General Kaida Stormbringer

I looked up from the ground and saw the view into Zahyr's camp. Multiple tents were pitched around the area, but there was a single large tent in the middle, which I assumed was for the general public. I could see many Nyorans around the camp, each doing different things. Some were sitting by an unlit campfire, while others were standing near the entrance to tents, and some were training at the edge of the camp, using swords and bows.

"I'm going to leave you just outside the camp," Zahyr told me, "Just so you don't attract any unwanted attention to yourself with your ... unique appearance, and your injury doesn't help with that either." He took his arm off me and gently eased me down to the ground so that I could sit without bringing pain to my leg. "I won't be long," He continued, "I'll just get the general, tell her about your situation, and bring her here. Until then, just stay here, and don't move."

"Not going to be a problem." I thought as I watched Zahyr walk away and head into the camp. I continued to watch until he walked into the large tent in the middle, and I lost sight of him as the tent flap closed behind him.

As I waited, I couldn't help but take another look at the injury, seeing the marks that the Duskmire left on me. I let out a heavy sigh and decided to lie down with my back on the grass. As I was lying down, however, I felt something brush against my neck, and I immediately sat up to try and figure out what it was. Reaching a hand up, I felt a small chain resting against my neck, so I grabbed it between my fingers and lifted it to get a better look. Seeing a piece hanging from it, I grabbed the piece and lifted it, and looking at one side of it, I saw a symbol etched onto it and realized that it was a cross of some sort. I was struck with a sense of familiarity, but without my memories, I wasn't able to figure out what it meant to me.

My ears twitched as I heard two sets of footsteps heading in my direction, so I let the chain rest visibly around my neck and stood up to talk to them. Looking up, I saw Zahyr coming back with someone by his side, who I assumed was the general. I noticed that she looked different than Zahyr. Physically, she was shorter and slimmer, and her snout, ears, and tail were the same. She had grey fur like Zahyr, but unlike him, her fur was several shades lighter.

When she was only a few feet away, I reached out a hand to greet her, but she unsheathed her sword, dashed forward, and pressed it to my neck before I could react. "What the, hey!" I exclaimed when I realized what had happened. Zahyr came forward and put a hand on her shoulder, "Whoa, whoa, Kaida, let's not be so hasty." He said to her, trying to defuse the situation. The general, Kaida, was unwavering and had her eyes fixed on me, her expression stern.

"You didn't tell me he was Corrupted." She said coldly. "What, corrupted? What do you mean?" I said nervously, worried about what that meant.

"Zahyr didn't tell you?" Kaida replied, "When the darkness leaves its mark on someone, it corrupts them, spreading throughout their body until it consumes them, until all that's left is a shell of who they once were and a slave to the darkness for all eternity."

My heart skipped a beat. Looking at Zahyr, I said, "Why didn't you tell me?" with a bit of anger in my voice. Zahyr seemed taken aback by this, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "Because I knew from the moment I met you that you were different." a bit of firmness to his voice. "Most Nyorans only last for a couple hours before succumbing, at most a day. You've been corrupted for several hours now and haven't shown any signs of the corruption spreading."

At this, Kaida turned her gaze back towards me, her eyes seeming to glare into my very soul. "Show me." she demanded, taking the sword off my neck and taking a step back. My heart pounding, I extended my leg so that she could see the corruption's marks. She used the blunt edge of her sword to lift my leg further, making me wince slightly in pain.

After thoroughly looking at it for what felt like an eternity, she lowered my leg. "Lift up your shirt." she demanded again. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I lifted my shirt so that she could check for any signs of spreading. Again, she thoroughly checked, yet she found nothing.

"Hmph, it doesn't appear to be spreading, but I'm not running the risk of letting him into the camp and consuming him and corrupting everyone else." Kaida said as I lowered my shirt. "Is there any way to test if it is spreading or not?" I asked. "As I said before, the longest anyone has resisted before succumbing was a day." Zahyr said, "So I suggest that we have him stay outside the camp, and we can check in the morning, that way we'll know for sure."

Kaida was silent for a moment, pondering what Zahyr suggested. "Fine, but I will be watching you the whole night," she finally said, "and if the corruption spreads, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"U-Understood." I stammered, my heart pounding in my chest. Kaida turned toward Zahyr, "You're dismissed, Commander." she said to him. I was confused, not knowing that Zahyr was the Commander. He gave a salute and said, "Understood General." He turned to leave, but he stopped turned back to me, and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, I'm sure of it." before walking away.

Me and Kaida watched him walk back into camp, and Kaida turned towards me and said, "Let's go, I want you to be as far from camp as possible."