Wayfarer - Yaena the corrupted guardian

In the depths of the Cave of Mirages, darkness reigned supreme. Two faint fireflies twirled at will in their glass prison. Eyes fixed on the thin door of his lantern, Keyn waited wisely. Lulled by the steady trickle of the stream below, he struggled to keep his eyes open. Drowning out the light sound, muffled footsteps echoed against the cave walls. Keyn thought his partner was returning from her patrol. Then, with growing unease, he realized that the entity behind the footsteps was far more threatening.

Who could well be at the bottom of the passage? The pounding on the ground became more urgent. They were hitting the rocks leading to the cave. A sudden wind twinkled the light of the fireflies. It hardly seemed like a natural phenomenon, so deep underground. Keyn reached for his weapon, a fearsome spear with a piercing blade. The fireflies flickered in the lantern as the icy wind approached. The cold and darkness filled the cavern, taking over the place.

A familiar figure emerged from the passageway, panting. A black shadow, whose corpulence occupied the whole space, was not long in coming out. Keyn immediately recognized his partner, in prey with a Wayfarer. Before he had time to move, a loud roar sounded, forcing him to cover his ears. The creature lunged and snapped its jaws, narrowly missing its prey. Keyn knew he had to act quickly, before he was plunged into utter darkness. He grabbed the lantern with his available hand and dashed between the rocks. His partner would not last long without his intervention.

With perseverance, he arrived just in time to distract the Wayfarer. The creature slowly turned its head in his direction, plunging its reptilian eyes into his. It roared again, sweeping away a rock with a single sweep of its paw. Keyn’s forehead was sweaty. He could feel the hand in which he held his spear trembling. He gasped with fear at the mere thought of what had almost happened.

The Wayfarer opened his mouth, letting out a few greenish flames. Its jaw was impressive, and it seemed to take great pleasure in snapping it at its prey. His body was covered in emerald scales, except for its belly and the front of its neck. Firming his grip on the spear, Keyn prepared to fight. A small voice nearby merely dissuaded him.

“Don’t do that !” she shouted at him. “It is exactly what he seeks.”

To Keyn’s surprise, the Wayfarer looked away to face his partner. His mouth opened to let out his breath, which quickly spread to the upper part of the cave, before falling back as stardust. He then smashed the ground repeatedly, watching Keyn from the corner of his eyes. This crude attempt at provocation would have been doomed to failure, if emotion had not forced Keyn to act.

Handling his imposing spear with dexterity, the latter contracted his musculature and hasted on his opponent. He began to strike the base of the neck, where the scales were scarce. The blade broke on impact, without even lacerating the creature’s skin. With a strong kick, Keyn was thrown to the other side of the room.

The Wayfarer focused his attention on the insect that had dared to strike him and roared ferociously. A whirlwind was formed and it projected its greenish flames on Keyn, helpless. He just had time to look up, contemplating the tornado that was heading towards him. His expression went from surprise to fright in an instant. The whirlwind was crossing the space between him and his victim at an incredible speed, shattering the stalactites in its path.

“No!” cried a voice, distorted by fury.

His partner stood up on the trajectory at the last moment, unrecognizable. Her right hand raised in front of her, the whirlwind collided with an invisible obstacle, without managing to break it. The power of the impact caused violent winds. The blond curls of the young woman twirled behind her, while a reddish glow gradually gained in intensity under her clothes.

Weary of the resistance shown by this unexpected adversary, the Wayfarer stopped his breath. As he closed his jaw, the young woman, weakened, crumbled. The breath reached her arm and pale green marks appeared on her skin. She screamed in pain as she backed away, her arm pressed against her chest. Her body began to tremble, and she fell to her knees.

Keyn, who had observed the scene without sketching the least movement, recovered his spirits. He took his partner in his arms and began to run at full speed towards the exit, once again narrowly avoiding the fangs of the creature. The Wayfarer roared again, and a column of flames quickly filled the cave. The faint light of day was near.

Keyn had time to complete his transformation just in time. Two wings sprang from his back, tearing his clothes. He flew as fast as he could and inadvertently stepped out of the path of the fire. The fire exploded on a rock in front of the cave entrance. Its debris flew for several meters, before sinking into the gaping chasm of the canyon. It was a close call.

Tightened against him, he held firmly his trembling partner. With his breath gone, he ventured to glance back. To his surprise, the entity let out what sounded like a laugh, revealing its four large emerald wings. In a way, the sight was comforting. With his dominance established, the Wayfarer roared one last time, before rushing back into the passageway from which he had emerged.

Keyn let out a sigh of relief now that the danger was over. He quickly examined the injured woman’s arm, which was covered with emerald green stains. He could hardly believe it. One of the most dangerous entities in the Otherworld had withdrawn on its own, while they were in a critical situation. It was a strange coincidence. He wondered for a long time about the origin of the marks, before giving up.

Assured that the creature had deserted the place, Keyn set out. The use of his wings facilitated the access to the exit and, a few minutes later, they were outside. The light of the sun dazzled him and warmed his body, frozen by the supernatural meeting from which he had exited.

Keyn thought of the decision to take. The state of his partner worried him strongly. However, he had to report to Hardi’s authority, although he was not very happy about it. It is with this idea in mind that he took off in the direction of the city. He flew over the shepherds posted on the mountainside, causing the dogs to bark. There were many farms in the plains, essential to the smooth running of Hardin society.

The men who lived there occasionally glanced up, anxious to identify the strange bird above them. At the gates of the small town, two men in leather armor stood guard. One of them raised his hands to the sky, signaling for them to descend. Kheyn landed and nearly stumbled, barely catching himself. The man approached, cursing his interlocutor.

“What do you think you’re doing on our land, you moron? You should know that you and your kind are not allowed to go anywhere you want. You’re lucky you and your thing have privileged status, or I’d send you straight to the hole!” he shouted with a disgusting spew.

Keyn rose to his full height, towering over the arrogant little man. The guard recoiled, noticing the difference in stature. He would be no match if a fight were to occur.

“A Wayfarer.” Kheyn simply replied. “You’d better tell your king right away if you don’t want to see your little town burn to the ground.”

The man had lost all desire to confront verbally after hearing the crature’s name. He turned to his companion, his face livid.

“Jay, go warn the royal guard as if you life depends on it.”

Jay discarded his gear and ran off without a backward glance. He had taken the road leading to Hardi, where the royal palace was located.

“You’re free for today.” said the guard. “I’ll overlook the use of your wings in light of the situation, but don’t let me catch you again.”

Kheyn had an amused chuckle, and resumed his walk, forcing the man to shift so as not to end up on the ground. His warning was worthless, and nothing he could have said would have worried him.

“Hey, I’m not forgetting you, the Guardian. I’ll remember you and your woman, don’t you dare ignore it!”

“I’m glad to hear we made an impression on you, little one.” he said ironically, without turning around.

Keyn hated men more than anything, and these small provocations did not reach him the least. He knew that, one day, he would make them regret these acts. For now, the priority was his beloved. He could not bear to see her suffer martyrdom.

With a hurried step, he went towards a path away. The thick wall of carved stone overlooked a gentle slope leading to the bottom of a crater. A rudimentary village stood below with the exception of a massive tower. This was the home of Keyn and his retinue, if it could be called that. As he pushed the single solid oak door open with his shoulder, he inadvertently pressed on tis beloved injured arm. She screamed in pain, cowering.

During the day, the village was almost deserted. There were only a few children playing. However, Keyn suspected that the elder kept a few men back. Although he was well into his sixties, the old Cairn still looked good, despite his greying appearance. When he saw the two Guardians, he looked happy to see them again. Then his gaze fell on the harmed woman.

“What happened to her?” he asked, anxious to discover the source of the injury.

“A bad encounter. I need to get her to a doctor as soon as possible.”

Cairn nodded.

“Grond must be in his clinic.” he informed him. “He’s been there all night trying to solve a supply problem. I wouldn’t be surprised if he fell asleep there. You should check it out.”

Keyn thanked him for the information and set off again. He hurried on, concerned about his partner’s condition. She seemed to be getting worse and worse. Once inside the tower, Keyn headed for the first room in the right corridor. He pushed the doorway open with his foot. The crash of the door drew panicked looks to him.

- Keyn, what kind of manner is that?” Eliza asked, holding a thick book in her hands.

She was an expert on plants, and had been his mentor for years. Her face had lost none of its splendor. A few brown strands were linked to her ear by a barrette, before joining the mass that went down to the level of her shoulders. She displayed large green eyes, in which read a certain tiredness.

Her glance then rested on the wounded, and she deposited hastily her book on the shelf. She called a man who was working in the background, immersed in his bubble. He raised his head,a pair of small glasses posed on his fine nose.

“A problem?” he asked, as if he had just become aware of the world around him.

“Yaena was seriously injured.” Keyn explained. “Strange marks have appeared on her arm and I have no idea what to do! Please... I implore you to save her!”

The doctor sighed and put his glasses on the table in front of him. He walked with a nonchalant gait, his hands in his pockets. He seemed ready to collapse at every step.

“Eliza, would you be so dear as to prepare us some coffee?” He asked, tying his hair back.

“I am not sure that is the right moment, Grond...” she answered, fixing him of her sharp glance.

“And how! If I fall asleep, you’ll be in trouble. This little girl’s case looks rather serious.”

“That goes, I understood...”

She left the room, putting on a small vest, taking two cups with her. The doctor pulled out a drawer from the desk adjacent to the door. He took out a pair of gloves and put them in the bottom pocket of his coat.

“Put her on the couch over there.” he said, pointing to the double sofa in the living room. “She will be more comfortable, and it will be easier for me to analyze these marks.”

Keyn complied and laid Yaena down gently. He was very careful not to touch her injury and stood back, arms crossed. Eliza returned at that moment, two cups of coffee in hand.

“Thank you very much.” the doctor said whilst sipping slowly.

“It might be time to take care of her.” Keyn reproached more aggressively.

Grond took the time to finish his drink, before finally putting on his gloves. He began by looking at the marks, then pulled up his patient’s sleeve, marking the bottom of the shoulder with his two fingers.

“How did she do that?” he asked, in a serious tone.

“We were surprised by a Wayfarer. They rarely ventures out, but this one was on a whole other level. Its body was covered with emerald green scales. It projected a strange breath and almost burned us to death as we tried to escape.”

“How did you get out?” Eliza asked, suspicious.

“It wasn’t easy. If he hadn’t given up chasing us, I don’t know if I could have gotten away so easily. I’ve never been so scared and powerless.”

“Fascinating...” said Grond, his fingers sliding over the marks. “They seem to be getting more opaque and the skin is hardening under my fingers. Excuse me, I’m loosen up. I like this little one a lot, but... I’m afraid there’s not much I can do.”

Keyn approached menacingly, his eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Calm down, fellow. What I mean is, we don’t have access to that stuff here. We’d need a special antidote to remove the poison, given the condition of his arm. This is out of my jurisdiction.”

Eliza took a deep breath before speaking up. She knew a way to get this valuable item quickly.

“I may have a solution.” she ventured, her face buried in her hands. “But it is not without a cost.”

“Do not even think of it!” The doctor changed his mind, while rocking on the back of his chair.

“Do you have a better proposal?”

“No!” he replied, without hesitation.

Eliza shook her head and left the room under the persistent glance of the doctor. He did not try to hold her back any longer. Grond made swing a pen between his fingers, under the glance of Keyn. The atmosphere was tense and he could not hold back any longer.

“I’m going for a walk outside.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.” the doctor advised him. “I understand how you feel, but the best thing to do is to wait until Eliza returns.”

Don’t do anything stupid. That was but a poor advice. It was hard to be satisfied with the life the Hardinois had in store for them. Keyn had been thinking about this for a long time. The people of this town were nothing but cowards. Ever since he was a child, it had always been that way. Men called for tolerance, but were incapable of showing any tolerance for those they considered different.

People from good families ruled over others. The dirty work was done by the semi-humans, including Keyn. The men in charge didn’t want to get their hands dirty, let alone face invasions from the Otherworld. So they had found the perfect system. The Guardians were merely the king’s puppets.