Serass Uvalt; "Land of Hope". That was the formal name of the world they all lived in. But ever since the "Corrosion" started, people have started to refer to the world with much more ominous names. "Sanding Wastelands," "The Dying Expanse," and "Lightless Lands" were among the more popular ones. Rain himself preferred the second one, as it described what he felt was happening around them in a nice, succinct way.
In any case, perhaps due to the collective bleak outlook of the people influencing their words, the other names have become the norm. By his time, most people have already forgotten what the original name of the world was. In that sense, they have already lost hope.
Rain couldn't blame them. Though there were times when the skies would be blue and bright, with a fresh seasonal breeze that pushed o'er the mountains and trees, oftentimes it was different. Oftentimes it was darker.
"Quite the bad weather today, huh? Though it's what we usually get."
He turned to the source of the voice. It was from a man that was walking alongside the carriage. With his short, unkempt hair and a small pair of spectacles, the man looked like the academic type who would bury his head underneath thick stacks of books on the regular. And indeed, as he walked by the carriage, he had an open book in his hands despite his attention being on the dark skies. But instead of a staff for mages typical of educated types, two curved swords were hanging on both sides of his hips.
Stain. That was his name. Of course, it wasn't his real one, but the group insisted that they continue to refer to each other using what they would back underground.
"Yeah. At least it doesn't look like it will rain."
"That would be bad."
There were no shelters from the rain anywhere until they reach their first stopover. And in that world, the rain was fatal during those kinds of skies.
"At the rate we're going, we should reach Telerne Village within two hours. We could take shelter there until the weather clears, or… What does everybody think?"
"That would probably be for the best."
Rain had already met Stain the night before (after the hangover meds had done their work), but he was still surprised by his mild-mannered and considerate nature. He had become so used to other "heroes" being self-important pricks that he even doubted whether Stain was one for a time.
"Hmm… Agreed. We should wait it out."
With Stain guarding the left side of the group and Rain in charge of driving the carriage as the only person who knew how to, the right side was left to Snow, who looked quite pale from anxiety.
"Suuuuuuure. I dun' mind. We ain' got a deadline anyway."
Their rear guard and fourth member of the group, as well as the second hero assigned by Coin, was called "Hornet." She was a person that Rain had no doubts about being one of those so-called "Orthodox Heroes." She was the same person that he witnessed gouge out an entire wall of a large, underground cavern with a single attack.
As for the name, it made sense after seeing how she kept her peculiar lance. It was attached by its handle to a tube-like appendage that protruded underneath her skirt. The way it floated above her head made it look like she was a scorpion instead of a hornet, though. Aside from that, it was also the first time he saw her completely geared up. Aside from the armor plates that extended down both sides of the cape attached to her waist, she also wore a pair of large, clawed gauntlets. It gave him the impression that she didn't fight primarily with her lance…
Oh, and she was also carrying a large gourd. And by the smell in the air, it was obvious that it contained alcohol.
And lastly, there was…
"Hhk–!"
Before Rain could finish that thought, Snow started to gag and cough. The entire group had to stop as she crouched down and squeezed her chest in pain.
"Are you okay?" Rain called out to her. He was about to dismount from the carriage but was able to stop himself just in time.
"... Yeah, I'm fine… Rain."
She was certainly not fine. Any normal person in his position would look for a way to let her rest. Unfortunately, the carriage was full of everybody's luggage. Besides the driver's seat, there was only enough space for one person to sit with the bags. But, that was already given to…
"You should rest here, Miss Snow."
A synchronous, bell-like voice uttered an offer to the exhausted mage. It was from a person who had sharp features, with a beautiful, feminine face touched by masculine ferocity. She sat comfortably on a cushioned stool, flanked by heaps of luggage. With her black military dress suit, lined with gold, and a white corsair jacket hanging down her right shoulder, it was obvious at a glance that she held a prestigious position even among nobility.
Of course, she did. After all, she was none other than the ruler of Solycis; the Tyrant of the North; the Bloody Dictator… the Hero, Rex.
The young ruler had many names; none of which are flattering. The result was such that the mere mention of her name struck terror into the hearts of commoners and nobility alike. And Rain wasn't an exception. As he lived in a village near the border of Solycis, he had always feared the day when the power-hungry conqueror would march her armies down the mountainous barrier and raze their homes to the ground.
"N-no! Umm… I mean, please! I'm fine, really!"
As expected, Snow, who was always preoccupied with scheming for her next payday, knew all too well about Rex. She feared offending the other party and was thus confused about whether she should accept Rex's offer or not. After all, if Snow also came on board, Rex would be forced to walk. And how could that be acceptable?
"I don't mind. I'm well past my hangover anyway. Probably."
To prove her point, she stood up and jumped down the carriage. She did so elegantly, without losing her balance at all. But though Rex showed a satisfied look on her face, Snow paled as she saw the mud soil Rex's boots and pants.
"I'm really sorry!" Snow cried almost desperately. She lowered her head almost to the same level as her waist and coughed, "Y–your clothes are dirty… now. A–and it's… my fault! Mercy!"
Dirtying a member of the nobility, much less that of the royal family's shoes was normally a capital offense in most countries. That was how it worked in their homeland, and certainly, that should also be how it was in the country ruled by someone with the reputation of a ruthless tyrant. And since summary execution was what they, who saw commoners as mere objects, normally commanded for such offenders, it was understandable that Snow would panic to the point of forgetting to breathe.
Rain, on his part, wanted to beg for Snow's life as well. However, he was stopped by Stain's outstretched arm, who gestured for him to let things continue. Despite his misgivings, he felt compelled to do as he was told to. So, all he could do was watch on helplessly.
"Mercy, I will not grace you. Your punishment will be to sit on this carriage for the rest of the trip."
The words that left Rex's lips were heavy in their weight but almost jovial in their meaning. And she uttered them without paying any particular attention to Snow because she was busying herself with pulling the retractable ramp from the carriage's underside, which also dirtied her hands with more mud and soil. But she didn't mind that as well. She simply wiped the grime off using an expensive-looking piece of cloth.
"Come on. Leave guarding the right to me. I might not look like it, but I am a hero."
Subdued by her almost unnatural presence, Snow cowed before the ruler and obediently got on the carriage. Rex nonchalantly kicked the ramp back into the carriage underbody and knocked on it twice to tell them they could continue traveling.
"I suggest we rest at the village as well. It may not be much, but Telerne Village has an underground well. No corroded river nearby, either. We can look for more information about the stone there. I've met the lord, and I'm pretty sure I can squeeze something out of him."
Rex immediately came close to Rain and gave her opinion. There was a notable lack of the previous gravitas in her voice, which implied that her words were merely a suggestion. In fact, she seemed rather… friendly, even as she walked through damp mud and vegetation.
"Is it still clean?" Stain asked, who appeared to have no discomfort at all with addressing the ruler of Solycis with a casual tone. In response, Rex merely shrugged.
"Can't say. Haven't heard from that place in a while. I've ordered the local lord to update me on it, but there's been no news, still, for two weeks already."
"Wow. It's almost like they're not afraid of the Northern Tyrant."
"Maybe I should start spreading rumors like "the Solycis Tyrant eats people" or something."
"It would work better if people actually see it."
"No way. I don't want to add another taboo to myself."
Their conversation felt like it wasn't something he should hear, a landmine so to speak, so Rain tried his best to ignore them and instead focus on the road.
They were currently in Feldrith Federation territory, a country made up of several smaller ones that used to maintain a political and economic alliance to deter invasions. Collectively, they were an extremely powerful country. But in the end, all of their power and wealth didn't stop Solycis from annexing the entire region. Rex was the current ruler of that land, which was probably why she was assigned to guide them. In a way, that made Rain even more fearful of Coin, who was able to order the sovereign of an entire nation to accompany them on what may be a fruitless endeavor.
Anyway, even though they were in what used to be a wealthy country, that did not mean they had nice roads. In an attempt to delay the Solycian Army's advance, they severely flooded the plains and toppled the trees in their forests. Their work had been quite thorough, which explained why the roads were still in that state even after so many years had passed.
"Stop."
Rex's order forced Rain's mind to return to the real world. He quickly pulled the horse's reins, startling both of them as well as Snow who had already fallen asleep by that point.
"There's something wrong."
She had her eyes trained on the ground. Everybody else followed suit and stared at the dark, muddy soil. They found nothing peculiar about it.
Rain looked at Stain in confusion. The latter simply shrugged.
"Let's wait. She's not a ruler for nothing. She's more observant than most."
Rex brushed her long bangs back with her sleek fingers, which exposed a diamond-shaped earring that she simply pulled off. Then, she squatted down and dipped the earing into a small puddle that had formed from her footprint.
The black jewel on the earring started to glow a deep, dark red.
"Corrosion."
That single word put all four into varying degrees of alertness. And while Rain and Snow started to look around frantically, Stain waited for Rex to stand up before asking, "Where?"
Rex continued staring at the ground, wide-eyed, before setting her sights on the topless forest to their right.
"Over there."
"... What's inside?"
"Ilda Village."
Stain's expression clouded over.
"Population?"
"Last I checked… seventy-eight."
Immediately after uttering those words, they heard several hair-raising, inhuman shrieks come from the forest. Even from a distance, they could see that there were things–many things, coming towards them as the tremors, though dampened by the wet soil, steadily increased in intensity. It was as if they had been waiting in ambush until someone noticed the anomaly, so they decided to collectively rush.
But Rain knew it wasn't anything that complicated.
After all, those things couldn't think.
Soon, the first one of them appeared. Then, several. A bit less than three dozen in total ran towards them in a mad dash. Seeing them, Rain felt a lump get caught in his throat.
They looked like humans if they were folded in half backward from their upper torso. Their ribs and flesh exploded outwards, from which a reddish-brown smoke of rust trailed as they ran. A metallic shell, brown and green due to rust, encased their eyes and nose, as well as several open wounds throughout their body, indicating where they had been infected. And though they ran backward, at least by the way their toes were pointing, it somehow made horrific sense because their heads had been flipped upside down on their backs.
Corroded People.