The moment I stepped out onto the plains, a cool breeze rushed past me. It swept over the cold silver, causing me to shiver as though it were a second skin. The firmness of the earth beneath my feet, though it was hidden by a layer of flowing grasses, could not be denied.
It was a far cry from the churning mud I was so used to. Her vengeful cry could not be heard over the horizon, nor was the sky resounding with the shriek of a deluge of arrows.
It had been a long time since I had even stood upon such a peaceful land.
I took in a deep breath, the air was fresh, devoid of the scent of decay and smothering smoke. The bodies of my brothers no longer burdened me, nor did I lay them to rest. Yet still, it felt as though a weight had left my shoulders.
I took several stumbling steps forwards, the clanging and scrape of armour plates a result of my graceless movement.
My blade laid horizontally at the base of a spine, its normal resting place when not in hand. I wrapped my fingers around its hilt, the familiarity granting me peace of mind.
At that moment my sight sharpened as though I came out of a daze.
And the world now lay before me.
A beautiful green pasture stretched far off into the distance, the horizon only broken by a lonely peak piercing the clouds. The sky was a beautiful gold, signing either morning or night. Which was it? I did not know, but the dew on ground told me it might be the former.
In the distance, I could see a set of strange shapes. They were unnatural, the structures of a species either like humanity, or is humanity.
Though they may not be the mankind I know oh so well.
Beyond that though, was what looked to be a forest. I could tell it stretched all the way to the mountains on the horizon.
It was a familiar sight, exceptionally easy on the eyes.
*VWOOOSSHHH!*
The portal behind me closed, and my flames extinguished themselves. The glorious plume and cape disappeared into the winds as little more than embers.
It seems the space between worlds was too far, and though the pact remained functional, the spell was quite strained.
'It seems my power may be limited then…'
Having gathered myself, I looked to my right at the winding dirt pathway leading in the direction of the city. It was large enough for a carriage to pass both ways, showing that someone had been maintaining it at the very least.
Letting go of my sword's hilt, I sucked in another breath of fresh, likely morning air.
I took a careful step towards the path, eyeing my surroundings warily. Animum had said this place was relatively safe, but that was by the standards of a god.
While that meant it was likely safe for me, I wasn't about to test the limits of his hubris.
But no matter how careful I was, I wasn't perfect. The moment I stepped onto the path, a ball of ghostly light took shape before me. It was slightly see through, and almost seemed like a sphere of glowing mist. It then flashed as a regal voice spoke from within.
"Hello Acros, I welcome the might of a new champion."
I had a few guesses as to what this thing was, but the feminine sounding voice made things quite simple.
"Goddess Firmina I presume?"
The ball floated a little closer before floating up to eye level.
"Indeed! I am a minor manifestation of Firmina."
"So a portion of her consciousness?"
"Indeed!"
The sprite floated around me in a circle as it seemed to look me up and down.
"Animum really outdid himself this time! You will make a splendid hero!"
At that moment I held out my hand, telling the sprite to stop for a moment.
"I apologize, but I am not a Hero. I am a knight, and I was sent to clear up some misunderstandings surrounding my title."
The sprite froze for a moment, before dimming.
"I-I see, but this is fine! Even if you aren't a hero I'm glad help has arrived at the very least. It's been fifty years since the last intervention! Anyways, I have a lot to tell you, but I have limited time. So I will tell you the basics."
"This world is under the threat of complete corruption by a group of powerful demons called lilim, one of their number now rivals me in power, and has begun to corrupt a large portion of this continent after the failures of multiple heroic incursions."
"They were killed? Or were they captured?"
"Worse, corrupted."
The sprite then moved back as I straightened myself and stretched my back.
"Were none of your heroes sound of mind? How were all of them corrupted?"
"With the exception of one, who killed herself, the others were infected by the demon's mana and their bodies and souls were transformed."
"What manner of sorcery…"
"Their mana is highly infectious, which was why I was hoping you were a hero. I could offer you a greater degree of resistance if you were willing to take that role. But if not, all you can rely on is your own will."
I contemplated this for a moment, however the sprite did not give me time to think.
"Since I have limited time, and you are not a hero, I will do the bare minimum and offer you a divine protection. It should hold up well enough as long as you don't ingest anything weird or have intercourse with a demon."
The sprite floated up to my pauldron, and seeing that it wished to do something, I leaned towards it. Baring the piece of armour towards the sprite, it then shot out a beam of light. It drew a circle, cleaved in four quarters, with a four pointed star in the middle. A sizzling black sigil now graced my pauldron.
"A sigil?"
"Yes, as long as you bear my sigil, you'll have bare bones protection from the evils of this land. If it begins to fade, you are being corrupted. It's also a way to hear or contact me in places with a high density of my mana. Some call it holy mana, but it's really just mine."
The sprite then began to fizzle, signalling that our conversation was at its end.
"I need to recall this manifestation, so we'll have to call our meeting here. Good luck Acros, I hope to see Animum's vision realised."
The sprite then abruptly died altogether, leaving me alone on the road.
"It seems that if I want to know more about this world, I'll have to learn for myself."
Looking towards the city- no, town off in the distance, I began a slow trek towards it.
…
Making my way towards the city, I held a little bit of anticipation in my heart. Years of fighting had wore down on me, and the now beautiful blue sky seemed to bode well. I was hoping for a peaceful venture to the city.
Yet even so, such peace is rare for someone like me.
To me, all calms are but a sign of a brewing storm.
And lo and behold, the storm approaches.
In the distance, a clopping of hooves could be heard. This was neither a donkey, nor was it cattle. It wasn't even a horse.
Well, no, that's wrong.
It was half a horse.
It was a female centaur, and it was headed straight for me.