The malice of the Corrupted Forest did not lessen even as they found their direction.
Leaving the outpost ruins, each step felt like walking through a thick, viscous despair.
The air was heavy, filled with the stench of decaying moss and an indescribable, sickly sweetness that made it hard to breathe.
Raine's left arm still throbbed beneath the rough bandage, the remnants of the starlight backlash continuing to burn through his veins, pulling at his exhaustion with every breath.
Thalia walked ahead, her form beneath the cloak growing more fragile.
Her steps remained steady, but there was a noticeable tension in her movements.
Occasionally, a suppressed cough echoed, like a small ice pick piercing through the dead silence of the forest.
Karrion brought up the rear, his damaged kite shield slung across his back, a heavy mark of shame.
His dwarven eyes scanned the dim forest vigilantly, watching for any signs of movement.
The warhammer gripped tightly in his hands, his knuckles white from exertion.
"This way," Karrion's low voice broke the silence.
He pointed to a nondescript rock face.
"Looks like a bear's den, but no scent of the creature. Better than being out in the open."
Indeed, it was a shallow cave, its entrance half-concealed by twisted black bushes.
Inside, the depth was minimal, the ground covered by a thick layer of rotting leaves, with scattered bones from unknown creatures in the corners.
The air was damp, tinged with the coolness of dirt and stone, but it at least offered a reprieve from the suffocating stench outside.
"We'll make do for the night." Karrion set down his shield with a dull thud.
He pulled out a piece of oiled cloth from his bag and laid it on the driest part of the cave.
"Treat your wounds, get some food. We need to leave before dawn."
Raine slumped against the cold stone wall, exhaustion flooding over him like a tide.
Thalia chose a corner farther from the entrance, sitting with her back to them, the hood of her cloak hanging low, hiding her face.
Her shoulders rose and fell slightly, as though she were adjusting her breath.
Karrion didn't immediately rest.
He carefully took out a set of tools, not the clunky, ordinary items of a blacksmith's shop, but a roll wrapped in thick leather—a set of delicate dwarven rune-engraved tools.
Chisels, small hammers, files, and engraving needles—all gleaming with cold metallic light, each marked with intricate runes.
He also retrieved several jars filled with powders of different colors and thick, sticky pastes.
He first checked Raine's armguard.
Earlier, the claws of a corrupted creature had left deep gashes, the edges tinged with an ominous dark hue.
Karrion furrowed his brows, using a small scraper to carefully remove the corrosion, his movements steady and focused.
"Hmph, these bastards' claws are worse than goblins' teeth."
Muttering, he took a pinch of silvery powder from one of the jars and gently applied it to the scraped area.
The powder hissed slightly as it made contact with the metal, a faint wisp of white smoke rising.
Next, he took a small rune hammer and tapped the treated spot lightly.
With each tap, faint rune sparks flickered, the sound sharp and rhythmic.
Miraculously, the unsightly scratches slowly began to close, the color returning to normal.
Raine watched, a little mesmerized.
The dwarven craftsmanship was as impressive as always—Karrion was displaying his ability to turn decay into something near miraculous, even in such a rudimentary setting.
It wasn't just a repair; it was more like a... rebirth of the metal.
Karrion finished with the armguard and began inspecting his own warhammer and the metal plates on his boots.
While busy, he pulled out some tough jerky and oat cakes, handing them to Raine and Thalia.
"Eat something, don't expect a roasted lamb in this hellhole."
Thalia silently accepted the food, eating in small bites, still facing away from them.
Raine took the jerky, chewing laboriously, his gaze drifting back to Karrion's focused profile.
The firelight flickered, casting shadows on his rugged face and thick beard, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead to drip onto the calloused back of his hands.
The dwarf, who usually cracked inappropriate jokes, was now as still as a weathered rock.
Outside the cave, night had completely descended over the forest.
Occasionally, distant roars of monsters or the snap of breaking branches could be heard, making the small fire inside the cave feel fragile.
Karrion finally finished his work, carefully putting the tools away.
He grabbed a metal flask, pulled out the stopper, and took a large swig.
The strong scent of ale filled the air immediately.
"Dwarven fuel," he wiped the beer from his beard, showing a rare moment of relaxation.
He looked at Raine and Thalia, both silent.
"What's the matter? Got scared stiff by this cursed place?"
Raine shook his head, staring at the flickering flames.
"Just thinking... what exactly are we up against?"
His voice was low.
"The corruption... what is it really?"
Karrion paused mid-drink, the flask momentarily still in his hands.
He was silent for a moment, his eyes distant, as if peering beyond the cave walls, looking into a faraway past.
"What is it?" he repeated, his tone a mix of mockery and bitterness.
"It's a plague, a curse, an all-consuming darkness."
Raine looked at him.
"Your homeland... was it also destroyed by it?"
Karrion took another swig of ale, swallowing hard.
He set the flask down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes falling to the flickering fire.
Only the crackling of the wood filled the cave.
"The Heart of Stone."
Karrion finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse.
"My homeland, the city of Stoneheart. Built in the heart of the Eser Mountains, a true dwarven masterpiece."
His tone lacked its usual mockery, replaced with a heavy nostalgia.
"We had the deepest mines, the hottest furnaces. We used runes and sweat to turn cold stone into a warm home."
"The sound of hammers ringing out from dawn to dusk. The scent of ale wafting through every tunnel."
"Children chasing each other under rune lamps, old dwarves gathered by the hearth, telling stories of our ancestors' glory."
He paused, as if savoring the long-gone scenes.
"We thought the mountains would protect us forever. We thought our walls were impregnable."
In the firelight, his rough face became rigid, the lines etched deeper than usual.
"And then... it came."
Karrion's voice lowered, as if recounting a nightmare.
"It wasn't a grand invasion, not a monstrous roar. It was silent... erosion."
"At first, it was just strange whispers from the depths of the mines. The ore lost its luster, taking on a... sickly sheen."
"Then, people started getting sick. Not ordinary sickness, but a rot from the inside out."
"Black spots appeared on their skin, spreading like moss. Their eyes grew murky, losing their shine. And eventually... they lost their minds, turning on their own kin."
His breath became heavier, his fingers gripping the flask so tightly they turned white.
"We tried purification, with the strongest flame runes, with the purest mountain springs. Nothing worked."
"The corruption was like ink dropped into clear water, silent, but it tainted everything."
"Panic spread. Neighbors stopped trusting each other, families became suspicious."
"Guards patrolled day and night, but the flames of the furnaces couldn't dispel the cold that seeped into our bones."
Raine listened quietly, a chill spreading through his chest.
He could almost see that once-thriving dwarven city, suffocating under silent terror.
Thalia, at some point, had turned around. Her face hidden in the shadow of her hood, but her focus was unmistakable.
"The lower mines were the first to fall."
Karrion continued, his voice dry.
"The miners who fell ill turned into... monsters. Twisted, violent, with only the instinct to consume."
"We sealed the passages, with giant stones and runes. But corruption found its way."
"It tainted the water, eroded the rock, and even... twisted our proud rune magic."
"Our protective runes began to fail, even turning against us. Weapons rotted in our hands, and armor became brittle."
His gaze drifted, staring into the fire, as though seeing that hellish vision again.
"The heart of the city, the Great Furnace Hall... our last line of defense."
"The elders tried to activate the 'Heart of the Earth,' the source of our city's power, hoping it would purify everything."
"I was guarding the furnace's outer perimeter. I heard... the screams from within, the explosion of uncontrolled energy, and... inhuman growls."
He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as if trying to suppress the horrifying memories.
"When I rushed in... it was too late."
"The elders... my father, my brothers... they had changed."
"They were no longer dwarves. They were puppets controlled by the corruption. Their eyes burned with ghostly green flames, and their mouths whispered blasphemous words."
"The Great Furnace went out, and the Heart of the Earth was tainted, becoming... a tumor spreading the corruption."
Karrion's voice trembled slightly, barely perceptible.
"I... I escaped."
"I don't know how I did it. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was... dwarven stubbornness."
"I listened to my home collapse behind me, consumed by darkness. I heard my kin, screaming in despair and madness."
"I ran, never daring to look back."
The cave was silent.
Only the crackling of the fire filled the space, casting long, distorted shadows on the cold stone walls.
Karrion's mask of humor had completely fallen away, revealing deep wounds and pain that would never fade.
Raine had never seen the dwarf so vulnerable.
Karrion suddenly opened his eyes, sharp and filled with a near-mad obsession.
He raised his flask, draining the remaining ale in one go.
"Since that day, I've had only one goal."
His voice regained some of its hardness, as if declaring an unshakable oath.
"Find a way to rid this damn corruption. No matter where it comes from, no matter what the hell is spreading it."
He clenched his fists, the joints cracking audibly.
"It will pay for what it's done. For Stoneheart. For all the lives it has consumed."
His eyes swept over Raine and Thalia, filled with resolve.
"That's why I'm with you. The place you're going, the Starfall City... there are clues, right? About the source of the corruption, about that damned 'Void's Throat.'"
His words linked his personal tragedy with their shared goal.
The flames of vengeance, and the desire to uncover the truth and stop the disaster, intertwined in this moment.
Raine looked at the pain and determination in Karrion's eyes, a complex emotion rising within him.
Sympathy, understanding, and a faint... resonance.
They were all chasing after something lost, all fighting against the same dark enemy.
Thalia remained silent, but Raine could feel the faint softening of her icy aura.
Perhaps Karrion's story had touched some hidden part of her as well.
The wind outside seemed to pick up, carrying the chilling touch of the Corrupted Forest.
The firelight flickered, casting the faces of the three, each with their own thoughts, but all with a common purpose, into the cold, looming shadows.
The road ahead remained perilous, fraught with danger.
But at least, in this temporary refuge, they were no longer just three strangers brought together by chance or necessity.
A common enemy, and the heavy past now revealed, had woven an invisible thread between them.
This thread was fragile, but carried a certain resilient strength, supporting them as they continued forward into the unknown, deeper into the dark heart of the forest.