Chronicles of Espiria Season 2
Episode 17 – The Curse of Ulmus
Written by the Dude
Ulmus and Tasi traversed the forest on a rare peaceful day. The Hypogeans had not attempted an incursion for some time; many in the forest had taken the opportunity to relax as they had not since the Barred Gate fell, while others viewed it as all the more reason to stay vigilant. Ulmus paused in his walk to enjoy a gentle breeze that blew through the forest, surely a gift from the wind elemental.
It was when that breeze suddenly blew hard and cold that Ulmus suspected that something was amiss.
"This wind feels unnatural." Ulmus said to Tasi. "We should..."
"Ulmus, your hand!"
Ulmus glanced at his hand and found it had turned a sickly shade of gray. He felt the bark and found it to be exceptionally hard. He tried to make a fist, but the joints seemed to be frozen.
"What happened?!" Tasi asked, horrified.
"I do not know. Let us consult Arden."
Ulmus tried to turn in the direction of Arden's hut, but found that his legs did not obey him. Looking down at his legs, he noticed the same affliction that was on his hand, and it was spreading.
"What do we do?!" Tasi asked, starting to panic.
"You'll have to fetch Arden yourself, I'm afraid."
"I can't just leave you here!"
"We have little choice, Tasi. I cannot move my legs; if I cannot go to him, then he must come here. Now go fetch him, quickly!"
Tasi hesitated a moment longer, not wanting to leave her friend in such a predicament. Finally, she flew off toward Arden's hut as fast as her wings would allow.
When she arrived, she found him with Lyca listening to a group of new Dusk Patrol recruits giving the oath that would mark the beginning of their training. She alighted on top of Arden's staff and began waving her hands frantically to get his attention. He was slightly annoyed at first, as the recruits had not yet finished the oath.
"Tasi, what is..." Here, he noticed the concerned look on her face. "What is wrong?"
"It's Ulmus! Come quickly!"
Tasi began to lead Arden back to Ulmus, pausing only because Arden noticed the recruits following him.
"Where are you going?" Arden asked. "Aren't you supposed to be following Lyca for your training?"
"If Ulmus is in trouble, we want to help!" one young boy said.
Arden looked at Lyca as if leaving the decision to her. Lyca just sighed in defeat.
"Alright, but only because I'm curious about what has Tasi so worried."
Tasi led the way, followed by Lyca, then her recruits, and finally Arden as he struggled to keep up. When they returned to the clearing where Tasi had left Ulmus, they found nothing but what appeared to be a large wooden cancer in the center of the clearing.
"Where is he?" Lyca asked.
Tasi flew closer to the bizarre structure in the center of the clearing. It appeared to be like any other dead tree, covered in wood rot and dropping pieces of itself. But Tasi could sense the life still in it; she could feel her old friend in there, but something dark was with him.
"Ulmus, are you in there?!" Tasi shouted.
At that moment, roots shot out of the ground and wrapped around Arden and a few of the recruits. The branches of the dead tree began to flail wildly in an attempt to strike down anyone close enough while the roots began to tighten their grip.
"Arden!" Tasi shouted.
"Quickly, cut these vines!" Arden shouted with shortened breath.
Tasi looked around for a moment for any sharp object, finally settling on a small piece of jagged rock on the ground, and used it to cut Arden free, while Lyca worked to release the recruits. Tasi then started helping Lyca with the recruits while Arden called down lightning on the dead tree, hoping to distract it enough that it might drop its captives.
"Hurry, child," Arden called out once one of the recruits was free, "run to my house and pluck the white flowers in the flowerbed!"
The boy wasted no time in following Arden's orders. By the time he returned with the flowers, one of the recruits had succumbed to the crushing pressure of the roots; the rest Tasi and Lyca had freed in time. Once everyone was at a safe distance, they were able to breathe a sigh of relief. All but Lyca, who looked mournfully at the one boy she lost.
"Poor Austin... He was so excited to serve next to Ira..."
"Lyca, take the others back to Yggdrasil." Arden ordered. "I will join you soon."
Lyca herded the remaining recruits back the way they'd come, glancing over her shoulder now and then at the body of Austin. Tasi alighted on Arden's shoulder as he began to remove the petals from the flowers from his house.
"Arden, what happened to Ulmus?!"
"I am unsure, but it feels like the demonic incursions we experienced just before the fall of the Barred Gate. At that time, we were able to contain the curse with a cleansing spell I learned from Yggdrasil, then finish them off with the aid of Lightbearer priests. But those priests are currently distracted by Hypogean incursions of their own. All we can do is contain the evil until..."
"But Ulmus!"
"We are not abandoning him, I promise. But we can do nothing for him until we understand better what has happened to him."
Arden erected a barrier around Ulmus to contain the curse on him, then hobbled off toward Yggdrasil to learn what else could be done for his old friend. Tasi was left alone with the murderous husk that seemed to be Ulmus' prison.
"No, I can't just stand by and let this happen!"
Tasi took off through the barrier. Her small size allowed her to elude notice by the branches and take her place on what would have been Ulmus' shoulder.
"Ulmus, can you hear me? Ulmus!"
Whatever curse had engulfed Ulmus began to slowly wrap itself around Tasi's legs. When she noticed, she showed no fear or even concern, but only determination.
"Hold on, Ulmus; I'm coming for you!"