifying creature, flying in the air and shaped oddly, with five venom green eyes and grey bristles covering it. Coming from around its mouth were mandibles, and acidic drool dripped from its mouth, filled with razor teeth with a hideous green-yellow color. Green-grey tentacles about six inches long stretched from its flanks, twisting and wriggling like worms.

It was almost enough to make Sarid vomit.

It charged towards her, Sarid jumping to the side, it curving around as if to attack again. Ready for it, she planted her feet firmly and gripped his sword, and as it sped towards her, she made a mighty leap into the air, stabbing her sword into its large eye. Its screech of pain was awful, sounding like a person grating their nails against a chalkboard, but this screech was amplified.

She landed, the tip of her sword dripping a substance that was a dark grey-purple, steam swirling from it. The creature, still screeching, turned around for another try, Sarid planting her feet and raising her sword in defense.

She was prepared for it to attack her left, only to have it bluff her and turn a sharp right, its mandibles biting into her flesh.

Sarid yelled at pain torn through her nerves, taking her sword and impaling the creature, mandibles forced to release Sarid. She swung her sword, the creature flinging off, and striking the ground, Sarid jumping and raising her sword.

The blade sunk into it, and its screech worsened as it disappeared, leaving chunks of matter.

She gathered them; they had to be good for something.

Another screech reached her ears, her head sharply turning to see three more of them flying towards her.

She ran as fast as she could.

One of them had injured her arm badly, what could three do, and what if more joined them?

She'd have to steer clear of this area until she was more prepared. Armor, perhaps a stronger weapon, and more healing potions. Sarid jumped and ducked behind a boulder, breathing heavy from the fight, running and the pain that burned in her arm.

Taking her pack, she opened it and drank a potion of healing, the pain easing and the wound disappearing.

Later…

"So it was a purple-grey and had horrible flying monsters?" Asher asked, Sarid sitting in his first floor library, Asher having several books around him.

"Correct." Sarid answered, feeling her sleeve where it was torn, due to the creature.

"Here it is." Asher said, turning his book around so that Sarid could see the pages. It showed the very landscape Sarid had discovered, multiple creatures floating in the air, just like the one she had slain.

"It's called the Corruption." Asher explained. "The creature you fought is called Eater of Souls." He turned the book back around, turning the page. "The Corruption is an unknown and dangerous place, full of chasms and thorny clusters. Be wary of the Shadow Orbs that lay hidden deep in the chasms, as the destruction of them will bring the Destroyer of Worlds, a fierce and horrible creature that is many times worse than the Eater of Souls."

"…" Asher looked up at Sarid, his face worried.

"…Is…Does it really look like this?"

"Yes." Sarid told him, standing up and pushing her chair back under the table. "Oh, and, what might I use this for?"

She tossed one of the Rotten Chunks on the table, Asher horrified.

"…Uh…Leather…Battle Potions…" Asher said, disgusted at the rotten chunk on the table, Sarid picking it up and tucking it back into her bag.

"Thank you." Sarid told him, when an explosion sounded and the ground shook.

"Durim!" Asher exclaimed, Sarid bolting from the house and running across the half-ruins and down the still-ruined steps to Durim's house, the windows blown out and smoke streaming from them. The door was intact, Sarid bursting through it and down into the smoke-filled basement, Durim against the wall, covered with black soot, more of it covering the walls and floor, the wooden table destroyed.

Grabbing him, she ran out of the house and into the yard in front of it, setting Durim down, Asher running over with a water skin.

"Thank you." Sarid said, taking the water skin, and dumping the water onto Durim's face, his eyes opening, followed by a cough.

"Ooough…" He groaned, sitting up. "…Sarid?"

"Aye. You are unharmed?" Sarid asked.

"Aye!" Durim said, jumping to his feet. "And the house is still standing! Ah-ha! That's great! Quite the builder, Sarid!"

"…What?" Asher asked, Sarid standing.

"Well, I was experimenting with some explosives, and my house is still standing!" Durim replies. "That's one reason why I moved here! My old house was blown to smithereens!"

"…How…how did you survive?!" Asher asked, shocked, while Sarid retained her emotionless face, though she did feel vague surprise.

"I don't know." Durim answered, then smiling to show his left upper canine was a gold tooth. "But I'm never leaving here!"

"…You may continue with your experiments, but I ask that when you do, that you open your windows, so that they will not shatter again." Sarid told him, he nodding

"Will do, boy-o!" He replied, then remembering. "Err…I'm going to need a new table…"

"I'll get right on it. Sweep up the glass, and I'll bring new windows."

"Thank ya, Sarid!" He said, then running to do so.

By sunset, Sarid had Durim a new table and windows in his house.

When she returned to her residence, she looked about the shelter, thinking of how it would become too small…

Too small.

Too small.

Her breathing rate began to increase, until she was almost gasping.

Then she stopped.

She couldn't breathe.

There was no air in the room.

She clawed her throat, running out of the shelter and scrambled to the top of the fallen great doors, tripping and rolling down the other side, rolling onto grass and stopped on her back, looking up at the sunset sky, the bugs singing their songs and birds chirping, the first fireflies winking their lights.

She gasped.

Sarid laid there, taking deep breaths, until her heart rate calmed and her breathing rate returned to normal.

Asher had his bed turned down, dressed in his pajamas, his off-white shirt and light blue pajama pants, and was currently brushing his teeth.

He heard a knock at his door, quickly washing out his mouth and rushing down stairs, opening his front door to see Sarid standing there.

"Oh…Hi Sarid." He greeted. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, I must research the Corruption." Sarid said quickly, Asher moving as Sarid went into the house, moving through the bookshelves and grabbing random books, some of them having nothing to do with the Corruption.

"Uh…Sarid?" Asher asked, he setting the stacks of books on the rounded table, sitting down in a chair. "Some of those…have nothing to-"

"They are on arms and armor." Sarid said quickly. "You may rest, I will put them back when I finish."

"I could research it for you, Sa-"

"I can do it myself!" Sarid said, her voice raised, but with still no emotion.

"…Alright…" Asher said. "…I'll…be upstairs in my bed if you need anything."

"Thank you, I'm fine right now. Good night." Sarid told him, reading one of the books.

"Alright, just…don't stay up too late." Asher told her, going back up to the second floor, and climbing into his bed.

Asher…

He opened his eyes to see what looked like the Underworld before him, with lava falls, and the gapping caverns dark colored and towers of the dark stone Obsidian, and the heavy scent of brimstone filled the air.

Asher…

He turned around, seeing a river of lava, and on the other side, on a shelf of the compressed ash that made the caverns, was a doll that looked just like him.

Asher…

Watching, the shelf crumbled, the doll falling, and landing right into the lava.

His chest burned.

He grasped his heart and fell on his back, unable to breath and yet the voice called him still. When he looked down, he saw from the river of lava, began the rise of a grotesque, lava-covered monster.

Asher woke with a gasp.

He laid still in his bed, a film of sweat on his forehead, while outside crickets chirped and frogs croaked, as well as Zombies moaning.

After a few moments, he pushed the covers off, swinging his feet down and into his slippers, going into his bathroom, and splashing water into his face. Drying it in a towel, he stood for a few moments, staring in the mirror, when Sarid came to his mind.

She had acted a bit suspicious.

Something was off, and he wanted to ask, though he doubted if Sarid was still in the library, as it was just past midnight, judging by the moonlight coming in the windows. Nevertheless, he tied on a robe and lit a candle, going down stairs. Entering the library, he went to the round table.

There was Sarid.

She laid on her side on the table, curled into a ball with her arms between her legs and chest, using a stack of books padded by her folded up vest as a pillow.

"…" Asher stood silent, confused. …Why would he sleep here? He wondered, then approaching the table and looking at her.

Sarid's face was calm, and gentle breaths came from her nose. Now looking at her without her blue vest on, his skin seemed more white than fair due to her platinum blonde hair and white shirt.

Asher blinked, then went and fetched a blanket, draping it over Sarid, who stirred some. He placed a hand on Sarid's head, as if to calm her, then went back up to his room, and went back to bed.

Sarid woke to see early light coming from the windows of Asher's library.

A blanket was draped over her, while she was curled up like how she did back when she was in military school, living alone in a cave outside the city.

She quickly got up, pulling on her vest and putting the books away, neatly folding the blanket and leaving it on the table, leaving the house and going back out into the wood, going a different direction to avoid the Corruption.

It was time to discover the rest of the island.

AN-So, if you couldn't tell, Sarid has pretty bad claustrophobia. Leave a review!