Laryssa twitched and opened her eyes, feeling the clarity of her chaotic mind wash over her. She slowly moved her joints from her toes to her neck. She sat up carefully and disentangled herself from Leah's comforting embrace. 'What the hell?' She caught sight of the men across the smouldering fire. 'Oh, shit. This is not good.'

She stood and made her way over to Dan's pack, taking out the plague salve and unwrapping it carefully. Quietly say creeped over to Scott and shook his shoulder. "Scotty-boy!"

Scott snorted but woke quickly. "Laryssa?"

"Hush, I don't want to know who was thinking what when they actually let those men stay with us, but right now you can't let them know that you're infected."

Scott was in shock as she spoke. "So, you do know them," the larger man said as he lifted his shirts.

"I was psychotic, not stupid," she said as she quickly pressed her hands onto his bubo infested skin. "These should be lanced."

The ring of a sword unsheathing behind her made her stop her movements before a small knife handle appeared over her shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Peanut Gallery."

She let out the breath she had been holding and took the blade. "What is my name, Soldier-boy?"

"Yup, really good to have you back, Laryssa," he corrected himself as she quickly lanced through the buboes on Scott's armpits.

"Stop scratching at these." She pressed the salve into the open wounds.

"I can't help that they itch."

"No, but you can refrain from scratching them. Apply heat from your hands instead." Laryssa stood and moved over to Jess. Quickly she and Dan woke her up, lanced her arms, and applied the salve. By then Chuck had woken up and was looking at Laryssa amazed. When she looked around the camp and saw him, she shrugged. "What?"

"You knock your head hard, not once, but, twice, and all you can say is 'what'?"

"I'm lucky," she said shrugging again. She knelt over Leah and shook her shoulder. "Leah-momma. Leah, wake up."

Leah groaned a little as she opened her eyes. When she finally focused, she saw Laryssa leaning over her. "Honey!" Leah tackled her with a hug, pulling her into a strong embrace, and effectively waking up all of the others. "Are you okay? Are you alright? What happened last night?"

Laryssa held up one finger. "One, to many questions all at once. Calm down so I can answer." Another finger lifted. "Two, I don't know anything other than I hit my head on the rock. I'm guessing it knocked my brain back into place."

Leah laughed slightly and pulled her into another hug. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm okay, momma," Laryssa said griping the older one tightly.

The men looked upon the pair with a happiness not usually found in men like them. Mold, the most fearsome of the newcomers, almost smiled. Ulrich was the first to speak as the others in his party readied for the continuation of their journey. "As it is morning, we shall take our leave."

"Where are you headed?" Maurice was uncharacteristicly curious about the imposing men.

"We seek a village unharmed by the pestilence."

Dan was quick with his rebuttal. "You're lying."

Ulrich sighed as everyone stood in ready for the days journey. "We seek a village led by a Necromancer. This quest is set from the bishop. This is no quest for the faint of heart."

"That's funny," Scott said as he put out the embers of their fire. "No one here is all that faint. Excepting Laryssa's head wound, we're all capable of assisting you. And even she is fine enough to travel with us."

"I wouldn't argue with him," Jeanette interrupted when Ulrich attempted to do so. "When Scotty-boy gets it into his head to do something, he does it, regardless of his personal safety."

"Dan, Laryssa, Leah, Chuck, and I are the best fighters of the group. Dan, Laryssa, and Jeanette are healers, each specialising in a different field of study. Maurice and Jess may not look like much, but they are fast, strong, and smart." As Scott listed off the basic qualities of each person in his group, they looked surprised, some blushing at the attention.

"That's enough, Scotty," Jess said fighting back her own blush.

"Yeah, don't go telling the all our secrets," Maurice added.

Ulrich sighed in defeat. "Very well, we may need your help as it is. We shall lead."

Scott nodded and turned to Laryssa and Dan. "Cover the rear."

Both acknowledged and hung back with Dallywag as the others went ahead of them. Laryssa pulled a small pouch from Dan's pack and tied it around her hip. "What are you doing?"

"Jacking' a pouch for herbs."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Because I can and you won't stop me."

Dan nodded. "True."