Chronicles of Espiria Season 1
Episode 5 - The Plague
Written by CindyDaGreat
Cecilia stood on a mound of bare rock, a startling sight given the lush green that surrounded it. She examined the rock with every divine tool at her disposal, while another nun named Susana searched for any visible signs that anything was amiss.
"It's no use, Susana," Cecilia finally admitted. "The Barred Gate is secure. Nothing is passing through it."
"Is that not good, Mother?"
"Yes and no. If the Gate were damaged or weakened in some way, we would be at risk of a full fledged Hypogean invasion, but we would at least know the source of the demonic incursions and be able to repair the damage. Now, I just don't know."
They started the long trek back to the convent, where they hoped to find more clues in their vast library, when Cecilia heard the exhausted footsteps of a nearby animal, accompanied by the distressed whimper of a child.
"Susana, do you see anyone to our left?"
Susana looked and saw what she at first took to be a human girl, no more than ten years old; as the child moved out of the foliage, Susana realized that the girl was a Mauler child, with the torso of a human and the body of a lion cub.
"Mother, it's a Mauler!"
"A Mauler? This far into Lightbearer territory?"
Cecilia walked cautiously to the child and caught her as she was about to collapse. The girl was not only exhausted, but dangerously malnourished and battling a powerful fever.
"Susana, fetch the rations."
"We're going to help a Mauler?!"
"She is obviously no warrior, so I must assume that she crossed the burning expanse of Mauler territory to escape from something. I want to know what."
Half a world away, in the Steelthorn Peaks, Chieftain Skriath landed in front of the archives on Chieftains' Peak, which was guarded diligently by one of his Blood Guard. Upon seeing Skriath, the guard fell to his knees.
"Welcome back, Chieftain Skriath."
"If you would be so kind, I need to visit the archives. I must investigate this new plague." Skriath said calmly.
The guard nodded, then strained to open the massive gate that led inside. Skriath flew in and landed before the entrance proper. He stood in a grand room, the shelves filled with rows upon rows of scrolls, all containing everything one would need to know of the Mauler world, centuries of wisdom and knowledge passed from one chieftain to the next.
"One of these contains the knowledge I seek." Skriath said to himself.
He headed to a neglected section of the library; this section was typically left untouched because, until now, there was no need of it.
"Demon possession, here we are." Skriath said to himself.
He spent hours pouring over the scrolls, learning the signs to watch for, the effects on the body, and the chilling conclusion. Once he had gathered the knowledge he sought, he waved his hands, magically returning the unneeded scrolls to their places, and left the archives, heading for the hut of the shaman Numisu.
Numisu, meanwhile, was hard at work in the healing hut. He had been steamrolled by sick Maulers, victims of a plague that he had identified as demonic in nature. Even the most resilient of Mauler warriors doubled over as a result of the so-called Demon Plague. The scent of moist and matted fur pervaded the air, their skin turning sickly shades of yellow and orange. Their ghastly faces wore a petrified expression, mouths agape and pupils shrunken, though their eyes appeared much larger. Most were deemed great warriors, but now had withered away almost to nothingness. Yet they still had great strength of will; some tried pacing their breathing as a way of calming themselves, while others tried to hang on via angry swears and curses.
"When I get out of this Dura-forsaken bed," a panther said weakly, "I'm gonna take my dagger and shove it down a demon's..."
"Now now, calm yourselves," Numisu interrupted. "Your dreams will become reality if you will all CALM DOWN FOR ONE MINUTE!"
"Ugh. If I'd known this was gonna happen I wouldn't have ate so much last night, it's killing me!" another Mauler joked.
The sick Maulers roared, or rather, wheezed, with laughter as they continued to joke about in their crippled state. Numisu smiled; at least their bond was still intact. The Bloody Will could not protect them from the plague, but it would sustain them until they could be cured. At least he hoped so.
He knelt next to Arkaidos, who had been hit harder than most, while clutching a small leather pouch. Reaching in with experience, he pulled out three stones; one reddish gray, one a fiery orange, and one a brilliant white. Swiftly, he placed the orange stone on Arkaidos' stomach, the white on his forehead, and the reddish gray on his heart. He then stood over Arkaidos, his arms outstretched as if reaching for the unknown, and began to chant.
"O vile demon, cease control of this mortal bond at once! By my command, PURIFY!"
Numisu repeated this command, then repeated it again. He continued to repeat the command, growing more stern with each repeating, until a bright light could be seen over Arkaidos, and a dark shadow could be seen fleeing from him with a scream. The light slowly faded, and time itself seemed to stop. Arkaidos' breathing hesitated a moment, then returned to normal. He finally looked at peace. Numisu said a silent prayer to Dura and the ancestors, then left Arkaidos to rest while he moved on to the next patient.
Numisu was startled by a slight knock at the door. There at the entrance was Brutus, almost too big to enter the hut. Numisu nodded, letting him know that it was safe to enter, but putting a finger over his mouth to remind him to keep quiet. The Paragon stalked to Arkaidos' side, being careful not to wake the others.
"Numisu, is he..."
"You came at a good time," Numisu whispered to Brutus. "I've finished restoring most of the ill, though be sure not to awaken them; they are tired," Numisu yawned and shook his head, "as am I."
Brutus looked at the bear mage, his arms on his knees as he sat beside the bed. "I...I'm sorry Arkaidos, I should've known. You looked so tired and unwell in battle, yet you pressed on. That is what a true warrior does; they persist 'till their last breath. We are soldiers on the battlefield and the brothers we've never had. I promise by the blood of my hand, those responsible shall pay..."
Brutus hesitated before concluding, "Please be alright."
At that moment, a shuffling of scrolls could be heard at the entrance to the hut. Skriath stood scanning the room for Numisu. He and Brutus locked eyes for a moment before they nodded in respect at each other.
"I am looking for Numisu." Skriath whispered. "Do you know where he is?"
"He is in the other room." Brutus answered, indicating a small room separated by a rug. Understanding that Skriath would likely want privacy, Brutus silently took his leave as Skriath made his presence known to Numisu.
"Chieftain Skriath, it's good to see you. Have you found the information I seek?"
"Yes. Let us step outside and discuss these scrolls."
They silently left the healing hut and made their way to Numisu's humble hut. The shelves of the hut were stocked with various spices, roots, and mason jars filled with oddly colored fluids. As Skriath took a seat and began to organize the scrolls he had brought, Numisu started a pot of Skriath's favorite tea brewing.
"From what I can tell, the demons responsible for this plague come from a place called the Barred Gate, located in Lightbearer territory. My trouble is that it was sealed long ago by Dura herself, and I can think of no reason for the humans to unseal it; it would mean their doom as well as ours."
Numisu took the teapot from the stove and brought it and a few cups, some metal, others clay, to the table. He was surprised to see Skriath take his cup of scalding hot tea and sip it absentmindedly.
"Aren't you going to let it cool?" Numisu asked. "It's scalding!"
"What do you mean? This is fine tea if I've ever tasted any."
Skriath set the cup down and continued. "Once the demon has found a host, it will attach itself to its prey and begin to wear the victim down both in body and in will. If left untreated, the fate of the victim will depend on the will. If the Bloody Will is strong in the Mauler..."
Skriath took the stirring spoon and struck one of the metal cups; a small amount of tea splashed out, and the cup was dented.
"...he may die, but he will die a warrior. If, however, the Bloody Will is weak..."
Skriath struck one of the clay cups; it shattered, spilling the tea all over the tray.
"...his will will be undone, and he will become a puppet of the demon."
"Was it necessary to use my tea set as an analogy?" Numisu asked, slightly annoyed.
"You know my love of dramatics." Skriath answered, unapologetic. "But the point remains; you must continue to fight the demon plague, for the alternative is disaster."
"I will, my lord, but I am running short on supplies. I need more of the cleansing stones; the shipment from the mines is late. We also need more food and water, which I fear we will have to ask the Paragon to retrieve from Lightbearer territory."
"I will speak with Brutus about the supplies. As for the stones, may I suggest you summon the Dragonslayers to assist you in investigating the delay."
"Very well, my chieftain, I will summon them at once."
Later that day, Brutus was in the Planning Tent, already preparing a raid on Lightbearer lands. He had failed Arkaidos once; he would not do so again.
"If I know the humans, they will meet us here," Brutus explained, indicating a spot near a forest in Lightbearer territory. "We will lull them into a false sense of superiority by attacking with a small force. Khramer," Brutus looked at a cheetah-like Mauler, "you and your men will reinforce my men not long after. Go around this forest and take the humans by surprise."
"But my Paragon," Khramer said, "wouldn't it be faster to go through the forest?"
"That is the Dark Forest." Brutus replied sharply. "Stay out of the Dark Forest."
"But my Paragon..."
"There are phantoms in the Dark Forest that will end your lives and ruin my plans! Stay out of that forest!"
Brutus left the tent, certain his orders would be followed. Khramer continued to look at the map. He had heard stories of the Dark Forest and the phantoms that were supposed to live there, but he also desperately wanted to impress his Paragon with his might.
"If I cannot fight the phantoms alone," Khramer said to himself, "perhaps I can get someone to fight them for me."
Meanwhile, in an old abandoned chapel near the edge of the dead zone around the Barred Gate, Cecilia and Susana examined the Mauler girl they had found.
"There is no doubt, Susana; this child is under a demonic influence."
Susana was quick to produce her blades.
"Your reaction time is impressive, but you may rest easy for the moment; she is not yet possessed, only oppressed."
"I am a Mauler, human," the child weakly responded. "I succumb to no plague."
"Plague? Is that what you call the demon that afflicts you?"
"The plague has affected all of the Mauler villages. Even the Temple of the Seers is not immune. But we will persevere. We are Maulers; we fight to the death."
"Mother, we must kill her to preserve her soul," Susana urged.
Cecilia thought about it, then came to an uncharacteristic decision.
"Normally I would agree, but there is more at play here than I understand. If she describes the demon as a plague, then the Mauler territories are more infested with demons than we are. We may find a clue as to the demons' origin there, and we will need her to guide us."
"So what do we do?"
"It will be difficult, but we must exorcise the demon. I want you to place your knives on the girl's shoulders. When I give the word, thrust the knives into her shoulders; since the demon only oppresses her, the holy light will drive the demon out. Once it is gone, you must begin to heal her immediately."
"What about the demon?"
"I will deal with the demon; you focus on keeping the girl alive. Ready?"
Susana took a deep breath and responded, "Ready."
Cecilia looked to the Mauler girl. "Are you ready?"
"Are you a shaman?"
"I am better than a shaman. Your shamans can drive the demons out; I can destroy the demons. Are you ready?"
"I am ready, human shaman."
"Susana, now!"