THE GOAT 🐐

A red barrier suddenly appears in front of them. It was so close that Wanderer almost touched it. Glad his reflects was succeeded on bringing him backwards. “That way, now!” The Traveler points out another opening on the east side. Wanderer flies closer without a second thought. Every section near the opening start to get swallowed by Dottore’s corruption. “𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”

“That’s quick,” the Traveler starts scanning the whole place as soon as he heard Wanderer. “There’s an opening right there. Let’s go.” The Wanderer tightened his grip around the Traveler’s waist as they neared the opening. “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐨?”

“It has probably been corrupted by Dottore. We should not touch it or we might alert him.” His words didn’t age well, unfortunately. The red spot spreads with terrifying speed, swallowing nearby sections like spilled ink. It would touch the Traveler if it’s not for Wanderer who pulled his hand in a flying motion. “𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬.”

They move on. It’s not just this place looks like a mess, but gravity itself seems to twist and slant inside this place except for the Traveler and Wanderer. “What is that…” Wanderer stops walking after the Traveler. Both look at a strange red spot in the middle of a section. It’s moving around slowly, but not too slow like snails. It is as if that red part is looking for something.

Wanderer doesn’t even bother to look. He’s still focusing on watching this place. “I never put a single worry on her. You know she is strong and 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.” “You are right.”

“He has to know we’ve entered Irminsul. But luckily for us, he can’t pinpoint our location. Be on your guard. Don’t let him find us,” Wanderer crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Do you think Nahida will be fine?”

The two walk slowly, eyes scanning everything they get in sight. “This place is a mess. It is like someone has turned the place upside down.” “Must be Dottore’s doing. Either he’s searching for some information he needs or…” Wanderer stops talking when his step gets interrupted by the Traveler. He looks at where he’s looking. This place is still changing. Some sections look moving on its own, creating a new mess.

“Don't. Don’t tell me. Only you need to know. That way, whatever happens to me next, it won’t affect your progress.” “Hat Guy, listen. Your safety is just as important as mine. Don’t even think about sacrificing yourself for the greater good. We came here together, and we’re leaving together.” “…All right. If you insist,” A final answer that rises a smile on the Traveler’s face.

“Come to think of it, I still don’t even know where we’re going.” The Traveler responds, “Our terminals have been modified so our movements cannot be read by Irminsul. So, I can-”

————————— “Well, here we are.” The Traveler and Wanderer look around the unfamiliar place. The depths of Irminsul looks empty, yet it gives a strong feeling of uneasiness for one.

“Come on. We need to go. Paimon, look after yourself,” the Traveler gives the last nod towards Paimon before letting his companion walking outside, trying to link with the group. Now only the Traveler and the Wanderer remain. Nahida has shown them a way to connect to Irminsul from here, a path they can use to hunt down Dottore while she handles the other route. No one outside can say where he hides, so someone must confront him face‑to‑face. Well, the three of them determined to be that blade.

“You have grown so much,” Unexpected words come out from Wanderer, but is it really unexpected? “Not you too! It is too late to realize that now. Paimon is pretty knowledgeable, you know!” The Traveler sighs, “You two are at it again.”

“We can connect to the inside of Irminsul through the Sanctuary of Surasthana’s built-in security system.” “Uh… Before we set off, Paimon thinks maybe Paimon should stay outside and help the others. Then you can focus on the fight without having to worry about Paimon.”

Chaos spills through the streets. The group fights fiercely against the Fatui. They hold the line as a living decoy, buying the opening the Traveler, his companion, and the Wanderer need to sneak unseen into the Sanctuary of Surasthana. That is why the three now stand at the center of the Sanctuary of Surasthana. A new plan has been made as the continuation, and as a hope this would be their last straw to defeat The Doctor.