Ladybug hissed as her arm started to burn. Her arm had started bothering her a week after Plague showed up. It was just itching at first. Tikki had found her some ointment. It worked for a while, but then it started to burn. She planned to go to the healers later.
"Is the mark still bothering you?" Tikki whispered close to her ear. She was in her human form keeping Ladybug company as she walked towards the courtyard. Master Fu had asked her to come meet the new transfer. He said he was a Miraculous Holder.
"Yes, but it's nothing to worry about. I'll go to the healer as soon as I greet the new transfer."
Entering the main hallway of the used-to-be school, she entered the old principal's office which has been turned into Master Fu's office. They had taken out the old desk and used the old files and extra wood for bonfires when required. They left the chairs.
The first room is just for show, though. The second room connected to the first is Master Fu's actual space. They cleared out the other desk and the other dusty and rusted furniture. Master Fu moved everything of his into the second room, leaving the first empty for a reception room.
Master was standing in the reception room with the new Miraculous Holder when Ladybug walked through the office's door. His back was turned towards her so she could only see his black hair with the tips dyed teal blue, his blue jacket, and his blue jeans, and his black and red checkered sneakers. He looked to have a punk rock style going on. He's lean too.
"Ah, Ladybug." Master Fu acknowledged her after the door shut behind her. "Meet Viperion." The transfer turned around.
The first thing she noticed was the studded earring in his left ear.
"Luka is fine."
"I'm Ladybug and this is Tikki," she introduced herself and the kwami sitting on her shoulder. She held her hand out for him to shake."Welcome to the Team, Luka."
He clasped his hand with hers. "Thanks."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off. I hope you settle in well." She bowed to both of them before leaving the office and continuing down the hall in the opposite direction to the Medbay.
"I hope the nurses will be able to figure out what's wrong." Tikki flew a few feet ahead of her. The soldiers and guards were in training so some of the nurses and healers were the only ones in the hall.
To get to the Medbay you'd have to pass by the Training Hall. As she was passing by she saw a speckle of black out of the corner of her eye. Plague was leaning on the door of the Hall, peering in on the training of the soldiers and guards.
"Why is he watching them train?" Ladybug found her curiosity was more important in this moment.
"Marinette? Where are you going?" Tikki flew in front of her face with her hands on her tiny red hips. "The Medbay is the other way."
"I'm coming Tikki. I just have to check something." Tikki looked over her shoulder and saw the blende. She looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you want to speak to The Plague?"
"I don't I- I just want to see what he's up to. "
Tikki looked back and forth between the two and sighed. She dropped her hands from her hips. "Fine. But you're going to the Medbay as soon as you're done."
"Yes." The insect based kwami flew back towards the end of the hall and Ladybug quietly padded over to the old killing machine. He must;ve known that she was behind him, because he didn't jump or comment when she appeared by his side, looking through the cracked door as well to see what he was looking at.
Arnou and Instructor Louis were sparing one-on-one with swords. The other soldiers and guards were sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall, both watching the intense fight occurring in the middle of the room.
Instructor Louis looked like he was struggling as Arnou met him strike for strike. The young man had come a long way from that time he watched him spar in the courtyard. And she's guessing that was because of the man beside her and their private lessons.
With one more swipe of his sword, Instructor Louis was knocked off his feet and the brunette soldier was pointing his sword's point at his neck. Ladybug could see the corner of his mouth lifted from her side view. "Checkmate."
Louis smacked the sword away with the back of his hand. Arnou backed up as Louis picked himself up. The mix of soldiers and guards except for a few cheered and congratulated him for putting the mean grouch in his place as Louis walked off. Some even asked where he's training, apparently remembering the first spar session between the two too.
"What kind of teacher gets mad when his students are progressing?" Plague voiced. She couldn't see his eyes because of the cloak's hood covering his face but she could tell he was angry by his tense stance. His question seemed more rhetorical than directed at her but she still felt the need to answer.
"Instructor Louis has always had it out for Arnou since the first day since Arnou called him out on a strategy plan of his in front of Master Fu. He tries to make an example of him whenever he can ever since then." She noticed that his hand gripped his shoulder tighter after she said that. For some reason she wanted to make him feel better.
"He's been getting better since he started training with you." Two of the soldiers patted him on the back and started leading him to the barracks. "He might even become on of the Master's Elites."
"Elites?"
"Master Fu has an elite squad of soldiers that he calls the 'Elites.' He made them so that the Miraculous Holders wouldn't feel superior over everyone. Some of the Elites are even stronger than the MHs."
"Including you?" His frown quirked into a small, elusive smile when her expression soured.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"Marinette," Tikki hissed and tugged on her polka dotted hood. When she turned back around to tell Plague goodbye he had already walked off through the Hall, most likely to where he sleeps for the nights.
"Are you sure nothing happened between you two?" She was looking in the direction of where Plague disappeared to.
"Yes, Tikki. Let's go to the healer."
"Where does it burn the most?" A healer quickly got to them. A redhead was in the Medbay at the moment and sat Ladybug on the edge of one of the stretchers that are lined up against the wall.
"Her arm has been bothering her. She said it was itching at first, but now she says it's starting to burn." Tikki landed on Ladybug's head and explained it all to the healer. She used her hands to express her distress.
The healer held her hand in her open palm and slowly raised up the levee of her undershirt. Her arm was bandaged from her wrist to her armpit. "When is the last time you've unwrapped your bandages?"
"Last week." She changes her bandages out every week. Before she changed them out her arm looked just fine, it was just itchy.
"Tikki, can you hand me that pair of scissors?" Tikki flew over and picked up the scissors and handed them to the healer. "Thank you." Tikki landed back on Ladybug's head.
The healer was careful as she eased the scissors between the bandages and her skin. Ladybug flinched as the scissors slid against a certain part of her arm. The healer squeezed her hand in apology.
The bandages fell away and all three looked down. They all gasped.
Stemming from her upper arm, inky black veins branched up and down her arm, turning the skin around it a sickly pallid color.
"It looks as if you've been poisoned. I've never seen anything like this," the woman shook her head.
"I have." Tikki's eyes were watering when she spoke. She wiped a falling tear from her cheek.
"Tikki?" She has rarely seen shed tears, especially over her.
"That isn't poison," she shook her head. "It's a curse."
"A curse?"
"The curse of Daunic. It's very ancient and very few know how to cast it or are even able to. It's deadly, Marinette! It travels, slowly breaking down your body before it eats you whole!"
"Well there's a cure for it, right?"
Tikki flew off of Ladybug's head and landed on her open palm of the hand rest on the bed. She cuddled into her palm. The healer closed Ladybug's other hand with her and covered them with both of her. She knew what they were saying.
It's certain death.