Teija & Nauraa

All around her, the land is dark, sinister, and misty, as if a foreign shadow has fallen and embraced the murky undergrowth. Just a few days ago, this place was still bucolic: shrews darted through tall grass, insects buzzed above the tranquil waters of the ponds... Teija kneels down and carefully picks up the small shape slumped in the nauseating mud. She suddenly exhales, her eyes half-closed. Beyond the senses, beyond her perception, she feels the veins of the Skein, the great tapestry that binds all things together, unfurl. Within this grand canvas, this immense and infinite network, the aura of the small animal she infuses with her own energy shines and pulses weakly. The little bird flutters in the palm of her hands, exhausted, its tiny heart pounding hard to cling to life, and she helps it with all her strength, with all her soul…

Suddenly, the bird regains its composure and straightens up, ruffling its feathers, flapping its wings. Teija sighs with relief. If it has to get used to its new colors and the small chitinous protrusions that have covered part of its plumage, it will live another day. Like this little bird, the fauna and flora of the Kiragata Marshes have been struck head-on by the dark effluvia of the Fagn, and there is still so much to do to save what can still be saved. After stroking the bird, she leaves it on a dead and disfigured tree branch. Then she climbs onto the back of Nauraa, the giant fox that serves as her companion, and incidentally as her mount. He too seems a bit agitated as they delve into the altered landscapes, shivering with each step under his fur.

The landscape has been so upheaved that she doesn't recognize anything. Where just a few days ago, there was nothing but orange grass as far as the eye could see and pastoral ponds, gigantic corals have sprung from the earth, illuminating the heather with a reddish glow. Where thorny trees once reached for the sky, strange structures stretch in their place, shaped like the motionless waves of a petrified swell. There's also this smell of carrion lingering in the air. Many animals must have fled to neighboring ecosystems, and those who didn't must have perished, devoured by the corrupted peat... or worse, been contaminated by the Fagn until they became unrecognizable. Teija feels a twinge of bitterness rising within her. There is still so much to do here. And yet, in a few months, she will have to leave for the Terra Incognita with the other Exalts…

Of course, other Muna will stay here to try to stem the expansion of the Fagn. Bravos reinforcements have come to support her Faction in protecting the communities living nearby, and powerful Yzmir have arrived to curb the magical threat looming over these places... But this forced departure leaves her with a sense of unfinished business, almost of abandonment. Over the years, many sentient species have come to rely on her to defend and rescue them... Would leaving not be betraying them? But deep down, she knows that the solution is not here. Despite their efforts, the plague is gaining ground, unstoppable, inevitable. Perhaps their wanderings will help them find a cure?

Nauraa suddenly whimpers, and Teija quickly puts her thoughts aside. If her Alter Ego is a scaredy-cat combined with a notorious lazybones, his sense of smell is unparalleled when it comes to detecting danger. And since the Musubi ceremony, their senses are even more in sync than before. She can feel it in the air, something is lurking nearby, something that doesn't belong in these parts. The smell is unfamiliar. It's not friendly. On high alert, she scans the surroundings, peering beyond the coral branches, trying to ignore their crimson glow. She sniffs the air like a beast, listens for any suspicious sound... Nauraa's voice thunders in her head: "We are not alone."

The silence is deafening, the air saturated with humidity suddenly cools down. She suddenly catches sight of it from the corner of her eye, a black streak zigzagging between the scarlet reefs. Teija suddenly leaps to the ground as Nauraa crouches and growls in intimidation. His fur is bristled, his mouth bares his sharp teeth. Moving away from her Alter Ego to be able to flank the intruder, the Alterer transforms the ground to make it less muddy, easier to tread. Her ivory blade gleaming, she waits for their assailant to rush towards her. Her feet anchor into the ground as she prepares to absorb the charge, her eyes narrowing in the face of danger. She sees it clearly now, leaving a moist and smoky cloud in its wake.

The black Chimera howls, hysterical and frantic. It writhes, as if in unspeakable agony. When beings and things are corrupted by the Fagn, they start to exhibit harmful mutations. As if the Fagn were a Tumult singularity vomiting only negative and corrupted ideas. First and foremost, she needs to calm it down. She studies it carefully as the abomination stares back at her. Its snake tail, panther torso, badger head... Its jet-black scales quiver and bristle with each breath, its bulging muscles ripple beneath its fur... Its paws look powerful, ready to shred anything that comes near. Teija knows in advance, it will be agile and sinuous. Its tail suddenly coils, preparing to…

Teija leaps to the side, dodging the creature's lunge. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the monster's claws cleave through the air where she stood just a fraction of a second ago. By invoking the Skein, she observes the monster as she rolls to the side, detecting all the intangible ideas that plague it: here, the idea of "pain", there, that of "destruction". The terms "impulse", "acid", "sweat", and "wax" have also attached themselves to its tail. That's why the creature's appendage oozes and leaves behind a trail of viscous and smoking liquid, and its scales rise and fall to exude a sort of sizzling pus…

The Chimera launches itself toward the giant fox, offering Teija the opening she has been waiting for. She doesn't hesitate, and leaps toward the monster in turn. With her blade, she prunes two other ideas carried by the beast: on one side, the "acid" concept she managed to isolate within her opponent, and on the other, the manifest "gigantism" with which the creature is endowed. She unfortunately doesn't have time to be creative, and releases these two aspects into nature. The first one grafts onto an expansive coral, transforming it into a mass of suppurating polyps, and the other lands inadvertently on Nauraa, causing him to suddenly take on totally incommensurable proportions.

After pirouetting on the sandy ground, Teija, her eyes wide, watches her fox become as tall as a village steeple. That wasn't in the plan. Nauraa shakes his paw in panic, seeing the Chimera clinging like a tick to his fur. But the monster's sharp claws haven't managed to pierce through the thick red hairs of her Alter Ego. Feeling a bit reassured, Nauraa lays the creature on the ground, almost tenderly, before straightening up and making the ground tremble with all his weight. Carefully, Teija approaches the monster, which has become smaller, and she shears off the ideas of "pain" and "destruction" that plague it. She absorbs the first one, gritting her teeth, and stores the second one in her flask to release later, in a safe environment.

Teija pants, feeling the pain that afflicts the Chimera. No wonder it was aggressive. She'll have to dissipate this lingering pain later, when she's safely within a Faction enclave. She approaches the altered creature, which barks and yelps at her, still wary. But all combativeness seems to have left it. She places a hand on its fur, and strokes it calmly. The Chimera licks her hand in return, playfully nibbling it. The druidess ruffles its fur one last time before releasing it into the wild, watching its silhouette disappear sheepishly behind a rock, without looking back.

There will be others, of course. Other beings affected by the Fagn, other animal or plant forms to be calmed... The dark marsh transforms creatures into its emissaries, sowing ruin and destruction in the vicinity. It will probably be worse within the Tumult reaches, where it has been left free to act, without the influence of humans to diminish it. Teija stretches, still feeling the lingering pain plaguing her being. Perhaps she'll bathe in the hot springs tonight, to chase away the aches and pains of the journey. She lets her mind wander for a few moments, massaging her sore shoulder.

Now it's Nauraa's turn to lean toward her. His gigantic eyes gaze at her, shining with a golden gleam. She sheaths her weapon, unfazed by his disproportionate size. She could lie down and take a nap on his snout at this point. The fox looks at her eagerly. She knows what he wants, and begins to rummage through her bag. Nauraa and she have well earned a brief interlude before continuing their journey. And whatever happens, she will have to settle this issue of "gigantism" before they leave again. Turning to Nauraa, she sees her Alter Ego watching her eagerly, waiting for his customary treat. But with this size, he will never settle for such a small snack...