video

[snowslip]

[ Marianne appears in the video looking more anxious than usual, perhaps because this is her first time addressing so many people at once and she's never liked drawing attention to herself, but also because of the news she's about to share. ]

Um, I wanted to warn everyone that monsters around Aldrip have become more aggressive lately. They've also been roaming closer and closer to town. Even where I usually take the horses out to graze isn't safe. Please be cautious when walking about, and I would avoid the outskirts. Um, those that can fight, it might be good to band together to try and drive them away...

[ ... ]

There's something else...

[ After an agonizing pause, she rolls back the sleeves of her dress to reveal her arm, black marks marring her fair skin. Her expression turns pained. ]

These marks appeared on me shortly after encountering the monsters. Healing doesn't seem to have any effect on it. Something like this happened once before and I...I'm afraid it could make me not myself.

If anyone knows anything about it, please...

[ She trails off, unable to conclude her announcement on an eloquent note. ]

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[beshackled]

[And so he is. A man who is, as ever, clad in dark robes, hood and mask down so that his features are clearly visible. His skin is dark, a deep contrast to the brightness of his vibrant copper hair.

There is a brightness to his red eyes that is unlike most of the other Chosen here... though they presently glance around with a somewhat bemused expression.]

...I... probably should have asked her just where on the farm she would be...

[Maybe he could try contacting her again...?]

[snowslip]

[ Marianne has no way of knowing how long it'll take him to get there, but as the minutes pass worry starts to gnaw at her. After all, the farm is on the outskirts of town where monsters have been prowling. If something happened to him because he had come to help her, she couldn't bear it. So she turns on the charm again to check in. ]

Sir...? Are you nearing the farm? Please take care on your way here, there could be monsters lurking nearby.

[beshackled]

[Ah! What fortune! 'Twould appear as though she had much the same idea.]

A-ah. Pray forgive my oversight. I was so eager to come out that I... neglected to ask which part of the farm you were located.

[snowslip]

O-Oh, I'm sorry. I should have mentioned it. I'm in the building that's, um, closest to the chicken coop.

[ It's where she and Astralin used to have tea, a place she finds solace in even though he's no longer here now. She walks as she speaks into the charm, going outside to stand by the door so she can wave him down when she sees him. ]

[beshackled]

I think I remember where it is.

[It has only been a few moons. Scarcely any time has passed... at least for him.

This time he keeps the feed going, keeping the channel of communication open until he catches sight of the coop, and the building beside it. There is a woman outside, and she seems to have the same color of hair as the one he'd been speaking with.]

Hello?

[It... is her, isn't it?]

[snowslip]

Hello.

[ It's her with her same worried face as she greets the man from the video. Marianne opens the door to allow him through. Although there would usually be animals roaming happily about the farm, she had shut the doors to the coop and stables, feeling it was unsafe to let her friends linger outside. ]

Thank you for coming... please come in. I'm Marianne.

[beshackled]

[A likely wise decision, given the greater audacity of the aggressive creatures as of late.]

My thanks for your generosity. I am Erichthonios.

[Stepping through the open door, he keeps his attention on the distressed Marianne rather than looking around.]

How are you feeling?

[snowslip]

I should be the one thanking you for coming.

[ She says with a bow of her head, feeling as if she's troubled him. She leads him to a table where they can sit and talk. ]

I'm alright for now, I think. I'm not in pain nor do I feel sick.

[beshackled]

[Ericthonios likewise bows his head.]

At least we have that mercy to be thankful for...

[At least she is not in pain. Would that he could give her better news on top of that... Alas, he cannot. Not yet.

Head lifting, Erichthonios looks upon her directly.]

Though I fear the concerns you expressed may not be entirely unfounded. I spoke of the marks as being familiar to me. That is because I have seen them before.

[snowslip]

[ Her eyes that had been downcast look up in surprise. She tugs at the sleeves of her dress uncomfortably, eventually mustering the courage to ask. ]

Where did you see them? Do you know anything about them?

[beshackled]

I... was one of those taken to the island off the coast of Rumpitur. 'Twas there I saw the marks... in those creatures that attacked us.

[Head dipping, he looks off to the side.]

...I cannot help but wonder if they followed us here.

[snowslip]

I'm glad you returned safely.

[ Hearing his words, her first concern is that he made it back from the harrowing experience in one piece. She takes a moment to digest the information, feeling a mix of apprehension and relief to finally know where the marks came from. ]

Rumpitur is a ways away. Does that mean the sea creature's influence has spread this far?

[beshackled]

Either that, or it could have moved along the coast...

[Or a combination of both.]

What we can surmise thus far is that it can affect living beings... though as to how far that influence extends or behaves, I cannot say. It can apparently affect both flora and fauna. But so far I have seen only the affected flora die from the affliction itself.

[Shifting in the course of his rambling, Erichthonios lifts a hand to his chin.]

I intend to study it further. Though my initial wishes were to study the soil and flora in a controlled environs, things have progressed to such an extent that I feel as though I must broaden the scope of my research to all that is affected by the creature. To understand the mechanism of the spread of its influence, and to discover a means to curb that influence...

Would you be willing to help by sharing your observations?

[snowslip]

It almost sounds like a plague of some sort.

[ Fast-spreading and deadly. Hearing about the fate of the afflicted flora sends a shiver down her spine. Where she might have once felt indifferent to her life, now Marianne is seized with a fear of death. She clasps her hands together in front of her as she often does in prayer. ]

Of course. You can ask me anything. I'm not a scholar, but I'll do what I can to help. But, um, are you not worried for your own safety?

[beshackled]

[Lifting his head, Erichthonios notes her distress. However... for once, he feels cause to be optimistic.]

I daresay I am accustomed to a higher level of danger than most.

[Though he does not court violence, unlike some others among the 'Chosen'...]

And... I have faith that, between us all, things shall turn out for the better. Yuja and Themis are here. And Emet-Selch. And others have shown their own talents. William has been coordinating an effort to fight the sea creature. And you are doing your part as well.

[snowslip]

[ Marianne doesn't know if she's doing all that much compared to the others, used to selling herself short. However, the faith he places in their collective efforts gives her a boost of determination and reminds her that she isn't alone in her struggle. Maybe together they can make a difference. ]

What sort of life did you live before you came here, Erichthonios? If you don't mind me asking.

[ She does get the impression that he is used to danger, what with the way he holds himself calmly in crisis. ]

[beshackled]

I am a warder. I serve in a research facility known as Pandaemonium, which houses our star's most dangerous creations. Not long before I found myself transported here, those creations were suddenly set free. 'Twas a difficult feat to return them to their cages and free the other warders... one not accomplished without significant help from outside, which I was most fortunate to have.

[It is a very brief summarization, and does not even begin to illustrate the sheer magnitude of the situation, but it is enough for now, he thinks. To say more would... likely do little good for her spirits.]

[snowslip]

That must have been a terrible ordeal.

[ A researcher of dangerous animals...Perhaps that was why Erichthonios appeared so calm when dealing with the creatures here and had even picked up on their corrupted state quickly. ]

It's reassuring to have someone experienced like you looking into the corruption.

[beshackled]

[It was a terrible ordeal. Colleagues lost, having gone mad from the corrupting influence upon them and turned into something else, and yet even among those turned one had been saved and turned back.

His confidence in this matter is not merely blind faith.]

I am glad to be a source of reassurance for you.

[Even if he does not think much of himself, it feels... nice, to be seen as reliable.]

Pray do not lose hope. I have no intention of stopping until I find a way to restore the land and its inhabitants.

[snowslip]

I...yes, I won't give up.

[ Not like before. He is working so hard, it would be remiss of her to despair now. Her voice takes on a hopeful quality that wasn't present before. ]

If there's any way I can support you, please let me know. It might not do any good, but I know some healing magic, and I can supply herbs from the clinic.

[beshackled]

Healing magic would be a wondrous help.

[His words are heartfelt. People are bound to become injured if attacked by the agitated animals. 'Tis likely the afflicted fauna will lose their wariness of humans as the condition progresses, until they end up like the octopi.]

And I know not what herbs the clinic has available... but I have heard some have a use for calming? Mayhap those will be of help in managing some of the symptoms.

[snowslip]

I believe we have some herbs for helping with sleep, and I know an apothecary where we might find more. Healing magic hasn't worked on the corruption itself, at least the kind that I know.

[ She hugs her arm, nails digging into skin. The black marks had remained even after her spell had faded and she had finished saying her prayers. The cure will have to come from elsewhere. ]

[beshackled]

But you may yet be of great help to those who become injured.

[Leaning forward, he gingerly touches a hand to the shoulder of the hand whose nails sink into skin, wishing to encourage her to relax her hold.]

Pray do not be hard on yourself.