I continued my prowling into the dark fog, on full alert, clicking my tongue like some idiot in the darkness. I don't know how long I have been in this fog, but I no longer noticed the constant cold unless I focused on it, and have grown so used to using this clicking. To the point that it worked about as well as normal hearing, giving me a general direction of anything near me. Much better then the random ambushes from the fog.

That isn't to say I can tell what in the hells coming at me though. Not even size, or if it's getting closer or not. Better then blind, but not by much.

Speaking of which...

I ducked as something came from above, only glimpsing black talons grasping where I had been. I hope to the father this is a shadow bird or something similar and not some undead gryphon... I kept clicking to keep an idea of where this thing was, only to find that it was already diving right at me. Another roll kept these span long daggers from ripping my head off.

Drawing my sword, by this point a friend proven reliable here, I faced where they were once again diving at me. I have to end this quickly, or else my rolling will knock them off again... can't allow that, too dangerous. Last time was too close, much too close. Their skin was damaged, they are hurt now, wings broken. Must protect.

It's close enough, slice between the legs!

I actually felt resistance this time... but the result was the same, as the creatures body fell and hit the ground to either side. Turning, what I saw was a huge hawk, big enough for a kinderfalk to ride on, the wingspan seemed an absurd twelve paces... But admittedly it was hard to tell since they were shattered in multiple places, sitting at weird angles. This hawk was a dark grey, more the color of ash then shadow... hard to say if it was native or not...

At the very least, the meat didn't seem rotten, so I had no qualms taking it. As I continued on my way, I felt the place at the nape of my neck, where my injured charge rested. Fae had cracks across their skin, and seemed to wince with every movement...

Three Weeks Ago

The blade seperated the hand, then the leg. The wendigo was helpless against the barrage of slashes and stabs. The black was tainted red, both in my view, and with blood. Blood boiling in my veins, I slashed at this beast, this abomination which threatened Fae. Despite the fire in my blood, I found my heart cold as a glacier, and my logic overwhelmed by wrath.

I did not allow it to die quickly.

Looking down at the slashed up rotten meat which had been a wendigo, I tried to calm my breath. It was still twitching, but was unable to move since the body was cut to pieces, as many as I could cut it into. Turning back, I saw Fae, wings bent at unatural angles, and skin cracked around their torso. I could smell something in the air, something sweet and enticing... I moved over to Fae, Picking them up, and gently examined them... and I could smell it again. Sniffing, I looked around, but found that it came from the small figure on my hand...

Right now, Fae smelled... oddly delicious...

As if they sensed my thought, Fae shivered... I placed Fae back in the nape of my neck, and quickly left the area incase anything was attracted to the sounds of the wendigos violent death.

For some reason, Fae hasn't moved since I saved them, hopefully they are okay... I should have learned some damned healing spells!!! This is the upteenth time they would have come in handy...

I must keep going, for us both. If there are ways in, there are ways out, these seem to be portals that open at random, closing just as randomly. One main issue I will have to face if using one of these portals, if having not even the slightest idea where they went. But so long as it went back to out world I don't care.

This place has a presence, a seeping aura which chills the bone... not really a malevolent aura, more as if it were trying to lull me into accepting my circumstances. As much as I resist the temptation, I can feel it seeping in, like how rain seems to always find the holes in the roof... but oddly, I don't care... That's what is really scaring me about it.

As far as my equipment goes... sometimes I catch myself mistaking the armor for my skin, and the mask for my face. In many ways, this armor shares aspects with this place... perhaps that is why I am here... By far the most unsetteling aspect of this endeavor is the quiet... I haven't heard hardly anything in close to what feels like a month... I haven't felt tired, hungry, or thirsty, so that's all well and good, but at the same time it seems I'm getting attacked every few paces...

Really the biggest pain, is this itch under my armor... If I had to describe it, the only words which would fit would be an incessant crawling burn. It was as though some corrosive monster was crawling under my skin... Armor! It's armor! I could feel it moving even now, the burning itch climbing up my spine.

I was forced to duck and roll once again as something else attacked me.

Slowly, my vision returned, and the first thing I noticed was the bain covering my whole body, and then the swaying motion which has grown very familiar. I winced in pain as I tried to look around, which caused the girl to freeze, the hair shifted, allowing me glimpses of outside, the nape of her neck covered in that black substance, and while it gave off an air of menace, it was quite soft and comfortable, the shape of her nape giving me a small bed... wait... hair?

I looked at the hair, which had been absent after the girl had donned the mask, and was terrified to find that the hair was more akin to feathers, with small spines beginning to grow from the initial strands. Something grasped my body, and pulled me from the sheltered nape of her neck, causing me to squeak in terror, seeing the black claws around my torso. It was only when I saw the pure white mask that I realised I was in no danger... hopefully...

The mask seemed more organic then I remembered, as the girl examined me with an air of concern. At the very least, her personality is intact... The girl began to speak, saying her usual nonesense, before stroking my back with a gentle finger. Afterwards, she placed me back under the mane of feathers onto the nape of her neck. During this time, the clicking had yet to stop, even when she was talking. Before I could try and wrap my head around this, the girl suddenly lunged to the side in a roll, making me have to grasp the hated black substance to keep from being flung around.

Despite the violent movements, the thrashing around suddenly stopped with the sound of something being slammed into the ground. Soon after, the familiar swaying movement returned... After the surprise faded, the throbbing pain over my exoskeleton returned, and I had to cover my mouth to contain the pained scream.

I stopped moving, because what was infront of me was rather shocking. A sheer, natural wall of rock rose up into the darkness... a mountain... After a seemingly endless plain, this was rather surprising and sudden. While my goal was a dead forest, the first sign of other enviroments outside of an endless flatland.

I considered what to do. On the one hand, a forest was better cover, but on the other a cliff could limit the directions of attack... unless some creatures here could climb as well as they could walk... Undead shadow spiders... by the hells, please don't let those exist...

Fae peeked out from their resting place, also peering up at the cliff. Moving them onto my palm, I tried to convey a question regarding if I should climb up. As usual, Fae failed to understand what I meant. After some time, I shrugged, and put Fae back. No hope for those who fear change. Can't be any worse than this flat land, right?

My claws dug into the stone as if into wood, and I made my way up the cliff in a manner similar to a lizard. The feed back from my claws against the rock was causing chills, but there was little one could do about that. Up and up I go, where I shall stop, who in the hells know?

For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I wasn't attacked once on my way up. At the very least I expected one of those damned shadow birds, but nothing... Not even a gust of evil wind...

Finally, after quite some time, I was ontop of the peak here. It was a spacious section of relatively flat land, but I was somewhat disappointed to see it was still pitch black... maybe a little brighter then before... Somewhat dissapointed, I sat down, and relaxed, trying to resemble a rock. Even if they could tell I wasn't the chance to avoid conflict is usually the best policy. I may have only run into the equivalent of animals in this place, but that didn't mean I was not in danger, seeing as how everything here BUT me seemed able to see through this fog... Not to mention that giant from when I firsted arrived... Yeah, best to avoid problems where I can.

Honestly, I have no idea what's going on anymore... With how long it feels like I've been in here, I should have been effected by whatever taint this place has, but I haven't noticed anything, outside of the itching. If I'm lucky, this armor is protecting me... I'd rather not think about if this isn't the case.

Suddenly, a spike of pain hit my temples, where the itch had migrated. I grasped my horns, gasping in pain. My horns bent under my hands, reshaping themselves, where before they hugged my head, now they lifted up, the carefully dulled points sharpening to razor points. Memories of the Wendigo flew through my mind, likely the result of humanoids infected with this taint... Is this it?... Am I done...?

I can't be!...

I promised them...

Everything went black, as I fell to the rock ground.

I opened my eyes, looking around... Now, everything was so clear, as if the fog had lifted. Looking down, I saw my body, Fae scrambling over me, trying to wake me up... by the father I looked more like a monster then I thought... The armor covered me like skin, the sabatons giving my feet a digitigrade look, the mask making my face one of a birds skull, and of course my tail, which was wrapped around my legs at the moment, where I had been sitting. All in all, I looked like some sort of relative to the bugbear.

Wait... why am I so calm about this? I'm looking down at my own body, and everything around me has changed! Chances are I just died! Yet here I am, watching this scene like it dosen't concern me! How can a dead person fulfill a promise!?

What's worse, I was leaving Fae here to fend for themselves! Shifting around the area, I tried to think of a solution to this dilemma, but I was no necromancer, it isn't like I could force my soul back into my body regardless. Why isn't the Fathers voice calling me home? Has this taint turned me into an undead!? A fouled soul left to wonder the world until I am killed once again!?

Dear Father, please save my friend if not my soul!