Ughhh I wanna get to the fights! I'm trying to cram in everything I need to cram in so I can get to the juicy bits. :) Sorry for late chapter btw. Busy week.

It was only a bit past noon but already The Guide was teetering on the brink of another mental breakdown. Things were moving far too quickly for him. There were too many new people suddenly appearing, too many personalities with unknown quirks and motivations. How was he expected to manage this group of conflicting and hostile people? He was getting glares from everyone. Even The Nurse - who previously liked to tease and poke fun at him - became terse and nervous whenever he drew near, as if expecting him to burst into flames at any moment.

Is somebody threatening her? There's a plot afoot in this place, but for all my probing, I haven't discovered a thing…

Mysteries, mysteries. He liked mysteries, but not when the stakes were this high and the clues were this hard to find. Hardly anyone spoke to him. They avoided him like the plague, and when they did speak, it was careful, rehearsed speech fraught with thinly veiled threats. The Guide had always prided himself in his perceptiveness and intuition, but for the life of him, he couldn't discover a single detail of the disaster he knew was looming just out of sight.

Pathetic…

Pathetic indeed. He felt like a blind person who had wandered into a kickball game; some poor, confused soul who was suddenly being shoved around by people he didn't know, blindsided without knowing why. His allies had become his enemies; his enemies were piled up against him, bearing down like a great horde. Amidas had turned against him. The Slayer, whom he had raised from birth, wouldn't even look at him. The Merchant's coalition watched him from afar with malice ingrained in their faces. And, overarching all of this adversity, The Crimson still marched on, crawling closer day by day like some great, staggering beast.

This… is impossible. Why is this happening?!

He sighed as he crunched his way through the undergrowth, tracing the path he and The Terrarian had trod not three days ago as they wandered about gathering potion ingredients. He thought he had a thorough grasp on The Terrarian's personality and motivations and had come under the impression they had become rather good friends over the past week or so (although their interactions involved a fair bit more parenting than The Guide would've liked.) Of course, he took care to never mention this particular opinion to The Slayer. The poor man would've been absolutely mortified.

It would be funny, though… What happened buddy? You won't even talk to me anymore? You're just gonna believe The Sea King now, huh. Tch, I've never met anyone so naive.

The Guide shook his head viciously. No, this wasn't his fault. Everything started going wrong with the arrival of The Sea King. The fish-man, in less than a full day, had manipulated not only The Guide, but The Slayer and seemingly everyone else in The Compound. He had consolidated all the powerful factions present to himself, and pushed The Guide to the sidelines. Soon enough, Amidas would establish himself as The Compound's de-facto leader and would be poised to direct everyone wherever he so pleased.

And Amidas has made it clear he doesn't give a damn about The Crimson. He's going to take The Slayer and join The Resistance… I-I can't believe this is happenin- ACK!

His depressive train of thought was rudely broken as he stumbled over a protruding tree-root and staggered for his footing. He instinctively grabbed at the nearby shrubbery to steady himself and winced as the sudden movement aggravated the self-inflicted wounds on his hands. He grimaced as he watched scarlet bloom across the silken bandages, wishing he hadn't driven his teeth quite so viciously into his knuckles in his effort to stay undetected. Why did he even feel the need to put his fist into his mouth anyways? If anything, slobbering and bleeding everywhere was not the best way to stay silent.

I'm so stupid sometimes, well, at least nobody saw me. I wonder what Amidas would've done if he caught me… perhaps he would've killed me right there...

He drew a deep breath and shuddered, cursing his own impulsiveness. Thoroughly unhappy, he sighed and cast his eyes skywards. It was gloomy and cold; mist hung unnaturally amongst the silent boughs and the vibrant greens were tainted with dirty splatters of dark red disease. The air stank. There were no birds in the skies above; the sweet songs that had laced this forest for centuries had fallen silent. The squirrels and rabbits that were always so prevalent around these parts had long since fled. Now, even catching sight of a footprint was a rarity. Roasted rabbit lunch was off the menu.

At least the fish can't run.

He was heading to The Lake. The same lake he'd been fishing that one fateful evening his village had been destroyed - the lives of his townspeople sucked out to fuel the summoning which took place there. In the past (it seemed like an eternity ago) he always liked to wander to that lake to clear his mind. There was a little rocky crag he always sat upon when he visited, to fish, or sleep, or read. It was his quiet, personal haven. Oftentimes he would build himself a small campfire and nap through the afternoon, only to wake to his older sister kicking sand in his face and demanding he return home and take out the trash.

Honestly, it'd be easier if she did it herself instead of walking all the way out there… heh… I-I miss you, sis…

The dark cloud of depression once again coalesced over his head. No. He couldn't lose focus. He needed to keep his eyes on the goal. If The Crimson wasn't defeated, The Eye, The Worms, The Brain, The Wall - then his family would be subject to purgatory until… who knows how long. Perhaps they would eventually lose their personalities in the writhing stream of minds and souls. Maybe all their memories would be torn from them… had already forgotten who they were?

It doesn't matter, does it?

No. The Guide would stay loyal to the ones he loved. He would never be able to live with himself otherwise. If the guilt didn't kill him, the predatory nightmares would. They scared him. He was an adult, but he was scared to sleep. Scared to meet the seething dread which consumed him every night. Until 'The Wall' was defeated, The Guide was certain he wouldn't be free of his nighttime terrors.

… I need to rush. I need to kill The Eye tonight…

He needed to get The Slayer to kill The Eye. If the almost-man wouldn't speak to him, then he would take advantage of The Slayer's insane monster-killing compulsion. Perhaps break that suspicious looking eyeball Amidas had given him right in the middle of The Compound? It'd be dangerous, sure. He might die, certainly… But if The Slayer was abandoning him, what choice did he have? The Dryad was supposed to arrive once the Eye was defeated. Perhaps she would offer him some new hope.

… Slayer you ungrateful little shit. Can't you be a -little- bit loyal?… huh?

The Guide froze in his tracks and blinked. Hadn't he been walking for a while now? He knew these forests well; he had played in them since he was a child… and he knew the trees were supposed to thin and give way to a craggy clearing. Had he already passed the moss covered Boulder?

Weird… did I take a wrong turn?

Rather disquieted, The Guide picked up his pace, trading his brooding thoughts for adrenaline and opiates as he broke into a sprint. His heels pounded against the mossy floor and his fishing equipment rattled at his back. Foul smelling air stung his nostrils and the wind tousled his hair wildly as he ran. Why weren't the trees thinning? Where was the boulder?

Am I losing it?

Ah! There was something peeking through the trees. He didn't recall the crags being so perfectly gray, nor perfectly square, but he was certain he hadn't gotten lost - not in his own homeland. With an annoyed swing in his gait, he hurried his way towards the…

...

The… The Compound's Retaining Wall?

The Guide slowed to a stop and stared at the gray edifice as if his glare alone could make it disappear. Of course, it couldn't - and even when The Guide pinched himself, it didn't vanish. He approached the wall and laid a hand on it. It was cold against his palm, real, solid and seemed to be looking down at him with a sort of snide amusement. Did he… just attribute emotions to a literal brick wall?

Definitely losing it.

Night was falling fast, faster than expected. The sun had remained veiled in clouds all afternoon, only revealing itself now to cast creeping shadows throughout the compound with pallid orange light. The silhouettes of tree branches splayed fingerlike and ominous over the walls, the buildings, the grass, the patio - over everything that belonged to him. He felt they were reaching for him… but shadows couldn't grab things, right? At least he had never seen a shadow grab anyone.

…

What was this pensive feeling in the air? There were eyes trained on him from afar, he could feel it… a presence watching him. A malicious gaze which prickled along his back and sent shudders down his spine. The trees and the ground were observing him him, seeking a way to harm him... seeking a way to destroy him. Where was his enemy hiding? He was not at liberty to seek it out. He could only wait until it revealed itself, and that vulnerability made him restless.

"Slayer."

He startled, hissing his displeasure as he fumbled his hammer to the ground with a clatter. The windowpane he'd been installing slipped from his grasp and smashed into the floor with an earsplitting crack. He hung there rigidly from his hook, staring down at the glass with a mounting sense of annoyance. After a moment, he twisted his neck to glance behind.

"Whoa, um. You alright? Didn't mean to scare you."

The Guide had jumped clear of the falling glass, and was standing a few feet away with an apologetic expression painting his face. He looked nervous and skittery, but The Terrarian knew it was nothing but a front. The Guide had no reason to be scared. The Guide knew ...everything. He always knew everything. He was always around every corner, waiting and watching. Running about and listening to secret conversations. Monitoring his world to ensure it obeyed his plans.

…

What a terrifying mind he had. Who could foresee and plan these events so perfectly to fulfill his purposes? It was hopeless hiding anything from The Guide. The Terrarian had come to that conclusion whilst standing there, face to face with Amidas, surrounded by the Burial Chamber's treasure. He had only really listened to The Sea King because he knew The Guide was watching… and after the short conversation, he was filled with such a sense of confusion it essentially paralyzed him. Thinking about the whole debacle gave him a headache. The interaction, and the result, surely must have been orchestrated by The Guide.

But...ridiculous. Why slander himself.

The Terrarian couldn't make heads or tails of it. Why would The Guide do such a thing? Why instruct Amidas to slander 'The Guide'? Why engage in self sabotage? Frankly, all of this politicking exhausted him. He felt far too stupid for this game. He wanted no further interaction with anyone speaking in riddles. Oh, how he longed for the simpler times, where it was just the two of them. They ran about. They explored. They killed monsters. Would it be so hard to go back? To just cut everyone to bits? Poison everyone? Clean his house?

...Perhaps it's not a bad ide-

"Hey buddy, you gonna come down?"

Dangerous thoughts interrupted, he sighed and released his grip on his hook, dropping to the floor with a thud. Green grass folded beneath his feet as he impacted the ground… how long before they too were spotted with stinking red sores? He turned to face The Guide and waited, watching him from between the slats in his visor.

"Uh, right… Slayer,"

The Guide looked tired and he sounded exhausted. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and the hollows of his cheeks had grown prominent. There was a bloody bandage wrapped about his left hand and his posture was drooping and beaten. All manner of foliage and debris clung to his clothes, and it didn't appear he'd made any particular effort to clean himself. Clearly he'd spent all day snooping about, spying on people.

He cleared his throat.

"I think we've had a bit of a misunderstanding. The truth is-..."

The Terrarian held up a hand and shook his head, requesting The Guide be silent (a request that was thankfully granted). He didn't want explanations. He didn't care. He had no more patience for word-games. He'd had his fill of charades. His voice came guttural and distorted from behind the hum of his air-filter.

"Guide. Speak plainly. What do you want from me."

"..."

The Guide looked momentarily startled, then his face fell. He pursed his lips and gingerly pulled a small eyeball from his shirt pocket, pinching it by the tips of the optical nerve. The Terrarian narrowed his eyes as he looked at it. Was this thing the monster that had been watching him all afternoon?

The Guide once again read his thoughts.

"This summons a monster. I want you to kill it tonight."

"...fine."

The Guide continued. His voice had become hard, his cadence slow.

"The Sea King requested we construct the arena further away from The Crimson. We will need to travel. Do you have materials to build? Torches, wood, campfires."

"Yes."

"Potions: Archery, Ironskin, swiftness… recall?"

"Yes."

"Come, Let's go."

Guide: Slayer, is that poison? What were you planning to use it for, huh?

Slayer: ...

G: You can't just -kill- people you don't like!

S: I can.

G: No! Don't talk back to me! Ah-Do NOT walk away from me young man! Where are you going!

Amidas, Arms Dealer, Merchant, Demo: o_o (oh shit)

Riiight. sooo notes.

Slayer thinks Guide told Amidas to say everything he said - which is why he's so confused. Honestly T is such a bro. He just thinks so highly of The Guide lmao. Guide is actually like holy shit what's going on. T is just convinced that everything that happens was exactly according to The Guide's plans. What a fan.

Notes: 1) Slayer normally doesn't ever get startled, but because he's got his air filter on (Crimson wind stinky) he can't smell anyone approaching. i had a paragraph in there abotu it, but decided to just say in notes. it's not that important. 2) EOC next, phew. 3) Amidas specified they go far away from compound so they need to recall when they finish. 4) Literally T is just super confused and doesn't know what to do. poor baby. he's like - shut up please and give me instruction. I'm too dumb for this shit. 5) Poor Guide, he thinks everything is falling apart (I will re-define factions soon, it'll be simpler don't worry) and wants to go to his 'old life' hanging out at the lake. Unfortunately he gets yeeted by T's barrier. sad.

Aight, sorry for late chapter again. I love you all