Chapter 61
At her nod and promise to keep it quiet, Abigail took a deep breath and told her everything about her 'visions'. How at first she thought they were bad dreams, but they were too vivid to be. Stephanie's eyes grew wider and wider with each passing second, her jaw dropping as the realization crashed down on her.
"It happened to Malcolm's wife too, Mark's mother. And it terrifies me…I now understand why Mark hates it so much. I never realized the burden it carries until now."
"But Mark doesn't have that kind of magic." Stephanie pointed out, shaking her head. "That's a burden he's never known, and I think… I think you shouldn't even look at it as a burden, Abbie." At Abigail's confused look, she flashed a gentle smile. "Sweetheart, if you hadn't gotten this vision, what do you think would have happened?" She didn't give Abigail time to answer. "You guys would have been fucked, that's what. You would have probably been snuck up on or surprised and then all that planning would go right down the toilet. Now you're prepared. This vision of yours may have actually saved people's lives, Abbie."
Abigail tilted her head, mulling over what Stephanie just said, and couldn't believe how much sense it made. She was right. If this vision hadn't happened, or the one after it, they would've been screwed! Bray would've gotten the upper hand and everything would've gone to hell. Mark would've more than likely died, which was a possibility that kept her up at night and heightened her anxiety.
"I never…thought of it that way." Her voice was soft and low, looking down at the beautiful baby boy in her arms and smiled. "Your Momma is smart, kiddo. You know that? She's a great woman. Don't worry, little guy, you're going to be protected. We won't let anything happen to you or your Momma and Daddy." She looked up at Stephanie, her eyes once again twinkling. "Thank you, Steph. I really needed to hear that and have it put into that kind of perspective. This isn't a curse, it's a blessing."
"Exactly," Stephanie said, her tone matter-of-fact as she reached for her bottle of water, a smile on her lips. "You're living with Mr. Doom and Gloom, that shit was bound to rub off on you. You just needed to hear the silver side of the equation."
Stephanie was pragmatic, sure, but not to the point of being morbid like Taker could be. She didn't want to be blessed/cursed with visions herself. However, if she were in Abigail's shoes, and she had learned all that, she would be very grateful at the knowledge of what they could prevent if it meant saving her two loves.
"He really is doom and gloom, isn't he?" Abigail meant to say it with humor, but all that came out was sadness. "I wish he wasn't like that. I wish he would embrace his magic, but I know that won't happen." She had accepted it, but it was still sad nevertheless. "I think that's why I came here, not only to spend time with you and talk and see this bundle of joy, but…something told me to come here. I was feeling so down and overwhelmed with this power, but…you're right. There's always a positive side to everything if you look hard enough." Besides the DOV, that was the ONLY exception. "You made me feel better and here I was, coming here to try to do the same thing for you since I know you hate being cooped up in here."
"Having you come visit helps and honestly, I'm too tired to go back to work right now. Anthony keeps me busy. It's weird, you know? He'll be awake and eating for only a little bit. So I'm not doing much, but then I only get to rest when he does, so I'm up every few hours." No matter how good the concept sounded, people did not actually 'catch up' on sleep. Broken sleep wasn't a good way to rest, but… it was what it was. "Abigail, for what it's worth, he's less doom and gloom since you. I've heard he's even working more in the forge and more involved in magical stuff. That's not a bad thing."
"Really? I mean, I know he's been in the forge because of Malcolm. Did you hear what happened to that poor old man?" Stephanie shook her head and Abigail began laughing, the sound cheerful for a change. "The poor bastard actually took the TIP of his pinky off with the Mythril. He can't grow it back magically or anything, he's literally without a tip on his pinky now." That got both of them laughing at the old man's expense, but it was too funny considering he was supposed to be this ultimate sorcerer. "I feel so bad for him, but he's so enthralled with Mythril, so Mark goes down there to make sure the old man doesn't filet himself or something."
"Now, I've heard some… rumors, that you think Mythril can be used for medicine," Stephanie said slowly, frowning. "Malcolm thinks so too?" She bit her lower lip. "Because I just don't understand how…its fumes are poisonous, that's why Taker doesn't let anyone in the forge anymore. He did, a couple of times, and then they realized why people were dying, so… it was just him from there on out. I hope you guys test that shit first." Providing they could find someone to test it on. Well… they were going to war… and there were bound to be prisoners and Stephanie flinched at that.
War was messy business.
"It will be tested and it won't be anyone in Wonderful." That much she could say for certain, knowing those who did not give up their allegiance to Bray would be test subjects. "And it'll be far more humane than those DOV jerks." She refused to cuss in front of the now sleeping baby boy in her arms. "It has magical properties, so therefore, it can heal. I don't know the extent of it or how far Malcolm can stretch it, but…it's worth a shot. And after the DOV is taken down, there won't be any worries anyway because we'll be able to go out at our leisure to raid the various towns and hospitals for supplies. Eventually, those supplies will run out though, so we have to have a backup plan when that time comes."
"It has magical properties, so therefore, it can heal…" Stephanie echoed, finally just shrugging. She had always thought magic had limits, and something that was obviously so deadly being used as a healing medicine… the contradiction there was hard to wrap her head around. "Way above my pay grade, I never studied magic or anything of the sort. I'll pass though," She laughed, shaking her head. "There are more brains out there like the Hardy's, once the DOV is stopped, civilization will eventually resume again, and so will medicine and science. I like magic, just not as a… vitamin." Magic could be very useful, she had seen that herself, she just didn't want to have to rely on it for everything since there were bound to be some repercussions.
"It'll take a lot of time, effort, and patience before we get Vesperia back to how it used to be, that's for sure. It might even take centuries before science and medicine are fully back. In the meantime, Mythril converted into a SAFE medicine is really the only option once the supplies run low. Malcolm is confident with time he can convert it safely and it won't harm anyone, only heal what needs to be healed. There are limitations though, but at least women like you, who are pregnant with the problems you had, won't be SOL. I think that's why Taker is going along with this easily because of what happened to you. I've never seen him so pale in my life and I can only imagine what's going to happen once Amy gives birth since they're so close. Trish too."
"You really had a bad, sheltered life before all of this didn't you?"
Stephanie didn't agree with Abigail on the centuries thing. The technology, the machinery, all of it was still intact. It was just waiting for people, who actually believed in it, and knew how to use it, to get it back up and running. Hell, they had a lot of things like that here because of Matt and Jeff. She bet there were more Matt and Jeff's out there. Stephanie wasn't sure how she felt about her being the reason Taker was willing to against his own principles, either.
"Trust me, once the DOV is down, shit will come back quickly. The DOV's stupid laws and beliefs are why nobody outside of Wonderful dares to touch anything." Apparently, modern medicine was horrible in the DOV's eyes.
"I hope, with all of my heart, you're right about that, Steph."
Abigail wanted to believe everything would be alright with the world after Bray and the DOV were stopped, but she had a shaky faith. Bray believed machinery of any kind was tainted, impure. Anything impure in his eyes was destroyed. Medicine, included, besides the serum he made to help spawn his army. Books were burned and she'd had to hide hers from him to make sure she had at least a piece of the old world, the old days. Technology was another tainted sin. The more Abigail thought about it, the more she realized just how out of his mind Bray was.
Stephanie leaned back, considering their fundamental differences. Abigail had been living in a world where science, technology, and medicine were bad, but magic was used as a tool. Stephanie was from a world trying to regain its foothold using its original tools. They had seen what magic had done and could do, a lot of it outside of Taker's protection was bad. Women having accelerated pregnancies, children growing at astronomical rates, and whatever else Wyatt had done. She would pass and stick with science instead of magic.
"I guess that explains why you and Taker butted heads so much," She said thoughtfully, smiling slightly. "You lived surrounded by magic, so naturally, you see it as the fix for everything. He lives surrounded by all this, uses magic only somewhat, but sees what it's done to others… they do say opposites attract. I hope you're as right as you think you are, Abigail." She fixed her blue eyes on the woman. "Because we all trust Taker and he's going on what you say."
"And I talked to Malcolm about the Mythril extensively during our travels back here. He assured me it could be used for medicinal purposes, so I'm putting my trust and faith in him. I told Taker not to do it if he wasn't comfortable, which I know he's not, but he also knows the shortage of medicine is very real. I think that scares him a bit. I trust Malcolm wholeheartedly though, and I know he won't administer the medicine made by Mythril unless it's fully and completely tested and 100% safe. It's a last resort, basically, if we can't get the medical field and technology off the ground after the DOV is destroyed, that's all." Abigail explained, knowing she was putting all of her eggs in one basket by trusting Malcolm, but…she had lived around magic most of her life. There had to be good to it, such as her power with visions. "I honestly believe Taker is doing this because, deep down, he knows it's the right thing to do, not because I'm telling him it is. That man is too stubborn to let a little thing like me boss him around and tell him what to do."
"Yeah, maybe." Stephanie smiled, then yawned, trying to hide it behind her hand and totally failed. "Sorry, I'm so tired all the time. Melina assures me that's normal until about…18 when they move out." She laughed quietly, wondering how Melina would know that since her little boy wasn't even 4 yet, assuming it was a joke. "Personally, I don't think it ever stops." She had John, he was a grown-ass man with a teenage mentality. She dealt with it because she loved him and he had a really nice backside. "Go on, Abbie, I know you have things to do. Thank you for coming and seeing me before you left, I appreciate it." She held out her arms for Anthony, smiling as Abigail gently handed him over. "You'd do good with one of your own."
Abigail smiled back at her, though it was a little uneasy because she didn't know if she'd ever see Stephanie again. "If things go south…you run with this little man, you understand? I don't know how this will all go down, but…you take Anthony and John and you leave this place if things don't go as we hope."
Hugging Stephanie gently, Abigail heard her say everything would be alright and hoped that was the case, heading out. She looked back at her friend with her baby in tow for a few seconds before leaving. It was just about time to meet everyone at the gates to leave.
"You look troubled, Mark. What's on your mind?" Malcolm asked, walking alongside his son from the forge, his hands clasped behind his back.
His men had assembled fast and people were already outside the gates, vehicles lined up in square formations. Everyone was equipped with weapons, rations, all the necessities they needed, himself included. He had gone to gather Malcolm, not surprised to find him in the forge. Now they were on their way back to join everyone.
"Do you know anything about Mythril, Malcolm?" He asked quietly. "Abigail makes… risks," With her life, no less. "And she's totally fine with playing god in other's lives, based on her assumptions that Mythril CAN be used for medicine. I told her we'll try, but… the reality is, it's all contingent on you." Taker had lied to her to keep the peace. He had thousands of people looking to him, refusing to let her assumptions and need to be right put them at risk.
Malcolm stopped walking and eyed his son, seeing the obvious worry on his face. "A little, yes." He began walking again, this time slower, and tried to find the right words to say what he wanted. The truth was always best. "Back when your mother was alive, I…found some Mythril. It was a small mine a few blocks away from our house. I'd heard stories about it, but never actually seen it with my own eyes. People said the Mythril had dried up long ago, you see, but something told me to investigate that mine. A gut instinct, if you will. It was a small piece, perhaps the size of a regular fist. But I could tell it held magical properties…and I knew it could be used for more than just weaponry, which is what people used it for. I did a little…testing of sorts. Your mother was very sick and on the verge of death. You were no more than 2 years old at the time and…I'm ashamed to admit, I was desperate. I didn't want to lose my wife. I ground the Mythril down carefully, it wasn't nearly as strong as what you have here in Wonderful, mind you, so it wasn't toxic. I transformed it into a medicine that I gave to her and she was healthy as a horse the next day. I couldn't believe my eyes. So when Bray Wyatt came to me about the Mythril idea to infuse it with the serum he forced me to create to make those magical babies, I told him it was a long shot. Not because it wouldn't work, because it would've, but because I thought all of the Mythril had died from the world long ago. I thought I had the last of it with your mother, Mark. Abigail assumed it could help and she was right. She got very lucky in her assumptions, however, and she needs to tread carefully with that reactive heart of hers. When I tell you Mythril will work, and be safe, with some testing, I'm telling you that from personal experience, though it's not much."
