Skyfall

As if battling the dreadful creatures made by pure Corruption hadn't been enough, the Obrille Academy was organizing yet another expedition. Chili had been summoned together with a few other lons, Auster included. 

"Hey. I remember you from the battle." The friendly pouflon perked up when passing by the vespire. "What do you think they have prepared for us this time?" He inquired, walking in the direction of the hall they were supposed to reunite at. 

"In times like these, it can't be good." Chili grumbled, unintentionally seeming angry. Auster, fortunately, didn't let that behavior throw him off, and merely agreed with his head before strolling forward. 

Once everyone had seem to arrive, it was time for the assignment. 

"Congratulations on the sucess of your first mission to Aequor." A proud Knight Marleau praised. There were not as many lons as there had been on the first calling - Chili supposed many of them had been discouraged from the danger of the actual errand (which was a pity, since this was what knights were supposed to do). Between the ones that had actually attended, only a small handful were vespires - they were a rare sight in the Mainland, after all, the majority oftenly dispirited by the prejudice they could go through. Though most pouflons were pretty accepting, a few intolerant ones could sour the experience for the other species. 

"Thanks to everylon's effort, we were able to stabilize The Rift." She revealed. The room exploded in murmurs and estimations, and Marleau silenced them with a stomp of her hoof. "Now, we must know what lies ahead of The Rift." She concluded. Again, some lons talked amongst themselves, already speculating and forecasting what the assignment would be. They were quieted once again when the knight resumed speaking. "Your mission is to form squadrons and help Bellacoste by exploring The Rift." Marleau topped it off. Goodness, this will be a hassle, was the first thought that went through the vespire's head. 

"Hey! Wanna join me?" The enthusiastic Auster offered. Chili had no idea why the young pouflon had taken an interest in him, since the vespire wasn't exactly the most approachable of lons. Either way, it would be good to accept the invitation - Chili didn't have that many friends in the Academy. 

"Sure." He responded, trying his best to sound eager. It wasn't exactly the best assignment they could've received, specially because they had no idea what lied beyond the other side. What if we're all swallowed by gigantic creatures just like the Entity that attacked Bellacoste? Chili thought, with no small amount of dread. They had to persist, though.

"You'll also be accompanied by senior knights, in order to assure your safety." He heard Knight Marleau announce. "We don't yet know what can happen on The Rift, and we're not reckless enough to send a bunch of recruits - no offense - into a possible danger without any aid." Good, then. We'll have, at least, a means of protection. He concluded. 

"Hello! I'll be the one helping your party today." To his surprise, it was another vespire who came to them. Chili had noticed her in the room, of course, but he had no idea she was a senior knight. Auster politely bowed, and Chili did the same. "My name is Rose." She clarified, after bowing back. She seems nice. "Are we all set?" Rose inquired, and when both the pouflon and the vespire recruits nodded, she smiled. "Then, let's go." 

The Rift looked less menacing from up close, surprisingly. From the outside, Chili could see all sorts of colors and a sepia-colored ground. The fact that it wasn't a dark, corrupted place made it even scarier. What was it hiding? 

Rose, Auster and Chili had arrived at the location with a few others. They had been greeted by Princess Naia. She'd thanked them for coming, said it was a pleasure. They hadn't seem King Ericius, this time. Chili supposed that, with the creatures gone from his kingdom, he was focused in making sure his children were well. Naia had led the squadrons to a recently built temple - it hadn't been there the first time Chili had been down in Aequor. 

"Alright, land dwellers, we're finally here! As you can see, a temple has been built around the portal, to ensure everyone can have a comfortable time going in or out" The Princess smiled. Chili thought 'comfortable' was the last word he'd use to describe anything involving Skyfall.

"I wish you all good luck on your expedition!" Princess Naia continued smiling, but she seemed as worried as the rest of them about the unknown consequences they could face by entering. Naia walked out of the drained temple in a bit of a hurry, as if expecting The Rift to vomit more of the treacherous Corrupted creatures. The squadrons took it as a signal to start assembling around the entrance. Chili felt nervous and, looking at his companions, even Rose didn't seem too comfortable with the idea of going into that. Accepting the assignment had been one thing - actually entering The Rift was another, entirely. 

One by one, the assembled parties started going into the portal. When it was time for Rose's group to enter, she did so without hesitation, even with the pale complexion of her face. Chili went right behind her, and Auster was last. 

As soon as they'd passed through The Rift's gate, all of them could feel an unimaginable push - whatever lied beyond those lands did not want them in. The lons all gritted their teeth in pain, some actually yelping at the flow of Corruption going through their bodies. 

"I-It's too much!" The vespire heard Auster moan. Slowly, Corruption passed through all their bodies. The sensation was agonizing, to say the least. 

"We have to move on." Rose said, after a moment of regaining her composure. How she'd done it so fast, Chili had no idea. His whole body felt as if it was being consumed and, looking around, he could see many of the squadron's members were in a similar situation. Compared to them, Rose seemed relatively okay. Perks of being a senior knight, he guessed. Reluctantly, the party of three moved on. 

The surroundings contrasted immensely with the sensation that place gave off. The multicolored tone of the sky painted a beautiful view, although the scattered and forgotten weapons covered in rust were a stark reminder of what had probably happened there. When had that war transpassed, and why did The Rift open into a place like this? It was a vast desert, fluid in its motions and incredibly hostile. 

"I think there are m̱̞̟u̧l̬t͎̮i̙̠̕p̕l̖e̺̭̝ s̠͉̕kiḙ̤͉s͉̥͠.̵" He heard Auster comment, his voice failing and glitching. When both of the vespires looked up, they could see Auster's observation had probably been right. The sky did seem fractured, here, as if mending together a thousand of worlds. Had other lands been affected by Skyfall as well? They spent a quiet moment observing the mosaic above them, then continued walking, watching for any creature besides them that could threaten the group. After a while, they stopped, Chili groaning in pain. 

"I ̐̆ď̅on̷'̂͜t ̴f̕e͊eͣ̌̃ľ̐ ͐̌̉͝w͝eͫͣl̿ͮͨl." Chili told them, scared at how his voice also didn't seem to obey him. What was this place doing to them? 

Before any of them could respond, the static surrounding their ears suddenly got louder. Chili thought that might just be another effect of the Corruption pulling through them, until he heard a scream of terror. 

"Run! Don't l͝et͙̫̖͢ ̳̤i̞̊t ̖̠̜̆̿ͫget̼͗ ̞ͫtͥo̶ͣ̄̂ ͓̬y͢o̧u̢!̝̻͞" Rose screamed, the Corruption from her voice making the sound even more terrifying. Chili couldn't understand what she meant until he spotted the waves of Corruption rapidly approaching them. He tried to fly, but he couldn't gather the strenght to do so. The adrenaline kicked in, and the vespire ran in the opposite direction (the one he hoped was the portal's) as fast as he could, without even looking back. 

"... You for coming." A muffled sound. "Sorry... .... short notice." What was happening? 

"The situation is dire, to say the least." He heard a faint voice say, more clearly, this time. His head was pounding. The gentle tone of the interlocutor made Chili feel a bit more calmer, though. "I can help them all with potions, and they should be... Good as new." 

"Yes. But we'll need to know exactly what the Rift is about, so we can end this situation." This voice, he could recognize a little better. It had to be Knight Marleau. 

"These poor lons..." Again, the kind voice resounded. Slowly, Chili started to regain consciousness. He could spot a golden-colored pelt beside the characteristic patterns of Marleau. He heard a few groans, as well, as if other lons were waking up as well. 

"They'll be awake soon." The voice observed. "I just hope they all end up fine..." A sigh. "In times like these, not even the best of concoctions can help solve a situation, huh."  

"I hope so, too, Amaryllis." Ah. Amaryllis was the owner of the gentle voice, then. Good, the vespire thought, and then he collapsed again.