Only two sections and still so long omg. Trying to release at least a chapter a week - not just for you guys, but for me as well. If I don't keep the momentum running, I forget what happened lmao. Anyways enjoy
Something had changed.
Although the sun had climbed well past the horizon, the forest had since become unspeakably gloomy. There was a tense hostility in the air which prickled the skin and caused her hairs to stand on end. How unsettling. The Spy hadn't spent much time here, but she was absolutely certain just a week ago, this place was flourishing with life and greenery. In fact, the memory of deliciously roasted rabbit (the best meal she'd had in a while) was a testimony to that.
… what happened here? Has the Crimson spread so far already? Did the Cultist do this?
But now, stillness permeated the forest. No birds chittered, no creatures rustled in the undergrowth. Even the sweet and gentle breeze that had once danced through these emerald woods had grown torpid and vile. She wasn't particularly disturbed by this sort of thing. She had seen her fair share of gore and atrocity, even participating in much worse. Her King was a bloody warlord, and she had no problem dirtying her hands for his sake... Still, she couldn't say she wasn't disappointed. Luckily she had the foresight to bring provision, but she dearly wished she had a bunny to accompany her military rations.
Damn traitor Cultist… tch. What other mischief have you stirred up against our lord?
She ground her teeth as she pondered. How inconceivable that somebody would betray their glorious king! Had not King Yharim been endlessly gracious to The Lunatic Cultist? That ungrateful mage had been given custody of The Dungeon and free reign to use the souls trapped there for his stupid pet projects, yet he still bit the hand that fed him?! Truly odious. He was well deserving of death.
… but killing the traitor was her secondary task (should she find him, of course). The most important thing was the mission. There was a great abundance of abnormalities near The Crimson Border, the place where The Lunatic Cultist was last seen before he scurried north to join Statis and Braelor's Resistance. Surely The Cultist - being the highly skilled mage he was - had stirred up some sort of trouble before fleeing. She was certain he had not come here under The King's orders, as she had inquired upon the matter before setting off… so why appear here and for what purpose? Did he intend to spread The Crimson? If so, did he not understand the land eating virus would surely consume The Northern Mountains before they reached The Capital?
No… surely The Cultist gains nothing by destroying good land.
No, there must have been another reason. Most likely The Resistance had requested something of him, perhaps Some spell or ritual that needed to be performed out here in the boondocks, away from Yharim's prying eyes? Whatever it is, I must discover it.
The spreading Crimson, the strange barrier, The Lunatic Cultist's first actions on behalf of The Resistance… what a deliciously suspicious set of anomalies. If she could discover something valuable here, alone, then surely all the credit belonged to her. Perhaps even The King himself would praise her. Ah, the very idea made her heart flutter madly in her chest. Yes. She would discover what the Lunatic Cultist had done under orders of The Resistance... she would hand deliver her report to The King… and as a reward, perhaps he would allow her to join his personal guard? Would he let her lay hands on his beautiful Auric Armour? Perhaps sh-
(murmurings)
The Spy froze, her girlish musings immediately shoved aside as she heard the shufflings and mutterings of conversation in the distance. With an almost animalistic deftness, she turned on her heel and silently scurried up a nearby tree to crouch there, low amongst the boughs. She pulled her cowl close over her face to hide her striking pink hair and waited to see who could be approaching her.
They should be trapped in the Barrier… nobody should be coming from that direction...
How unexpected. The Spy hadn't anticipated meeting anybody wandering these woods. Most polite civilization had long since fled this area, and (according to her equipment) The Barrier acted as a trap and a prison. Nobody should be coming out. Still, the mutterings grew louder; one voice sounded positively triumphant, the other less so. The Spy pressed her cheek against the rough bark and listened closely.
"We're… we're really out! I can't believe it worked!"
"We wouldn't need to fucking escape if you bastards didn't try to kill that fucking science experiment…"
A man's deep voice was interrupted with a fierce and rather shrill snap of a woman's. An involuntary shiver went down The Spy's spine as she recognized the woman's voice. She blinked and cautiously raised her head to peek down onto the forest floor, eyes narrowed and hands sweating (much to her annoyance). From the direction of the barrier, two sets of footsteps - one heavier than the other - kicked their way through the increasingly diseased foliage. A strange and violent scrambling and the clinking of a chain accompanied them.
A dog, perhaps? Wait… how can She be here? Is she in league with The Cultist and The Resistance?
Impossible… no, she must investigate before she leapt to conclusions. The Spy quieted herself and carefully considered the conversation she was overhearing. These two people were claiming to be escapees… escapees from where? Considering their proximity to The Barrier, it was only reasonable to assume they had managed to flee from that prison - a prison which The Spy's intuition (and also her analysis equipment) made out to be inescapable.
Hm… strange.
She needed more information. She slowed her breathing and held as still as she could, shutting her eyes and straining her ears to carefully pick out words from the ambient noise.
"Nurse, you couldn't'ave stayed there anyways. Not with The Crimson coming. Besides, The Monster Knight won't let you experiment on it forever. It'll turn hostile eventually."
With a crunch, two figures emerged from between the trees. One, a tall olive skinned man whose trenchcoat rattled loudly. He was large and strong and had the look of a resistance fighter about him. His accent was Northern. The Spy was immediately filled with vitriol toward him.
"Tch… I know."
The other, a short woman who sported a head of bright blond hair. She had a striking set of eyebrows and cherry lipstick adorned her mouth - from which spewed all sorts of creative profanity. She looked every bit as terrifying now, then when she was running the Capitol Hospital. Red Stilettos and all, she wore a continual half scowl and glared at whatever happened to cross her sights. The Capitol's Terrifying Head Nurse.
...Phew
Despite the fear running through her, The Spy couldn't suppress a smile. What a fortunate turn of events! Everyone knew Yharim was irate when he found The Head Nurse had gone missing. She was to replace that Traitor Mage as The King's physician, but when The King sent for her, she was nowhere to be found. Lord Yharim would surely be interested to learn that The Head Nurse was also a traitor. She had disappeared at the same time The Cultist had fled, and for her to appear here as well? The circumstantial evidence was overwhelming.
I'll need to take her alive… and have her interrogated. Wait… but then the Interrogation department will steal my credit… hm…
The Spy's bureaucratic musings were interrupted with a cry from below.
"Ow, Fuck! Dealer! Don't let it get away!"
*scuttle… scuttle… thud*
Suddenly The Nurse shouted aloud and hopped away as if she'd just had her ankles attacked. The 'Dealer' sprang to attention and immediately yanked at the chain he had been holding, something small and thrashing flew out from under the bush and smashed into the base of a tree trunk. For a brief moment, The Spy grew indignant, thinking 'what sort of man treats a poor dog that way'. However upon getting a closer look, she was filled with pure and utter confusion. She hadn't even seen this sort of thing while working in Draedon's labs.
"Got it. Phew. That'd be a disaster, eh?"
"Don't joke, Dealer! That fucking arm is our way out."
"Yes..."
The Dealer seized the momentarily stunned… severed arm by its stump and held it aloft - a good distance away from him. It immediately began thrashing about. How completely bizarre. Whose was that arm, and why was it alive? Moreover, did The Nurse just say 'The Arm is our way out?'. Was… that even plausible? Why in the world would someone's severed limb allow somebody to pass through a magical barrier?
Is it DNA locked or something? I've never heard of a spell that can read DNA…
The Spy blinked. No… the entire concept was ridiculous. An Arm? It wasn't worth the risk. What she should do is kill this 'Dealer' character, steal the arm for study, and take The Head Nurse back to the Capitol… however, such a thing would not earn her any praise. The Interrogation department would whisk The Head Nurse away - kill her - and would report their findings to The King without ever mentioning The Spy's name. Draedon would take the arm, dissect it, and report his findings to the king likewise without noting her contribution. She would be left in the dark, no better than when she began.
...but.
But if the arm really did allow her to pass freely through the barrier... then she'd be able to discover firsthand whatever espionage The Lunatic Cultist and The Head Nurse had concocted here. She could interrogate The Nurse herself, discover the secret of the arm, and discover Resistance secrets in one fell swoop. Accomplishing all of this would surely bring her great rewards… and who knew when this sort of opportunity would come again?
Lord Yharim… he will praise me…
It was decided then. Great things weren't accomplished by being cautious. The cowards would fall to the bottom. The brave and the devoted would have their efforts repaid. The Spy forced back the grin which was rapidly widening over her face. She was a member of the Great King's Clandestine Corps. She was his arm; she was his hammer of justice. She had been sent out by The King himself, and she certainly would not return empty.
So, with a gleeful resolve forming in her heart, she unsheathed her poisoned dagger and focused her gaze keenly on her targets.
His throat was sour with vomit; his eyes were dry and puffy. Everything, everything was hurting with varying degrees of intensity. How long had he been slumped here, tied to a chair in his darkened kitchen? He raised his eyes to glance at the heavy drapes pulled over the nearby window, but even that slight movement jogged the nail pierced through the back of his left hand. He suppressed a groan and felt a bead of sweat slide down the back of his neck.
*shff… sfhh...*
The Guide had never been tortured before, nor was he ever subject to any significant pain outside of accidents. He'd broken his arm once falling out of a tree - but that was the extent of his major injuries. He was entirely unprepared for the gauntlet The Demolitionist ran him through and sincerely thought he would die each and every time the Dwarf picked another piece off of him. He had nearly wept in relief when The Demolitionist was called out, supposably to speak to Amidas.
That… damn… urgh. Just wait… The Slayer will be back soon.
He drew a shaky breath and leaned back as carefully as he could manage. He grimaced. How humiliating. He hadn't recalled ever crying and begging quite so much, and quite so pathetically. He was a grown man, for gods sake! Yet he had sobbed like a child as that bastard dwarf yanked out all his fingernails in an attempt to pry from him information he didn't have. What an utter fiasco. What a disgrace. He was supposed to be Yharim's secret agent? Nonsense. Until now, The Guide had no interests in politics. He didn't care much for King Yharim, and likewise had no love for The Resistance… however at this very moment- he swore an oath to make himself an enemy to whatever organization this damn dwarf was part of.
This Damn Resistance… maybe I -will- become Yharim's secret agent… shit!
The Guide panted and swallowed hard. He did his best not to look at the hand which was nailed to the kitchen table; the more he thought about it, the worse it hurt. He shut his eyes and sucked a deep breath. He… he needed to think. What was he going to do?
I… could I rip my hand off the nail, undo my bonds and try to escape… but… I could cripple myself...
What now? Were these people going to kill him? Perhaps they'd just keep torturing him until he died? If The Guide knew more about King Yharim's secret operations, he might've been able to concoct a convincing lie - but alas, the only knowledge he had gained what The Demolitionist had hissed into his face while twisting his fingers.
*Shhf… clack*
He furrowed his brow and raised his head, his eyes widening with panic as he heard the door creak open. What was that? Was The Dwarf already coming back for him? Terror ran down his spine and dread filled his guts. He had been positioned with his back to the front entrance, and could not see who approached him from behind. As the noise grew closer, however, The Guide recognized the dry scrape of scales on his hardwood floor.
The Sea King!
He gritted his teeth and set his face like flint. Suppressing a sob, he barked out, his voice ripping out as a snarl.
"Amidas!"
The scraping stopped. A low chuckle reverberated from behind him.
"It seems you've run into a bit of trouble, Guide."
A tense silence between them. The Guide's mind raced. Just how did Amidas fit into this puzzle? Clearly he was hostile, and he was likewise a meticulous and influential planner. There was almost no chance Amidas was not privy to the plot to kill The Terrarian. In fact, his request that they build their 'arena' far away, only ensured The Terrarian would 'recall' and fall into the trap.
This bastard… even after we rescued him…
But what could possibly be his motivation for killing The Terrarian? The Guide, up until now, had been quite certain The Sea King was keen on sending The Terrarian to fight Yharim's army. Did he change his mind? If so, why? Did he find a replacement fighter? Could it be that Hero the Travelling Merchant had mentioned? Maybe he thinks we're a threat?
Too many thoughts, too many theories. The Guide was already struggling with the pain, he hadn't the concentration to carefully parse this new scenario and form a plan. This distressed him visibly and Amidas evidently found his discomfort amusing. The fish-man spoke out in a sickeningly empathetic tone. Each syllable which proceeded from that scaly throat grated on The Guide's ears.
"Pitiful. You don't even understand why this has happened to you… but how can I blame you? You're merely an infant yourself."
"... You... What are you planning! Why!"
"A fine Guide you are… this is nothing for children to concern themselves with-"
The scraping drew nearer as Amidas slithered about the table and into his view. The Sea King paced about, holding his hands clasped behind his back as he pierced The Guide through with his gaze. The Guide was certain he saw Amidas's gill flaps huffing air - as if The Sea King were silently laughing at his miserable state. He felt his ears glow red with the perceived humiliation and, pain momentarily forgotten, he glared at the fish-man with every ounce of vitriol he could muster.
"Besides, you seem to already have your hands quite full at the moment. Dwarves certainly can be quite barbaric. Here-"
"Urgh...tch."
With an unexpected dexterity, The Sea King reached down and -in a single delicate, easy motion- plucked out the nail embedded through The Guide's hand. The Guide had expected neither the pain nor the goodwill, and nearly yelped aloud in surprise. The Sea King chuckled once more; he was effectively establishing a dominance in this conversation's power play - and The Guide didn't like it one bit.
"I assure you, I bear no ill intent towards you, and I rather like The Slayer. This is why I've come to visit you before I leave to join The Resistance. When that time comes, I will no longer be available to assist you in your crusade against The Crimson."
The Guide was doing his damn best to look casual and not drop tears as he clumsily pried apart the knots fastening his other hand to the armrest, however, the moment Amidas mentioned The Crimson He dropped the project altogether and raised his head.
"You owe me information, Amidas."
"Indeed I do, and I don't intend to leave my depts unpaid."
The Sea King produced two rolls of paper and placed them in turn upon the bloodied tabletop. He tapped the first, his sharp nail crinkling the parchment. His voice immediately fell into a lecture style monologue.
"The Crimson Brain is the mind, the master, of the surface infection. If the infection is disturbed enough, The Brain will reveal itself to… handle you. Here-"
Amidas slid the unfurled parchment over to The Guide and indicated toward a sketched image. The Guide strained forward to read by the dim light.
"The Crimson Hearts pump blood throughout the underground organ chambers, sustaining the local parasitic spread. Should you destroy the hearts in an area, the Brain will be notified and arrive shortly. Ensure you prepare an arena."
The Guide studied the sketchs scrawled across the parchment. It appeared to outline the diagram of the underground organ chambers. Before he could ask questions, The Sea King slapped down the second scroll.
"Perforators, symbiotic parasite of the crimson, Dangerous intestinal worms which serve as guardians to the monstrosity. Destroy the Cyst, the Worms in the vicinity will respond. Prepare to fight as many as three at a time. Beware of Ichor - colloquially known as 'Blood of the Gods' although I can assure you the epithet is quite literal. There is no cure for Ichor poisoning in the blood. It eats through armour and burns the skin, but should you mix your mortal blood with that of the Dreaming God, only a painful death awaits. Finally-"
The Guide scoured the paper, devouring every wayward line scribbled on the parchment and immediately committing them to memory. His concentration was broken as a strange skull shaped artifact was tossed before him. A menacing, wispy magic swirled through the relic and it gave off a cold, nearly frosty aura. There was a small tag tied to it, and scrawled on the label in Amidas's handwriting was 'Rune of Healing'.
Amidas spoke more slowly now, as if wishing to ensure The Guide caught every word.
"To prove my goodwill… this is a powerful healing rune. I recommend it only be used when your Slayer is quite literally on death's door. This is all I can do for you, Guide. I wish you the best of luck."
Guide: *is shaken awake* huh?... Slayer? what is it?
Slayer: ... let me hide here tonight.
G: What?
S:...
Nurse, prowling in the distance: Slaaaayer~ where are you~
G:... uh, you can go hide in the bathtub.
NOTES: So uh... mindblanking.
Yeah, Spy is gonna be an NPC guess who it is. Also she knows all the random stuff about the Barrier because Draedon has some sensor thing I dunno. I'm not really gonna explain the machines. it just works okay? 2) Guide actually came into contact with the barrier and freaks out trying to go to the lake to fish. However when he's being 'interrogated' Dwarf just accuses him of being Yharim's spy and not about why they are trapped. The Merchant (from the beginning) has likewise assured that nobody actually talks to The Guide, and The Guide has little interest in the others as well - since his singe minded goal is to destroy the Crimson. As a result, when shit hits the fan The Guide is caught almost entirely unawares... The Slayer is even worse lmao.
I Got more Slayer art yeeee btw im pretty active on Calamity Art Discord so you can find me there. I'm Nano.
Gibbe skits
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