Natasha followed after Rita with a worried look on her face. This forest was not typical and the further Natasha ran, the more she felt like leaving.
How Rita had managed to ignore her instincts to run away was beyond Natasha. Every fabric in her body was asking her to open her either turn back or open her seal.
‘I wish I could stop as well. But Rita is more important right now.’
It was only Natasha’s worry that was keeping her going. She could feel that something bad was about to happen soon.
ρ?n?a (n??)???? There was a small barrier that isolated the inner corridors from the outer film but Natasha could not get past it.
It was not allowing her human body to get past it but Rita had somehow managed to cross this barrier.
‘Is her seal breaking? This is not good. I need to do something before Rita’s seal is completely broken.’
Natasha was not one to take risks but she could not watch Rita unwillingly sacrifice herself for no reason. This place felt corrupted and Natasha’s senses felt overwhelmed.
It felt just like it did when Natasha suppressed the corruption inside Aurora. It was a similar sensation.
‘I need to break my seal. I am sure I will be able to keep myself sane for some time even if I get corrupted. But Rita would not last long.’
Unlike Natasha, Rita was fueled by emotions. The corruption would end up consuming her before she would be able to do anything.
“I knew this day would come. It would be better if I don’t say my goodbyes.”
Natasha took in a deep breath before she forced her power past the tight seal that was suppressing it.
It was a painful process to force the seal open. Natasha did not have the right key to complete this job. But she persisted.
The force of her magic caused Natasha to fall to her knees. Her chest burned with the sudden intrusion of magic, the coldness numbing Natasha’s heart.
What little warmth Natasha had seemed to be vanishing under the force of her magic and it was being replaced by unfeeling coldness.
The barrier gave way under Natasha’s power but the corruption molded itself against Natasha’s body. It was seeking a way inside her and Natasha had no way of stopping it.
Natasha was not a goddess but she had divine magic. Her body was also familiar with the taste of corruption.
When you combined these two factors, it made sense why the corruption found it so easy to make its way inside Natasha.
But Natasha did not lose focus. She held on to her sanity as tightly as she could and began her search for Rita. her system was blinking brightly and showing where Rita was.
Natasha reached the clearing where Rita was, only in time to feel a sliver of Rita’s magic and a voice taunting her.
“Hey, where are you looking? Are you thinking of running away? Do not even try or you will end up like the human who walked in here before you.”
“YOU! What did you do to Aurora?”
Rita’s voice came out clearly and strongly. Rita could likely realize the absurdity of that beast’s claim but it was difficult to make any certain claim without proof.
However, Natasha also knew that they could not let these beasts’ words get to them. It was trying to get to let their guard down. Natasha knew better than to fall for this kind of trap but Rita seemed to be struggling with this.
Her body was shaking badly and it would only be seconds before Rita did something stupid.
“Stop talking nonsense. Rita is fine as she is and Aurora will not fall to scums like you. So be quiet and return to your darn place.”
Natasha quickly took this as her chance to join the fray. Rita had already fallen into a trap and she would not be able to break free on her own.
But Natasha utilized her magic to freeze the trap and drive away the beast at the same time.
The beast gave a chilling smile mouthing the words, ‘one of us’ before it disappeared into different cracks.
Natasha felt revolted but she tried not to show it on her face. She knew very well that she had been corrupted but it was a risk she knowingly took.
“Natasha, are you alright? How did you knock me out of the spell….”
Rita started but her words trailed off as she looked at Natasha. And Natasha knew that she had been caught.
“She’s corrupted. Your companion, she’s beyond saving now.”
The dwarf in Rita’s grasp summarised. His factual voice matched the devastated look on Rita’s face.
“Natasha, what did you do…”
Rita seemed to be at a loss of words. Natasha would have been as well if she had been in Rita’s place. Rita’s emotional state was already a mess which Natasha needed to be careful of.
“I took a risk. Don’t worry, I’m alright for now. Let’s go find Aurora.”
Natasha tried to make her voice strong but it was difficult. The corruption was eating away at her core and Natasha felt weaker than she had ever before.
‘I need to find Aurora before I die. I want to see her one last time.’ That was the only thought fueling Natasha and keeping her going.
“Don’t worry, Natasha. I will help you out. Just sit back and allow me to relieve you.” Natasha felt thankful for Rita’s company which turned into a yelp as soon as she felt herself being pushed back.
“Rita, what are you doing?”
“Create two barriers. One for the dwarf and one for us. I will help you keep the corruption at bay for now.”
As soon as Natasha heard those words she understood what Rita was purposing. Her cheeks went red and she did as was asked of her.
It was only after Natasha was done did she realize what she had done and her red cheeks went scarlet.
“Rita, we should not be doing this. We need to find Aurora.”
“We do. But we also need you alive to do that. So shut up and let me do this.”
Natasha was not uninterested in the offer. Natasha was a sexy woman whom Natasha might have had a small crush on. So it was not a bad proposal for her.
‘I guess I’ll be selfish this one time.’ Natasha agreed as Rita pulled her in for a kiss.
===========================
Aurora walked through the unfamiliar forested corridor. Never in her life had she ever thought that she would ever have to visit the Death Pool, but here she was.
‘Such a dark and gloomy place. I feel like I’m being watched.’
Aurora was thankful that she had asked her companions to stay out of this place. There was something weird going on in here.
‘The corruption is too strong here. It is typing to draw me in as well.’
Aurora could feel the corruption inside her singing to join the others of its type. There were other hosts of corruption looking toward Aurora.
Thankfully, no one tried to approach Aurora outright and she was sure it was because of her magic as a goddess. These creatures were suspicious of her and not willing to approach her so easily.
‘I never thought the abyss would have such a place this early in the abyss. It makes sense why no one ever returned from here before.’
If a person with any divinity walked in here, it would be impossible to keep their purity intact. The corruption would eat them alive.
But this peace was not to last for long. The more Aurora walked, the more she felt curious eyes on her person. It was not long before she was finally approached by a spirit.
“Ah, you’re one of us? But why did you come here?”
The beast had no human form but Aurora could barely make out a thin and tall humanoid form beneath the smoke of corruption.
The corruption was not racing to capture Aurora since she already hosted some of it inside her body.
“I am not one of you. I have not lost myself yet. I am just here to retrieve something.”
Aurora was not sure if she was trying to reassure herself or if she was trying to reassure the formless creature.
From his expression, he did not look impressed with Aurora’s answer but it did not try to push her for more either.
It just gave Aurora an eerily look before snickering and vanishing.
“Good luck. I hope your companion make it out of here alive.”
Aurora had a bad feeling about those parting words. She had left her companions outside the forest and she was sure that they would not disobey her words.
But something about this situation made Aurora doubt her mind. She had to check up on her companions to make sure.
And Aurora felt her blood freeze as soon as she spotted her companion’s position on the map.
They were inside the forest.
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