Of Woods and Witches

“Finally a hunt,” I think to myself one more time, as I stride close towards the edge of the forest, some small distance from a nearby focal point of equine life. Hunting implies the possibility of failure and death, and that would be just what I would be dealing with. Except my pray would be information, a hard beast to catch, but very filling.

The Source had provided me with some information, acquired by numerous guardians over many interactions with these equines. They had some degree of intelligence, building large settlements and all, but their pursuits and goals were unknown, they had a method of communication that we have not deciphered yet, and there were some of them that possessed levels of magic comparable to fairly strong guardians. The last one might serve as some obstacle, even to a veteran guardian, should he be found out by a pack of those aliens. Thankfully, the Source also had taught me a few new tricks some guardians had passed on.

They might not necessarily be an enemy, despite using corrupted magic, and spreading taint, but the odds were low. From available information, during those rare times they entered our wilderness they caused little damage, if any, but my scouting mission was still welcome. The Source had a fairly limited knowledge of the rest of the planet. There was only so much that birds would spread, and the taint ran through and through. Even high altitudes were not safe for sending out avian scouts.

And that is where I come in. Old and strong, wise and efficient, I should be capable to penetrate quite deep into the lands of these odd equine aliens, and retain enough intelligence to acquire useful information from observations. On their home turf, with so much corruption around, I doubted if I could pose too much of a threat. Eliminating a single observer, definitely, but if a pack of them found me so far from the forest, it could very well be the end of me. Without my body to resonate magic through, I would burn up and either become corrupted, or simply cease to be rather swiftly.

Yes, I must proceed with caution. Head out after nightfall, the equines are not nocturnal, move slow and with stealth. Keep a distance from targets, and use a smaller, more dense and more agile body. Probably something from fresh, young growths. A shame to pull out a growing tree, if a youngling, but there are very few that have fallen themselves, while remaining flexible and strong.

But when you think in endless, repetitive loops based on the goings around you, well, my plan of action had not changed for quite some cycles. And the desired body had been crafted some time ago. And my plans of action for any potential engagements were as refined as they could get, it was about time to head out, so I do just that.

Courtesy of the Source and guardians, I was able to see some distinction within the darkness this time around, and leaving the softly glowing forest behind was not as huge of a contrast as it was before. Ever improving the guardians, I wondered what improvements could be given to the sight of guardians? Mayhaps vision removing any objects that had not moved, thus sent any new input? Mayhaps vision not based only on the flows of life, but some other emissions? Something based on sounds, and using frequencies that most other life forms could not detect for echolocation? Perhaps, even, something based on some bands of radiation? Then again, combining all this information into one sense would be a colossal waste, sight should be for life force, other senses could handle such inputs, if they would be used at all. Does seem like a waste of energy, though. Magic tells you all that is needed. Would an object that can act like life but not be one, be possible? If it were, no one had ever seen one.

I have made some progress, and I see some gathering of life a small distance to the north. I decide to explore it first, start with something simpler, something more influenced by the wilderness close to it.

I move silently, and slowly make progress to some sort of barrier, weak as it is. I can observe quite a few creatures, but only one alien, in its nest within the wooden construction. I wonder, could I alter my body shape enough to make them mistake me for an every day object? Such means of camouflage might enable me to move around safely during the day, when they are more active, especially if I could find a way to make my magic entirely undetectable, not that the aliens were ever quick to catch on to my presence.

Still, the only equine alien around is sound asleep, and, based on what I can make out of the ripples, not likely to wake up any time soon, its life force, tainted as it is, flowing about rather weakly. Now to give the creatures a closer inspection…

I dare not surge my magic and reach out to such tainted creatures out here, in the darkness, but mere observation should provide substantial information, so I just lock my gaze on a small pack of ones that resemble boars by their body structure. Definitely similar to boars, if lacking the fur to keep warm, the husks and great muscle mass for combat, and free will and keen senses. Must be that corrupted life really is poisonous and has no natural predators, thus enabling such reductions to weak, slow life forms. Even their fat was not packed quite as dense, providing lesser protection against impacts. Wretched abominations, when compared to mighty boars, unless they had some hidden power I could not know of from mere observation. I doubt it, though, seeing as how they both contain and emit very little magic.

I instead turn my keen gaze to a bunch of flightless birds in a small wooden construction. Might be somewhat related to the starers, having part of their body look the same minus the substantial tail. But based on what little magic they emitted, they would not be capable of such strong magic as the starers were. Also, oddly enough, the magic they emitted had quite little taint in it, much less in comparison than most of the magic that was running around me. Could these creatures be, possibly, on a path of recovery, perhaps even joining the fold in a few generations? Or is the opposite true, and this is the corrupted form of starers, losing strength and magic in order to become exiled and to avoid playing in the game of life?

It would be possible, but if it were true, there would be little hope for them. Abandoning the ways of life, throwing away any chance at growth and improvement, the very future of their species, in the name of an easier existence at the present? No wonder the corruption was so widespread out here. However, to entertain this theory, that this might be a place where some subsets of life would give up the eternal game for a tainted, peaceful, unchanging existence, I decide to look for some tracks leading to and from the forest nearby.

Much to my horror, I find a whole small path, riddled with clues to the passing by of many animals, from small rabbits, to whole bears. They do not seem to linger here, though, I can surely not see them anywhere nearby, and judging from the frequency of travel, they must still reside in the forest. Either they are very resistant to the corruption, or they are spreading it out in the wilderness, then returning for a fresh dose to spread further. Troubling news, once my scouting mission is done, I will have quite some tracking to do. Even if the creatures are tainted, an ambush would only work on a few of them, the rest would surely pick up on the danger. But that is for a later time, right now I should get back to gathering information further away from the forest, even if the softly pulsing, light border is strangely welcoming.

I decide to visit the area I had seen six of the aliens at once, the corrupted apple tree growth. It was not too far from the edge, and, while not as easy to hide in as the bushes surrounding this place, should still be sufficiently easy to hide at.

I do notice some other strange things going around, having been out here, in the darkness, for quite a while. The clouds are weird. They do move around, but very, very slowly, it appears that any cloud that leaves the forest gets rapidly slowed down. And quite a few of the clouds have been still for all the time I have been here, as if they were locked in place. I can see small traces of corruption in them, could this be the effect it takes on clouds? While there are no heavy rain clouds, and the lighter clouds could just be slowed down by some varying winds in high altitudes, the relative stillness of the sky is still unsettling. But it is not just the sky – this whole dark world is rather still. Of course, most life out here did not seem to be nocturnal, but you would expect more wind out here in the plains, some small nocturnal mammals and where were the bugs? There was hardly any non-plant life out here, at all.

And the plants were off too. They grew so uniform, so alike to each other, hardly any difference between either of them. And not just the apple trees, which might all be offspring of the same tree, and would end up quite similar, all being roughly the same age. No, it was everything, from the smallest of blades of grass, to the mightiest of the trees around, everything seemed to be bound to the stillness of it all, to the unchanging, the unvaried. The waves of life did not flow freely here, and the consequence was a still, corrupted world. Did the corruption cause the stillness or everything, or was it that everything that was still became corrupt?

I supposed it makes some sense. If nothing out here had natural predators, then everything was slow and still, no change was needed to adapt. So everything just sat, as if on the verge of getting frozen. Yet, how would it work if a pray was corrupted, and so was its predator? Would they be poisonous to each other? If they were, what would the predators eat? And if they were not, why did the cycles of life not go on here?

Thankfully, I had a way of finding out. The bugs I passed by, recently, were termites. Retract my movements, follow them, and see if they digest any corrupted timber, or if they would prefer the pure one making up my bulk.

As I get to doing just that, it comes as an unpleasant surprise that they are heading towards the wilderness, most likely where their nest is. Or, to feed. And they appear to be uninterested in my being. A bit odd for them to venture so far away from their nest, if it is indeed located in the wilderness, but not impossible. Still, it looks like they are not going to provide the answer I am looking for. No matter. Plenty of other questions to find answers to, and I was not expected to do anything more than some rudimentary scouting right now.

As I stroll around the orchard, I sense that one of the aliens is heading in my general direction. Most probably for something not related to me, the odds of it spotting me, not reacting to it in any noticeable way and still coming towards me are very slim. The sun is slowly rising over the horizon, not that it helps alleviate the darkness of this corrupt world. But it does mean that the equines are going to start becoming active. Still, I was at this area once before, and was easily able to beat pursuers to the forest, and now I am much, much more prepared for a speedy getaway. I try my best to blend in with my surroundings, as I observe the alien.

It is clearly one of the six I saw here previously. Not too unexpected, many animals prefer to stick to the same area. She has no wings and no horn, however, her build seems to contain quite a bit of corruption, way more than the one I chased out of the forest. Not anywhere near the other one like her, in the group of six, though. No wings probably meant that she would channel the magic through her whole body, that was how it seemed to work based on my extremely brief observation of them previously.

I observe as it drops by some wooden constructs right next to a tree. I wonder, would I see it gathering some timber? Pretty much every object any of them used had either lumber or plant fiber in it. It most certainly is about to perform some feat, judging from the amount of magic it is channeling up from the ground and into herself. Just as I guess what it is going to do with it, it delivers a strong kick to the nearest apple tree. And, to my horror, I see the poor tree become riddled with corruption, as it flows through and up, shaking the whole tree as it courses. All that finally detaches quite a few apples and most of the corruption flows out of the abused tree, into the surroundings. That poor tree…

However, it does not appear to be done. The alien moves by to another tree, and I observe again, as the process repeats. Yet, I catch something that I did not notice before. As it releases the magic it has built up, the corruption does not come purely from her. The tree actually appears to create some out of its own magic, just as the kick connects, spreading up and out, and making some apples fall down.

It appears to be moving by to yet another victim, but I have seen enough, and slowly crawl away. This is disturbing; to say the least, but at least some questions were answered. First of all, it is quite clear that corrupted beings can consume corruption, clearly, otherwise this collection of apples would not make sense. Still, observing consumption of these apples would be preferable for certainty. Secondly, and most importantly, these creatures could make other life forms create corruption on command. Mayhaps even without a command, passively. It was entirely possible that they did not know what they are doing and were themselves victims of corruption. Perhaps they were not this way originally, accidentally corrupted their environment long ago, and were consumed by it, spreading the cycle ever since? However, if they were aware of their actions, and using their magic to collect food was a very plausible indicator of that, since it was unlikely for them to notice the corruption they are causing, then it was only a matter of time until they decided to spread their taint in our home, intentionally, and on a wide scale.

This was unsettling news of the most urgent caliber, and I will have to relay this to the Source. The only question now is, should I return, or continue my scouting trip? While it is of the utmost important that this information be relayed, and new scouting trips will follow when I am done, is any new information worth the risk?

After all, we do not invade lands, and we do not have to spread life, it spreads itself. The Source will most definitely not attack and destroy, merely reinforce the edges of the forest, perhaps help purge some small doses of corruption. Even if the information I have gathered is incomplete, and these creatures I have observed are just freaks and exceptions from the norm, or misguided, and their whole species does not spread the corruption on purpose... Even if that were so, no evil would come of it. At most a casualty or several from either side, as our scouts either die, or have to inflict some damage as they are found and engage in combat.

However, should anything, anything at all, stop me from relaying this information as fast as possible, the Source might not be aware of the severe threat residing right outside the forest. The threat that could, perhaps, mean the corrupted end of all life.

Fear. That must be the emotion I am feeling now. The first time a mighty guardian has felt fear in a long time. If ever. But, no matter how brave anyone is, failing those that depend on you is a fear that must be. Anxious, I double my attention to my surroundings, should any huge monster of corrupted magic attempt to thwart me and endanger the information I have acquired. I had not thought to view this land as it was – an inhospitable, deadly hive, ready to work to extinguish the the life that was blooming near it.

I waste not a second, I start speeding at the maximum speed towards the edge of the forest, on a straight path to the Source. The alien notices me, but nothing it could do could even slow me down. Right now, nothing could, my goals are blindingly clear as I charge at an insane speed. I only need to have enough of me left to bring the message to the Source, no need to keep my body together for any longer than that. No need to renew my energies before reaching the Source. Not even life, unfortunate enough to be in my path, must slow me down. It would turn into some other source of life eventually at any rate, and I am protecting all of it.

In no time at all I am back into the forest, charging towards the source, creating humongous connotation. Though most things can pick up on the intense ripples of life force I am radiating, and get out of my way in time.

I make no worry on the balance of life, taking in colossal amounts of life force, to continue my charge. I can feel a few guardians, here and there, paying attention to my charge, but no one intervenes. One would have to wonder, though, am I tainted now, and is my choice to get to the Source as fast as possible a way for the corruption to strike?

My decision made, I slow my charge, and call out for the closest guardians. They arrive quickly, no doubt, sensing the urgency of my plead.

“I have urgent news for the Source. Check me for corruption thoroughly, and then escort me,” I almost scream out. Time is of the utmost essence, even if there was supposed to be nothing in the forest that could cause a guardian any real harm. Failure, I wonder if we, guardians, are hard wired to feel such a fear for it, or if it was something I have acquired? It would make sense to create us extremely responsible, however.

I once again feel the surge of their magic, as they examine me through and through, but their answer does ease me a bit, as one of them exclaims, “You are still pure, if somewhat drained. We will escort you to the Source, at a slower pace. Urgency should not cause as much damage as you did. The trail behind you is wide with needless destruction.”

Still, as we start moving, our pace is significant, if not fast enough to cause such an uproar in life. We make no small talk, spending our energy to move forward and scan our surroundings. Some of the fellow guardians do beef their forms up a bit, as we move closer towards the Source, more life force being readily available for us.

As I stride in the extreme safety of the woods, protected by guardians, I wonder. Why did I not start to move towards the Source the exact second I acquired information of such importance? Could it be that I was close to falling victim to the corruption, feeling the need to stick around in the darkness? Perhaps my doubts were the point of no return? If I had chosen to explore the corruption further, at the potential cost of all life, would I merely be an inadequate guardian, or well on my way to becoming a corrupted one?

I wonder, if there was a corrupted guardian out there, feeding from tainted magic, composing its body from corrupted material, working to subdue all life? Some ungodly parody of the guardians?

I try to refocus my thoughts on the sights I had gathered out there, in the darkness, as we cross a river. My pondering must be nothing compared to the incredible mental ability of the Source, while the information I had acquired would be everything.

I suppose it was about time we met. Most guardians were created, fulfilled their duties for a few moon cycles and then returned. That enriched the Source a bit, and made way for a new wave. Some left to the edges and managed to either whittle away, or just whittle down to the level of a primitive golem. Barely moving and slowly rotting away, weak and frail. The ones of us that survived for far longer were rare. Some came back to the source merely to talk, perhaps receive a few new and improved threads to help them on their way. Others came back for good, to give away anything they had acquired in their life to the Source. Some, the Source offered to stick around as a personal guard, if they did not want to roam the woods anymore.

Yes, mere talking would not do. I would have to leave everything behind and be absolved in the Source, so that it may work freely with what I had seen. It will be a shame to end, to never see any new life be formed, to never again feel a termite claim a piece of me, to never give chase again. But I have a sacred duty to protect the wilderness, and this is the way to do it.

“I will rejoin the Source, my friends, will any of you?” I ask my companions.

Most of them reply negatively, only one of my companions will be joining the Source this trip. Could this be fear that I feel once again, this time of death?

Nonsense, a guardian does not fear death. We guard life. And every death is a birth of new life. And no death can cause more life than any that strengthens the Source.

We are nearing now, I sense a humongous guardian nearby, one of the elite guard. It was huge when I was created, and has not grown smaller in these past seasons. It does not bar our way, and I feel easier, there is no way something so strong and keen would let the slightest sliver of corruption anywhere near the Source. Must be that the fears I feel are caused by the unique information I possess. No reason to fear, though, the Source will deal with the aftermath, if not, then life will, eventually. As it always has.

At last, we arrive. Deep in the heart of the forest, a swirling cloud of life, the Source. My guardian escort stands by, not intending to go any closer until after I am done, even the one who planned on rejoining the Source.

“You are back early,” a beautiful voice sings in my mind, “but we see that you are deeply troubled by what you know. You did wise to bring any concerns to us.”

I slowly step forward, leaving my body behind. Near ripples of this size and magnitude, it will make a wonderful home for lots life very soon. I step into the calm, glimmering life…And this is the end.

“I did not do too bad,” is my last thought.