Chương 36: Sickness

The sky was the only thing she could look at. The orange glow painted the clouds as they moved upon their canvas. Her only distraction as she waited. Waiting, she'd been doing it for a long time. Since casting Dark Bolt. This time, she'd seen it. A thin, pitch black needle condensed on the tip of her index finger, pulling lifeforce from her, and returning it tainted with the cursed energy of Life Curse. Then it shot. Straight at the beast. And it collapsed as if it was made out of paper.

The root wrapped around her ankle faltered. Alexandra too. Paralytic agent had splattered onto her one valid arm as her spell ripped through the Gallowbloom. She managed to turn her body around, and facing the sky was more comfortable than staying face-first in the dirt, but that was about it. Around her, the withered remains of her foe covered the ground. Thorns, roots, dust, the beast's body had been enormous, so while most of it had been destroyed, there was still a good amount of it left.

She was hoping that the curse of paralysis would fade with time. There wasn't much else she could do. Nobody knew where she was. Louis could maybe guess that she was in the plains, but he would have trouble locating her. If he even wanted to. Alexandra didn't mind sleeping under the stars. The remains of the Gallowbloom should be enough to dissuade any would-be ambusher. What really bothered her was her streak. Why didn't she complete that damn quest before leaving Esmera? All she had to do was talk to five people.

It wasn't hard. Sure, the quest didn't specify how long she should talk, but it couldn't have delayed her departure by much. Her leg twitched. The one that had been paralyzed first. She tried moving it. It was far from perfect, but she could feel the improvement. She kept trying, wiggling her fingers and muscles that would answer. She didn't know if it made things better or worse. But at least, she was doing something, and that was good for her mental.

Eventually, she was able to move her leg, then her hand, and an arm. She sat down, and took in the scene around her. The dark magic had ripped through the beast, leaving severed thorny vines all around, wilted, broken, dead. The main mass of her opponent was still in the ditch, but it wasn't moving. Most of the flower glands that secreted the paralytic were gone. She'd made it. Her journal had recorded her feat. Inflict Weakness 5 -> 6 Life Curse: Be inflicted by three curses simultaneously (3/3).

Dark Bolt 2 -> 3 Life Curse 1 -> 2 That was what she'd been aiming for. She hadn't expected to complete that skill quest today, though. And now, she wasn't sure that it was a good thing. You are suffering from the curse of paralysis. You are suffering from the curse of fragility. You are suffering from the curse of weakness. You are suffering from the sickness of mana. The first three would fade soon. However, a sickness was a different beast altogether. Sicknesses were a type of curses.

That was the result of Life Curse. The price for casting Dark Bolt. The main difference between curses and sicknesses was that while the former were temporary, the latter were not. Alexandra already had a hunch about the effect of the sickness of mana. She'd been forced to wait for hours after the end of her battle, but her mana reserves were still empty. It should have regenerated by itself. Perhaps not to full capacity, but enough to feel it.

"Could be worse," she murmured. And she meant it, especially as she read the final notification. Achievement Upgraded! Defiance -> Defiance II Defiance II: Slay a Bronze rank while being at the Iron rank. +5 all stats. She swallowed, for lack of a more enthusiastic way to move her body. Four extra stat points in all attributes… The equivalent of twenty days of dailies. It still wasn't enough for her streak bonus to make a difference, but it was still a massive, unexpected boon.

She waited for her curses to fade before standing up. As soon as she did, someone spoke.

"I knew it was you." It was Marick. She turned in his direction. The village chief was standing over the ditch, behind a heap of ruined vines.

"Where have you been?" He asked, stepping over the beast's corpse. She shrugged.

"I wasn't going to stay locked up for no reason."

"You're not helping your case." She shook her head.

"I've done nothing wrong, and you know it. In any case, I'm not in Lanterne, so John must be happy." Marick sighed.

"If only. He clamors to those who would listen that you've gone rogue, spreading the Yshant's blessing to more verdant beasts." He stopped in front of her, and stared into her eyes.

"He asked me to find you, and put an end to it." She met his gaze.

"So? What will you do?" The chief stroked the handle of his axe.

"I've been thinking about it." He smiled.

"I've decided to call the Wardens. Bamir will be unhappy about it, and perhaps you will too, but I need to put the safety of my people first." Alexandra's eyes shifted, then she looked up at him again.

"They won't come." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Marick opened his mouth, but she continued.

"I've talked to people in Esmera. The local Wardens are blocking reports from leaving the city. They already know about the Yshant."

"Those corrupt assholes… I should have expected nothing from them."

"You know them?" He sighed again.

"I answer to them. Technically." Alexandra tilted her head. He shrugged.

"As you can imagine. They don't really care about a village like ours. Nevertheless, I'll still try. With all the villages of the plains under threat, they might listen." Light was fading, and Alexandra was reminded of her quest. She frowned.

"What?" Marick asked.

"Do you think I could sneak into Lanterne? I'd like to talk to Lara, Therion, and Bamir if possible." He stared at her. She shrunk, her shoulders sagging.

"Well, you know… I've left without saying anything. I should thank them for all they did for me." Marick didn't answer.

"I'll understand if you say no. I don't want to cause trouble. In that case, could you give them a message from me?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I hope I won't regret this, but fine. You can come with me, but you'll only be seeing those three, and leave immediately after. I don't care that it will be night by then. What do you say?" She smiled.

"I'm not afraid of the dark. Let's go." She started walking. Marick didn't move.

"You're not coming?" she asked. He shook his head, and pointed in the opposite direction.

"Lanterne's that way." She stopped.

"Furthermore," Marick continued.

"You should collect the Gallowbloom's paralytic agent. It doesn't look like there's much left, but it's quite valuable." She slapped her forehead, and got to work replacing the water in her second gourd with the precious liquid. Maybe Louis' alchemist would be interested. It'd be nice to have some change, for once. The journey to Lanterne wasn't long. They didn't rush, aiming to arrive soon after sunset so that Alexandra could sneak in undetected. Neither of them talked much.

Lanterne's roads were empty at this hour. Marick led her through the back alleys, keeping to the shadows between buildings. No lights in the windows they passed. No voices. He stopped at a door and knocked twice. Silence. Then footsteps. Lara opened the door. She looked at Alexandra first, then at Marick, then back at Alexandra. Her expression didn't change.

"Marick." She stepped aside.

"Come in." The house smelled of Aetherveil and cold ash. A single candle burned on the table. Therion sat beside it, his hands clasped together. He looked up when they entered. His eyes settled on Alexandra and stayed there.

"Lara—" Alexandra started.

"Sit down." Lara pulled two chairs from the table and set them down without looking at her. She took her own seat across from them and folded her hands.

"You look terrible."

"I fought a Gallowbloom."

"Mm." Lara's eyes moved to the dark bruising along Alexandra's forearm, the dried mud on her collar, then back to her face.

"You left two days ago."

"I know."

"You do." It wasn't a question. Lara's voice was flat, careful. Therion looked at his wife. He didn't speak. He reached over and took Lara's hand. Alexandra looked at the candle. The wax had burned low, pooling around the base.

"I should have said something before I left," she said.

"Yes."

"I didn't think—""No." Lara's jaw tightened.

"You didn't." Marick cleared his throat and stood.

"I'll go fetch Bamir." He didn't wait for an answer. The door opened and closed behind him. Alexandra turned her cup on the table. Empty. She hadn't noticed Lara place it there.

"We looked for you," Lara said.

"The morning after. Therion checked the southern road. I went to ask everyone." She paused.

"Nobody saw you."

"I left to avoid trouble."

"For yourself."

"Yes." She bit her lip.

"So?" Lara inhaled slowly.

"You came back to say goodbye? Or to say sorry? Or because Marick brought you?" Therion's eyes hadn't moved from her face. Not accusing. Just watching, the way he always did, which was somehow worse.

"I was going to cause problems if I stayed," Alexandra said.

"John—""John is an idiot," Lara said.

"We know what John is. That's not why you left." Alexandra pressed her thumb against the edge of the cup.

"You left," Lara said, "because you wanted to. And that's fine. You can go wherever you want. But you didn't say a word to us. After everything." Her voice didn't crack. It stayed even, precise.

"We wondered if you were dead." Alexandra took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. And thank you, for everything." Neither Lara nor Therion answered. Three knocks at the door. Lara stood and crossed the room. She unlatched the door. Bamir filled the frame. He was still in his white robes. He looked past Lara into the room, found Alexandra at the table, and said nothing for a long moment. Then he stepped inside. Bamir pulled a chair to Alexandra's side and sat. He didn't greet her. He took her bruised forearm in both hands and turned it over.

"Gallowbloom?" he asked.

"Yes." His fingers moved along the cut, pressing gently at the edges. A faint warmth spread under the skin. The purple deepened for a moment, then faded, working inward from the borders of the bruise until the arm was clean. He moved to the cut on her cheek. Not as deep as the ones that were now scars. One palm flat against her temple. Gone in seconds. Then her legs, and more bruises on her torso and back.

"Anything else?" Alexandra glanced at Lara. She was standing by the window, arms crossed, watching her. Therion hadn't moved from his chair.

"Sickness of mana," Alexandra said.

"Any clue on how to get rid of that?" Bamir was quiet for a moment.

"Since when?"

"The fight." He folded his hands in his lap.

"I can't treat it. Not here." He paused.

"The branch in Esmera might have someone who can. It won't be cheap."

"How much?"

"No idea. But a sickness won't be simple to treat. I don't know if even the branch leader knows how to." Lara turned from the window. Her eyes went to Alexandra's face, then to Bamir, then back. Her arms stayed crossed.

"How serious is it?" she asked.

"Manageable," Bamir said.

"She won't be able to use mana until it's gone." Lara's jaw shifted. She unfolded her arms and set her hands on the back of Therion's chair. Alexandra kept her eyes on the table.

"You fought a Gallowbloom alone," Lara said.

"And came out with a sickness. A sickness! I can't…"

"I won."

"Alexandra." Nobody spoke. Therion put his hand over Lara's on the back of his chair. Bamir stood and pushed his chair back. He looked at Lara, then Therion.

"Would you give us a moment?" Lara's eyes moved to him. A pause. Then she straightened, touched Therion's shoulder, and they walked together to the back of the house. Bamir remained standing. He looked at Alexandra for a long moment, hesitation flashing behind his eyes.

"There's something else," he said.

"Something I should have told you the first time we met." He rubbed his eyebrows.

"I…" Bamir looked up.

"I'm aware of your circumstances. I've been aware since I first saw you."