The crazed girl didn't take well to his attempt at explaining that her brother wouldn't be coming and stormed off. As she left, the corruption covering Varus' right hand glowed bright purple, something dark forming in the middle. He threw it at her, then leaned back against the cave wall. "That'll let me know if she winds up biting off more than she can chew," he explained. "It'll float right behind her...no way to see it without a reflective surface. It's honestly the only thing I don't mind about the corruption...the crystals. Several uses...anyway, Melk?"
However, it seemed that the boy wasn't keen to share, something about having nothing left if he did give the story away. Jack explained that he had the other Dreamers, and Varus smiled for the first time. They were starting to help each other...that was good, vital even, for their survival. "You may not believe it, Melk...but I'm on your side too. I promise."
The corrupted man stood upright and walked into the less-dark portion of the space. "Well, I'll do my best to explain around the missing fragments for now. When the other two share, I'll be able to fill in a couple gaps about myself. However, the most important Dreams for the greater problem have been shown. Our land was cast into darkness by a man whose name I don't know. He tore apart the Sun, the giant orb radiating light that some of you saw, which weakened the power of those who lived in the light. Namely, it weakened the Archbeing I was beholden to, which in turn weakened me. The man took advantage of that and took over, hiding the bound Archbeing away.
"What happened after I recovered from the fight was a race for the fragments of the Sun. Or rather, I tried to beat his monsters to the fragments. The orb had split into seven pieces, shrinking in size and light until they looked like ordinary gemstones, albeit ones that glowed under their own power and were unusually warm to the touch. I couldn't get to six of them in time, but the seventh I did...and you see it now in my headband. Since no horde of monsters hunted me down, I can only assume he was content to let one lie where it fell, thinking no one would find it, or if they did, recognize it. Its power is just enough to hold my corruption at bay. It also points me toward one of the other fragments...I'm guessing the one it was connected to. Thanks to Artemis, I know Drashk has another. Unfortunately, they're well-guarded...I can't get at the one my fragment is drawn toward alone, and there's absolutely no chance to get to the one Drashk has without help.
"Now, you can probably see where I'm going with this, and you may be thinking that there's no way you want to help me on a possibly suicidal mission. However, let me tell you that being out here is suicide in and of itself. You will die prematurely out here, no matter how careful you are. I may be immortal, but I can still be felled by a weapon, be it sword, tooth, claw, or anything else, so I'm in the same boat. If no one fixes the Sun and kills the man behind all this, when you die, your Dream will be given to someone else. They will be cast out, and the pattern will repeat. There's no way around this. I'm asking you to help me free Arunsia...that was the name for this land, before the fall...from the chains of this man. He became stronger when the Sun went out...if we restore it, it will surely weaken him, giving us the chance to strike. I'll do my best to keep you alive, to train you to fight, or, if you don't want to fight, then to observe the monsters to figure out where they're weak so you can tell us when and where to strike. I swear I won't intentionally let something happen to you, and I promise that I believe that everything I've said is true. Heck, as the former Arclight, personal aid to the Archbeing, I don't have the capacity to lie. I can dodge questions, but if I tell you something, it is what I believe to be the truth. My arrows always find their mark, that hasn't changed."
Throughout his speech, Varus had gotten more and more worked up. He was breathing heavily when he finished. He looked around at all of them. "So. What do you say?"
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Gilly
The ever-present dark scenery was somewhat off-putting. Now that she had left the cave, it was dead silent, casing an eery tone over the scene. Aside from her, nothing seemed to be moving. But perhaps that was only how things seemed. Perhaps there was someone...or something...around. She couldn't be sure.