When Field returned, the six of them followed the sound of crying into the mist. They stepped cautiously, letting the view ahead of them clear before moving forward. They passed the first village, and upon entering the second cluster of homes, orange mist blanketed the ground.

  “This is where we stopped.” Ku pointed to the left, then at the corruption seeping their way. “The demons made us out here, and we ran. There’s no way we can get anywhere near—”

  The clicks started small, growing into a wave of choruses that washed over them. Nearly a hundred pairs of blue, glowing eyes appeared around them in a semicircle. Taiga’s breath stopped, and Mouse grabbed his arm beside him.

  “Well, I see why you ran.” Taiga forced a laugh.

  Telania shook her head, backing away. “Those weren’t here before.”

  “I think it’s about time to run.” Field backed away.

  “Do you think they’ll let us?” Mimi asked, bringing out two daggers from her belt.

  Before Field chanced an answer, the eyes descended upon them. Droves of demons squeaked and clicked as they fell over each other. Field and Ku took flight, while Telania held her ground, yelling something none of them could hear.

  “Taiga!” Mouse grabbed his arm, yanking him to the side before several demons barrelled over them.

  He pulled his feet beneath him, pounding them into the ground just to keep up with Mouse. His friend held tight to him, whipping past a ruined house and sprinting away from a pack of demons hot in pursuit.

  “The others!” Taiga called through bated breaths.

  Mouse whipped around, looking behind them for only a moment before focusing forward. “They’ll figure something out.”

  Their boots pounded through orange corruption and shocks spiked through Taiga’s legs. He bit down, focusing on keeping up with Mouse’s stride as he was pulled through the fog. Each step stabbed upon thousands of needles into him, stiffening his limbs and slowing his pace.

  The demons struggled to keep up with Mouse’s speed, several giving up and turning back, though Taiga debated if that was good or not. If these demons headed for the horses or the mercenaries instead, then he’d never forgive himself. Sweet Bun could handle herself, the others may not.

  As the clicks drew distant, the whimpers of crying filled their focus. The sobs were deep and loud, coming from every direction. When Mouse slowed and finally released him, Taiga looked in every direction for the source of the crying.

  “What is that?” Mouse asked, his voice lacking any of its usual potency.

  Taiga closed his eyes, taking several steps to the left as the vibrations rippled over the grass. Mouse followed with light steps. Their boots crunched over gravel and echoed, disturbing the sobs.

  The grass whispered from afar, carrying with it the source of the tears. Taiga kept his eyes shut, taking each step with care. The tears dripped with a thud, silenced as much as its voice. Muffled agony awaiting its release.

  “Taiga.” Mouse grabbed his arm, ripping him from the trance and yanking him back.

  “What?” He snapped before following Mouse’s line of sight ahead of him.

  A shadow loomed in the orange fog. The jagged, tall outline balled up and rocking. When Taiga took a step towards it, a raindrop splattered onto his face. He drew his gaze upward, and though the fog made it impossible to see clearly, he had no trouble making out the rain as it pelted down ahead of him.

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  A step back, and the rain vanished. Taiga looked forward, only to see orange corruption flow around him. But another step forward brought the rain back with it. More sobs erupted from the shadow, pounding louder. Each cry drove him further down, dragging Taiga into the sorrows it felt.

  “Was,” Mouse paused, his breath leaving him. When he retook it, he turned to Taiga. “Was there a Guardian in this area?”

  “Then…” Taiga spun back to the shadow. He looked over the outlined figure, seeing the tufts of fur broken by quills and feathers jutting out of it. “No, there’s no Guardian in this region. There hasn’t been for decades.”

  “So why are they here then?” Mouse hurried past him, and Taiga took pursuit. The rain slammed against him, harder, heavier, weighing him into the ground. Like arrows in their strength, each drop of rain pounded into him, drumming in his ears and blurring his eyes.

  Mouse shielded over his head, the rain so heavy now their vision obscured more than an arms length ahead. Taiga stayed close on his heels, yelling for him to wait, but the sound lost within the rain, even to himself.

  It thundered around them, each cry vibrating through him in deep, low hums. The rain bent them low, struggling to stay upright in such flooded force. Mouse dropped to a knee ahead of him, and Taiga reached out, grabbed his arm and helped him up, even as his own boots slid in the gathering water.

  “Taiga,” Mouse sputtered water from his mouth, “it’s a Guardian. They haven’t fully corrupted.” He pointed ahead of him, the black fur drenched in rain. The creature towered a dozen meters high at least, their legs and arms folded into itself. Talons shielded the white, ceramic mask.

  “How do you know they’re not corrupted?” Taiga pulled at him, but Mouse pushed away, stumbling as the rain pounded over them both. He caught himself with his hands, moving forward only through brute force.

  Another sob boomed through Taiga, reverberating to the core of his being and shaking him in its grasp. His hands trembled as they reached for Mouse again, each raindrop stabbing him with its dull blade. The pain bruised, and he bit through it as he pursued his friend.

  Mouse touched his hands to the Guardian, looking up at it despite the rain. He said something to it, though Taiga couldn’t make out the words. When the Guardian didn’t respond, Mouse pressed his hands to them, sinking into the damp furs. The length of his arms draped in fur, only his shoulders remaining.

  “It’s me, do you hear me?” Taiga made out Mouse’s words through the rain. “What’s happened? Why are you crying?” His voice lowered, gentle. Taiga could make out nothing further.

  Mouse closed his eyes, though the Guardian did not respond. Another sob shocked Taiga’s corrupting legs, and sent him scrambling to his hands. He dropped into standing water, the fog burning around his forearms where it could reach. They trembled into numbness. He yanked them from the water and shook them off in the rain. The pain re-emerged; a small relief.

  To the right, a shadow moved. From the rain, a long, quilled tail slithered across the ground. Taiga barely registered it before he ran to Mouse. When his friend was in reach, he grabbed his arm, yanked it from the furs, and pulled Mouse behind him.

  In the same moment, Taiga swung his wooden sword from its sheath. He clashed it against the tail as it whipped at him. He bared his teeth, digging the sword into the gravel to add resistance.

  “Taiga, don’t!” The voice faltered him as he forced the tail back, smacking it with the side of his weapon.

  “What do you mean, don’t?” Taiga called, pushing himself and Mouse back as the tail recoiled. “You’d be in two right now if I didn’t react in time.”

  “Don’t attack them! They’re not corrupted!”

  “Yes, it is.” Taiga waved at the orange fog around them. “Unless you really think those higher level demons summoned themselves and killed all the people in these villages?”

  “I,” Mouse stammered, “I don’t know. But the Guardian isn’t attacking, only defending. That’s proof enough. It’s trying to resist.”

  Taiga bit his lip as Mouse’s eyes frantically searched him. There were too many unknowns to dismiss. But Mouse pleaded him nonetheless. “Fine. What do you want to do?”

  “Let me try reaching them. If I can speak to them, maybe I can help them calm down.”

  The tail disappeared into the fog. Taiga gritted his teeth, “fine.” He didn’t want to kill it either, but if it really did cause all the deaths in the Bearthatch villages, the Guardian was far too gone to save.

  Nonetheless, Mouse could try.

  Mouse stepped towards it despite the rain pounding over them relentlessly. Taiga watched the fog around them as they crept forward. Through the continual drumming of rain and the deep vibration of sobs, another sound made Taiga freeze.

  From above the Guardian, metallic clicks joined the chorus.