Legendseekers Part 4: Queenslayer

Ragna crashed to the ground, helplessly rolling a few meters before coming to a painful stop against an old, dead tree trunk. Upon impact, all air left her lungs in an explosive burst. She wheezed and coughed on reflex, slowly rolling over, feeling dazed. There was a ringing in her ears; everything else sounded far away, as if she had her head underwater. She blinked teary eyes and tried to focus, but the world stubbornly refused to get back into focus. Jaws clenched, the red vexyn shook her head, her shaggy mane poofing up in the process. When she blinked again, the world’s contures had sharpened again. And with it, sound came back as well. There was the shouting of xyns, pained and angry, the singing of magic, the shrill whistles of corruption beasts, the gusts of their wings as they tried to gain altitude, the whipping of their tails and the splintering of trees whenever they struck. And above all, Yuhi as she roared orders, but that sound got abruptly cut off.

Ragna struggled to her feet and looked around, frantically. The clearing had dissolved into chaos, xyns running around in disorder, desperately trying to avoid the corruption beasts’ dangerous miasma. Ragna’s eyes searched for the forest witch, but Rune was nowhere to be seen.

Neither was Yuhi.

Bad sign.

The corruption beast who’s tail had sent her flying had disappeared into the fray, so Ragna sprinted across the clearing, desperate in her search for Rune, for Yuhi, for anyxyn that might need her help. She couldn’t spot any wounded, but that didn’t mean anything. In worst case scenario, they all got corrupted and had disappeared alongside their new master.

Ragna stopped in her tracks, looking around. She had momentarily forgotten about the mysterious moxyn, the one that seemed to know their queens, the one that commanded the corruption beasts, a feast absolutely unknown in Lunerest until recently. Who were they? And more importantly: WHERE?

But the mysterious xyn was nowhere to be seen or heard, but neither were Yuhi and Rune and Ragna started to seriously worry.

A small, shimmering puddle caught her attention and she zeroed in onto it. Blood, a trail that lead away from the battle field. Not from a corruption beast; it was blood from a xyn and Ragna’s heart nearly stopped.

She lowered her head. Xyn’s couldn’t recognize each other by the scent of their blood alone, but by the scent of their magic. It left a distinctive trail, that was fairly unique to each individual. Rune was a very powerful astral magic wielder and, since she studied corruption, her magic had always carried a faint trace of it. It was unavoidable, the evil miasma left a mark on anyone who got in contact with it, and Rune sought it out willingly, regularly. It was her trade, her calling. Even without being corrupted or using the forbidden magic herself, her blood still carried the stink. Ragna didn’t think that Rune was even aware of it. And it held true: With the first sniff, Ragna knew the blood was Rune’s.

Head lowered, paying attention out of the corner of her eyes, Ragna tracked Rune’s scent into the dark forest.

---

Rune watched, deep in sorrow, as the xyns around her went about their business. So much had happened since Ragna had carried her bruised and bleeding body out of the Corrupted Lands, even though it had only been yesterday. The Lullay Knights had done a fine job about her cuts and even healed a broken bone or two, and after some bedrest, Rune felt as good as new.

Still, she didn’t feel any relief. Her injuries had been nothing compared to what happened to poor Yuhi, their queen.

She still remembered Ryu’s desperate cries, as she laid eyes on her beloved.

Rune sighed, head on her front paws, depressed and hopeless.

When Ragna had found her, Rune was already immobilized and bleeding. She and most of the knights had followed Yuhi, as she was overpowered by Corruption Beasts and the mysterious moxyn that commanded them. They managed to get her out, but it hadn’t been without casualities. And Yuhi herself was in bad shape. Stricken by a strange form of corruption magic, that had begun to spread starting from her leg, she survived, but was barely conscious anymore.

Rune sighed deeply. It was frustrating, looking back, and remembering how utterly USELESS she had been. When Ragna arrived, the fight had been over. The red vexyn could only help carrying her wounded companions and Rune to safety. And Yuhi… Rune wasn’t so sure anymore if going into the Corrupted Lands had been the right course of action. Oh, what price they had paid!

There was a small sound behind her and Rune turned around. She wasn’t even surprised when she saw Ragna.

The much bigger vexyn silently joined her, looking out across the castle grounds where xyns were buzzing with activity.

Rune waited for a while, but when she could no longer contain herself, she asked.

„What’s on your mind?“

Ragna remained silent a little longer, then looked at the forest witch. Her intense eyes sparkled like ember.

„I’m going after them.“

„Them?“ Rune asked, confused.

„The corrupted moxyn.“ Ragna answered, with an agigated swish of her tail. „The one that led all the beasts.“

Rune gaped at her. „Are you out of your freaking mind?“ Well, why bother with filters at this point? It wasn’t like Ragna couldn’t take blunt honesty.

Unexpected to Rune, Ragna didn’t blow up in her face but remained almost uncharacteristically quiet.

„What good will it do to stay here and wait for our demise?“ The red vexyn asked.

Rune searched for words. It wasn’t as if she did NOT feel a desperate need to do SOMETHING, but what Ragna had planned here… it was a suicide mission, plain and simple!

But something in the other xyn’s eyes told her that Ragna already knew that. So she tried a different approach.

„You are a knight. You have ORDERS, Hush and Samson want us to stay here and strengthen the barrier, and the queens…“ She swallowed. „Ryu hasn’t ordered you to go after them, either. You’ll lose your rank if you ignore them.“

Ragna snorted. „I’ll loose much more at this point, following orders or not. So will you, by the way.“

That shut Rune up.

Ragna’s tail swished again and she continued, angrily.

„I’m not asking anything from you, witch. I don’t even know why I told you. I…“

Rune watched her, but it seemed, Ragna didn’t know how to continue that sentence, avoiding her eyes instead.

Rune looked out across the castle gardens again, watching everyone going about their business, her eyes getting caught on Basil, how he was STILL playing around in that damned bird bath. Moons, she wished she could be as carefree as that chickle. Eyes on her companion, she thought about how useless she had felt out there in the Corrupted Lands and came to a decision.

„Promise me…“ She began, the confused gaze of the taller vexyn meeting hers. „No suicide mission. Follow them, try to find out everything you can… and then, come back here and report what you have learned. Don’t take unnecessary risks, remain stealthy at all times…“ She looked up, eyes sparkling mischieviously, nothing spiteful in her voice: „Even though I know it’s hard for a big brute like you.“

Ragna snorted, unoffended. „Yes mom“, she said. „I didn’t know you worry about me so much, mighty forest witch.“

„Oh, I will worry.“ Rune replied, "continuously. About us both. Because I'm coming with you."