Project: TheirWorld - Chapter 024 - Part 2

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Corruption

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TheirWorld

About ten minutes later, they found themselves at the cave - which was in an even worse state than the rest of the forest. Tik-Tak ran into to the cave with a cry of: “Momma!”, but Guin was not so eager. The mere sight of it made her stomach churn.

It was like a black monolith of… pestilence.

Around it, the whole atmosphere had shifted as it the Veil and Che had merged on a gloomy, story day. The cave itself was set into the side of what Guin suspected was once a rocky bank, but was now like melting coal; tar-like and wet like the ground and trees had been - and it reeked. From the cave wafted such a horrid wall-like stench of rot and decay that Guin bounced back away from it and retched. She pulled her robe up to her nose and started walking forward - but it was hard to bare. A light shone over her head at that moment, however, and she began to feel better. Looking up at her status bar, she saw that Liorax had changed his buff to the de-buff [Dull the Senses: Smell].

“Thank you, Liorax,” Guin said in a weak voice, both impressed and truly grateful for his abilities. Taking her torch out and lighting it, Guin stepped into the cave.

Everything was damp, and dark, and… sticky. The walls, the cave floor - all were covered in what seemed to be a thick black goo that was sticking to her shoes and caused her to slip a number of times. When she lost he balance, she would lean on the cave walls for support - but each time she did, she had to struggle to get her hand to come off. What the hell is this shit? She wanted to ask, but for now there was not. Shoving her feelings down into her stomach, she made way one foot at a time.

Tik-Tak wasn’t that deep inside the cave. Guin found him quite easily, pacing back and forth in front of what looked to be the corpse of an animal. Assuming it was his mother, Guin walked over slowly and knelt down - put as she did, she covered her mouth with her hand and tears came to her eyes.

If it was Tik-Tak’s mother, it was hard to tell, for the creature had been robbed of it’s skin and left to rot, with all manner of maggots and bugs crawling over the unidentifiable, greyish-black remains.

“M-Momma!,” Tik-Tak was crying as he paced in front of the corpse. “It’s me! It’s Tik-Tak! Momma? Where did you go? Yiii…”

“Tik-Tak…” Guin started to reach out, but then there was a flash. Wide-eyed, Guin watched as sparks flew off from the corpse and started to catch.

“Tik-Tak…,” went Guin, edging back a little as the cave walls came alive with light and shadow. The little fox back away as the flames grew. Higher and higher they rose, until they took up the whole of the width and height of the cave - and turned bright green. The cave felt like it was burning and freezing at the same time, and Guin folded her arms, feeling feverish as she watched a pair of red eyes open from within the fire, mad in rage. As the fire died down, it looked rather like it was melting into the outline of a vaguely fox shaped spirit. Guin moved her mouth, but in her fear and shock, there were no words.

“Ah… Ahhh! Momma! D-Don’t be mad!” Calling out with a pleading voice, Tik-Tak jumped in front of Guin with his tail between his legs. “T-This is Guin! She’s my friend! She wants to help! She’ll help you! P-Please, Momma!”

The fox made of the strange liquid fire made no motion; the rage seemed rather painted on her on her face. It did not move as Guin heard, “ A Che-kind dares to enter this place - my home?” The fox’s voice echoed in her head, similar to the Webspinner’s and Wise’s - but rather than have that gentle, ethereal quality, every word the fox spoke gave a sensation similar to nails on a chalkboard. “I care not for such things as motives. Those of the Che who enter here are only begging for death - and I shall be happy to oblige!” Raising her head proudly, fox’s expression flickered into a smile as cruel laughter rang out, causing Guin to shudder. Flames spread out from the corpse, threatening to engulf them both.

“Momma!”

“P-Please wait!” Guin shouted. “Wait - I - I just want to help you and the spirits of White Fox Forest! Please listen to me!”

The fox stopped laughing and flickered back into a look of displeasure.

“Yiiii!” Tik-Tak cried as he scuttled back from the flames that were licking at his paws.

“Argh!” Guin stomped her foot and glared at the fox in the flames. Scooping up the frightened Tik-Tak in her arms, she shouted, “Hey! Isn’t this kit yours? How could you threaten him like this! He brought me here to help you!”

Another screeching laugh rang out through the cavern. “Then more the fool he! A child who brings another child and calls it ‘help’. Tell me then - who are you to help me? How, exactly, do you propose to… ‘help’?”

“Well how do you expect me to ‘propose’ anything when you resort to violence first!” Guin shouted back angrily.

“...You funny little Che creatures, living in your wooden houses with all your pretty words and false civility - are we not the same? This is my house you stand it. It is my house you and yours have defiled. Were the situation reversed, would not you be me?” the fox spirit asked. “Would you not? If my stupid child were to stumble into even the sight of your little village, would your people not skin him too? Would they not? Well then ^ why should you expect anything less from me?” The flames grew hotter and brighter.

“So what?” Guin twitched. The fox was not wrong - but the words irritated her. “You think that that’s an excuse to just like them? A handful of them have wronged you and now it’s everyone’s fault? Everyone should die in your little quest for vengeance? Even your own child? Shouldn’t you want to be better than them?”

Tik-Tak struggled out of her arms and landed clumsily. She was afraid that he had hurt himself, but the little fox walked forward with a series of “Yii”s, moving closer and close until his little nose touched the flame.

“Tik-Tak -” Guin moved to stop him, but before she could, the little fox darted into the fires. “Tik-Tak!” Guin screeched, getting ready to run in after him - but the flames burned her hands. “Shit!”

Searching for him the flurry of oranges and reds, yellows and greens, she then noticed that the flames began to retract. Curious, though optimistic, Guin walked forward as the fires drew back. Surely enough, there was the little fox, crying atop the skinned corpse of his mother - the green fox spirit looking over him - a pained, but kind look upon her face.