Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 19.1: The Blight (Intro)

BOOM!

Kashi raced after Drixlia, looking over his shoulder just in time to see hundreds of blood-red vines as thick as a body builder's arm burst out of the earth and rapidly give chase. Wherever the vines passed, trees would instantly grey and wither, some instantly crumbling to dust. The daeben's gaze narrowed as some creatures rose from the ashes of the fallen trees. Unfortunately, he was moving too fast to confirm what exactly.

Looking at the approaching vines, Kashi's expression turned grave, but there was a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. This was what he had been searching for. Now that he had found a Blight, it should not prove too difficult to find the centaur village.

Kashi eventually caught up to Drixlia who was cantering ahead, seemingly without a care for its master. Kashi jumped onto Drixlia's back and grabbed the reins. With a soft tap against the stallion's mid-riff, the stallion's speed instantly tripled and it soon disappeared into the depths of the forest, leaving the blood-red vines writhing in rage.

Minutes later, Kashi and Drixlia came to a stop at a small campsite. Larsial and Shadow had their hands on their daggers, only relaxing their grips when Kashi and Drixlia fully came into view.

Kashi hopped down and patted Drixlia on his side, a pleased smile on his face. He was more than impressed with the stallion's performance. Despite this being Drixlia's first time in this environment, it had easily maneuvered through the thistles and loose branches. Some of it was thanks to Kashi's guidance, allowing it to avoid the more dangerous paths. Still, Kashi could not make it decide where to plant its feet, especially while running. But to the daeben's pleasant surprise, Drixlia displayed its intelligence as it carefully placed its feet only in safe spots, avoiding trip hazards like low branches and high roots.

Kashi had suspected Drixlia was studying him while they were searching the forest. Clearly, it had learned quite easily. Drixlia's intelligence strengthened Kashi's resolve to quickly upgrade its bloodline. It was not easy to find a mount as intelligent as the stallion. It was even harder to find one with which he could bond as well as he had with Drixlia.

Kashi took out a red fruit and gave it to Drixlia. The stallion ate the fruit, then harrumphed, blowing air on Kashi's hair before leaving to join the other horses. Kashi chuckled, then patted down his hair as he walked over to Shadow and Larsial. "Find anything?"

"Yes," Shadow reported. "I found traces of Blights roughly eighteen kilometers South-East. I did not think it was wise to advance on my own so I returned."

Kashi looked at Larsial. "You?"

Larsial smiled. "I did find traces of Blights, but mine was much closer. I was almost ambushed by a group of Needle Blights fifteen kilometers south of here."

Shadow's brows rose. "Needle Blights? What are those?"

Larsial looked at Kashi. "May I explain?"

"Go ahead," said Kashi as he took a seat on a large root.

"Thanks," Larsial said, then turned to Shadow. "How much do you know about Blights?"

"Not much," Shadow admitted.

"Okay, I'll treat it like you've never heard of Blights." Larsial proceeded to explain the various characteristics of Blights.

In essence, Blights were a crystallization of an ancient curse, manifested in the form of intelligent, tree-like creatures. Blights, which often looked like humanoid trees were vastly different from Treants. Blights originated from evil sources and often spread quickly through forested regions. They proliferated by contaminating any kind of plant life, which would either perish or spawn new Blights.