48 It Starts (2/2)

More satyrs followed slowly weighed down by the extensive amounts of things they were bringing.

Jericho looked to the southwest to see a fog rapidly filling the trees. ”It's here already.” He said as the mist flooded the village.

[You have entered the mysterious mist. Your existence is being corrupted.]

[Bringer's Bond has activated. You sense another Bringer nearby and connected to the mist. The other Bringer has become aware of you as well.]

Knowledge of where this creature was hiding flowed into his mind. Jericho split himself in preparation to play the one song Glaw said might do something.

[You possess multiple weaker forms, the corruption and bond will now affect you faster.]

The bard pulled out his instruments and started playing the Serenade for the Soothing of the Soul. He felt the corruption leave him as the area in the village cleared up for a short time.

The song ended and the mist returned. ”Satyrs, I can't play forever. We need to go, now!” He said as he started playing once more, walking slowly towards the edge of town where the others were waiting.

***

The Jericho with the party frowned as the satyrs were taking their sweet time.

”They are finally coming. But it seems they don't understand the meaning of a rapid escape from danger.” The bard told the rest of the party.

Ken frowned. ”Waiting for them is probably a bad idea.”

”If it comes to it, and it seems like a feasible plan, we will utilize my ability to make multiple of me so we can escape quickly while also helping the satyrs to escape at their much slower pace. That is, if my music will work against the mist.”

Ken gave a nod. ”That does sound feasible.”

Lux's ears twitched. (Something is coming!) He roared to get the party's attention.

The group turned to the southwest and saw the approaching mist.

Ken growled slightly despite being in his human form. ”That came way sooner than I expected. Had we left the satyrs behind we would be most of the way out of the forest by now.” He voiced.

Princess looked down in guilt. ”I'm sorry, I didn't want to leave people behind just to save myself.”

Purai gave the girl a hug. ”I understand. That isn't a bad thing. We just need to find a solution to our problem now.” She replied with confidence. Treating Ken and then the satyrs had helped build her self esteem.

Jericho read the notification the other him had received. ”If I use split too much more, the mist will affect me much faster than I can repel it. Princess, can your staff ward away the mist like Glaw said it might?” He inquired noticing that instead of corruption at 1% per minute he was being corrupted at 1% every 20 seconds as there were three of him.

Princess pulled out Yun's staff. ”We can try. Can you play the Farewell song? The one grandpa made up. It would help me focus a lot.” She wiped her tears.

Jericho nodded and pulled out the bronze statue he had recently obtained. He focused on a drum set. A light glimmered in the mist. Jericho started drumming and singing.

Moira started to silently dance.

The mist flowed in a spiral centered on the staff as if the symbol on the end was like a dream catcher capturing nightmares.

”{(How Dare you!)}” The sound of many creatures shouting echoed in the party's ears. ”{(You will not stop us! Join us in our despair! You are the ones that need to be cleansed!)}”

An oppressive feeling weighted down on them.

Jericho clenched the drumstick briefly as he continued to play and sing. He knew his other halves would arrive soon with the panicking satyrs that Carn was trying to keep calm.

A giant clawed wing flashed into the clearing. ”{(We shall start with you!)}” The voices bellowed as it swept Princess off her feet.

”Princess!” Ken and Jericho shouted at the same time.

Ken turned to Lux. ”Stay with Jericho until I return. I'm going to rescue Princess.” He looked over to Jericho who had recalled his drums and was about to rush forward. ”Help them get out!” He pointed to the group. ”I'll save her. You are needed to save them!”

Lux and Jericho hesitated as the words sunk in.

The cat reverted to his human form briefly. ”Because Ken said so, I will be your pet until he returns.” Lux said.

[The Lynx Lux has requested to be your pet until further notice. Accept?]

”I accept. You will be returned to Ken when we meet up outside of the mist.” Jericho replied as a golden paw print appeared on the back of his left hand.

Lux reverted to his feline form and walked beside the bard.

The other two copies of Jericho and the frightened satyrs approached. The mist surrounding them faded again.

Ken, who had already dashed into the woods, turned into his animal form to track the monster and Princess better. He activated his True Lynx Eyes ability and gave chase.