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As I was leaving Town Base, I was stopped by high elf Bipi who notified me that Courier Chione was responsible for the crashed airship I’d seen outside the road leading to the Tainted Gorge earlier. Apparently the crash wasn’t the sole fault of Chione, terrons had stowed away on the ship and caused it to malfunction and crash.
I was interested to find out why the terrons had stowed away on Chione’s airship. Normally terrons, while obnoxious with their incessant giggling, avoid contact with people. Bipi told me that Chione should still be at the site of the wreck and had an important report from Leander that was suppose to be delivered to the outpost within the Tainted Gorge.
So I set off to meet with Chione, child of Karas.
——-
Curiously, according to Chione, the terrons were after the relic stones that she was to be delivering to the troops in the Tainted Gorge. Why would these creatures want these relics? It’s just as strange as the birds that were stealing the researcher’s equipment, what could all of these creatures mean to gain by taking these artifacts?
I wonder….
——-
The troops stationed along the road into the Tainted Gorge were pleased by my arrival of the minor supplies I brought to them as well as the report from Leander that I acquired from Chione.
Right now I’m resting at Riel & Milun’s roadway outpost. The Tainted Gorge isn’t far off now and the air is already getting thicker, it’s becoming harder to breathe.
Edan who has just left to go out on patrol warned me that the further in you go the stronger the beasts get. He wasn’t just referring to beasts though, there are demons there, true creatures of the dark god Lok await before me.
This is why I came though, to eliminate those wretches and uncover their evil plans and find Elleon in the process.
Edan said one of his best scouts, Phaedra, should be following the demons workings and I should be on the look out for her as he’s certain she’ll have valuable information to share with me.
I’ll be heading down there within the hour… I wont let this be the last entry I write.
——
Sersine, child of Karas, was more than welcoming when I arrived at her campsite deep within the Tainted Gorge.
Indeed, I met Phaedra the castanic, on the way here, though what she offered me was far from what one would call “words of wisdom”.
Cromoses prowled just outside the gorge, guarding the entrance. Thankfully Centurion Edan and his patrolling scouts were nearby to lend me a hand, or rather, I suppose I lent them a hand. Even though the cromoses are aggravating creatures, even they didn’t go further into the gorge, that alone would have been enough to make me wary but the dark energy of this place is impossible to ignore.
As I entered the foul area I could hear them, the cries of the demons that lurked here.
Disc reapers, kariagons, terron thralls, dark raiders, runekeepers; pick a demon and name it, it’s probably lurking here.
By the time I reached Sersine, I was covered in the stench of demon blood. She had smiled grimly at me and welcomed me. I’m grateful for her and the company of Perrin and Verus, as crass as those two might be. Perrin, child of Karas, had made a point to note that Adria has keen ears and catches even the whispers of complaints even from the most lowly among her troops which is why Perrin and Verus ended up out here with Sersine, as he put it, “well, we’re certainly not bored now, nearly forty demons die within site of the camp each day.” The pair are quite amusing, trying to lighten their daily tasks with bets among themselves.
The demons here seem to be growing restless as each day passes, more relentless in their attacks on the troops stationed here. I’ve aided this outpost numerous times by cutting the demons back but the fight here will never end unless we find the cause of this dark energy.
Who or what is giving these beasts power? — That’s the question I intend to answer.
Demons make the tainted forest creatures feel like childsplay. These kariagons, for instance, won’t hesitate to initiate attack and rip my head right off.
——-
I’ve found amulets of Lok on some of the demons. I brought these to Verus who acknowledged them with a grunt, “This token is definitely of Lok, it looks recently made! The demons that disappeared when Lok went missing have appeared again and with Lok’s token… Does this mean that Lok has returned? It is said that Lok will return some day. And the world will be filled with Lok’s blessings… It’s the belief of the Dark devas. I’ve heard there are insane people even on the continent who believe such nonsense.”
Though I’ve heard these tales before, hearing them again from a castanic in the middle of such an evil area was very chilling. If Lok has returned, what will become of our world?
For all the evil of this place… there is a certain beauty here…
But it is a dark beauty full of sorrowful memories and lost souls.
——-
Sersine informed me that a creature called Kugai wanders along the road and enforces peace amongst the demons. I agreed with her that he must be slain, if nothing else the death of the most powerful enforcer might start the demons fighting amongst themselves. That’d be a reprieve from them working together and fighting us.
——-
Kugai the mighty was a two-headed giant. I write was because I’ve slain him now. Truly a difficult task that nearly cost me my arm when the bone-crushing brute slammed me with his mace.
However this task proved more helpful than any of us imagined, on the creature’s body I found a demon codex. Sersine agreed that Leander or Eria might be able to translate it so I will join them at the Southern Checkpoint at once. Whoever held Kugai’s leash is sure to be at the bottom of this mess.
What demonic force earned the loyalty of such a despicable creature?
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