AWAKENED BADEN

"I am left with no choice but to fight."

Baden - Knight of Blight is a strength-based ranger awakened hero of the Graveborn faction.

Baden evaded the swarms of Corruptors to make it to the very heart of the Island of the Banished. There, deep in the forest, vines twisted and knotted together to form a cage, in which a sleeping beauty could be glimpsed. Seeing that she was uninjured, Baden gave a sigh of relief before quietly calling her name.

"Nevanthi! Wake up!"

The woman who slumbered amongst the trees was the Wood Guardian, Nevanthi, whom Baden had first encountered on the Island of the Banished many years ago. Back then, the solitary Baden had been wandering the length and breadth of Esperia, and happened upon the mysterious island. Suddenly confronted by Graveborn, Baden had readied himself for battle, but was severely weakened by a combination of years of travel, and the inescapable Graveborn curse. He found himself surrounded, before finally falling to the earth.

As Baden came around, he heard a gentle voice by his ear: "Be still. Your Graveborn curse has not yet been fully contained." Before his eyes was a beautiful, delicate woman with a magical rune gleaming from her forehead. The potent breath of life effused from this rune, and followed her hands to brush over his bandaged body.

"Those Graveborn…"

"They are the Tainted, and they are as you: Graveborn who have lost their home."

Seeing that Baden was now fully awake, Nevanthi moved to the side, revealing the Tainted clustered behind her. Their withered faces were beaming with smiles of welcome and friendship.

"Welcome to the Island of the Banished, home of the Tainted."

Accompanying Nevanthi allowed Baden to see the true nature of these denizens of the Island of the Banished. They were totally different from the impression Baden had of Graveborn and, while their features were terrifying, they were possessed of warmth and kindness. In his eyes these Tainted, with their hatred of immortality, were more akin to himself than either humans or the corrupted, fallen Graveborn.

There was peace here equal to that of ordinary human villages, perhaps even more so, as the island avoided the conflicts and turmoil of the outside world.

"You are welcome to stay here, should you so desire." Nevanthi invited Baden with a smile, and yet he did not immediately respond.

"I see you still have someone special to miss. Who are they? Family? Lover? Friends?"

"The closest, dearest friend of my entire life."

Baden did not take up the invitation to settle on the island, but neither did he definitively rule it out. He kept drifting around Esperia, yet would often think of the lonely paradise that was the Island of the Banished, particularly when he quietly gazed out at his homeland from the Lightbearer border. His wanderings occasionally led him back to the island as a visitor, where he would share news of the mainland. He told himself that he visited for brief respite from his curse but, perhaps without even realizing it himself, he began to visit more and more often.

The day came, however, when Baden paid one of his occasional visits to the Island of the Banished, only to find it affected by Elemental Strife. A miasma of decay covered the entire island, the trees warped and ominous, as a swarm of Corruptors seethed forth from the forest to occupy the once paradise. Nevanthi expended almost all her power to protect the Tainted and fell fast asleep. Before succumbing to sleep, however, she had woven a cage of vines around herself, imprisoning herself in the hope of any eventual rescue.

Baden had not lost his prudence, and realized that rash actions on his part would do nothing but endanger himself and doom the Island of the Banished. Thus he went first to the Dark Forest, where he sought the other Elemental Guardians to assist with the rescue. After meeting with the Wind Guardian, they sneaked back onto the Island of the Banished to execute the plan. The Wind Guardian had staged a diversion to attract the horde of Corruptors, and this allowed Baden, familiar as he was with the island's topography, to reach Nevanthi.

Baden, the weak Nevanthi following, quickly but cautiously moved through the gloom of the forest. The Island of the Banished, once a paradise and refuge for the secluded Tainted, was now filled with scenes of devastation and disaster. Corruptors infest the warped woods, and a single misstep means being surrounded. But as long as they got through the forest to the coast, they would be able to escape the hunt by a departing ship prepared by Baden.

"Don't worry. I will get you out of here."

"The elements are already in chaos… I've used too much power to suppress the corruption. Disaster is inevitable…You go find the other Elemental Guardians…"

"I'll never abandon a friend." Baden's voice is firm, as when he had saved Thane on the battlefield, "Nevanthi, just hold on. Reinforcements are coming."

The Corruptors were like ants, infesting the woods and impossible to avoid. But Baden keenly sensing a gap in their ranks, broke through with Nevanthi, the Corruptors hot on their heels.

"Reinforcements…You mean that friend you spoke of?"

"We had an agreement. He was to join me here on the Island of the Banished, once the Earth Guardian was found."

The Corruptors tripped and stumbled over the roots and vines which Nevanthi caused to erupt from the earth, but still new ones came, treading on the fallen forms of their fellows in their endless chase.

Suddenly, an enormous monster appeared in the midst of the Corruptors. Its body was fashioned from withered, twisted branches, and the stench of decay filled the air around it. It was an aberration even among the Corruptors, and the source of the island's woes. Vines rotted and decayed in the monster's wake, turning the ground into a putrid bog. It was behind them in a flash, so close it seemed it could just reach out and grab them both.

"I don't think we can wait for reinforcements. You must go, Baden!" Nevanthi despaired at the grim situation, but still she exhorted Baden to leave, saying that at least he could save himself. But Baden did not leave, choosing instead to turn and face the enemy.

"Just hold on. As long as I am here, he WILL come."

The huge monster towered above, looking down at the desperate, stubborn warrior who stood before it, already enveloped in the shadow of despair.

Suddenly a sword of light came screaming down, driving back the huge Corruptor. The dazzling light faded, only to reveal Thane standing before Baden.

Baden asked Nevanthi to retreat into the woods and recover her strength, while he rushed forward to help Thane. He knew that in his present weakened condition, he stood no chance in a direct clash with the monster. Therefore, he kept pace at the side, observing its movements and pointing out weaknesses to Thane.

No match for the monster's strength, Baden and Thane work almost as one. With Baden's support, Thane gradually finds a good offensive rhythm, and is locked in battle with the huge Corruptor. The fight drags on, as Thane is unable to find a killing blow. Facing such a critical situation, Baden decides to take a risk to break the deadlock. He charges, brandishing his bone spear and sawblade, and lands a blow which staggers the giant Corruptor.

Thane sees his opening and strikes, slashing a deep wound open on the monster's chest. However, the injury sends it into a frenzy and, ignoring Thane's blows, it instead charges at Baden, intent on crushing the annoying insect.

Baden is sent flying by the enraged Corruptor. He smashes into the forest while Thane, distracted, is forced to yield ground.

In the forest, Nevanthi braces herself and calls out to Baden. He was already covered in scars, and his constant struggles meant his body was always on the verge of total collapse. With the last of her strength, Nevanthi suspends the Elemental Emblem in the air before Baden. This was her final hope, but it comes at a very heavy cost.

"Baden, my friend… I am powerless to restore your body. However, the Elemental Emblem offers you a chance to…change. If you take it, you are giving up your hard-won peace to become a target of the Corruptors…"

Baden reaches out his hand and grasps the Wood Emblem. Its light totally envelops him, from which brilliance comes calm, resolute words:

"I have only ever known peace in my dreams…"

"It's my destiny to be chased by the shadows…"

"However, I will never fight alone again!"

Surrounded by light, Baden steps forward, his broken body made whole once more through the elemental power of the Wood Emblem. Ahead, Thane and the Corruptor are again locked in bitter battle, a battle which Baden now joins! Thane and he exchange a glance, their years of unspoken understanding rendering words unneeded. Fighting together once more, Thane's wind blades dance continuously, while Baden wields the power of the Wood Emblem to hinder the monster's movements with vines.

Thane sees his chance and, in a flash, cuts through the energy shield on the monster's chest, exposing a core which shimmers with elemental light. Baden takes over, striking the core with a spear of concentrated wood energy. It is a fatal blow. There's a sudden, violent explosion of energy, and the huge Corruptor falls to the ground with an earth-shaking crash.

The battle has settled, and the immediate crisis has passed. But Baden cannot rest. Elemental Strife not only continues, but is getting progressively worse. The remote Island of the Banished will no longer stay untouched by the chaos.

"Let's fight, Thane. Just like the old days."

"Just like the old days."