Chapter Sixteen: The Cure
Kicking open the doors to the now-empty hospital after evacuating the town Kyler rushed Seth into the first hospital room they could find.
The man in his arms was already pale, sweating, and growing black markings forming on his body, "g-guys?" Seth managed to speak before his eyes rolled back and he began to shake violently.
"Shit he sieving! Quickly put him on the bed!" Jaya ordered rushing to her equipment and pulling out the stinger venom.
"Seth?! Jaya what happening?! The sickness shouldn't spread this quickly!" Connor spoke helping Kyler hold the shaking Seth down as she approached and sticking the needle into Seth's neck administering the venom that made Seth stop shaking and slowed his breathing only now it sounded like he had fluids in his lungs.
"I have never seen it spread this quickly! In a matter of minutes, he reached the critical phase of the plague! If you don't heal him, he will die!" Jaya spoke watching Connor take Seth's hand and start to concentrate.
"Come on mate!" Connor spoke concentrating his magic on the bit but nothing was leaking out.
"Jaya nothing happening!" Kyler yelled seeing Gabriel appear and rush over touching Seth's forehead.
"Because the Corruption of this plague is not letting go," Gabriel spoke trying to heal Seth along with Connor both their combined magic making some of the corruption leak out from the bite but not all.
"Even with their combined magic it's refusing to give up," Tercero spoke narrowing his eyes then watched Jaya run to her ingredients and begin to quickly look through all her ingredients.
"Keep it up you two! Your magic and my Stinger Venom is slowing the plague but we must banish it once and for all!" Jaya spoke starting to crush the ingredients.
"How can I help?" Tecero asked approaching her workstation and watching her start to melt honey in a vial over a flame.
"I will need a stem of a blue mountain flower, Kyler that Everblaze shard please crush it into a powder!" Jaya ordered watching Kyler grab the gem and a mortar and begin to crush the gem.
"Leave it to me, baby!" Kyler spoke glancing over to see Gabriel and Connor still concentrating on the spell.
"I will also need those blue butterfly wings, a clove of garlic, some of those mushrooms, the wheat, the grass pod, and the hawk feather!" Jaya commanded being handed the ingredients she chopped before putting them into a mortar and began to crush them, "how the Everblaze?"
"Done!" Kyler spoke handing her the bowl where she added it to her bowl and began to mix before pouring the powder into the honey.
Stirring a few times she began to look for other ingredients, "OK! Now for the nasty stuff, some dried-up lizard in powder form, a pinch of diced fairy wings, hair of a White Balverine, and the ectoplasm of a ghost."
Making a face Kyler picked up a health potion and slowly turned it around to read to see what the ingredients were.
"Alright it should nearly be done," Jaya spoke mixing the contents till they turned red, "think Jaya think, to combat the Corruption you use Everblaze to defend the weak immune system, ingredients to heal the organs and the body, what can I use to kick that dark magic ass?!"
Watching the woman focus Tercero looked to Gabriel and Connor seeing they were both growing tired but didn't wanna rush the woman and risk her breakthrough.
"For the Summon Creature Potion, the alchemist uses the essence of the creature, for the Slow Time Potion, the Alchemist cheated and used Balverine saliva to increase the drinker's speed not slow time, what am I missing?" Jaya thought before her eyes widened, "OH! That's it!"
Running over to her ingredients she began to dig tossing out a few in an attempt to quickly find what she was looking for.
"Jaya!" Kyler urged seeing Connor's body shake in exhaustion as well as Gabriel's.
"Found you! You little bastard!" Jaya grinned pulling out a small vial with a single four-leaf clover inside before removing it and adding it to the potion, once the plant hit the liquid it disintegrated and turned the potion into a glowing blue, "this is it."
"Was that a clover?" Tercero asked watching Jaya carefully lift the potion from the heat and hold it up to examine it.
"Four Leaf, given to me by my master, always said 'no matter how powerful magic is, dark or light neither stand a chance against the magic of pure luck," Jaya spoke approaching the bed then looked and tried to figure out how to get Seth to swallow the potion, "Kyler sit him up."
Doing as instructed Kyler sat Seth up a bit while Connor and Gabriel still kept healing allowing Jaya to take a swig of the potion but not swallow, she then leaned down and placed her lips on Seth passing the potion from her mouth and down his throat.
Setting Seth down they all waited in silence watching Seth's eyes slowly open his blurred vision looked to Jaya, "Man I must be dead, I see an angel before me."
"Oh, thank Avo!" Connor sighed in relief collapsing on the bed panting watching the Corruption seep out of Seth's hand before angrily burning it away with a light spell.
"You had us scared there mate!" Kyler scolded smiling that Seth was okay.
"Ugh I feel like shit," Seth groaned lifting his hand to watch the black markings vanish, "how did I get sick so quickly?"
"Because the plague target was never Albion people," Gabriel spoke taking a seat in a nearby seat also exhausted.
"Who was the target?" Tercero asked crossing his arms and leaning on the wall.
"All of you, heroes, I am angry that I didn't foresee this, our enemies know how to avoid my sight and they created new ways to kill us, but thanks to Jaya we now have a cure to combat the plague," Gabriel spoke.
"Jaya," Seth spoke seeing the girl put a cork on the rest of the potion and turn to her patient, "thank you."
Smiling Jaya nodded going to her station to clean up her ingredients, "When I came here it was peaceful, tell me, seer, did all these people die because of me? Did they die because I carried this?"
Reaching into her bag Jaya pulled out a Guild Seal like the other turning to Gabriel with tears in her eyes, "Please tell me that your enemies didn't kill all these innocent people to get to me!"
All shocked they looked to Gabriel who shook his head, "I know it feels like that but you are not the reason they came here, your being here was just a terrible coincidence in timing, but you can help us to avenge those lives who died, we could use a brilliant Alchemist like you to help us save our homes from the enemies who would harm the innocent."
"Gabriel speaks the truth, Jaya," Connor spoke standing up and standing before her, "you are not the blame for what happened here but I promise you we will make those bastards sorry! We could use your help."
Looking to Connor and then to the other Jaya nodded and clenched her seal, "My ancestor Kalin was a great warrior, this seal was passed down to every first daughter in our family, that one day a daughter would join heroes when the time was right, I will fight with you."
"Thank you, Jaya, I feel much better having you with us to make sure Seth's recovery goes well," Connor smiled shaking her hand, "Welcome to the Resistance."
Meanwhile in the now burnt witch's tomb, Lady Grey walked up the steps fanning the smoke from her face at all the burnt and charred rats that lay around her.
"Hmph, a failure, but these rats did serve their purpose," she smiled approaching the burnt remains of a man that had been part of the nest.
Pulling out a knife Lady Grey cut her hand dripping blood onto a magic seal on the floor making it glow red, "Mother of the darkest craft, hear my prayer, hear my call, I summon from these charred bodies the creatures that shall do my bidding! To make our enemies rive in pain! Rise! Oh, rise Soul Suckers!"
Sending a wave of red electricity across the tomb one of the bodies in the wall moved its head in a nasty crunch moving and twisting opening its mouth as black pools of ink began to float out of it and form a humanoid figure.
Six other ink began to form bodies as well till one formed a head opening its mouth to an inky row of sharp teeth roaring and opening glowing red eyes as the inky phantom-like creatures began to circle and move around Lady Grey.
"Oh yes, you'll all do just nicely," Lady Grey smirked watching the Soul Suckers bow their head for their new master.
Her phone then rang making the Lady sigh recognizing the ringtone and answering, "What do you want?"
"Is that any way to talk to your generous donor? Come my dear Lady I deserve to know if the fruits of my labor produced ripe succulent apples for the taking," Reaver said on the other end.
"Sadly it seems the heroes discovered my testing ground and destroyed the rats, probably for the best, the vermin weren't reliable weapons but they did give me some interesting data, your theory on the Corruption sample you provided was correct, with the right dark magic and the best host we could control the Corruption for ourselves," Lady Grey spoke kicking a burnt rat.
"Ah so the tree did provide fruit after all, this is excellent news, will you be presenting your beauty for us back at the castle soon?" Reaver asked hearing Lady Grey scoff.
"I'll be back, if you are going to experiment with that stuff on our third I wanna be there for the results if it backfires in your face," Lady Grey spoke leaving with her seven soul suckers flying and hiding in her shadow.
Back in the Sanctuary Kyler finished setting up a cot where Connor and Tercer helped Seth walk and sit down in the bed.
"Is this really necessary guys?" Seth asked lying down.
"Yes, it bloody is you twat!" Ginjer scolded walking over, "You almost bloody died! You stay in the bloody bed and rest or I'll knock your arse out!"
Blinking Kyler turned to Connor and pointed down at Ginjer, "ok I'm sorry, what in the living fuck is that?!"
"Right I forgot, Tercero, Kyler, Jaya, this is Ginjer, she a gnome and also part of our group," Connor spoke watching the gnome climb onto the end of Seth's bed and grin up at the newcomers.
"Ah, seeing heroes brings back memories, of wanting to gouge my eyes out! Ya, great ugly gits!" Ginjer grinned seeing Kyler reach for his hammer.
"Don't, trust me, it takes ALL of my willpower not to strangle that little twerp with my bare hands but she has saved our skin on more than one occasion so she is off limits of killing," Connor spoke watching Kyler take a breath and pull his hand away.
"Oh nice hammer you've got there, what are you, compensating for something?!" Ginjer said to Kyler who narrowed his eyes.
"That's it! I'm killing it!" Kyler growled cracking his knuckles.
"Enough! Seth needs rest!" Jaya spoke keeping the peace and turned to the gnome, "Would you kindly be nice till Seth is fully recovered?"
"Oi leave it to me, lass, I'll keep this one in bed," Ginjer spoke turning to Seth, "so you better rest!"
"Sheesh! Ok mom," Seth spoke rolling his eyes and looking to Gabriel, "what's next Gabriel?"
"I see a quest in an odd location, I had thought that the Hero of Brightwall took care of it but something is happening at the Sunset House," Gabriel spoke studying the map.
"We can check it out, Jaya and Seth can stay here, Tercero, Roscoe, Kyler and I can investigate," Connor spoke approaching the map table.
"What an amazing map, is this how you were able to evacuate the people?" Jaya asked Kyler and Tercero.
"Indeed, we sent them to Oakfield, they will be safe with the temple of light until we can help them return home," Tercero spoke.
"Since it was corruption that damaged their homes could our magic help heal the land, Gabriel?" Connor asked turning to Gabriel who gave it thought.
"In time we can, but we will need the aid of other Will users to reverse the damage done," Gabriel spoke looking at the cards on the table.
"So, these cards each represent us?" Jaya asked seeing her card float towards her, "So these other cards represent a hero out there?"
"They sure do baby girl," Kyler spoke studying the map, "so what can we expect at this Sunset House?"
"Only that it's probably one of the most haunted buildings in Albion, I remember an episode of Ghost Fighters where they tried to banish the spirit in that house," Seth spoke from his bed.
"I am going to assume they failed?" Tercero spoke with a raised brow.
"Miserably, ended up canceling the show after! Said it was 'the most horrifying encounters in their careers' so it was pretty bad, they didn't even air what happened inside because the cast was that traumatized," Seth spoke smiling when Jaya gave him some food to eat.
"So, exploring a spooky haunted house? Sounds like a good time," Connor spoke sarcastically noticing Gabriel studying a book, "what you got there?"
"What I may believe to provide the clues to where your ancestor the Hero of Oakvale hid a mighty weapon, and where its sister is hidden," Gabriel spoke getting the group's attention.
"A weapon? What kind of weapon did he use?" Kyler asked crossing his arms.
"A sword called 'Avo's Tear', this weapon the hero used to take on Jack of Blade for a final time, finally avenging his family, if we are to have the advantage I must find the location of that sword and its sister Avo's Lamentation," Gabriel spoke looking up to Connor with a smile, "I am liking our odds, since there two of you."
"Two?" Connor replied in confusion, "What do you mean Gabriel?"
"I'll tell you more once I do a little more research, for now I want all of you to focus on getting stronger and helping Albion people," Gabriel spoke.
"How cryptic, I'll ask that question again when we get back," Connor spoke leaving the room with others.
"Ok, Gabriel now you tell me, what did you mean by two?" Seth asked eyeing the other.
"Do you recall the stories of the Hero King Adam and his brother Logan?" Gabriel asked.
"Yeah, what of it?" Seth asked.
"In that time two heroes of the Black bloodline emerged, that had never happened before, until now," Gabriel explained looking from his book to the map where a card floated over Samarkand.
"You mean Taylor? Connor and I haven't seen her in years, not since she abandoned us," Seth spoke seeing Gabriel remain quiet, "you don't mean her, do you?"
"Adam's bloodline led to Connor, and Logan's blood has led to the awakening of another hero, you'll meet him very soon," Gabriel spoke looking to the map where Connor and the other cards appeared at the Sunset House.