“Guys, you can head out. We’ll be out soon, OK? Let’s give the girls here space. I just need to talk with Gwenvair quick and I’ll be out as well.”
Garnedell nodded and left hurriedly while Zilnek simply fled. Joe sighed to see them go before turning to look back at Kilniara. He kept his gaze on her but spoke to Gwenvair.
“I know you must … explain something to me, but let me make sure Kilniara is OK first, OK?”
Gwenvair nodded quickly, “I agree.”
Joe glanced at her and smiled gratefully before turning to Kilniara. He pushed her away so he could get a good look at her, but she kept her gaze down and away while her feathered hair covered her face. Joe reached a hand up and pushed her hair away and raised her chin up.
“Hey! Hey. Look at me. Look at me, Kilniara!”
The firmness of his last statement had her eyes draw up and stare at him softly, her eyes obviously searching his face. Joe allowed a smile to come to his face and he dropped his hands back to her sides to hold her.
“Are you OK?”
She nodded softly, still staring at him but said nothing.
“You didn’t get hurt?”
She nodded again more firmly, a look of relief coming to her face and Joe kept his smile on his face even if he felt his guts ripped out from realizing she feared his acceptance. He brought a hand back up to her cheek, brushing it.
“Hey! Hey… I won’t reject you over this. We’re still good! Yes, I want a woman who is loyal to me and to never seek out another man for… sex, but even if you had… been taken, this was against your will. I would never hold this against you. I would simply hunt down the man that did this and do… some very horrible things to him,” he finished with a soft smile.
Kilniara sobbed out in relieved crying laughter and threw herself back into his arms and Joe finally felt complete relief. He knew that she would have a lot to work through, but, at least for now, things were back to right as best as he could make it. Gwenvair sobbed beside them as well, and Joe glanced over, surprised to see her in tears as well, although ones of apparent happiness as she smiled up at him and then wrapped both of them in her arms.
Joe automatically reacted, pulling out his arms and wrapping her into their embrace as well. The move completely surprised him, despite how natural it had happened, but he could not dwell on it as Gwenvair’s words brought him up short.
“See, I told you you had nothing to fear!”
Joe frowned at that and glanced between them, “What did you fear?”
Kilniara looked up at him from within his and Gwenvair’s embrace before speaking softly, “I was sure… I would be tainted.”
Joe barked out a laugh, dismissing her concerns immediately, “Well, I hope I proved that doesn’t matter.”
Kilniara smiled at him and buried herself further into his chest and Gwenvair’s arms. They remained like this for several moments, but the sound of busy work and low sobs in the room next door couldn’t allow them any peace and Joe finally sighed before looking over at Gwenvair. He made to move back, releasing the hug, but Kilniara immediately cried out for him to stay and Gwenvair herself also tightened her arms around him, resisting the release of the hug. Joe kept the sigh to himself and pulled them back in tighter, but began speaking nonetheless.
“Right. I’m missing something. Could someone… please explain?”
Gwenvair looked up at him by tilting her head to the side and resting on Kilniara’s shoulder, maintaining her close embrace with both him and her.
“They are tainted, Joe,” she offered with a sigh before quickly continuing, “Don’t worry! Kilniara is not. She is still untainted, but the others…”
Joe frowned at that, “Who cares if they are! I told Kilniara, I care not. She did not desire this, it was forced on her. I will never… NEVER hold this against her. And the same is… should be true for the other women.”
Gwenvair smiled as he listened to Joe, but the smile twisted to one of despair and lifted a hand to brush it on his cheek, “You are a good man, Joe, a very good man. We are truly lucky to have you, but they… they are tainted.”
Joe frowned, “So they will be rejected by society… by men… others?”
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Gwenvair shook her head, a bit confused, but replied with soft pity, “They will die.”
Joe’s face immediately contorted to rage, “Any who try to kill them must answer to me!”
Gwenvair’s smile returned but she shook her head, “No… no… you don’t… they are tainted! They will die!”
Joe’s anger wilted a bit under his confusion, “How… how will they die?”
Gwenvair shook her head, “We know not. But any who have relations with monsters… they die, man or woman. The wild mana infects the body and … corrupts it, somehow. It… it … they will die. There is nothing we can do. They will die slowly and horribly.”
Joe’s anger vanished, his eyes immediately widening in shock, “They’re poisoned?!”
Gwenvair shook her head, “It… acts much like poison, but there is no actual poison. No ‘cure poison’ helps and no one has found any poison. It is… a death of another kind.”
“And not understood?” Joe asked.
Gwenvair nodded and Joe sighed, frowning. His thoughts raced before he stood.
“May I go… can I try something?” Joe asked, worried about letting go of hugging Kilinara.
Kilniara looked up at him and smiled through tears, nodding, “You want to save them.”
Joe laughed, “You know me too well. Yes, I hope I may be able to.”
Gwenvair looked at Joe then laughed and turned to Kilniara, “You are right. He is a very good man.”
Kilniara shrugged back and turned into Gwenvair’s embrace, “I told you!”
Joe smiled and took that as permission and he walked up to the door into the monster den, but did not enter, staying to the side such that he could not look in, but then stopped and looked back at Gwenvair.
“Oh! Right, could you ask for a priest from the temple of knowledge to come? Umm… maybe Kukurnal since we know each other and hmmm… any of the priests of knowledge that have deep knowledge on poison, mana, or mana poisoning?”
Gwenvair looked up at that, her head turning from Kilinara, “That… seems wise. I will have someone send for them immediately.”
“Thanks, Gwenvair. You’re an amazing help!”
Gwenvair smiled, but hid a subtle blush as she turned away to talk to a nearby staff member, giving instructions and locations. Joe turned back to call into the room where the victims and female guards and staff struggled, the conflicting sounds of comfort and pain echoing through the room in waves of susurrus as each swamped the other for a moment before surging to prominence again.
Joe sighed in hearing the pain, “Ladies? Could I ask for one of the women, if they are willing, to allow me to inspect them? I want to … understand this… taint? Maybe … I don’t know. If I am able, I wish to try to heal you.”
The soft sobbing and the rustling of movement in the other room stilled then noise grew, the sobbing still present but now replaced by sobbing words and whispered conversations. His question had obviously been heard so he waited quietly to allow them time to think. His waiting stretched and Joe turned away and walked back to Kilinara to sit beside her. She came into his arms happily and pulled Gwenvair with her, so Joe took both and hugged them, but kept Kilniara between them. Kilniara bathed in their warmth and simply snuggled into both, a soft giggle of happiness rising from between them. That giggle brought a surprising amount of relief to some tension Joe did not even realize he had and it drained from him as his entire body relaxed. Kilniara seemed to notice, and quickly hugged him tighter. Even Gwenvair took part and reached over to place a hand on his cheek before whispering very softly to him.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
Joe smiled and hid his confusion… not really the time… replying quietly, “You're welcome.”
Joe kept his confusion to himself, but definitely put Gwenvair’s actions tucked deep in the back of his mind to consider carefully when he had the time. He didn’t open that can of worms now, but turned to watch the door for any who would be willing. Finally, a trembling young woman and a guard came out, a cloak wrapped around her to cover her decency.
The woman kept her face down and away, obviously embarrassed and Joe hid his sigh before he stood, back up from the box he was sitting on. The woman flinched and Joe froze, retreating a step and waited. The woman sighed and then dropped the cloak she was holding. What… why…
Joe whirled away, “Why… you don’t need to drop the cloak. Please, clothe yourself.”
The woman grew flustered and quickly dropped, picking up the cloak and wrapping it around herself once again before speaking again, “Uh… I’m sorry.”
Joe glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was clothed before turning to face her and he spoke quickly, “You have no need to apologize to me. I am sorry that I wasn’t clear.”
The woman nodded, but did not look at him, her face still down and to the side, covered by her hair. Joe waited, but she said nothing and so he stepped forward carefully.
“I am not looking at … well… I am looking at your mana … your… magic. Please do not be concerned or … I just wish to help you. May I?”
She looked up at him with that, staring into his eyes before nodding softly, “If you can.”
Joe nodded and then pulled over a box, “Please, sit comfortably, if you can. You have no need to fear. Gwenvair, could I ask you some questions?”
Gwenvair immediately answered, keeping her arm around Kilniara, “Of course, Joe.”
Joe nodded and began, first focusing on gaining information, “How does tainting actually work? How does it kill? Do any know?”
The young woman flinched at Joe’s question and he frowned, but if death was coming soon, he didn’t want to waste any time, although he did take a moment to apologize to her.
“Please, I’m sorry, but there is much I do not know. If I can help you, I must know.”
She quickly nodded her head, the shook it… then waved away his concern with a hand, “I understand, Master. Please.”
Joe hid his grimace but turned to Gwenvair, “Gwenvair?”
Gwenvair nodded, continuing, “I have told you all I know. Mana from monsters seems to … infect … to kill or poison. But there is nothing visible.”
“Then, what is different, or known to be different about this taint?”
Gwenvair stared at him then nodded, sitting straighter, firm purpose bringing her some impetus to take on a teaching role, “They slowly lose their mana, and their ability to express their mana. They become agitated, upset, and angry. Their mana changes, and starts to become… like that of monsters. Mana skills become weak, and then dissipate, while they become weaker and weaker until they die.”
Joe frowned, allowing his thoughts to wander. Losing mana, and mana changes. Weaker, so… Oh! “Do they lose access to the system? Uh… their status screens?”
Gwenvair frowned, “I… don’t know.”
Joe quickly turned to the woman, “Could you open your status, please?”