"You hear that, Mother?! No one messes with the Corrupted Prin-... No... The Corrupted King!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVhq1XOdtK
"Oh, mother hears you loud and clear, dearie." the queen muttered as she stared into her all-seeing crystal globe. She grinned. "It's so adorable when they think they have control, isn't it Acantha?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9sPOd1iFr
" Yes, my Queen." her assistant replied.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡYb9IeUcEpr
"It's a shame he took down my giants. But, if they were defeated so quickly, then it just shows how unworthy they were to serve me."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nnlNpjCCM
She stepped away from the orb's pedestal, turning to a dusty bookshelf behind her. She grabbed a large, leather-bound book with ancient letters across the cover. She enveloped it in her purple glow, allowing it to hover in the air as she telekinetically flipped through it. She landed on a page that instantly caught her attention.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwWPmL3n3I
"Oh~! Now this seems interesting..." she said to herself. Then, she turned to her assistant. "Acantha dear, as the humans say, when you want something killed, set it free."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1UYJ8SWMi
"Your loveliness, I think you may have gotten the phrase wr- Ack!" the queen wrapped her clawed hand around the slender neck of the panther-python.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQGLcuav6N
"My point being, I think it's about time I gave my dear son some freedom. Or at least, the illusion of freedom."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡitkfiG0l44
On their way down the cliff, Ryn started explaining how she had escaped the fire which separated her and Ren, but both his and Leliana's attention were mostly focused on warily watching the other. Even though Leliana's machete was in it's sheath by her hip, her hand rested on it's hilt.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4T6YRQ6KMT
"Must you treat me like a prisoner?" Ren asked through gritted teeth.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aKIVWd6rj
"That's what you are, until you prove yourself trustworthy." Leliana replied, calmly.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKNeZ6V0sZ
"Could you two please keep from glaring at each other until we get back to...camp...?" Ryn trailed off.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wTbvL1CvO
She noticed that out in the distance, fallen trees were parted like dozens of bulldozers had gone through them. In the middle was a half-evaporated corrupt corpse, the fog it was turning into had blanketed the area. It was too hard to tell from how high up they were, but she could swear she saw a human shape on top of the corpse.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyYfgTct0E
"I'm just curious as to why you had to ally yourself with such raggedy ruffians?" Ren said. Leliana unsheathed her machete, and had it pointed at his throat in just seconds. Ren didn't so much as flinch, or slouch from his proud, dignified posture. "Is that butter knife supposed to intimidate me?" he teased.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUoB8oH4pa
"No. It's supposed to slice your head off if you say another word." Leliana growled.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uGXGcIHOe
"Both of you, stop and look!" Ryn barked out, gesturing to the destruction ahead.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkMuA2oMwo
Leliana sheathed her weapon and Ren stared ahead, both looking out at the carnage with widened eyes.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkiPVreDvD
"D-Did Jin do this?" Leliana said.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡNz8uwOHfwv
"The halfling either has more skill than I thought or more luck." Ren said.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2QfwqiUdP
"He might still be down there! We have to find him!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡiE9Bt52IJx
Not waiting for the siblings, Leliana took off down the side of the cliff in big leaps, making her way down safely, despite nearly tripping and falling a great distance twice, and swiftly. With a sigh, Ryn started to follow behind her, but Ren grabbed hold of her in his arms. He unfurled his wings, leaped down, and began gently soaring over the cliff edge, keeping up with Leliana as she vigorously ran on.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡlx7u1DiJTO
Not looking up at the two, Leliana muttered under her breath. "You could've done that the whole time, couldn't you?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡemR4BovUjI
"Wouldn't have wanted to lose track of my warden, now would I?" Ren teased.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBnSdQYfzH
"Up ahead!" Ryn yelled out.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVeUpgyIZr
The fog coming from the corrupt corpse was only getting thicker, making it almost impossible for the trio to see two feet ahead of them. Ren increased his wing speed, flying in place as the flapping of his wings worked to clear out the haze. Soon, they could just make out the shape of Jin's body, flopped on top of the beast's dead body. There was a slight twitch from him.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeNojpMOj5
"He's alive!" Leliana said, letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3HUWULUak
Ren descended, letting Ryn down onto the ground beside him. The girls reluctantly started to climb up the corpse, helping lift Jin to his feet. His eyes fluttered, before he slowly blinked them open. He still seemed a bit out of it, looking at his surroundings in confusion. His eyes focused on Ren. He suddenly broke free of the girls' arms, and darted towards him.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXfQRF7qn6
"Jin, wait!" Ryn yelled out.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUkFiD45so
He didn't seem to hear her, unsheathing his claws in an effort to strike out at the Corrupted assassin. Ren had grabbed the hilt of his blade by now, and pulled it out of it's sheath. He slammed the blunt end of the sword into Jin's stomach, stopping him short and making him stumble back a bit with a grunt of pain. Before he could launch himself at Ren again, the girls held him back.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZrTUnOFiY
"He's with us. We're taking him to camp to find out whether he can be trusted." Leliana explained. Ignoring the glares from both of the twins, she added. "He knows better than to cross any lines."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UWfKOVRei
Jin gave a low growl, but eventually sighed, retracting his claws. "D-Did I do it? The Giants are gone now, right? Everything was kinda a blur. How long was I out?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5cjKvXPAp
"Yes, you did it. We're safe now. As far as we know, you haven't been here for long. We think the fight stopped around an hour ago."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLpFEj3sZl
"Heh. A new record. It usually takes me hours to wake up after…my royal side takes over." Jin said. He shrugged off Ryn and Leliana's arms, and tried to walk.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZgnf1baTp
"Careful! You might have over exerted yourself earlier." Ryn pointed out.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRuEafa74K
Ren snorted. "He seemed perfectly fine when he lunged at me."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiwWYbg1Df
"Pretty boy here's right. Every minute we waste here gives mother another chance to send out more hazards, an- where's Anubis?" Jin stopped, looking around in confusion.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5eEsuFEEy
"Ah… We got sidetracked when we ran into Re-" Ryn started.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36qyLAOVIS
"You forgot to find Anubis?!" Jin yelled. "He could've gotten crushed under fatso here!" he gestured to the almost completely dissolved Ragnarok.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgbdd9otb2
"We'll go back for him! Knowing him, he got out unscathed." Leliana said, putting a hand on his shoulder.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡJz7YdAsTe6
Jin shrugged it off. "Forget it! You guys get back to camp, and I'll find him myself!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡridRQZsFVb
With that, he unfurled his wings, going airborne before soaring away from the others.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCrJPETd75
"Fantastic, now what do we do?" Ren groaned, rubbing his temples.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRFmPTXhMb
"You heard him, he wants us to go back to camp, then we will. It's not like there's anyone in the forest besides us anymore, so he won't get into any trouble." Leliana said, shrugging.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡoetC6kByZx
Ren chuckled, before speaking in a condescending tone. "Is that how you do things in your little…rebellion? No wonder it's taken you so long to get out of this hell hole. 'Anything our precious princeling says, goes!' 'I'll just sit here, twiddling my thumbs until h-'"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡJx9bhYPacX
He quickly pulled his sword up, sheath and all, effectively blocking the machete strike aimed at his neck.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrOVOEOLWA
"Can't you two go five minutes without trying to kill each other?" Ryn yelled, clenching her fists in frustration.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkOqXVLztK
"Ask the violent human." he replied.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6digozfeKr
"Tell your 'brother' to be quiet until we get to the base." Leliana growled.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0S0VHEJtA
Jin had hit the ground running as soon as he reached the cliff entrance. Wasting no time trying to actually figure out where he should go, he took off through the cavern. His senses screamed at him that there was a presence down deeper into it, and that could only mean Anubis was near. Then, he saw something move past him in the corner of his eye, before it hid behind a boulder.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqV9QS4Crx
"Anubis?" he called out.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyLFOae3oY
The thing seemed to perk up, and he could now see a long, hairy tail poking out. "You know Anubis?" it asked, still hiding behind the big rock. Slowly, it stepped out from behind it. There stood a mole corrupt, with innocent, hopeful, open arms.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAYnAU5eDy
Naturally, Jin rushed forward, grabbing him by the throat, and pinning him against the cave wall. "What do you know about Anubis? Why are you still here when all of the others evacuated?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXYK7PDbr5
"Oh! Those can be answered in one! Anubis is a...a friend of mine... Wow, it sounds weird to say tha- Ack!" Jin tightened his grip. "We...hid from...Giants together..." the corrupt gasped out. Even as he choked, he reached his clawed hand out for Jin to shake. "Name's... Tak..."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡJODutsFIw3
Jin's eyes showed shock for a split second, before he regained his focus. He let go of Tak, leaving the corrupt to take in dramatically deep gulps of air. "My apologies." he said, placing his hands behind his head. "You know where he is, then?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1DFpdzvsd
"Oh, yes, absolutely!" Tak replied. He grabbed Jin's arm, and excitedly led him further down into the cavern. "Anubis'll be so happy to see one of his friends again!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hb22iRFtj
Jin was practically dragged through the wide, deep caverns, as Tak led on. The deeper they went, the darker the cave got, until Jin could barely see anything. Still, Tak moved on confidently and with a chipper attitude, until he finally called out into the darkness.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡLc7pHBSmjo
"Anubis! I found one of your friends!" Tak announced. "It's...!" he turned towards Jin. "I didn't catch your name."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0q3FQhflK
"They call me Jin. How can you tell where we a-"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡsp2Dr4VjKp
"It's your friend, Jin!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvCJVjlNGE
Jin heard the sounds of cautiously slow footsteps that seemed to be heading towards them. He instinctively unsheathed his claws.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6ECaktszP
"Jin? You... You did survive." The voice undoubtedly belonged to the jackal corrupt.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1efFGjAZ4
"Anubis!" Relieved, Jin dashed forward, arm outstretched. Then, promptly ran into a cave wall. If he didn't know any better, he'd thought he heard a chuckle escape from his old friend.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BAClvWGiC
"I'm over here." Anubis said, manually turning Jin to face him. "Where are the others?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡluJZ7UjAnS
"If they followed my orders, at the base, waiting for us to get back." Jin turned to where he assumed Tak stood. "Would you...like to come with us? The base always has room for one more member of the team."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAUEPzl8ak
"M-Me? Really? I've never been a part of a team before!" Tak rambled on. "I've always wanted friends! I can't wait to meet them! I bet they sound just as friendly as I thought..."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaWONhjJYC
"You trust him enough to join us?" Anubis whispered to Jin.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡmk66jd0DOo
"You trust him, don't you?" Jin replied.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡweYrTN1eWb
"Yes, but you just met him."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9muXaMhTL
"But, he's harmless?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf5Zlpdm21
"He's a pacifist, yes, bu-"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzfI08w1ms
"Then, that's all I need to know! Any friend of yours is a friend of mine!" Jin said with a shrug.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVCApzKcRD
Anubis's expression was blank. "…I'd say you're much too trusting for your own good, but in this case, I suppose you're right to be."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKT3KfsXCv
"Besides..." Anubis could tell Jin had a smug grin on his face, despite his blindness. "It seems you mean a lot to him."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡYn5e55nC7K
"Oh, of course! He's the best! We're closer than the siren sisters!" Tak said, appearantly having heard the whole conversation.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kFGU5gEi7
Anubis said nothing, ignoring the warmth rising to his face. "The others are waiting." he mumbled, pushing Jin back towards where he and Tak came.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡifRcjBrMz3
"How far away is this camp of yours?" Ren asked, impatiently.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxqmMws98z
"It shouldn't be far now." Leliana replied. "It feels like we should've been there by now, though."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdUzTOFatX
Ren felt Ryn tap his armored shoulder. "What is it now?" he said, not bothering to turn and look at her.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMd9YwLpik
"Do you...remember anything about yourself?" Ryn asked.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡtASUXEqpOz
"No, and quite frankly, I still don't trust you, whether you' re telling the truth or not."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIMTiGIYQb
Neither said anything more. Before long, they reached the base, and Leliana's mouth dropped open in shock at the sight of it. In the center, where there was usually a small clearing around the camp's main fireplace, the was a dark purple vortex that seemed to be sucking in the ground like a black hole. The vortex was slowly expanding.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8X8iWF3lY
"We need to turn back!" Leliana yelled back at the siblings.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPygJwU9VJ
But, there seemed to be a gravitational force coming out of the portal. No matter how much the trio tried to fight against it, regardless of Ren trying to fly away from it or the girls attempting to cling to a tree, the pull was too strong. It all happened in a matter of seconds, Leliana and Ryn's grip loosened on their tree trunk, Ren's wings were pulled back like a hurricane wind hit them, and all three were sent spiraling down the portal.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVswOLcwJ3
"Do you have any tunnels at your base? Are there any caves near? You did say your teammates were nice, right?" Tak's relentless questioning had lasted from up on the cliff, all the way down to the tangled undergrowth of the forest itself.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFcGOuCtxY
Regardless, Jin answered his questions fully and with great care. "None other then the ones Ragnarok made as he came through. Yep, all filled to the brim with death traps. Oh sure, they'll all really nice...as long as you don't touch them, talk to them, or stand anywhere near them." Anubis subtly jabbed his elbow into Jin's stomach. The halfling laughed. "Don't worry, Tak, everything's perfectly safe the-"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVN1bwx6Gt
"Stop!" Tak suddenly yelled out.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpoiVc38JN
"What's wrong?" Anubis asked, perking his ears up to listen for possible danger.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrso7gSJKq
"Don't you feel that? The wind changed."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡIclvdx1LDI
"Is that it? I'm sure it's fine!" Jin reassured him.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡet8CL4PPcz
"No. This isn't a natural change. It's being...manipulated."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡDp05N8mGR6
"By what?" Anubis asked.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zis5w07hD
"Um...would a magic portal be enough to cause it?" Jin asked.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv6X8S1YIe
"Yes! That must be it! How did you know?" Tak asked.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlEyrsGN8y
Jin looked out at the deep purple magic pool in the distance up ahead. "Lucky guess." he said. "That thing's swallowed up half the camp!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡTg8cJdJJl0
"You don't think Lily and Ryn...?" Anubis trailed off.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡmawt8FmaE5
"Only one way to find out."copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbq3KSvqFE
Jin ran forward, not listening to Anubis frantically calling out to him to wait. He didn't stop to think, he knew enough about corrupted portals from his mother's lessons to know that if he waited too long, he might land miles away from where the others did. He didn't fight the gravitational pull, he used it to get to the portal faster. Reaching the edge, he leaped up, falling right into the middle of the swirling pool.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzV7LElvnG
Tak grabbed Anubis' arm. "You're not going to let him go through this alone, are you? Let's go!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKQ2dZHA9l
"Wait, you're going?"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzx6DhY8ID
"Well, I'm not abandoning my new friends! I'm not gonna let you abandon them either!"copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHcJOYn9tK
Tak, still holding onto Anubis, turned to look behind him, as if he could see the home he was leaving. Taking a deep breath, he turned back around and dashed towards the vortex, Anubis keeping in pace behind them as they jumped down the portal together.copyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZuG2IGJjQ
TO BE CONTINUEDcopyright protection183ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YpD42V3bE
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