Chapter 24 The Heart of Corruption #3
Desmond stopped at a section of the trunk where the faces were most densely packed, their expressions contorted in silent screams. He reared up again and slammed his huge paws against the bark, which cracked under the impact.
Purple ichor oozed from the fracture, and the tree responded with a deafening screech that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
"There!" I shouted, pointing to the hollow that had been revealed behind the cracked bark.
Inside pulsed a mass of corruption unlike anything we'd seen.
A concentrated node of malevolent energy that throbbed like a heart, sending waves of blight through visible channels that ran throughout the tree.
My flame-script responded instantly, patterns surging up my arms and across my chest in protective formations. This was what we'd come for—the heart of the corruption.
"Taranis!" I called. "Now!"
The mage fought his way toward us, the remaining artifacts clutched in his hands.
His spectacles were askew, and a gash across his forehead leaked blood that he seemed not to notice.
Eldrin followed close behind, maintaining what protection he could with defensive spells that crackled and sparked against the corruption's assault.
"We need to place the final artifact directly before the heart," Taranis shouted over the cacophony. "Then you can channel your flame effectively!"
I nodded, my attention split between the pulsating heart and the battle raging around us.
Ryu's massive draconic form was surrounded by corrupted villagers, their bodies forming a grotesque pile as they climbed over each other to reach him.
His scales gleamed with ichor where they'd been splashed with corruption, but his dragon fire kept the worst of the assault at bay.
Aeolus maintained his wind barrier around our group, though I could see the strain etched in his face as toxic spores continued to test his defenses.
"Cover me!" Taranis shouted as he lunged forward, the final ritual artifact—a crystal that pulsed with ancient magic—clutched in his outstretched hand.
Desmond roared, rearing up to intercept three corrupted roots that whipped toward Taranis. His powerful jaws clamped down, tearing through the unnatural wood despite the pain the contact clearly caused him. More dark ichor sprayed across his fur, sizzling where it touched.
Lucas darted forward in wolf form, his movements a blur as he intercepted a corrupted villager who had broken through our defenses.
His teeth found the attacker's throat with surgical precision, not killing but disabling, as if he understood these weren't enemies by choice but victims of the blight.
The momentary opening was all Taranis needed.
With a scholar's precision, he placed the crystal directly before the pulsating heart, completing the ritual placement.
The artifact immediately began to glow, resonating with the others placed around the tree.
Brilliant light surged between them, forming a complex pattern that matched the flame-script flowing beneath my skin.
"Adara, now!" Taranis called, stumbling back as the tree's heart convulsed violently, sending a wave of corruption outward that knocked him off his feet.
I stepped forward, flame-script blazing as golden fire erupted from my palms toward the corrupted heart. The flame met resistance—the corruption fought back with terrible strength.
"It's not working!" I shouted, gritting my teeth as I poured more of my essence into the flame.
My vision swam at the edges, golden light emanating from my entire body now.
"This thing is fighting back. It's not just mindless corruption!
It's like trying to burn through a puddle.
I need more heat! Ryu, I need your fire! "
The tree's heart pulsed again, more violently this time, and the faces embedded in its trunk wailed in terrible harmony. The sound penetrated deeper than hearing, resonating in my bones and making my flame-script flicker erratically.
Ryu's draconic form crashed through a wall of corrupted villagers, creating an opening.
His eyes met mine, and I saw understanding there despite our earlier tension.
With a roar that shook the clearing, he unleashed a concentrated blast of dragon fire, not at the tree but at the ground between us and it, creating a momentary barrier of flame.
I took the precious seconds to reassess our situation, the golden flame-script beneath my skin pulsing with urgency.
"We need to regroup!" I called out, my voice barely audible over the cacophony of battle. "Fall back to the tree line!"
The corrupted tree's defenses intensified as if sensing our retreat. Enormous roots erupted from the ground in our path, forming a writhing barrier. The faces embedded in its trunk contorted in silent screams, their expressions shifting from agony to rage.
"It won't let us leave!" Aeolus shouted, his wind barriers faltering as toxic pollen burst from the tree's wounds, filling the air with glowing purple particles.
I stumbled as the ground beneath me shifted, roots coiling around my ankles. My flame-script blazed in response, golden light searing through the corrupted wood, but more replaced them instantly. The tree was learning, adapting to my phoenix fire with terrifying intelligence.
"Adara!" Lucas's voice cut through the chaos as he shifted back to human form, his naked body streaked with corruption and blood. "The heart—it's pulsing faster!"
I turned to see the exposed core of the tree throbbing violently, corrupt energy building to a crescendo. The ritual artifacts Taranis had placed began to crack under the pressure, golden light flickering as their ancient magic failed.
"Everyone down!" I screamed, throwing myself toward my companions as the heart of corruption exploded outward.
Malevolent light exploded outward from the corrupted heart, a shock wave of malevolent energy that knocked us all backward. I hit the ground hard, my lungs emptying with the impact as golden flame-script flared protectively across my skin.
Through watering eyes, I watched the corruption surge outward in pulsing waves, consuming everything it touched. Villagers caught in its path convulsed as the purple energy penetrated deeper into their already corrupted bodies, their screams merging into a terrible chorus.
"It's accelerating the corruption!" Taranis shouted, his scholarly voice cracking with alarm. "The ritual artifacts were containing it, but now—"
Another pulse cut him off, the ground beneath us buckling as massive roots erupted in violent spirals. The forest itself seemed to be twisting inward toward the monstrous tree, as if being devoured by its hunger.
I struggled to my feet, my entire body ablaze with golden flame-script that burned with an intensity that bordered on pain. My hair whipped around my face, each strand trailing embers as I gathered my power once more.
This still wasn't working, and I couldn't understand why. My individual efforts weren't enough against corruption this deeply rooted. We needed something more.
"Ryu! Aeolus!" I called out, a plan forming in my mind even as corrupted roots whipped toward us with renewed fury. "I need your powers combined with mine!"
Ryu tore through the advancing corruption, shifting back to mostly human form, though his eyes remained draconic gold and smoke curled from his nostrils.
"I'm with you, little bird," he said, voice rough with determination. Despite the tension between us, his loyalty never wavered.
As Ryu approached, I noticed a strange intensity in his draconic eyes. His gaze kept shifting between the corrupted heart and my flame-script patterns, a dawning recognition in his expression.
"It's reacting differently to my fire," he growled, smoke curling from his lips. "Not just fighting back. If I didn't know better, I'd say it's gaining strength."
Aeolus appeared beside him, silver hair whipping in a wind of his own creation, his fae features sharp with determination. "Whatever plan you have, make it quick. This corruption is evolving by the second."
"We need to hit the heart simultaneously," I explained, phoenix flame dancing between my fingers as I gathered my power. "Your dragonfire, my phoenix flame, Aeolus's wind to direct and intensify the combined energy."
Understanding flashed across their faces. This was similar to what Aeolus and I had done at the spring, but on a much larger scale, and with higher stakes.
"The others can't hold the corruption back much longer," Aeolus observed, glancing to where Lucas, Desmond, Taranis, and Eldrin fought against the villagers.
I positioned myself between Ryu and Aeolus, feeling our combined energies begin to resonate. The corrupted heart of the tree pulsed violently, sending waves of purple energy through the twisted trunk.
"On my mark," I called, gathering my phoenix fire in my palms. Golden flame-script blazed across my skin, flowing down my arms to pool in my hands like liquid sunlight. "Ryu, I need your dragonfire concentrated on the heart. Aeolus, guide our combined flames with precision."
Ryu's eyes blazed golden as he inhaled deeply, chest expanding as he summoned his draconic power. Heat radiated from him in waves, the air around him shimmering.
Aeolus raised his hands, silver eyes gleaming as the air around us began to stir. "Ready when you are, Phoenix."
Across the clearing, Desmond's bear form stood sentinel, protecting Taranis and Eldrin as they worked frantically to hold off the villagers. Lucas darted between corrupted villagers in wolf form, his movements a blur of precise violence as he created space for our assault.
"Now!" I shouted, thrusting my hands forward as golden phoenix fire erupted from my palms.