It has been a long time since Tesla had seen Alberto. Most of his students would come to visit him on their own. Either they would visit to learn new techniques or share stories over tea. But after seeing some of his disciple's newer works, Tesla knew it was time to check in on him.
This would be his first time visiting the Gytis Settlement Area. He had heard that a few of the Medzio Diena survivors had come here to convert the forest to farmland. But with every plot he passed, the crops seemed to be rotten or corrupted. It wasn't just the farmland, most of the farmers and residents seemed to have been drained of their vitality. They walked as if they already had a foot in the ground. Not to mention the land was crawling with monsters. Just as he got to the settlement, he was attacked by three pink Chupaluka. Before they could pounce upon the old man, Telsa erected an owl statue that lay waste to the attacking monsters.
"I wasn't expecting such a hostile welcome" Tesla commented as he put away his chisel and hammer.
Tesla finally arrived at his apprentice's workshop. He didn't even have to open the door to the foul energy radiate from the hut. It gave the old sculptor pass before knocking on the door. Tesla didn't receive an answer. Instead, the door cracked open. "I'm coming in." Tesla announced as he entered the workshop.
Entering the workshop, Tesla almost keeled over. Grabbing his heart, the sculptor's breathe becomes ragged. As he traversed deeper into the workshop, all Tesla could see were statues of Giltinė. All the statues varied in size from simple statuettes to full sculptures. The poses they took ranged from chaste & innocent to alluring & sexual.
Finally at the back of the workshop, Tesla could see Alberto working away at another statue. Once Tesla got close enough, Alberto put down his tools and turned to face his old master. Was the boy always this pale? Tesla wondered as he looked the young Dievdirbys over. His hair was even wilder and more unkempt then before. Not only that, the boy looked sickly and weak. "What brings you here Tesla?" Alberto asked as he parted his hair to reveal his eyes and the bags underneath.
"I just thought I'd pay you a visit. It seems like you've ignored our promise." Tesla said still reeling from the dark energy swirling around the hut. Alberto didn't seem to notice though. That or he had grown accustom to it.
"It's because of that promise that I've had to struggle for so long." Alberto said. "Ever since I started crafting these Giltinė statues, my luck had finally turned around."
"You say that, Alberto. But you've failed to see the effect your statues are having on those around you. The farmers and settlers are being drained of their mana by these … these monstrosities!" Tesla yelled trying to regain the upper hand in this argument.
However, Alberto merely dismissed his master's concerns. "My statues have nothing to do with the farmland. From what I've heard, someone's be sabotaging the crops with some kind of poison. Besides, the people here love my statues." He said.
"Do you believe that? When was the last time someone pay you an actual visit besides me?" Tesla responded. Alberto didn't answer. The settlers rarely came to his workshop anymore. Even Mr. Brandenburg avoided coming by, instead sending proxies to pick up the finished works.
Taking his silence as an answer, Tesla continued. "It's not just this area. There have been stories all around the kingdom. Monster attacks have become more frequent and people have been falling ill due to a mysterious disease. In all these cases, the common factor has been your statues."
"So what?" Alberto said, seemingly getting more and more agitated as time went on. "Things have been getting crazier and crazier ever since Medzio Diena. You can't blame it on my statues. In fact people need my work! If other can find the kind of peace I have in these sculptures…"
He didn't finish his answer and instead smirked. "I know what this is about. You're jealous of my rising status. My Giltinė statues are a hot item all over the kingdom. Soon when people think of Dievdirbys, they'll think of me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a sculpture to complete." Finishing his outburst, Alberto turned around and continued working.
Tesla had taught enough students to know when they were unwilling to learn. With a disheartening sigh he turned to leave. "It seems you won't stop, even if I ask you to. Then as your master, let me give you one last warning. I'm most likely not the only one to notice the connection between the recent monster attacks, illnesses and your statues. If you want to save yourself and your soul, you need to stop crafting these statues." With that Tesla left, closing the door behind him.
Alone once again in his workshop, Alberto let out a sigh of relief. Deep down, some part of him knew there was some connection between his work and recent misfortune facing the settlement. When he looked up at his latest creation, Alberto couldn't bring himself to care. Caressing the statue's cheek, Alberto gave it a weary smile.
"Don't worry, I'll never stop. I'll make sure everyone knows your beauty Giltinė"
In Klaipeda, many local businesses were damaged during Medzio Diena. Even after four years, many of these haunts remain closed. One business that has reopened was a small coffee house just in front of the Ausrine Statue. On a particularly busy day, three guild mates were sitting outside at one of their tables.
A woman with sharp blue eyes and a black long wave perm took a sip of her black coffee and looked to her two compatriots.
"So Nicolas, we'll be able to find the source of the Demon Goddess statues here?" She asked the man beside her.
Nicolas was a very unassuming man with red hair styled in a quiff. He dropped two sugar cubes into his Aviete tea and stirred his drink. "Yes Lady Eloise" He said as he adjusted his circular glasses. "There have been several cases of mana sickness reported from areas like the Miners' Village, Tenants' Farm, Escanciu Village and even Fedimian. All the cases were the results of statues sold by the West Klaipeda Trade Company, all of them of the Demon Goddess Giltinė. We were able to track down the merchant handling the shipment, Mr. Brandenburg. He told us we could find the sculptor in the Gytis Settlement Area"
"Hehe, he was really eager to talk when I threatened to burn his house to the ground" Said the final guild mate at the table. Sitting across from the other two, she was obviously the youngest of the group. Her white hair was styled into pigtails with the tips dyed red. What was more striking were her yellow, cat like eyes. Taking a scope of her strawberry gelato, she pointed her spoon at Nicolas. "Though glasses here had to ruin my fun" She said in a huff.
Nicolas merely adjusted his glasses once more. "If you want to burn things so much, why didn't you just become a Pyromancer Priscilla?"
Taking another scope of her treat, Priscilla wagged her spoon. "It's not the same. There's something special about using a flamethrower. Besides, I am first and foremost a doctor."
"Looking at you sometimes, it's easy to forget." Nicolas quipped, taking a sip of his tea.
"You wanna say that again four eyes" Priscilla said as she stood from her seat.
"That's enough you two. We have a job to do here." Eloise interjected stopping the argument in its tracks.
"Yes Lady Eloise." The two of them respond.
Finishing her gelato, Priscilla lets out a sigh. "Still, why do we have to be the ones to deal with this problem?"
Nicolas finished his tea and put down his cup before turning to Eloise. "I have to agree. It might be better to report this to the local guards."
Despite their hesitation, Eloise maintained a composed look. "The Order of Orme doesn't just treat the outward symptoms but the underlying problem. We were the first one to investigate these cases. And I already have guild members hunting down the other Giltinė statues. But it will all be for naught unless we deal with the source of this issue."
Walking over to the storefront, Eloise gave the clerk a bag of coins and a sincere thank you for the coffee. "It's time to get to work." Eloise told her two guild mates. With that, all three guild members grabbed their plague masks and left.
