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The Big Oof! Volume 1 Chapter 27: Finding The Source
🕑 Added 2023-02-09 08:09:44 +0000 UTC“Look, there’s a lot of people here that’ll instantly stab us and burn us alive if you fuck around.” Elijah said discreetly, looking into his jacket.
He was already off to the side, trying to look inconspicuous when the reaction ferry bumped into the dock.
“What?? Why would I care about what some idiot Tylas worshiper will say or do??” Yana asked, completely perplexed.
The small woman was using her feet to push against Elijah’s chest while her back rested against his jacket, using friction to prevent herself from falling.
“Just because they’ll fail in killing you doesn’t mean they’ll fail at killing me!” He hissed.
Bringing her little hand to her chin, Yana furrowed her brow as she thought about the implications of what he just said.
“Hmmm… you don’t come back to life?” Her eyebrow raised as she looked up at him.
Elijah looked as if he was about to lose what was left of his dwindling patience as his hand came to his mouth and stroked his beard. The man didn’t even know if he should dignify the little menace’s question with an answer.
“No. No I don’t…” He muttered incredulously, trying to maintain his calm. “If I die, I STAY dead.”
Yana recoiled with an aghast look on her face at the fact her apostles could die permanently.
Meanwhile, Bennett stood there with an exasperated look while he watched Elijah give Yana this absurd talk away as Captain Rhea and the other escorting knights helped the ferryman. The man then looked over at Azeline who was having a de facto panic attack off to the side of the boat. If he didn’t know any better, Bennet would have sworn the woman was about to jump off the ferry and make a mad dash across the river.
Not that he could blame her if she actually tried…
The crew was certainly in a really shitty position seeing that they were surrounded by the men and women of an order they just attacked and murdered. And that was coupled with the fact they were going into the heart of a section of town that should, by all accounts, have been quarantined.
They were just taking L’s all day it seemed.
As the group got off the ferry, Bennett couldn’t help but think how these streets used to be full of pedestrians going too and fro. Evidence of its former glory was all over the place showing how vibrant and colorful the storefronts were in the form of hand made banners and hand crafted stone or wood sculptures. However, the cheerful and inviting atmosphere that was supposed to display the soul of this side of town had been replaced by an oppressive and foreboding one.
Everywhere he looked showed the same signs of rapid vine growth, including the proud and majestic statues or fountains that adorned the once wealthy estates. Everything was covered in impossibly rapid moss and vines and he couldn’t help but wonder how long this place had been out of order.
Or more important; what the cost must have been to keep such intense foliage at bay…
But then again, it probably didn’t cost much seeing that this town was run on the backs of slaves and child labor. Still, as distasteful as that fact may have been, it was still sad to see how such a picturesque town be transformed to a horrid macabre shadow of its former self.
“Fuck me… Somehow it gets worse…” Bennett complained while scrunching his nose.
The smell of decay and rot that was heavy in the air, mixed with the acrid stench of smoke from burning flesh hit him like a truck. Everyone in the group either scowled or coughed as the thick rancid air felt as if they were being smothered with a pillow in an attempt to suffocate them.
Just ahead in the town square, Bennett could see a mass of knights working diligently with their armor still glittering in the sun. He had to admire their work ethic as each one of them were busy with either methodically carrying corpses to several clusters of roaring fires or tending to the sick. It reminded him of medieval human history and how the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John or Knights Hospitallers conducted their duties.
“Well… That’s not good.” Bennett said, covering his nose with his arm.
“No, no it isn’t.” Elijah replied, after catching up with Bennett. “I didn’t think it would get this bad.” The man wore a difficult expression as the number of sick that was lying about in the open and in tents had significantly decreased. Nevertheless, he could see the size of each pyre had a substantial mass. “The stupid fucks must be still drinking from the contaminated source.”
Captain Rhea was issuing orders to her adjutant when Elijah’s words caught her ear. She turned around and immediately moved closer to the man as they kept walking towards their comrades.
“What do you mean by ‘the contaminated source’?” She asked, staring intensely at the man as he gingerly recoiled away. “Does that mean you know where the source of the Miasma is?”
“It’s uhhh, complicated?” Elijah said, with a disturbed look as the woman violated his personal space.
Knight Captain Rhea immediately grabbed his arm and pulled herself closer, furthering the man's discomfort.
“It is imperative that you tell me!” she demanded. “The sooner we rid ourselves of the corruption plaguing this town, the sooner we can chase after the fiends who are responsible for it!”
“And the sooner I can track down and DISEMBOWEL the corrupted wretches that murdered my sister and the rest of my men in that cabin!” Her voice took a more sinister turn as she snarled angrily.
Elijah could see her red pupils bulging in anger between the slits of her helmet while he shifted nervously in her grip. And he wasn’t alone in that discomfort as both Azeline and Bennett started sweating bullets at the woman’s loud declaration.
“I know for a fact those demons let loose an unholy abomination in there! And this town was lucky the might of sister and her squad was enough to fell the beast” She snarled letting go of her victim, but still glared at him.
The anger in voice and in her body language was palpable as the points of her metal gauntlet squeezed over her armored forearm. A loud and high pitched screech resounded as the two pieces of metal scraped against each other. and squeezed.
“Damn them! Damn them all!” Captain Rhea yelled angrily, remembering the scene at the cabin.
Upon arriving at the cabin for their daily patrol, Rhea and Salvanius were horrified to discover the bodies of their comrades were lying in pools of their own blood. The memory of pulling off their armor and inspecting the bodies, haunted her as she found each one of them were perforated several wounds that had small entry holes, but expanded greatly when she turned them over.
With gritted teeth, Rhea recalled the carnage and came to the conclusion that whoever attacked her people must have had the help of a powerful abomination. And only children of the Hungerer or the Wrathful were powerful enough to rip through her people as if they were mere children. Her suspicions were further enforced that it must have been a Demon after descending into the tunnel and discovering the remains of a vicious fight below.
Even Salvanius recoiled in disgust as he sensed the unmistakable and overwhelming presence of one of the hungerer’s children. His assertion was further reinforced when pressing the future and discovering the bloody and mangled armor of not only an entire squad of knights and their Lieutenant. Pain shot through Rhea one last time as she remembered clutching a particular enchanted breast plate that was ripped in half and wailing in anguish. Even though there was no sign of her bodies, Rhea knew that this particular piece belonged to her sister.
“That… That THING is still out there and I shall not rest until I rip it apart myself!” Rhea's voice went low in a hateful growl.
“And I swear…” She said looking at Elijah with a crazed look.
Elijah could literally feel the venomous vitriol ooze from every word that came from her mouth.
"I swear on the lives of my men. I SWEAR ON MY VERY OWN SOUL!” Rhea grabbed Elijah’s arm, once more “As Tylas as my witness, I shall not rest until the source of this miasma is found and dealt with." Captain Rhea said menacingly, as her manic eyes glared into Elijah’s.
A scowl formed on Elijah’s face as he flinched away the the menacing woman.
“Hey, hey, Look!. I don’t mean I knew what the contaminated source was nor where it was at!” Elijah tried to talk some sense into the woman.
“I just meant that the population must have been continually consuming whatever the source of the contamination was!” Elijah explained. “I’m not sure what the fuck is causing the illness, but it’s eerily similar to a pathogen I’m somewhat familiar with that causes acute diarrhea!”
Elijah couldn’t see it, but he knew that the good captain’s frown got deeper after seeing her eyes become even more enraged than before.
“Then you AND I will both look for whatever’s causing this ‘pathogen’ or whatever it is you called it!” She snapped back at him. “Together.”
Blinking a few times with wide eyes, Bennett made an effort to slow down to put as much distance between the two as he possibly could. Pulling up right next to Azeline, Bennett looked at the nervous woman and sympathized with how she felt. He didn’t know the exact details of who they were dealing with, but it seemed like they were really knee deep in a shit situation and one false move meant they’d probably be hanging from trees.
“How fucked are we Aze?” Bennett asked as they marched closer to the burning pyres.
“We’d be lucky to be thrown into one of those fires ALIVE.” Azeline replied with a shudder.
Bennett pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a large exhale trying to calm himself down. He knew his captain was clever and savvy in the human intelligence arena, but he still had his reservations about them getting out of this alive. Especially since they’d gone ahead and whacked a bunch of their people… All he could do now was hope that Elijah was good enough to get them out of this situation.
“Ah! Honored guests! How wonderful it is to see you again!” A familiar voice rang out as the group approached.
Sliding through a group of knights was a man with thick red and white robes wearing his signature beaked mask.
“Your Holiness...” The rage in Captain Rhea’s voice completely disappeared as she dropped to one knee and bowed her head.
“Ah, rise Lady Rhea. I thank you for bringing me these brilliant scholars.” Theodius grabbed the rim of his leather glove and adjusted it.
Sucking in a deep breath through gritted teeth, Elijah did his best to steady his nerves as his mind raced with ideas on how to get out of this mess. Fortunately enough, they weren't burning alive, which meant that the powers that be didn’t know about their attack on the cabin or his involvement with whatever happened in the cavern. Not only that, but the Captain and that Salvanius guy seemed to be more curious than hostile towards Yana.
Small favors…
But that doesn’t really answer why in the hell they’ve literally detained us and dragged us over here… Elijah thought to himself.
However, as he pondered, the universe seemed to answer his question as he heard grunts and yells of someone trying to make their way through a crowd.
“Ah! Ah yes! Master Eli-jah!” Deacon Theodius yelled out, slipping between some knights and did his signature bow, but was cut off. “I apologize for disturbing and forcing you to see me, but the situation has become rather… grim, and-”
“And you’d like my help to stop the spread of whatever it is that’s infecting these people?” Elijah cut him off and finished the sentence for the holy man.
Captain Rhea’s head snapped towards Elijah at his rudeness and put her hand on her sword, but the Deacon simply raised a hand to stop her.
“That is… correct.” Theodius confirmed. “As you can see, the situation has turned for the worse…” He continued, looking over at the fires behind him. ”Even with the new knowledge you bestowed upon me, I was unfortunately unable to turn it into a success.
Being reminded of his failures, the man started to become fidgety and began rubbing his head with a bit of force.
“The underlying cause and alchemical or magical solution for this illness elude my understanding!” Theodius said with agitation in his voice. “I understand the reason for the deaths is dehydration, but how do I rehydrate them if only water isn’t good enough!?”
“I just keep making mistakes,” he continued, forming the hand rubbing his head into a fist., “it’s just… so INFURIATING!” The Deacon then started slamming his knuckles into his forehead. “Idiot, IDIOT, IDIOT!”
Captain Rhea rushed forward and gently grabbed the Deacon's hand to prevent himself from hitting himself further.
"Your Holiness, please," Rhea said, her tone urgent. "You are doing everything you can, and that is all that can be asked of you!"
Jolted by her words, Theodius abruptly stopped his violent outburst while he refocused on breathing steadily in order to regain control of his emotions. The tension in his body slowly dissipated as he looked up at Rhea with a small nod, acknowledging her understanding.
"Not even a brilliant mind like yours can cure the incurable in just a few days," Rhea said in a motherly tone as she stroked his hand. "We must accept that there are some things beyond our control and focus on finding a solution for the living. We must honor the sacrifice of those who have passed and do everything in our power to prevent further loss of life." She finished, as the Deacon stood upright.
Bringing both hands to his head, Theodius unveiled his face with a grand and theatrical gesture, leaving the group breathless with his striking appearance. His golden blonde hair flowed like a waterfall over his shoulders, and his deep blue eyes shone like sapphires against his fair skin. However, dark circles lingered under his eyes as a testament to the tireless nights he had spent working to eradicate the miasmatic plague.
Theodius had a refined and sophisticated appearance, with longer than average ears, a clean-shaven face and high cheekbones. Though he held himself with confidence, it was clear that he was not a physical man by any means, as evidenced by his smooth and un-calloused hands. Despite this, he carried himself with an air of competence and authority, befitting a man of his status and importance. He may not have been a powerful warrior, but his intelligence and knowledge made him a valuable asset in fields of both magic and alchemy.
"My gratitude to you, Captain Rhea," Theodius said, bowing his head slightly in recognition of her efforts. "Once again, you have prevented me from succumbing to another one of my self-destructive tendencies."
Captain Rhea simply went back down on one knee and lowered her head substantially.
“Though, with the help of Master Eli-jah, I believe we shall see an end to this horrid plague.” Theodius declared as he looked towards the man in question.
“My friend… Will you help me do the impossible?” Theodius asked, stretching out a hand.
Elijah stared at the hand before looking over at Bennett, who had an exasperated and annoyed look on his face. The two men had discussed at length the possible causes of the plague plaguing the town, and after reviewing samples, they came to the conclusion that convergent evolution was indeed real. The illness was most likely a variation of the Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which caused an acute diarrheal illness, and the "source" was most likely a well or water source that was contaminated by a few idiots shitting into it. Although, when Elijah had claimed he could help find a solution during their first meeting, he had evidently severely underestimated the mystique and gravity the local’s had for the sickness.
“I would be uhh,” Elijah said as his eyes shifted anxiously between the Deacon’s hand and the glaring Knight Captain who was clearly unhappy about his hesitation. “Happy to help?” He replied, unsure how to proceed from here.
The treatment was incredibly simple and effortless for those already infected. All they had to do was mix filtered water, salt, and sugar together to create an oral rehydration solution, and then slowly rehydrate each victim over a period of time. There was also the need of electrolytes, but beggars can’t be chooser and Elijah sure as shit didn’t know what fruit had them in this world.
Still, it was almost too easy.
But Elijah couldn't help but hesitate and wonder what would happen if he were to explain to a people that believed an incurable sickness had such a simplistic remedy.
…
Elijah took a moment to weigh his options and consider the potential consequences before deciding on any particular course of action. Even though he was deep in thought, it turn’t take him long to come to a final decision. Reaching out and firmly grasping Theodius' hand, Elijah locked eyes with the Deacon and shook it firm..
"I'll lend my expertise, but in return I’d like to ask for a small favor," Elijah spoke with a hint of cunning in his voice. He then turned to Captain Rhea, as a sly grin spread across his face.
"I need you to investigate a minor gang-related issue we've been facing."
Comments
scribbles
made the edits, thanks!
David Ellis
"was clear that he was not physically a physical man by any means," this is technically grammatically correct, but repetitive. It might read better like this: "was clear that he was not a physical man by any means,"
David Ellis
"Sucking in a lung full of air", "Sucking in a deep breath" these two paragraphs are very similar. I think an earlier draft was accidentally included?
