Quick note: I just got back from my trip a few hours ago, which explains the lack of chapters. Sorry for not letting you know.
Finally back in Terraria!
If anyone wants to support or just read 3 to 7 chapters ahead, that's possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate you reading my stories! Thank you so much!
That said, have a good night and happy reading!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
Blood and rot. Two slls I was accustod to, yet I still couldn't help but frown every ti I sensed them. Especially when they were combined. That combination never ant anything good…
I looked around. It took only a mont to realize the scent was coming from the rain falling in the distance. It was as if everything around was cloaked in dark clouds, with lightning snaking through them, flashing a bright yellow.
The Angel Greaves appeared on my legs in an instant. I kicked off the ground, and the kinetic energy was absorbed by the Shadowfla. Once I reached about five hundred ters in the air, I used the Greaves' ability to stay upright and looked around again. The altitude gave a better view of what was happening.
… Everything around Terraria, the kingdom, was covered by storm clouds. A perfect circle, an invisible barrier that kept the clouds at bay.
"Alalia?… No." I murmured. It wasn't the Dryad. The mana in the air wasn't hers, even though it felt sowhat familiar. "A kingdom matrix, probably. She must be powering it… What's going on here?…"
A month. That was how long I had been away. And it seems that was long enough for everything to start falling apart!
("The rain carries the scent of death.") Ozma's voice echoed in my mind. ("It's subtle. I don't think I'd have noticed it without your senses.")
Jinn's voice followed: ("Ozma's right. Blood and rot. Any idea what it could be? It doesn't seem natural.") She sounded more curious than worried.
"No, it doesn't… but maybe it is." My thoughts wandered. I looked up. It was dayti, but everything beyond the sky above the kingdom was obscured by dark clouds. "I know of a phenonon in Terraria that causes blood rain. It's not sothing I expected to see happen…"
… At least not this soon.
I stared into the storm. It felt as if sothing was watching from the darkness, even though there was nothing there. I squinted when I saw one of the lightning bolts flash crimson in the distance, briefly illuminating the dark in red. A chill ran down my spine.
I deactivated the gravity magic pressing against my body and descended back to the ground. If sothing happened, I couldn't afford to be restricted. I glanced into the distance for another second before turning and heading toward the kingdom.
"The sky turns red when the Blood Moon hangs above the clouds…" I whispered. The rain wasn't water, and the rivers ran with blood.
At least, I hoped it was the Blood Moon. The stench of rot reminded far too much of sothing else, sothing I hadn't 'seen' since Jille. But between those two options—both the Blood Moon and the Crimson were preferable to the third… I'll need to move the Anti-Foreigner rune application to the top of my list.
… That gaze felt malevolent.
A small dark cloud drifted across my vision. The thunder it produced morphed into letters, forming a ssage. The edges of the ssage glowed red.
[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]
Not exactly a nacing na, huh… Care to drop an explanation for us re viewers without The Strear's knowledge? I don't know about the others, but I'd appreciate it.
"It's a phenonon that happens in Terraria. I'm not entirely sure why or how it occurs, but it makes the fauna—and probably the flora—more aggressive." I offered a brief explanation. Saying they beca 'more aggressive' was putting it mildly…
I walked calmly, taking ti to analyze the surroundings and feel the mana in the air. Terraria had purer mana than Remnant by a significant margin, but also much denser. The closest comparison would be breathing the thin air atop a high mountain versus breathing sea-level air.
I had already adapted to breathing atop that 'mountain,' but breathing at 'sea level' was much more pleasant. I felt freer, less constrained. The world seed more alive; everything around appeared more vibrant.
"Jinn, Ozma, how are you feeling? Any discomfort?" I asked.
Ozma was the first to respond: ("None. I don't feel much different from yesterday.")
Jinn answered next: ("If Terraria doesn't like foreign beings, either the world hasn't noticed us, or it gave us a free pass.") She paused. ("At least while we're here. I'm not sure if that would change if I returned to my body. Sothing to test later?")
"Better not risk it, at least for now…" I shook my head. My voice trailed off as I exited the forest and had a clear view of the kingdom. "… That's a lot of people."
All the areas surrounding Terraria were sward with people. Not just those trying to enter, but many camped outside the walls, using makeshift tents or caravans and wagons as hos. They appeared to be searching for sothing.
It was as if a small city had sprung up around the kingdom.
… This storm isn't just happening nearby, is it?
[…]
POV: Robyn Jheut
It happened suddenly. One mont, lissa, Selina, and I were chatting in one of Oakwood Manor's lounges, taking a much-needed break, and then the atmosphere shifted. For so reason, everything changed.
It felt like a weight I hadn't even realized existed had been lifted off my shoulders. A relieved sigh escaped my lips. It was as if my limbs had been shackled until that mont, and suddenly, they were free.
My body relaxed. I felt an overwhelming urge to lie down and sleep. The presence that had seed to watch from afar—sothing I'd attributed to paranoia or PTSD thanks to that cursed deer—seed to shift its attention to sothing more important, as if I were insignificant by comparison.
And I was okay with being insignificant. Peace was nice…
I didn't know if Selina or lissa had felt sothing similar; I hadn't been paying attention. As soon as it happened, I stood abruptly, nearly spilling the tea in front of . That was when Dylan opened the door, accompanied by my father. The two of them had likely co to speak with one—or all—of us before it happened.
"Did you feel that?" Dylan spoke first. His voice was hurried but not urgent. In fact, he almost sounded relieved.
"So I'm not crazy…" Selina nodded. "Yeah. What the hell was that? Dryad magic? So kind of concentrated Purification Powder? I swear, if my tea was drugged…"
"No." Dylan replied.
"No." I confird, adding, "This was… different. Dylan, what ti is it?"
I saw my father's eyes widen before he snapped his fingers. "I knew I was forgetting sothing. It's today, isn't it?"
"It's been a month," Dylan confird. "Whatever that was, Devas must be involved… Let's go."
He turned, and I wasted no ti following, my two tails swaying behind . My old man walked alongside Dylan, while Selina and lissa trailed just behind.
"Where to?" lissa asked, keeping pace. "WinterHord? Devas teleported there, didn't he? We'll need at least two or three—"
"No." Dylan interrupted her. "We're heading to the clearing where Devas usually stays. Just a hunch, but I think he'll be there… If he's not already at the gates. I told the guards not to stop him if they saw him, but better to make sure…"
We didn't take long to leave Oakwood Manor. We ran into Darnell on the way, waiting outside the gates like he was about to enter the property.
"Is it urgent? I'm not fully ard," he asked.
"No," lissa answered, shaking her head. "Or at least Dylan doesn't think so. It's Devas."
"The earring?" Darnell asked as he started walking with us. I shook my head.
"Still normal. Whatever it is, it's not dangerous." The Angler Earring was tucked in the back pocket of my pants. I refused to wear the ugly thing on my ear—it was hideous.
Since we'd returned to the kingdom, the earring had been inert. The storm didn't seem to activate it, nor did Alalia, for so reason. My father had explained that he and Simon had configured the earring to ignore most, if not all, sentient races, enabling this setting when we returned so it wouldn't vibrate constantly.
It took us several minutes to reach the gates—the kingdom was overcrowded. We wouldn't have taken even half that ti if we could've used the Humvee, but with so many people in the streets, it was impossible.
When we were about fifty ters from the gates, Selina's glasses, which she wore on her forehead, cracked. We all stopped at the sound. She quickly tore the glasses off and inspected them for a mont, her practiced ease revealing how accustod she was to such occurrences.
"What happened?" Dylan asked, looking at Selina.
"I forgot to turn off the glasses. The sensor was overloaded. The mana analysis and visualization matrix couldn't handle it and collapsed, which caused the glass to crack." She licked her lips before turning her gaze toward the gates.
"Couldn't handle it?" I asked.
She nodded. "What happens if you stare directly at the sun for a mont?"
"My eyes hurt, and a spot appears in my vision," I replied.
"And if you stare for too long?"
"Blindness," Dylan answered this ti. Selina nodded again.
"What's the range on your glasses?"
"Fifty ters… It only took a mont. They cracked as soon as they entered the range of the gates." She stored the glasses in her Traveler's Space—a ring on her pinky finger—and resud walking, taking the lead. "Just a brief mont... Really, like the sun..."
No one asked who "he" was. There was no need. As we approached the gates, we found the "he" Selina was referring to. Devas was being searched and questioned by the guards, who were checking for signs of illness or infection while talking to him. He turned in our direction as we approached and waved.
"Thanks for the chat. Sorry for the trouble. I was traveling, got caught off guard by the rain, and didn't know what was going on." Devas waved at one of the guards, who returned the gesture.
"Not at all, it's my job. I appreciate you making the check easier. Many people get irritated, yelling that they're not sick, but forget it's just a standard procedure because of this annoying storm." The guard patted his shoulder. "You're good to go. Take care; this weather gets everyone sick."
"Will do. You take care too," Devas replied, lightly patting the guard's shoulder in return, before walking toward us.
He scanned each of us, one by one. My tail—the real one—instinctively wrapped around my left leg. If anyone noticed, they didn't comnt. Devas looked visibly relieved and stepped forward.
"Dylan, Robyn, Selina, Gilbert, lissa, Darnell." He greeted each of us before asking, "Are you all well?"
"Physically? Yes. ntally? Also, yes—mostly. I think I speak for everyone when I say we're tired, but I think you've already figured out why." Dylan stepped forward and extended his hand to Devas. "Welco back, my friend. Did everything go well?"
Devas looked at the hand for a mont before grasping Dylan's wrist. "It went well," he confird, a faint smile on his face. "The storm?"
"The storm," Dylan affird. "We have a lot to talk about… You've gotten stronger."
"Just a little," Devas replied. Dylan snorted, as did lissa and Selina. He stepped back, still holding onto Devas's arm.
"'Just a little,' he says…" lissa muttered under her breath. "Just a regular contractor, he says…"
My father ignored her comnt, pulling Devas into a hug that was quickly returned. They separated a second later, with my father clapping Devas on the shoulders.
"You worried us, Devas, disappearing like that. But I'm glad everything turned out well." My old man laughed, patting Devas's shoulder once more before turning around. "I'm starving. Haven't eaten yet. Let's talk while we fill our stomachs—how about it?"
"I'm on board," Darnell said with a shrug.
"I can eat and talk. My mouth is multitasking," Selina quipped, licking her lips as she stared at Devas. "I have questions. Lots of them."
"I imagine you do. I have so too. You took care of my car?" he asked but shook his head imdiately. "Actually, forget it. That was a dumb question. Shall we?"
Selina huffed but didn't disagree. "Let's. We've been staying at the Oakwood mansion since we returned to the kingdom." Devas's face wrinkled at her comnt.
"Oh, yes... The Oakwood mansion..."
[…]
POV: Devas Asura
I was relieved. Everyone was well—intact, for the most part—just tired. I didn't know what I had expected, but part of feared soone might have died in the month I'd been away. I was glad that wasn't the case.
The conversation with the guard had been illuminating. The storm had begun a little less than a month ago, just days after I left for Remnant, and according to him, it wasn't particularly dangerous—just a normal storm. The royal family had confird it. rely sothing rare that should pass in a few weeks.
It was clearly a lie. Not that the guard was trying to deceive —he believed the information he'd received, likely from Charlotte, or so I assud. It was a deliberate withholding of information. The storm was far too unnatural and dangerous. It was smart of her to manage it this way, but it was a short-term solution. It would prevent chaos among the population, but if the storm didn't pass, it would backfire.
I chatted a bit with everyone, especially with my group. Darnell and lissa stayed more distant as we walked toward the Oakwood mansion. I hesitated for a mont before agreeing to go. As much as Alalia scared the hell out of , she didn't seem to harbor ill intentions toward . On the contrary, actually.
It felt as though this past month hadn't existed. Of course, things were different—both the kingdom and the people, my group—but the familiarity remained. There was no strangeness beyond the initial reaction, which I knew was caused by my mana. Except in Robyn's case; hers probably stemd from her fox nature.
Even while containing my mana within my body, Dylan and lissa could sense it. That much was clear from their reactions. Selina's glasses had broken because of as well. I overheard their conversation—I'd been watching them since they appeared on the minimap, their green dots standing out against the sea of yellows.
("No orange or red dots. If goblins are involved, they're not active at the mont.") Jinn's voice echoed in my mind. I had asked her to monitor the minimap in case I missed sothing.
I wasn't sure if this was good news or not. The absence of enemies was preferable, of course, but the complete absence—especially with the kingdom overcrowded and thousands of people surrounding the walls? It slled off, reeked of sothing amiss. I could feel it, even if I couldn't pinpoint exactly what...
As if waiting for us—which she probably was—Dylan's mother greeted us at the entrance to the Oakwood mansion. The mont I stepped onto the property, I forcibly froze my body as I felt Alalia's mana.
("Are you sure she's not a god?") Ozma's voice sounded tense.
I didn't respond. I was too busy keeping myself still. My first instinct was to prepare for battle—I almost summoned all my equipnt, which would have been bad. My second instinct was to grab the Rainbow mission ticket, ready to use it if sothing went wrong. If Alalia decided to attack , I'd tear the ticket and escape to another world… if there was ti, of course.
The first ti I felt Alalia's mana, I only had Grongir as a reference. Back then, I was much weaker. Now, I had other points of comparison: the Maidens, Jinn, and Salem. Even the Deerclops, with its overwhelming nightmare energy — and plenty of it.
The problem arose when, even combining all of these entities, they didn't co close to Alalia's mana. Not even remotely...
My comparison from months ago — Alalia being like a mountain, with tens of thousands of trees and tens of millions of roots — was accurate, but not entirely. A mountain? Yes, that part was correct. I just had no idea how imnse that mountain was, how many trees there truly were, or how far its roots stretched.
Ignorance really was bliss…
Alalia wasn't a god. I could say that clearly, especially after witnessing, even partially, what the divinity of the God of Light looked and felt like. But if I had to bet, I'd say she was as strong as many gods — perhaps even stronger. And not just in an individual sense.
I sincerely hoped Alalia's strength ca from the combined power of all the Dryads or sothing similar. Because if each Dryad possessed an average power level like hers, and yet their entire species still had to sacrifice themselves just to repel and seal that thing... We were fucked. Beyond just fucked…
"You can really sense … sense my mana." A sweet and cheerful female voice echoed across the mansion's front garden before Helena could even greet us. "It's a pleasure to et you, Devas."
I didn't expect her to speak to …
"I didn't think you'd talk to him…" Helena sighed. "Aren't you going to show yourself?"
"No… He's tense; he sensed my presence instantly. If I appear, Devas might attack on instinct." Alalia's response ca carried by a breeze. The leaves rustled with her words, like a musical score.
It was as if nature itself — the very world, or at least part of it — was speaking to , not just a singular being. The more I tried to understand the depth of the Dryad's power, the less I seed to grasp. It felt like I couldn't, as if I lacked permission or the qualifications to do so. I pulled my perception back when my head started to throb.
"Why are you speaking to now?" I asked. "You didn't seem interested in doing so before."
"Curiosity. I could sense the changes in you… and sothing else. I'm Alalia, by the way." She laughed, a sound reminiscent of dozens of birds softly singing. The wind swirled around . Trees in the distance quivered, almost as if they were dancing. "Can we talk later? There's sothing I want to ask you, privately… Please."
[(MOD)GeniusBillionairePlayboy]
I've seen horror movies that start exactly like this. How about saying no, DS? The magical voice from nowhere that's suspiciously sweet and gentle is usually the devil.
[MagicalGirlSera-Tan]
Can confirm. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Don't follow her; the only devil allowed to reel you in is !
(Emote of a magical girl holding a fishing rod.)
I ignored Serafall's ssage, even though I agreed with Stark's.
"Alalia... Pleasure to et you," I finally returned her greeting, hesitating before speaking again. "We can talk later. I'm busy right now."
For better or worse, I stood to gain more by accepting her offer of a conversation than by refusing it. I also wanted to ask her a few things: what she thought of my presence, or in this case, what the world thought of , since she seed at least sowhat connected to the planet.
With my response, the grass beneath my feet swayed lightly, shifting side to side, as the wind wove through my hair, which had returned to black so ti ago. Then, sothing resembling a hand made of wind cupped my cheek… and Alalia's presence vanished, along with her voice.
No matter how much I searched, I couldn't locate her. The only reason I knew she was still there was thanks to the green dot that appeared on the Mini-Map, inside the Oakwood mansion. The stream could detect her; I couldn't. Alalia must've done the sa thing she had months ago: sealed all her mana in a single room of the mansion.
"My guess was right…" I heard Dylan mutter just before the wind around Helena shifted. It was subtle, almost imperceptible. The mother of the Oakwood siblings looked toward the mansion before turning to .
"Shall we head inside? I'm sure you all want to talk. Don't worry, I'll give you all so privacy." She turned and walked toward the mansion, not waiting for an answer.
Alalia must have said sothing to her.
I considered my options for a mont before following Helena, the sound of twelve pairs of footsteps echoing behind ...
[…]
Dylan led us as we entered the mansion. The group split into two, with lissa and Darnell heading in another direction. Whether they liked it or not, those two weren't part of our group — sothing they were aware of. They chose to give us privacy, with lissa pulling Darnell away.
After a brief walk, we entered what appeared to be a workshop. Shelves filled with books lined the room, alongside two worktables with slightly disorganized papers on top. A larger table surrounded by chairs stood at the center, accompanied by two cauldrons for ink-making (the sll gave it away). On the walls, various mystical symbols drew attention, and on the floor, beneath the central table, a matrix stood out in the middle of the room.
"Your workshop?" I asked Dylan.
"It was. Selina kind of took over part of it." He nodded toward his 'cousin,' who stuck out her tongue in response. Dylan turned to leave. "I'll ask one of the maids to prepare sothing for us to eat. Just a second."
I stopped him.
"No need, I'll handle it." I snapped my fingers, making a large al appear on the main table. Various dishes, utensils, glasses, and drinks appeared, pulled from my inventory.
They were ready-made als, randomly taken from the VoidBag, still hot thanks to the pseudo-absence of ti within the inventory.
"Always convenient, as usual. I still can't figure out how you use your Travel Space like that." Gilbert wasted no ti sitting down. Robyn pinched the bridge of her nose at her father's actions but followed him, shaking her head. She sat beside him, one of her tails swaying behind her while the other coiled around her waist.
The one around her waist was the real tail. The one swaying was the plug.
"Practical, mostly," I replied, sitting across from Gilbert. Dylan took the seat to my right, while Selina chose the spot next to Robyn, who sat to Gilbert's left. "Do we eat or talk?"
"Why not both?" Selina suggested, inspecting the table with particular interest in the soda bottles. "I can't read anything on these labels… Is there alcohol in them?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
She shrugged and grabbed one of the drinks at random.
"Doesn't hurt to try. So… where were you all month?" she asked. "We couldn't contact you through the EchoMirror."
Everyone's attention turned to , especially Dylan's. He still hadn't touched the food and seed deep in thought. I drumd my fingers on the light wood of the table, thinking.
"It's sothing you can't tell us?" Dylan asked.
"I can… I'm just thinking about how. It's complicated, to say the least." I sighed. I could show them the stream on my phone, even though I couldn't invite them. Explaining it would be confusing. "Before that, this storm. What do you know about it?"
Everyone's faces grew serious. I noticed Robyn's muscles tense, her fear showing. Selina and Gilbert didn't look much better. Dylan was the least affected, but his eyes began to glow faintly blue, his mana concentrating there.
"Not much. It started just under a month ago, about five days after you left… But there's sothing off about it," Dylan briefly explained, then asked, "Did you see the lightning?"
"Which one? The red ones?"
"So, you saw them…" He muttered to himself. "They don't behave normally. They twist like snakes, almost alive. The storm feels sentient, and the red light makes it seem like blood is raining. Not to ntion the feeling under the clouds… It's sickening."
"It's unnerving," Robyn added. "It's like being back in WinterHord, like sothing is watching you from the shadows, but without the whispers. Just deadly silence, broken only by the sound of rain."
"It's not natural," Selina pointed her fork at Dylan. "He and I researched a lot. We found phenona sowhat similar, but nothing close to this."
Gilbert chid in: "The sea's restless too." He took a sip of soda, staring at the glass in mild surprise before continuing. "We stopped at Blue Harbor before returning. Simon said it's best to stay away from the coast."
I took a mont to process the information. It didn't take long to organize my thoughts, and I asked, "The sll. Did you catch the sll?"
Their looks were answer enough. The four exchanged confused glances before turning back to . Dylan beca the group's spokesman.
"We didn't leave the Humvee once the rain started. I kept the car's defenses at maximum until we returned to the kingdom. I didn't want to take any risks." His eyes glowed blue, his voice serious. After a mont, he asked, "What sll are you talking about?"
"Blood and rot."
Dylan's brow furrowed.
"I didn't sll anything," Robyn shook her head.
"Neither did I," Selina added.
Gilbert seed thoughtful, as did Dylan.
"The farm…" the guide comnted to the rchant, who nodded. I saw Robyn and Selina's eyes widen slightly, as if they had rembered sothing.
"The farm…" Gilbert repeated before turning to . I didn't have to ask what they were talking about; the old rchant began explaining: "When we were coming back, I talked to Simon. He said his son, Gallius, noticed so strange things happening…"
He hesitated, licking his lips and closing his eyes while massaging his eyelids for so reason.
"What's up with this farm?" I asked.
"The right question is, what isn't up with it." Robyn's real tail, coiled around her waist, shifted. She grabbed it and began stroking it gently. "There wasn't any life besides plants. Animals and farrs, they all disappeared overnight. None of the neighboring farms heard a single noise."
Ozma and Jinn remained silent, listening without comnt. No ssages from the (CHAT) appeared in my vision; likely, the stream deed them unnecessary given the gravity of the discussion.
"Goblins?" I asked. It would make sense. Robyn had said they disappeared, not that they were dead.
Dylan shook his head.
"I thought about that, but I don't think so… What do you know about blood tracks?"
"That it usually takes two people for them to form." I shot back. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"…There was no one on that farm… But their tracks were there. Dozens upon dozens of bloody footprints, from both animals and Terrarians, leading into a silent forest. No sound at all, not even from insects."
I paused, thinking. The description was eerie. I could picture the scene, but what bothered most was the forest. The absence of noise could only be explained by two reasons: either everything was dead, or everything was hiding from a larger predator.
"…That doesn't ring any bells." I shook my head. "The forest… Did the fisherman's son check it out?" I wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't, but I still asked.
"He did." Gilbert replied, surprising . "Gallius went into the forest. From what Simon told , he didn't find any animals. No life besides plants, just bloody footprints and silence… And a corpse."
His hesitation said it all. Gilbert swallowed hard before massaging his eyelids.
"The corpse was green, as if it had been rotting for weeks, but it was the farr who had been alive just a day before…" He hesitated again, rubbing his eyes as he spoke. Robyn placed a hand on her father's shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"Just drop the bomb. What was up with the corpse?" I said. Gilbert didn't hesitate this ti.
"The important thing is what it didn't have: Eyes." The twitching he'd been doing suddenly made a lot more sense. "The exact description Gallius gave was, 'It was as if the man's eyes had crawled out of his skull on their own.'"
The first possibility was bad, the second was worse, and the third was horrifying… But it seed we were heading for all three combined...
… FUCK!
[...]---[...]
This chapter ca out earlier than expected. It's shorter than the others, about 4,900 words. The last chapters were around 7000 to 10000, since they were arc-ending chapters.
So, let's get to the chapter!
There was no way Devas wouldn't notice the shit that was going down. He figured it out quickly, with only a few hints, even though he didn't know exactly what it was. The reunion was normal, as Devas said, it doesn't feel like a month has passed.
Everyone's tired, but doing well. Dylan is more mature and serious, as shown in the interludes. Robyn is the sa as always, but more thoughtful and contemplative. Selina is Selina. Gilbert is the calst guy in the group, like Devas, and he's taking things better than most.
Devas didn't see Simon's death ssage. It happened, and Devas would have seen it if he'd been in Terraria, but he wasn't. There's no ssage 'log.'
Alalia showed up, and Devas realized that, even with the way he treated her, sohow he'd still underestimated her. Alalia is strong as hell, and there's a reason for that, which will be revealed in the future...
Well, I think that's it. Good night, everyone, and happy reading!
PS: I'm back from vacation, and the chapters will return to their regular schedule. Next chapter: January 9th.
User Comments
0 comments from readers