Chains of Corruption

"Well whatever it is, your a damn good shot girl!" Vivienne says as she puts the bow away and leads you back inside.

"Aww, look at that." Vivienne says softly while pointing to the table.

You look and see Kira, who apparently took some fabric Vivienne had lying around and made herself a little bed. You smile and shake your head as Vivienne leads you to a small bedroom.

"Get some sleep hon, we're gonna kick ass tomorrow." Vivienne smiles and closes the door.

You hope everything will be alright and fall asleep thinking about being reunited with Gwen.

Chapter 7: Complications

A rooster announces the sunrise and for a moment, you forget about everything. You stretch out, eyes still closed, and take a deep breath. You open your eyes and sit up, ready to meet the day. You see a small bookshelf with only three books on it and a small wardrobe in the corner. Out of the nearby window, you see the old tree in front of Vivienne's house. You hang your head for a moment as it all comes back, but you are as ready as you're going to be, so you get out of bed and head for the front room.

As you enter you see Kira, still sleeping on her makeshift bed. Vivienne is sitting on a couch on the opposite side of the room cleaning what appears to be armor.

"Good morning, sleep well? I know she is." Vivienne says pointing at Kira and smiling.

"Yes, and thank you, for everything." You reply.

You know you couldn't do this alone, but with these two you just might pull it off.

"Don't worry about it, if I didn't want to help you I wouldn't. Why don't you try these on while I wake her up?" Vivienne says handing you some thick leather pieces and a metal breastplate.

You put on the metal armor and figure out the leather parts are for your arms and legs. After strapping them on you feel a bit heavier, but much safer going into a real fight. Someone whistles as if checking you out and you turn around quickly to see Kira trying to take her fingers away from her lips.

Vivienne smiles and stands up as she says, "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Kira cheers and her wings start fluttering as she hovers above the table.

Vivienne grabs her bow and quiver and gives one of each to you as well.

"And take this as well." She says handing you a small knife in a sheathe. "Better safe than sorry. Let's not waste any more time then, we're off." She says with a smile.

With that, the three of you head out of town. As you exit the massive city gates and step into the wilderness, Vivienne says in a serious tone, "If things get bad in there, you should just run, alright Mika?"

You look at the elven woman and reply, "No. I won't leave my friend in that place a minute longer than I have to. I'm ready to stop being helpless in this world. Even if I have to learn the hard way, I won't give up!"

Vivienne and Kira stay silent for a moment, they haven't seen you this determined before.

"She must mean a lot to you." Kira says with a sad look on her face.

"We grew up together and have always had each others backs. Gwen is, so kind. I just hate the fact that she's been in some monster's lair for days now." You reply.

You clench your fist and are determined to show those goblins your wrath. Passing by the tree you and Gwen first were separated at, Vivienne stops and kneels down to touch the dirt.

"It looks like the tracks from the cart are still visible. As I said, not very intelligent. We can probably follow this straight to their lair." Vivienne says as she stands up and begins following the tracks, all the while scanning her surroundings with her superior eyesight and ears.

After a while, the tracks lead you to a rocky outcropping along a riverbank.

"Hmm, tracks end here, but I don't see a cart. They're most likely set up in a cave nearby, let's follow the river a bit and check behind those big rocks." Vivienne says as she carefully makes her way downstream.

You and Kira are close behind, looking for any sign of the goblins. As you reach a bend in the river, Vivienne notices a cave entrance just big enough for a cart. The three of you slowly make your way to the entrance and peek inside. The cave is mostly dark, but you can see the faint glow of a fire on a wall not too far in. Vivienne crouches down and picks up a small, crudely made broken axe.

"This is the place, are you two ready?" Vivienne asks.

You nod in unison with Kira as your heart is pounding away. This is it, you have to fight for your life, and Gwen's. You brace yourself for what is about to come.

"Follow me and stay quiet. If we're lucky, we can take out a few before they notice us. We don't know how many are in there, so be careful. Alright? Let's go." Vivienne says and wastes no time, skillfully infiltrating the cave.

You follow behind, being as quiet as possible, meanwhile Kira hovers around without making a sound. Vivienne rounds a corner, then immediately retreats and presses her back to the wall. You stop dead in your tracks, and Vivienne slowly pokes her head around the corner. She reaches back, silently grabs an arrow, and aims her bow. You wait in uncertainty as Vivienne's bow follows its target, then with a snap, the arrow flies out of your sight around the corner. You hear a gurgling sound and then a thud. Vivienne waves you over and you continue deeper into the cave, but she has a troubled look on her face.

You pass by the slain goblin before whispering, "What's wrong?"

Vivienne stops for a moment, points to the ceiling and whispers, "Do you see that?"

You look up and see spider webs. Only they are much thicker than a normal spider's, and they continue deeper into the cave, slowly making their way down the rocky walls. You remember Kira mentioning spider girls and your heart sinks. You were ready to deal with some little goblins, but a spider with the intelligence of a human? Suddenly you feel like this isn't going to end well, but you stand by what you said. You're not going to run away, not when Gwen needs you.

"Be extra cautious, and try to keep an eye on the ceiling." Vivienne whispers before pressing on.

Soon you come to a decent sized room in the cave. The walls are covered in webbing and a few goblins lay dead off to one side. You follow Vivienne over to the goblins and she begins inspecting them.

"It looks like they weren't killed by the spider." Vivienne states as you lean in and see four jagged cuts on the chest of one of the goblins. It looks like whatever cut them went right through the leather it was using as chest protection. "Spiders can't do something like this, but I wonder why they haven't fed on them yet."

Kira nervously scans the ceiling as you ask, "Then what killed them?"

Vivienne has a serious look on her face when she says, "I can't say for sure, but a demon would have sufficient strength to cut that deeply, and their claws are known to be very sharp."

A fucking demon. Great, just when you thought it couldn't get worse. You just need to find Gwen, then you can get the hell out of here. You don't see anyone else in the room but you notice another passage covered in webs.

"Vivienne look." You point out your discovery and the three of you get closer.

The webs are hard to cut down but Kira uses her magic to set them aflame. The passage leads downward and you hope it doesn't go very far, but there isn't any light down there so it's impossible to tell. Kira opens a tiny pouch and pulls out a staff of some kind that is way to big to fit in a pouch that size. You chalk it up to magic and disregard it as her eyes glow a familiar blue and she chants a spell. A small glowing orb appears at the end of the staff and she points it into the passage. The light is so small it hardly makes a difference, but it's better than nothing and you, Kira, and Vivienne make your way down.

At the bottom, the passage opens up to a room even larger than the previous. On the walls, you see the shriveled up bodies of all manner of creatures tightly wrapped in webbing. Undeterred, you look around for Gwen, but she's nowhere in sight.

"Let's look around, we might..." A quick series of clicks cuts Vivienne's words short and she snaps her head around looking for the source.

You follow Vivienne's gaze to a dark corner of the room. High up near the ceiling, six small beady red eyes shine dimly. For a moment, you think maybe this spider isn't so big after all. Then a huge dark shape descends from the ceiling before turning over and standing up. The girl has a huge spider abdomen attached where her legs would be. She has eight spider legs covered in black chitin and even though she isn't fully standing, she is much taller than you. Her face is humanoid except for her eyes, six on her forehead and two in the normal spot that she hasn't opened yet. Her human half is nude, her breasts proudly on display.

The spider girl moves a lock of her silver hair from her face and hisses, "Have you come to kill the big bad spider?" She taunts.

She talks! Guess that shouldn't surprise you given she's half human but still, you weren't expecting it.

"N-no." You start explaining. "I'm just looking for my friend, she has blonde hair and..."

Before you can finish the spider girl's two eyes snap open and she hisses, "That girl? She brought demons into my home! I was almost killed! You... you're her friend? I should rip you in half to teach her a lesson!"

She screams and lunges at you. Vivienne pushes you out of the way and you fall down as the spider girl's powerful legs crash into the stone wall next to you. You get up quickly and draw your bow, your first arrow missing by inches. This spider girl is fast, however Vivienne hits her abdomen cleanly.

"Aahhhh!" She roars in pain and spins around, unleashing her webbing in Vivienne's direction.

Vivienne tries to evade but her legs are hit and become tethered to the ground.

"Shit!" Vivienne yells as she struggles to free herself.

Kira flies over to help untangle Vivienne and you know you have to distract this monster somehow. You draw your bow and take a deep breath. You release the arrow and it glides right into the spider girl's shoulder. Blood pours from the wound as she yanks the arrow free and hisses at you. The spider girl quickly runs up a wall and makes her way toward you. You don't have enough time to fire another shot so you roll to the side just as she lunges for you.

Barely escaping that time, you feel you luck is running out and glance at Vivienne, still stuck in webbing. You turn back to the spider girl and know she isn't going to stop until someone is dead. You stare at the woman sitting atop that giant spider belly, waiting for her to make a move. You don't have to wait long as she charges straight for you. You quickly reach behind your back, brandishing the knife Vivienne gave you, and begin running towards her. When she is about to strike, you feint a dodge and then jump straight at the human half of her. The spider girl is caught off guard, but she still manages to catch you with her human arms. Before she can react you plunge the blade deep into her chest.

"Aakhh!" The spider girl drops you to the floor as she stumbles backward clutching her wound and coughing up blood.

You quickly get up and check yourself to make sure you are not injured then focus on the spider girl slumped against a wall. Kira burns through the last of the webbing and Vivienne breaks free.

"Did you get her?" Vivienne asks.

"Yeah." You nod.

"Then let's get out of here already." Kira says looking around the room fearfully.

"Not yet, I need to know more about what happened to Gwen." You say as you walk over to the defeated spider girl.

Surprisingly, she seems to be slowly stuffing her webbing into the wound and perhaps isn't quite defeated yet, but one look at the spider girl's face says it all. She is done, and watches you with a fearful look in her eyes. She slowly rolls onto her back and you look to Kira confused.

"It's alright Mika, she isn't going to hurt us anymore, right?" Kira says confidently.

The spider girl lowers her head and shakes it, signaling she is no longer a threat.

"You see, their animalistic instincts are very strong. They assert their dominance when possible, but if overpowered, they submit themselves to the victor instead of fighting until they die." Vivienne adds.

You take another look at the spider girl and you see now that she rolled over to expose herself to you. You suddenly blush and turn your head from the spider girl.

"Uhh... No I, I just want to talk." You say shyly.

"To...talk. To me?" The spider girl seems confused and it's clear she doesn't get many willing visitors.

"Yes, about my friend. I'm sorry demons showed up here, but Gwen didn't call them. She was kidnapped by goblins and we followed their tracks here." You explain.

"I see." Hisses the spider girl. "Those goblins brought her here to try to keep me away from their cave. Some kind of offering or something. I had no sooner accepted their terms when demons burst in and killed the goblins. I tried to grab the girl but one of the demons knocked me aside. That demon... had the coldest blue eyes. They took her and left as fast as they appeared. That is all I know."

You feel terrible that Gwen is still suffering and look to Vivienne for advice.

Kira turns her head to look away and Vivienne says, "I'm sorry Mika, but if the demons have her, there's no way to get her back. They're just too strong."

You slam your fist against the stone wall. "No! I can't stop. I don't care if they are demons, I'm going to save Gwen!" You exclaim, holding back tears.

"Mika..." Kira says softly.

"You would fight against the corruption, knowing the futility?" The spider girl surprises you with her sudden interjection.

"I don't know how much I can accomplish on my own, but it doesn't matter, I'm going to do everything I can to rescue my friend."

The spider girl looks to a nearby wall and points near the bottom. "In there, take it. If you can turn back the corruption, then maybe... I can go back to the way I was before." The spider girl says meekly.

Then that means, this girl is incredibly old and yet she looks to be about your age. As you ponder the lifespans of the other inhabitants of this world, you feel sorry for her and make your way to the spot she pointed out. Near the bottom of the wall, a single stone juts out contrasting the otherwise uniform surface. You pull it out and inside the cavity is a small cache of gold coins.

"Arens!" Exclaims Kira. "They're our currency, and this is a lot!" Kira happily buzzes around the opening, inspecting the treasure.

You walk back to the spider girl and say, "Thank you, I promise to do everything I can to put an end to the corruption."

The spider girl gets up and silently crawls back up onto the ceiling. You, Kira, and Vivienne also make for the exit.

"So, who else is glad that's over? Hahaha!" Kira jokes.

"Yes, that got out of hand." Vivienne remarks, but all you can think about on the long walk back to Valen City is what kinds of horrible things the demons are doing to Gwen.

Chapter 8: Romulus

Back in Valen City, you want to discuss what to do next with Vivienne and Kira.

"Let's stop in here, I think you could use a drink." Vivienne suggests.

Alcohol does sound tempting after all you've been through, so you agree and head inside a tavern. Quite a few people are in the bar but what catches your eye is a centaur girl. You can only see her back, but her dark black hair complements her olive colored skin very well. She is wearing a white tank top and has what must be a custom tailored plaid skirt for her horse body. Sure all of this is new to you, but your curiosity peaked when you saw her.

"Best not to stare hon." Vivienne whispers in your ear as she walks by you and sits at the bar.

Taking her advice, you sit down next to her.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender asks cheerfully.

He is a jaguar, or some kind of cat, and his fur is jet black. He looks much more like an animal walking upright than a human, and you guess transformations have varying degrees.

"Two glasses of Fenti wine please." Vivienne replies.

Kira chimes in and says, "Hey what about me?"

"Oh and a small glass of juice." Vivienne says with a smile.

"Not funny Viv, you know I'm older than you!" Kira huffs and puffs.

The bartender looks confused and then Vivienne says "I'm only joking Kira, three glasses of Fenti wine please. I'll finish the rest of hers."

She smiles and gestures in Kira's direction.

"Of course." The bartender retreats to a cabinet and returns with an expensive looking bottle of wine and three glasses.

He fills them up and puts a small straw used for decoration in Kira's drink.

At her size, she can use it like a normal straw and she says "Thank you my good sir." With a grin on her face she takes a big drink.

"So Mika, do you know what you're going to do now?" Vivienne asks before taking a drink of wine.

You idly stare at the red liquid in your glass. "Not really, but I can't just stay here doing nothing." You reply.

"I'm sorry about your friend Mika, truly, but if you try to fight a demon, you will die. Do you understand?" Her tone is serious and she is looking you right in the eye.

"I have to find a way..." You begin.

Vivienne cuts you off and says, "Mika, people have tried killing demons for years and only two things ever happen. The people fighting the demon die, and even if they kill it, more demons will come to finish them off. We've been living in this place our whole lives, we've tried everything we could think of, but nothing has worked. In the end, I suppose we just accepted that they are now part of this world." Vivienne rationalizes.

"I know, Kira told me about The Guardians, I just... there has to be a way." You say.

You are adamant about this, despite what she says, you believe there has to be a way for you to save Gwen.

"Mika, I admire what your trying to do, but, I'm sorry, I'm not going to go on a suicide mission because you won't accept the facts. I can't help you if your planning on fighting demons. If it's something else, we can talk, but that's where I draw the line." Vivienne is stern and you can't blame her for not wanting to risk her life.

"I understand. Thank you for everything you've done Vivienne. Maybe I will get killed, but I don't care as long as I can save Gwen." You say with a soft smile.

You don't know what your next move should be but you feel like you could use some air. You finish your wine and look over at Kira. She has barely drank any wine and yet she is laying on her back on the bar, giggling.

Your not sure now is a great time but decide to say it anyways, "Kira, you don't have to risk your life for me either, I'm glad you helped me and..."

Kira sits up suddenly and cuts you off in a drunken tone, "Hey! Donchoo go sayin goodbye, I'm not finished with you!" Kira hiccups and continues, "Don't think you can juss walk outta here. We're friends till the end! Whooooo!"

Kira raises her arms quickly and falls back onto the bar and into a deep sleep. You and Vivienne share a final laugh before you step outside. As you walk aimlessly down unfamiliar streets, you become aware of someone following you. Maybe being alone isn't such a good idea. You still have quite a bit of coin left over from the spider nest, maybe you could hire a mercenary or something, but you need to get rid of this stalker first. You round a corner quickly and duck into a bookstore.

Hiding behind a book you wait for your pursuer to come around the corner. A small cat girl with short dark red hair wearing an overcoat makes her way past the shop and looks around as if she's trying to find someone. This is who was stalking you? She is wearing glasses and her tail is flicking around behind her. You decide to end this right now, she doesn't seem threatening after all. You put the book down and step outside, walking quietly up to the cat girl from behind. Before you get close, her ears perk up and she quickly turns around to face you.