14 Sanity's Parasite

The morning after the orc raid, things were slow to get moving. While some of the others goofed about, others were very begrudgingly getting the easy work done.

Timbur sighed, "Are you even listening?"

Leiytning didn't respond, but Timbur kept following him anyways.

They were in a strange but well-recognized place. A small storm-eye that existed within one of the rooms of the fortress. The walls, roof, and floor seemed to be made of dark static clouds, despite being firm. Every fifteen feet or so, the statuette of a guard-like wolf stood on a stone plinth. After all, these beasts were sacred to the Zyrean tribe.

Timbur arched one brow. "Are you ignoring me on purpose?"

"Apologies, I'm just thinking," Leiytning responded. "What are you so worried about?"

"The current problem at hand," said Timbur. "It's been a few days since we first acknowledged that we were getting attacked more often, sometimes under weird or nearly impossible circumstances. With the dragon, it's starting to get worse, and everybody's losing their patience."

"I suppose," Leiytning agreed.

The hallway ended with a black door. In a flash of dark aura, a key appeared in Leiytning's hand, and he opened it. Timbur followed him inside, saddened by the sight of Thundur's unconscious body, resting in the bed. Leiytning set his prosthetic hand on the worktable, since it had been slightly damaged in the battle.

"Don't focus on possibilities," said Leiytning. "Focus on what we know."

"I think that's half of the problem," Timbur insisted. "We don't know enough."

"We don't know much," Leiytning replied. "However, we know enough to point us in the right direction. For now, I'm sorry to say there's actually little we can do. There are several moving parts, as things get progressively worse."

"You can say that again," Timbur muttered.

"The increase in mutants was the first," said Leiytning. "As well as the corrupt gods that cause it. Not long ago, a starter tribe would evolve, then likely die out before they were noticed. Now, every starter tribe and vulnerable splinter group will finish the first step, only to turn into monsters. Then, not long after that was brought to our attention, Corelia started acting like an idiot."

"Hey, it wasn't just that," Timbur argued. "We have Kita to thank for half that mess."

"Another interesting component, I admit," said Leiytning. "However, as long as she's on the right side, she's not a pressing issue."

Timbur's ear twitched, but he didn't respond.

"Now, we have the rampaging beasts," Leiytning continued. "The string of problems is continuing, and the previous ones aren't getting solved. They actually seem to be getting worse, and what's more irritating than that is the fact that none of these have a solution. Even if there is a solution, I'm willing to bet it's beyond us."

Timbur crossed his arms. "Can we not do anything? This is ridiculous; it's frustrating enough being restrained, but being uninformed on top of it? There has to be something behind this, so what?!"

"There is no effect without a cause," Leiytning agreed. "Even if it's a dumb one. As I said, our answers are limited, but we know enough to point us in the right direction. We can't predict mutants or beasts, but we can track Aubades, and as well as other people."

"Is this about the Storm Gargoyles?" Asked Timbur. "I thought you took care of that."

"It's not just them," Leiytning explained. "I've heard several rumors about a couple of tribes changing their behavior in unnatural circumstances. Shutting themselves away, or trying to drive out beings that had no influence on them. One of these unusual things was reported to me, from a ghoulish messenger. He reported to me that the Equus Ghouls, an unadvanced people, had used powerful weaponry and armor to attack the Leo Ghouls. Thankfully, they were successful in defending, and found something interesting. It was revealed that these much more advanced resources were not built by them, nor were they stolen. They were distributed."

Timbur looked confused. "You're losing me."

"Simple," Leiytning responded. "Is it not convenient that Xarin was caught trading with the Aubades, primarily to attack us, and now we're hearing similar issues about other tribes? A band of harpies, primarily, but some others as well. One of those rumors came directly from the informants' report. One of them said, during a trade at the border, harpies were mentioned."

Timbur laughed, "You miss no details, do you? Even I forgot about that."

Leiytning continued, "Corelia needs something, and it looks like she can't get it herself. Xarin was primarily trading magic resources, which also lines up. Sylphs have little-to-no access to magic, so they need all the help they can get. Corelia seemingly disregarded that, using the bare minimum and hoping that her warriors would be strong enough to destroy us. Now she knows it takes more than that. We heard it from her, and the evidence is laying comatose behind you."

"Unfortunately," Timbur murmured.

"How do you get materials?" Asked Leiytning. "Trading. Corelia finds a small, isolated, easily influenced tribe to give her magic resources. She gives them meager things in turn. Among them may be weapons, that could be directly or indirectly distributed to tribes such as the Equus Ghouls. The timeline also makes sense. She had one major victory against an enemy as old as Thundur. She's probably feeling very bold, right now."

"I see," Timbur replied. "The behavior you described, from the other tribes, also sounds defensive. That could be because of the mutants, but maybe it's because an enemy got some new toys."

Leiytning nodded. "Needless to say, it's not helping. Corelia is in charge of the largest, most powerful, most advanced land in the entire Northern Territories. Every move she makes is bound to have repercussions, and it's more likely to affect others than her."

"What about the beasts?" Asked Timbur.

"It could have to do with this," Leiytning concurred. "A multitude of things could shift beasts, including the increased hostility between people, or the increased harvesting and hunting this trade circle may cause. Hell, that's another thing mutants could be linked to."

Timbur sighed, rubbing his temples. "This is insane. Everything's going to hell, and we're stuck in the middle of it, with nothing to do."

"I wouldn't say it's reached the point of insanity yet," Leiytning replied. "Keep your patience. I know you have trouble with that, but it'll do better than you think."

Timbur looked down. "You get the final word, obviously, but what do you expect me to do about this? If I see another thing that falls into this category, should I investigate it, or do you want me to just tell you and be done?"

"My priority is not solving this fucked up world's problems," said Leiytning. "My priority is keeping us alive. If the risk is low, and you're up to the task, go investigate as you see fit. If there's too much danger, do what you can, then fall back. Whatever you decide to do, just keep me updated."

Timbur nodded. "That, I can do. Are you sure there's nothing we can do, about the Aubades? Maybe you can get answers from there."

Leiytning sneered, "For the time being, we'd have a higher chance of finding a flying gloom. There's nothing we can do without extreme risk. I need time to find more information. I can't even confirm half of what I just said, most of it originates from rumors and deduction."

"Given your history, it's probably an accurate deduction," Timbur remarked.

"I still need evidence," said Leiytning. "More than what I have, anyway. I was trying to keep the contract between Xarin and Corelia, but unfortunately, it became Echo's latest victim." He muttered, "It's hard to keep paper objects around a mass of jagged glass, especially when it's bored."

"Now I know where half your scars came from," Timbur muttered.

"False," Leiytning said bluntly.

"Well, you said I could investigate if the risk was low. I think I know one place to look, so I'll start there. I may find something useful." He hesitated. "Unless there's something else I need to be doing?"

"No. The day's almost over, and what's left for you should be optional."

"Alright."

That being said, Timbur left the room, closing the door behind him. Now it was just the twins, and the black snake coiled on a nearby metal perch.

-CRACK!

A flurry of sparks flew into the air as Leiytning made more adjustments to his prosthetic hand. Its fingers twitched; the result of moving a wire. Naturally, the main source of power came from a crystal at its center.

As Leiytning worked, his thoughts began to drift.

At the very back of his mind, he could feel the small spark that still connected him and Thundur; the spiritual bond that made them blood twins. It was weak, though. The energy, a sort of pulse that it emitted, was strained. This only happened when they were far from each other, so it was only proof that despite her body being here, Thundur was still very far away.

That made the dark voice, a nasty Hysteric Demon, start talking. It seemed that whenever it did say something, a slight crimson haze would come and go.

"'Might as well face it, you fool. You've already lost her.'"

Leiytning's eye narrowed. Great, yet another problem.

"'The proof is all around you. Just admit that I'm right.'"

'It's so funny; I've been stuck listening to you since the Dragon Age, and I don't think there was one time when you were right.'

The voice hissed, "'There was a time where you believed in your demons, gave into them, and how did it end?'"

Leiytning slammed a fist against the table. "It ended in a repetitive bloody mess of misery, death, and insanity. You forged a weapon out of my mentality, and made both mine and Thundur's life a living hell."

"'Lies! Liar, it ended with your salvation! I gave you power and clarity, and took away the pain!'"

"You took away my self-control. That's not a cure, it's a curse. You're nothing but a fucking parasite."

"'What? Little ol' me? Why, I would never, heh...Maybe...'"

"Bastard."

Leiytning tried to ignore it, but that was hopeless.

The memories all led back to the things that made him break; what let him deteriorate so far in the first place. Things that 'dark' and 'grim' were not strong enough to describe. The horrid burning, the nonstop pain, the deafening cries and constant presence of death; years' worth of suffering forged into one monstrosity.

Digging his claws into his own head, Leiytning muttered, "The past is dead."

The voice laughed menacingly. "'We both know that the past is far from dead, my old friend.'"

"Shut up," Leiytning growled.

After a bit more focus, the dark voice slowly grew silent. Leiytning took a deep breath, running his fingers through his raven-black hair.

A different voice, the annoying spirit of Shadow Star, finally spoke up.

He sneered, "'Keep it together, you psychopath.'"

Leiytning ignored it. 'I hate to admit it, but I don't know how much of this I can keep up on my own. It seems to get worse by the day.'

"'It is,'" Shadow Star muttered.

"That was not an invitation for you to respond," Leiytning muttered.

"'Just remember why you do this. Also, keep in mind that if you fail, Thundur gets dragged into whatever hell you raise by default. Don't let her suffer on your account; she's done enough for your worthless self. You may be godly out there, but in here, you're the pathetic waste of flesh I remember.'"

Again, Leiytning ignored Shadow Star. As for why he did this, it was simple and complicated at the same time.

He and Thundur both knew that submitting to the monster -a true demon, an evil ethereal parasite- would end the misery that came with keeping such frail will and sanity. The wrong words made it crack and splinter until small pieces began to shatter, and it was their darker memories that fueled the painful breakage. As such, ending it all was extremely tempting.

The thing that stopped him was his brothers and sisters, that was also the last of his kind. They were the reason he fought such a nightmare, no matter what it threw at him. Especially Thundur, as she would also suffer due to the eternal bind on their split soul. It was that loyalty to what little he had left, because there was one trick in giving up.

Only a part of him would die. The part that the Hysteric wanted to shatter, including their self-control and very sanity. With those essential pieces out of the way, a far more sinister being would be unleashed. Something the Hysteric created from the pieces of their broken will, long ago.

However, everyone had their limits, and fighting this demon and its hellish creations very much pushed theirs. Especially with Thundur on the verge of slipping away, so Leiytning was losing his main reason to fight the demon and himself.

He muttered, "How crazy am I?"

"Very."

-SHING!

In a blink, Leiytning unsheathed and threw his silver dagger. It missed the visitor's head by inches. To his further surprise, Druitt stood in the doorway, only chuckling as his eyes landed on the dagger.

"Great aim," he said sarcastically, flicking the blade. "What good is that one eye of yours if it doesn't even work?"

"How the hell did you get here?" Leiytning impatiently snapped.

Druitt sneered, "If that's your problem, then you need to work on your security."

Only seconds later, Scorch and Timbur appeared behind Druitt. Timbur already had a blade drawn, ready to strike, but Scorch held him back. The fire demon was also panting, as if he'd been running for a while.

Scorch remarked, "For a demon with a crutch, he's surprisingly fast."

"Surprisingly annoying," Timbur muttered. "Sorry, Leiytning. He just let himself in, I don't even know how."

"At least it's just Druitt," said Scorch. "It's not like we don't know him."

"It's the principle!" Timbur argued. "He can't just barge in and-!"

"Quiet, runt," Druitt spat. "This is important."

Timbur's ear twitched. "Not worth it, not worth it, not worth it..."

Leiytning was clearly annoyed. Not only did Druitt let himself into the fortress, but into the room where Thundur was. Naturally, he was defensive when she was in a vulnerable state. That didn't spell good news for people he already hated, and Scorch knew that very well. He was clearly trying to stay between them.

"What do you want, Druitt?" Leiytning interrogated.

"Show a bit of respect to an elder," Druitt retorted. "Don't talk to me like I'm a nuisance."

"Don't be one," Leiytning growled. "Start talking or get the fuck out of here."

"Lousy devil," Druitt spat.

"I don't have time for this," Leiytning muttered. "Timbur, get him out of here, be as violent as you want."

Timbur grinned, raising his machete. "Yes, sir."

"Stop." Druitt snorted irately. "This is actually important and I need your help; you're lucky because of that, otherwise I'd already be gone. Maybe you'd be more interested in the news about how the Aubades attacked our realm?"

Timbur looked confused. "Since when are sylphs interested in the Kaens?"

"That's not new," said Leiytning.

"You'd be surprised," Druitt concurred. "Aubades are aggressive toward anything they share borders with, and if something has demonic roots, it's an instant threat."

"Did they do any serious damage?" Leiytning interrogated.

"We lost six warriors, so nothing too serious," Druitt explained. "It's the story that you're going to be surprised at. See, those damn sylphs are up to no good, because they didn't attack at first. Instead, they came to speak with our leader about trading something. Corelia herself was part of the group. I bet she thought she's be taken seriously. Proves how dumb she is!"

Scorch grunted, shaking his head. "That's not right; I don't like it."

"Right," Druitt agreed. "Naturally, Master Lydra told her to go away and shove the deal up her ass."

"Who's that?" Asked Scorch.

"The Kaen leader," Druitt answered. "We managed to kill just under half the group, but Corelia and a few others got away. I have a suspicion of something, and I need you to tell me if what I'm about to say sounds familiar."

"Go on," said Leiytning.

"I said there were six victims," Druitt remarked. "One of them was Master Lydra. We have a proper heir, some young brute, so there's still minimum damage. It's what Corelia used that had us on edge."

"Weapons and armor that had unusually strong enchantments?" Leiytning suggested.

"Exactly," Druitt replied. "She fought like a monster, with armor that dramatically improved her speed and strength, even when she was already a nightmare on her own. The sword itself cut through demons like butter. She killed the leader, and that's when they retreated, but I bet they would've kept going if not."

"That's what she used to defeat Thundur," said Leiytning.

Druitt glanced at Thundur's motionless vessel. "I see that the attack took its toll on her. What a shame. She could've picked a much better target."

"You say it as if she's dead already," Leiytning responded.

"Well, just look at-"

Scorch hastily interfered, "Druitt, do you have any idea what that weapon could be, or even where it came from?"

"I didn't look any different from usual Aubade weaponry," said Druitt. "Just the magic, like you said. Whatever it was, it was clearly aimed at the darker and the demonic."

"This magic resembled an elven branch of magic more than anything else," Leiytning explained. "Thundur even detected a similar aura coming from it. Perhaps a trade with elves is what's happening, though there's no way to tell which exact species would be responsible."

"Another suspect," Timbur muttered. "So much for finding 'small and isolated' tribes."

Druitt nodded. "Interesting. Also, there's something I need to ask about, while I'm here. Did you ever find anything with the Storm Gargoyles, or was that birdbrain a liar?"

"Actually, we did find that Corelia and Xarin had established a secret trade system. Naturally, we did fix that problem before it got any worse, and if things go to plan, Savux should be able to bring some sense to those left."

Druitt cackled, "Never trust gargoyles; I say that too often. Well, I think that's-" Suddenly, he looked alarmed. "Hell, I nearly forgot! I said that I'd require your help."

"With what?" Leiytning interrogated.

"One of the sylphs that we killed was a weak commander," Druitt explained. "She had a map and note with her, and it showed who some of their other targets were. As usual, they have eyes on you, so watch your backs. They're also targeting another gargoyle tribe. Some waterborne ones."

"The Aquarus tribe?" Timbur suggested.

"Yes, them," said Druitt. "even if I did want to warn them, the only way to that section of the Siren's River is through a bunch of moors, and I can't tread through that damnable swamp with my bad leg. Not to mention, I can't fight if there really is trouble."

"You want us to warn them about Corelia?" Leiytning suggested.

"If you want, go ahead," Druitt responded. "Aquarus Gargoyles, like many, aren't too fond of demons, but I figured you would want to play the 'sovereign' role and help them. To me, you're just letting your weakness show."

Leiytning's ear twitched. "There's a well-defined border between being weak and being rational."

Druitt groaned, "You sound like you should be in charge of a library, not a demonic tribe. Whatever."

Druitt reached behind him, snatching something he had been holding in his goat-like tail. It was two pieces of paper stacked together. One was a map that had some red circles, X's, and question marks. The other was a note, which was written in Northern language.

"This is your proof," Druitt explained, giving the papers to Leiytning. "There's no doubt that they won't believe you at first, so use this."

Timbur snatched the papers, looking at the note with confusion. However, he then looked at the map and saw a problem.

"It looks like those gargoyles aren't the only targets. Corelia's marked down somewhere near the Ritin's territory, and the Draut."

"I can only translate so much," said Druitt. "My Northern is novice, but I can tell that she's very hesitant about doing anything with them, so they should be safe. The Aquarus situation seems urgent, though."

"Then we'll do this now," Leiytning spoke. "Timbur, Scorch, both of you are coming with me. Druitt, get out of here and stop letting yourself in without permission. You're only giving me a reason to kill you, and you have no idea how tempted I am to use it."

Druitt rolled his eyes. "I'm still not scared of you, and this was urgent. Besides, your fortress doesn't have anything very interesting, so no worries. Get some treasure, or tell me when your sister's feeling lonely, and I'll be much more interested."

Druitt cackled, turning away, while Scorch was barely restraining Leiytning from attacking. As he passed, Timbur kicked him in his bad leg, which made him yelp and hurry away.

"Psychopath," Timbur spat, then turned to the others. "So? Is there a plan in mind?"

"I thought it was obvious," Scorch replied. "We need to get to the Aquarus Gargoyles before Corelia does, right?"

"Here we go again," Timbur remarked. "It may sound harsh, but I agree with Druitt. Forget about them; we have enough trouble of our own, we just discussed it quite thoroughly."

Leiytning's eye narrowed. "The Aquarus Gargoyles are a weak little tribe, and would easily lose in a fight against Corelia. Timbur, you were frustrated that we couldn't do anything about those previous issues, but we can do something about this. We all know what near-extinction is like, so can you safely say that you're alright with having it happen to someone else, even though there's a chance to prevent it?"

Scorch chimed in, "Nobody but the Aubades deserve that fate. I'm with you, Leiyt, let's do this!"

Timbur sighed, "Alright. We should move now, then."