Project: TheirWorld - Chapter 032 - Part 2

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Victim

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TheirWorld

To her surprise, Pastor Jormund chuckled and sighed. Leaning back, he smiled at her, and let his shoulders sag as if a great weight were lifted. “I thought you would say that,” he said, standing. After helping Alta Noin up and setting her in one of the armchairs, he took out a small bag from his pocket and handed it to Guin. “... This is the least that I can do, now. Inside this bag is a special herb called [Spirits’ Tears]. Carrying it should ease the effects of the corruption that you are exposed to. If there is nothing I can say to stop you, then at least I wanted you to understand the risks involved, and give you this.”

Accepting the bag, Guin pulled up the tooltip.

> <<[Bag of Spirits’ Tears]>> > > << It is said that when spirit’s cry tears of joy, the tears to to seeds that turn into these pretty flowers. They have great healing and cleansing effects in medicines and in vases - and just in simple bags too, apparently. >> > >

Equipping it, a small bag appeared on a string around her waist. “Thank you, Pastor Jormund.”

“I wish…” he started, but shook his head. “No. I know that even if I don’t want you to go, someone must. We must try, at least - and you have a better chance than anyone.”

Guin smiled at him, but a knock came at the door before she could respond.

“Why, I wonder who that could be?” Mrs Noin asked, wiping her tears from her face quickly. Pulling herself out of her chair, she shuffled over to the door and opened it. “E-Euen!” Guin heard her cry and turned. Pastor Jormund nearly jumped out of his skin and backed up a little.

“Grandmother,” Dawl’s voice carried over. “Is there a girl here named ‘Guin’?”

“Yes - come in, dear! What a day today it! So many visitors - so many..” Mrs Noin seemed to have an endless supply of tears as she pulled Euen inside. He froze the moment he saw Jormund in the room, but remained expressionless. “Let me put more tea on for everyone!” the old woman exclaimed and went about busing herself.

“N-No, I-” Dawl tried to protest, but Alta Noin huffed at him just as she had huffed at Jormund. Dawl, it seemed, didn’t need the lecture. “Y-Yes, ma’am…” he coughed.

The Master Hunter turned to Guin with a slight bow, then, from a sack, he pulled out a fine, light orange pelt - a perfect snow white circle on its back. - and handed it to her.

“This…” Guin reached out and took it gingerly, searching his eyes for answers.

“Return it,” Dawl said. “That is all I ask.”

Gripping the fur, she smiled. “Thank you.”

“No,” he told her in a low voice. “Thank you.” Dawl looked up to Pastor Jormund and then looked back to Guin. “You have heard everything, then? And you still intend to try?”

“Yes,” Guin confirmed with determination.

He snorted at her. “You are a stupid girl,” he said, then put his hand on her head. “I shall wish you all the luck.”

“What will you do?” she asked him.

Dawl looked at her in surprise. “Me?” When Guin nudged her head toward Jormund, he chuckled. “Who knows. Perhaps it is time to tend to old wounds.”

“Try not to fight,” Guin told the men. Jormund gave a meek smile while Dawl grunted. “Then, I shall be going! Mrs Noin, thank you so much for having me again!”

“Leaving so soon?” Mrs Noin stepped over. “But Euen just got here…. Oh, never mind. You have things to do, I know. My husband was always the same way. Here,” the old woman took a shawl from the back of her chair and wrapped it around Guin’s neck. “Stay warm. Stay safe. My husband would have liked you.” The old woman put her hand on Guin’s face. Her skin was rough, but it felt nice.

“Uhn!” went Guin with a smile.

“Take care,” Pastor Jormund told her, his voice a little rough.

Guin nodded to him, and left them to have their own talk. As soon as she she left the cottage, she pulled up her map to set a marker and fox formed. About half an hour later, she found herself back on the edge of the corruption.

Pulling up her map again, she frowned. It’s gotten bigger… she noticed. Not only that, but it looked like the number of corrupted creatures had increased.

“Liorax?” she called.

The lazy looking cat appeared floating around her head. “I saw the hunter came through as you hoped,” he said. “He was a useful creature after all.”

Nodding, Guin smiled. She wasn’t sure if trusting the Master Hunter would get her anywhere, but it made her happy to see Euen and Jormund together in Alta Noin’s cottage. “Hey, you aren’t affected by the corruption, are you?” She hadn’t really thought about it until Jormund gave her the [Spirits’ Tears].

“To be affected, you have to be in the area for quite a while,” he told her. “Besides, now that you have that pouch the lying priest gave you, it shouldn’t affect either of us in the slightest. If anything, I’d be worried about the little fox - though I suspect his mother will protect him.”

“Leave poor Pastor Jormund alone,” she scolded. “You didn’t know he could see you, did you?”

The floating cat grinned. “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”

“Tsk. Whatever. Buff me?”

As Liorax became a sensory buff, Guin shot off, slaying as many of the corrupted creatures as they could in the moonlight and sticky terrain. Guin had to learn quite a few new ways to battle them as the the ground started to become softer and more slippery as they got closer to the cave.

Then something else caught her eye.

Stopping dead in her tracks, it felt like her chest was being crushed. A flurry of emotions bubbled up inside of her as she looked over the rotted, corrupted landscape, covered in traps and dead things.

One of those, was the trapped, broken body of a small, creamsicle colored fox cub.