Colin's posts

Adym thought for a moment.

"I..." he stammered.

"I want so desperately to go to the city... my home..." he admitted.

"But I don't know if I could bear to see it in pain..." he admitted further.

"I just... I want to help it." he said.

"Maybe that's best done by going right to the shrine." he went on.

"...unless we need to stock up." he suddenly added at the end, thinking about it.

Again, Adym was silent.

And Callie could see the almost-despair in his eyes.

"....no..." he whispered.

"This... that... no..." he repeated.

He then sighed deeply.

"Such... senseless loss..." he said quietly.

"I... I can't let any more happen." he added, a quiet conviction to his tone.

"...so they guardian isn't dead." Adym muttered.

"But it's not performing its duties." he went on.

He then paused and thought about it... before freezing.

"....oh no..." he whispered.

"That... that means... there's a strong chance that the guardian is corrupted as well." he realised.

"And if that's true, we need to act even sooner than I had originally thought."

"..........." Adym was silent for a moment.

"Ah..." he stammered.

"Yes." he said.

"Yes, a cycle IS a month." he told Callie.

"I... how did you...?" he started to ask, before pausing.

'How did she know that?' he asked himself.

'Is... is she remembering?' he wondered.

'Was whatever Vyran did... incomplete...?' he asked himself further, again, within his head.

Adym was silent for a split-second, and nodded.

"Of course." he replied.

He then looked to their new guide.

"We're going to see if we can't help." he told them.

"...after all, I have a duty to." he went on.

"This is my home, and... well... you know what I am." he continued.

"I am practically duty-bound to do something about this." he reasoned.

"....and we know that this is just the start. I need to try and cut this off right here and now."

Adym just looked at her, stunned for a moment, before smiling.

"Heh." he chuckled.

"Yeah." he said.

"I like that attitude." he told her.

"And the more help we have, the better." he continued.

"Thank you." he then said.

"This... means a lot to me."

Adym's expression sank.

"...the shrine..." he whispered.

"Oh, no..." he said further.

"What?" Callie asked.

"That shrine is... it's what keeps the forest alive and thriving." Adym responded.

"And it's also what keeps my home prosperous and lively." he went on.

"If it's corrupted, it means the death of the forest... and all that dwell within it."

Adym just sighed.

"As I said, the Seer in the town told me I needed to return." he told her.

"Well... her assistant did, but the message came from the woman, herself." he clarified.

"Specifically, I was told to 'return home'." he clarified.

"And Callie's here because... well... she's in an unfamiliar world, and I'm the only one she knows here, essentially." he continued.

"Leaving her alone would surely be bad." he finished.

He then gave the woman a look that said 'I'll explain later'.

Adym was silent as he saw this.

'Eh?' he thought.

'The hip? Not the torso?' he wondered.

He then shook his head and brought himself back to reality.

"Yes, thank you." he echoed.

"I get the distinct feeling that we're not safe here at all." he went on.

"Been feeling it since we first stepped into the forest." he mumbled.

"It will be good." Adym responded.

"I know her. She's trustworthy." he went on.

"I promise." he said further.

"And yeah, let's go." he finished.

With that, the two of them packed up, and they left the cabin.

"Hey." Adym said.

"We're ready to go."

"Please don't bring that up!" Adym called to the woman, before looking back towards Callie, just as she stirred. The girl was overwhelmed as is, she didn't need something like THIS compounding upon it.

"....I'll explain fully, later." Adym said.

"Short answer? We're not safe here." he told her.

"But someone came to help us." he went on.

"Someone from my home." he continued.

"She'll show us the way." he told her further.

"So we should go." he said.

"She's waiting outside for us." he finished.

Meanwhile, internally, her 'thought she was dead' comment was racing through his head. Was that a belief that was widely held?

"..........." Adym was silent, before sighing.

"Good." he said.

"She doesn't appear harmed." he commented.

"....anyway..." he then mumbled, making his way over.

"Callie?" he said, gently nudging her.

"Callie, we gotta go." he said further.

"Please, wake up."

Adym was stunned for a moment.

"...corruption..." he said quietly.

"So it IS his influence..." he realised, before shaking his head slightly.

He then got up and looked at the female that had saved him, before his eyes shot open wide.

"Callie!" he exclaimed.

"I need to make sure SHE'S all right!" he told her.

"They might be going after her right now as well!"

"....." Adym was silent for a moment, before looking at the female.

"I..." he stammered.

"I did." he said.

"But... but I needed to come back." he went on.

"The Seer told me I needed to." he continued.

He then paused for a moment, and looked around the room.

"...wait..." he said.

"Those shadows that dispersed..." he went on, trying to piece things together.