The Dawn of the New World

The Grand Priestess peered at the parchment with a raised eyebrow, "And by him you mean.....?"

"Who do you think? The Emperor, of course. He left something for me down there, in the heart of the prison. Whoever it was that was working for him designed the prison and created that room so I could go there when it was time. And the time is now."

The Grand Priestess circled a giant area in and around the spot that Jin Wang had marked out.

"What about the crimson beasts? They all come from down there. If I had to guess the central nest should also be somewhere nearby. Will you be able to get in and out safely with countless monstrosities breathing down your neck?"

Jin Wang chuckled, "Haha, no, not at all. But the "main nest" hasn't even been created yet. This 'disease' might seem simple at first glance but it always works in a very specific order. It starts out by infecting the surrounding environments, setting a sort of trap which it uses to lure people in and infect them without making it too obvious."

"Once a good portion is infected and they have started to release the spores in other places, the infection becomes more obvious. The dead and dying organic beings are the first ones to be fused together and reanimated. Those are the crimson beasts that you see now."

"There is not a lot of variety in them since the nest has chosen a host yet."

The Grand Priestess interjected, "A host? You mean it will take someone from outside?"

Jin Wang gave a half-hearted nod, "Yes, and no. It does take some 'parts' of other beings but end result is something entirely new. This host serves as the brain of the hive, where all information is congregated and converged. Once the host awakens it gains complete control of the reanimated beings."

"They become extensions of itself. It can see and hear through their eyes like they were it's own and even start comprehending complex ideas and coming up with new strategies. And then after that...is when you can really see where it got many of its names from."

"The Corruption, the Flood, the Disease, and the Soulless."

"After that, the disease starts spreading at unprecedented levels. Within a certain physical distance it starts infecting everything, and I really do mean 'everything'. The air, the water, the trees, the people, and the beasts. In some cases even if you manage to keep the physical changes at bay the mind is still shattered.

"The body, the mind, and the soul, it leaves nothing intact. Nothing escapes from its wretched grasp. Even the laws of nature are warped to fit its own needs. In a matter of days, everything will become a part of it."

The Grand Priestess was listening intently but when heard about what could be one of its limitations, she quickly spoke up.

"You said within a certain physical distance. Does that mean if you take an infected creature away from the nest it will lose its ability to infect others? Does it just wither away and die?"

Jin Wang snorted derisively, "If it was that easy would it even be a threat? Any infection, no matter how big or small is capable of becoming a full-fledged nest in its own right. Granted it will start from the very first step but sooner or later if left unchecked, it will once again get big enough to create a new nest and start the process anew."

"A single particle, just one single spore is capable of evolving to the highest level. That's why it is so troublesome to keep it contained for an extended period of time."

"Then...is there no way to stop it for good?"

"Well, you can slow its advance. I know for a fact that it cannot infect large bodies of water as easily as it does landmasses. But I don't know why that is. And once it reaches the vacuum of space away from any infectable organisms it is known to go into a sort of stasis, a hibernation if you will. Once it comes into contact with any organic mass it wakes and continues."

Both the Grand Priestess and Jin Wang went silent for a good few minutes after that.

Jin Wang couldn't help but worry what would happen if some portion of it were to get loose prematurely before he had the time to poison it, while the Grand Priestess had most of her doubts proven right.

At this stage, it was next to impossible to save their planet, wasn't it?

Now she knew for certain. And sooner rather than later they would have to leave as well. Unless...unless she could somehow call on the World Spirit and ask for its help.

Jin Wang stood up a few minutes later and cracked his back, "Ooh, that hit the spot. Alright, I'll head in now. You said there was an entrance in the city right? Take me to it."