The next day started oddly. For some reason, shortly after breakfast, Galiena took Minerva aside and brought her back in a maid outfit. Everyone expressed their confusion, of course, and it seemed that Galiena had given maid training as a condition for tutoring Minerva in other areas. Maia wasn’t sure how to feel about Galiena sort of strongarming Minerva into the profession, but Minerva had claimed it was similar to “knights and squires”, whatever that meant.
In the end, Maia had decided that as long as Minerva had no problems with it, then she shouldn’t interfere. She just needed to keep an eye on things and make sure they weren’t getting out of hand. Whatever the case, they were soon in the carriage and on their way eastwards.
And, she wasn’t sure what it was, but the carriage ride felt more…relaxing than normal, like it was going through familiar territory. Perhaps it was just that they had entered a more wooded area compared to the plains they had been traveling through on the way here?
That all ended the moment they came out of the woods, and the cart stopped. “Um…we have a problem.” Amy said, poking her head into the back of the carriage. “There are mountains directly ahead of us and to our right, but those should be in the northwest, while according to our compass we’ve been heading northeast.”
“Hold on,” Sylvie said, dropping down from on top of the carriage and rummaging around in her pockets, “I’ve got a compass too.” She pulled it out, frowning as she looked at it. “Yeah, it says we’re going northeast.”
Maia frowned. Now that she was focusing more, there was a sort of heaviness to the air that she hadn’t really noticed. “Does anyone else feel that?” She asked. “That heaviness in the air?”
“Feel what?” Lily asked.
“Now that you mention it, something about this place feels oddly familiar, but I can’t put my finger on what.” Elise mused.
“Definitely.” Violet confirmed. “Like a sort of comforting weight, like being under a blanket.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sylvie said.
“Yeah, are you guys okay?” Minerva added.
“No, I feel it too.” Steph said. “They’re right.”
“Absolutely right.” Emily confirmed.
And then everything slotted into place. “Oh.” Maia said.
“Oh?” Amy prompted.
“It feels like the Deepwood.” Maia said. And, as she did, understanding dawned on the faces of Amy and those who had lived in the village, while the rest, save Galiena, seemed even more confused.
“That makes no sense.” Minerva pointed out. “I mean, yes, it would explain why only some of you seem to feel it, but are we sure this isn’t just you feeling things that aren’t there? Yes, we’re in the woods, but we’re nowhere near the Deepwood. Its effects don’t reach more than a mile outside of it and we don’t have anything like that here, so it can’t be that.”
“That’s close to the distance our village is from the Deepwood.” Emily said. “I think I understand what’s happening, even if I don’t understand why.”
“I’m lost.” Sylvie said. “Obviously something weird is going on, but I can’t make sense of it.”
“There’s a reason no one in our village has a compass.” Maia said. “They don’t work right in the Deepwood; they point at random, often dangerous places. In fact, they’re often actively detrimental in there. In the Deepwood, you navigate via the sun and stars, and even that isn’t foolproof.”
“That still doesn’t explain why this is happening now.” Amy pointed out.
“We will have a fight on our hands soon.” Galiena said. “Please prepare yourselves, everyone.”
“What?!” Minerva exclaimed. “How do you know? And if you do know, why can’t we just go around it?”
“That would only delay the inevitable.” Galiena said. “Our best course of action would be to head east and avoid going further north or northeast, as those locations will likely be trapped. We will still have a fight regardless, but we will at least deny our enemy their fortifications. We will course correct properly after the fight is over.”
“Isn’t east the way we need to be going?” Sylvie pointed out. “Wouldn’t they place a trap there?”
“I do not believe they will have expected us to recognize what is happening, given that this is your first time experiencing it.” Galiena said. “It is more likely you would have assumed the maps we have seen don’t properly represent where the mountains are. After all, compasses are usually more accurate in wayfinding than maps.”
“I’ll change course, but how do you know there’s a fight up ahead?” Amy asked, beginning the process of turning the carriage.
“It is a classic setup, one I have seen many times. A group is waylaid or sidetracked, then led straight into an ambush. Our opponent does not go to such lengths simply to delay us. That is not how they operate.”
“Right. Well, I’m going to get back to keeping watch.” Sylvie said. “Stay on your toes, I guess.”
They got moving, and a tense hour later, Sylvie signaled for the cart to stop. “We’ve got a problem. I’m seeing all sorts of carts and barricades up ahead, and they’re significantly better than the crude ones I attacked you with. They seem to be barring the only pass for miles.”
For the first time since Maia had met her, shock flashed across Galiena’s face. “My apologies.” She said. “It would seem that my suggestion was anticipated.”
“I’m sure that, given a couple of visions like the one I received, it’s not too out of the question.” Lily said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“It has only been a week or so, if things were as they were before, then we should be safe from visions for another month.” Galiena said.
“So…do we turn around and go a different way or do we try to bulldoze through?” Sylvie asked. “I’m assuming abandoning all our goods here and packing up the carriage to ford the river and cross the mountains isn’t an option.”
“If we keep taking detours, we’ll never get anywhere.” Maia said. “Everyone gear up, we’re going in.”
“I’m going to try and stay out of this one as much as I can, okay? I’ll just keep watch with the cart and shout if I’m attacked.” Amy said.
“We will likely not need to worry about that.” Galiena said. “Their focus will be on us, the actual combatants. But…please stay somewhat close; I was wrong before, I might well be wrong again.”
The enemy was still about a mile away, so they stayed in the carriage for a while longer before getting out of it just out of range of enemy archers. And, as they did, Minerva let out a gasp. “Is that…Alexios?!” She said, pointing at a man standing at the front of the battlefield, standing between two sturdy-looking earthen walls on the only piece of land between two small moats. “That’s his gear, but his hair, his body… it’s all…wrong! And is that a blindfold?!”
Maia focused on the man, and though she hadn’t been paying too much attention to him in the heat of battle, she could tell that he was markedly different; for one, his hair had turned a bright white, and he moved both of his arms freely, compared to the single one he had used in the city. And, as Minerva had pointed out, he was indeed wearing a blindfold for some reason.
“He was a good man, then.” Galiena said. “I imagine the blindfold is because his Corruption made his vision so sharp that he needs it not to be overwhelmed. Regardless, it won’t impact his fighting ability.”
“Wait a second, I think I see Bernard and Anya in the back.” Sylvie said, squinting. “Anya looks the same, but Bernard has definitely gotten some sort of upgrade. No cosmetic flaws, though, so…either he’s not Corrupted or I was exactly right in my judgement of his character. I assume it’s the latter.”
A few moments after Sylvie said that, Maia caught sight of a few people on broomsticks flying away from the rest, heading eastwards. “They…left?” Maia said, frowning. “Why?”
“Hard to say.” Sylvie said. “She was talking with Bernard –”
Their conversation was cut short by a boom as Alexios slammed his shield into the ground and yelled, voice amplified far beyond what a normal yell would be. “I see you finally made it here.” He said. “I was unprepared before, but this time I have been empowered by the goddesses themselves! I won’t fail again!”
“Those should be heroic words, coming from a man like him.” Minerva said sadly. “But…they simply feel deluded now. We can…we can cure him this time, right?”
“Yes.” Galiena said. “We can and we will.”
“Galiena’s right.” Maia said. “We don’t have much more time to talk, let’s move. I’ll try and pepper him with magic from range, Sylvie, do you think you can pick off the people in those watch towers?
“No problem.” Sylvie said, flexing her wings. “Tell me when.”
“Galiena, do you think you can take Alexios out while I’m keeping him distracted?” Maia asked.
“I am unsure.” Galiena said. “I was not able to get a good feel for his true skill level during our short duel. Backup from Emily and Elise would be welcome.”
“Got it.” Emily said, hefting her axe. “You want me up front taking most of his blows?”
“While you are sturdier than I, I would not recommend taking any blows. Strikes from the Corrupted do not care if you are an elemental, remember?”
“Ah, right.” Emily replied. “Well, I can draw fire from the archers at least.”
“And I’ll hit him hard whenever there’s an opening.” Elise said.
“Right. Steph, Lily, Minerva, protect us from the archers Sylvie hasn’t reached yet, Violet, if you can strike a devastating blow, do it.” Maia said. “Let’s go. Sylvie, if you’re getting overwhelmed, meet back with us.”
With that, they began. As soon as she was able, Maia began to hurl wind magic at Alexios, and he calmly blocked each spell with a shield before swinging his sword and sending a beam of energy out towards Maia. She dodged out of the way and kept up her assault, switching to the spell the goddesses gave her when she was close enough.
That had a noticeable impact on him; even though he blocked the individual blasts with his shield, holy fire spread from the shield and to him, burning brightly before being eaten away by an aura of darkness that emanated from Alexios.
Alexios’s face remained stoic as Galiena bore down on him. “You may have bested me before, but I’m wise to your tricks now!” He proclaimed, hefting his sword. “Today is the day you die, beast!”
“It has been a long time since I last heard that line.” Galiena said calmly. “Do not think this will end like it did last time; we are not letting you go today.” The moment Maia’s next spell hit his shield, she hurled a dagger up at his face before rushing in close.
Alexios moved to block her, turning to expose less of himself, but was interrupted by Violet suddenly darting out from behind Galiena, ducking underneath the quick slash he aimed at her before slashing at his legs and retreating.
Though Maia couldn’t see whether or not the blow had actually cut anything, she could see him wobble momentarily, an opening that she, Emily, and Elise all used to hit him with an attack. He fell, and, seeing that, Maia sprinted towards him, only to be forced to parry a beam of darkness from above as Bernard swooped down at them,
“You dropped this!” He called out gleefully, his wyvern tossing a struggling Sylvie down at them. She only barely managed to push herself into the moat instead of the ground, and there was a huge splash as she fell in. “Not so tough when you’re against someone blessed by the goddesses, aren’t you?” He sneered. “Why, I bet – hey!”
He let out a shout of surprise as Maia hit his wyvern with a wind spell, sending it, too, plummeting down towards the ground below. With him temporarily distracted, Maia finished her run towards Alexios, who was struggling under the grip of both Emily and Elise.
She reached down to start the cure, but Galiena stopped her. “Queen Maia, the Corrupted aren’t cured so easily, remember!” She cried. “Just knock him out!”
Maia nodded, forming her spear and hitting Alexios’s head with the butt of it until he finally stopped resisting. “Start mopping up the soldiers inside.” She ordered. “I’m going to deal with Bernard.”
She whirled in time to see Bernard’s wyvern on the ground a few yards away, Bernard struggling out from under it. “I thought you were about honor!” He sneered. “Where’s the honor in cutting me off mid-sentence?!”
“Honor has its place, but not at the cost of a soldier’s life.” Sylvie replied, stabbing out from behind him with her sword.
“You’re still –”
He was cut off yet again as Maia took advantage of his distraction to hit him with her magic, the impact site sizzling but not erupting in holy fire like Alexios had. Perhaps he wasn’t as Corrupted as Alexios had been? It would make sense; before being Corrupted, he was a far less powerful individual than Alexios had been.
He didn’t stand much of a chance against both Maia and Sylvie. He tried sending beams of darkness at them, but having to focus on both his front and back left his aim poor, and he didn’t seem to have anywhere near the vitality Alexios had had, falling after only a single strike to the head.
“Are you alright, Sylvie?” Maia asked, immediately beginning to heal her.
“Fine, my pride’s just a little bruised. “Sylvie said. “He caught me from above when I was flying out of one of the watch towers. Fortunately, he’s too much of an idiot to think to properly finish me off. He just assumed dropping me would work. Really can’t say why he was picked to be Corrupted, but it works out better for us, I guess.”
Maia finished her healing, and gave Sylvie a nod. “It should just be the normal people left, now.” She said. “Can you cover me while I cure Alexios? I don’t want him waking up again and this might take a couple of minutes.”
“No problem.” Sylvie said. “Let’s go.”