The large, blue flower in the garden of the Willowcreak medical centre drooped somewhat as Penelope had left the plant without care while the clinic was closed. A shame really, as even a single sapling of the plant was worth about the same as half her monthly income. Not only was it rare for this region, but its leaves could be grinded into a fine powder and used in teas for its pain relieving properties, as well as how the fleshy roots could be boiled and included in certain potions to increase their effectiveness. For many years Penelope had given it her all to care for it, as part of her wanted to set a record for the continent's largest blue luminescent mistbloom, yet a few days without care was all it took for the plant’s health to dwindle.

She couldn’t help but sit in the grass only to stare at it, a single water droplet trailing down its petal from when she had watered it just a few moments ago. Something about the garden and her plants always helped her sort her thoughts. She hadn’t anticipated the events that would follow Molly’s death, and she had yet to rid herself of the thought that they had indirectly caused all this. They had done everything in their power to help Molly, yet perhaps handing her over to the institute would have been the better choice. At least then Erica’s wrath could have been directed elsewhere, fewer lives might have been lost and she wouldn’t have had to deal with this guilt.

The man Ms. Rivers had pushed that night did not survive his injuries. The metal from his armour had liquefied and melted through his skin, incinerating any flesh, bone and organs within his chest. The heat emitted from Erica’s hand had somehow surpassed that of any flame she had ever witnessed in her life, even the molten forges of dwarven blacksmiths could not compare. The fact that she had been able to perform such a feat was beyond worrying, not just for the small town of Willowcreak, but also for the nation in general.

Considering that the only possible way this could be explained was through the involvement of magic, the investigation into her crimes would likely be… extensive and taxing. With Molly’s body missing as well, it was likely that the institute would involve not only the various churches but also the Arcanium Index. If they were not already in times of war, it could have been announced as a national crisis, but with fear already rampant among the citizens of Elladonia the institute would likely attempt to cover it up while conducting an investigation in the shadows.

If she had more money at her disposal, she would have loved to have been a member of the Arcanium Index. The magical research academy could have taught her much more than she already knew about herbalism, magical plants and potion making. Yet while they welcomed anyone who could pay their expensive membership fees, it was costly enough to establish magic as something only the wealthy practised. Now that Penelope’s career as a medical professional was about to come to an end as well, she could kiss any hopes of joining the academy goodbye.

Behind her the door leading into the small garden opened, as doctor William Witherbark joined her in the shade of the single tree surrounded by flowers and herbs. “Are the people from the institute here yet?” Penelope asked him with a sigh as she carefully poured a small bag of ashes onto the soil below the large, blue flower that she once treasured dearly.

“Not yet, though Lore’leia is giving the cleaning staff hell. She wants this place spotless for when they arrive.” William responded as he crouched down next to her in the grass.

“No wonder… I am frankly surprised they are not here yet. I bet Lore’leia is furious considering she’s been sucking up to them for years without any signs of them wanting to work with her.”

“Yeah, and with Molly’s body missing we’re at the mercy of the institute now…” William said with a deep sigh. “I’m not sure what to tell my wife yet.”

“Not the truth, that’s for sure. I doubt she will ever forgive you if she learnt we killed a kid and then somehow managed to misplace her corpse...” Penelope chuckled awkwardly, yet it didn’t help at all with the guilt that was gnawing away at her. “Not to mention how the disappearance of that very body could put the entire nation in danger.”

“I still don’t understand how her body just… disappeared… We had prepared it for the institute's arrival and everything.” William pondered as he carefully scratched the back of his head where a large bump had formed. Even though several days had passed since Erica threw the vase at him, it still looked painful and swollen, like a ripe cherry bulging out the back of his head.

“Do you think Erica’s behind it?”

“I have no idea. All of this just feels surreal…” William mumbled with a sigh.

“Have you started looking for any new jobs? Or are you planning to leave town like I am?” She asked as she leaned back against the tree before slowly taking off her glasses to wipe the dust and dirt off of them using the fabric on the inside of her robes.

“You’re leaving?” William asked in a surprised tone.

“Well if my career is already over, I might as well take a permanent vacation to the Everspring isles. Drink tea and care for a garden of exotic plants for the rest of my life. Besides, I’d practically be the wealthiest person around considering how poor the place is.”

“Which makes you a perfect target for the roaming bandits and warmonger clans there.” William added, his voice packed with pessimism.

“And then I’ll feed the region's economy by hiring a ton of guards.” Penelope countered while putting her glasses back on.

William merely sighed, leaving the two of them to sit in silence for several moments. With the clinic walls enclosing the garden on each side there was no wind, yet the cold was still undeniably present, leaving them both shivering. “We’ll miss you here once you leave. I hope you’ll have tea at least one more time with me and Riley before you head off.” William eventually spoke after many minutes of silence.

“I won’t leave until I am dismissed from the investigation at the very least… leaving the country before then would look incredibly bad…”

“Looks like you’ll be stuck here with us for a while then…”

“It would seem so…” Penelope sighed as Riley barged through the door.

“A representative from the institute is here and he’s so mad he looks like he is about to explode.” Riley exclaimed nervously and motioned for them to follow. “He demands an explanation and I have no idea what to say, please help.”

The two of them rushed to their feet to follow Riley, and it did not take long before they could hear angry screams down the hall.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE GIRL’S BODY IS MISSING!? IT’S NOT LIKE A CORPSE JUST GOT UP AND WALKED OUT OF HERE!” The man yelled as the three of them stepped through the door.

“I am sure doctor Witherbark here would be happy to explain what happened.” Lore’leia deflected and turned to William with an annoyed glare.

“Ah, uhm, yes… We were preparing her body for your arrival, making sure none of her blisters had burst and wrapping her to slow decomposition…” He began nervously before the man interrupted.

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“And the body just disappeared!? What is this gross incompetence!?”

“We came in the next morning and the body was missing, the clinic was locked and there was no sign of forced entry.” Penelope added to help take some pressure off of William.

“We believe her mother is somehow behind it. She did afterall barge in here to attack us, one of the guards even lost their lives.” Lore’leia added confidently.

“You’re telling me a peasant overpowered your town guards?” The man grunted as his face managed to redden even further, his rounded cheeks making him look more like a tomato than a man.

“While we are unsure of how, she possessed strange magical abilities and practically melted a hole straight through one of the guards chests. It is honestly a wonder any of us are still alive.” Lore’leia dramatically exaggerated.

The man, shocked at Lore’leia’s statements, withdrew somewhat. He walked in circles for a moment before he spoke up. “And you still have his body?”

“Yes, though it is quite the vile sight.” Lore’leia spoke up before anyone else could. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. A single touch of her hand burnt through metal, flesh and bone as if it was butter.”

“This is all… highly worrisome… and you think she used these abilities of hers to somehow collect the body of her daughter?” The man nervously asked.

“Considering the abilities she displayed, it would not at all surprise me if that was something she was capable of. What she plans to do with it I fail to even imagine though, and that is what scares me.”

“Does she know of and understand the disease her daughter suffered from?”

“I am not sure, considering how she rambled while she attacked this place I am not even sure she is still herself…” Lore’leia added in a tone so convincing that the other doctors were left speechless. “The possibility of possession is very much something that should be considered.”

“I shall bring this to the attention of the institute and have them send someone more equipped to handle not just a potential national disaster in the form of the pathogen in the missing child, but also the threat of… Ms. Rivers you said?”

“That is correct, Ms. Erica Rivers.” Lore’leia said and threw the rest of the doctors a glance, informing them not to interfere.

“If she truly is possessed or a powerful caster, that means she is a great danger to the people of Willowcreak, or perhaps the entirety of this region… Either option is terrifying, especially if she has Night Pox at her disposal.” The man said before mumbling to himself.

“I can say, without doubt, that she is a danger to at least the people here. Considering how bitter of a woman she was, I would not be surprised if she sought out people of interest to her with the intention to end their lives. All four of us are likely in great danger too, as we failed to cure her daughter of the Night Pox, and in turn so is you. As she likely also feels betrayed by the institute. In fact, I believe she is still somewhere in town, or hiding just outside town… as there are too many loose ends for her here in Willowcreak.” Lore’leia pointed out.

“This is all highly concerning…” The man said as his face quickly began losing its colour. With swift movements he took a paper out of the bag on his hip, frantically scribbling something down on the paper before tossing it into the air. A mere moment later the paper folded itself into an elegant bird and flew out the window with impressive speeds. “The institute will send someone to collect the sample of the guard’s… remains… may he rest in peace. I shall also reach out to The Order of the First Dawn as well as The Arcanium Index to assist in the investigation of his murder. Their expertise should aid greatly in finding Ms. Rivers and putting an end to this madness.”

“Hopefully, finding her will also lead us to the girl’s missing corpse.” Lore’leia added and placed her hands on her hips.

“I shall take my leave, please have the samples prepared by this evening.” The man said nervously, seemingly more than eager to leave this cursed town.

“This evening? Would it not take longer for them to arrive?”

“Those who work directly with the crown have access to more efficient ways of transportation. They will be here at the latest in the morning, though I would expect them here sooner than that.”

“Wonderful, I shall be sure someone is here to greet them no matter which time they arrive.” Lore’leia responded with a sigh of relief, yet Penelope knew it was just a facade. The woman was afterall a good liar, unlike the rest of the doctors working at the clinic.

“Yes, yes, great… I am not equipped to deal with this so I wish you all the best and leave this in the hands of my associates.” He said and began nervously waddling towards the exit.

“Safe travels.” Lore’leia responded as the rest of the doctors simply watched, unsure of if she just saved their careers or dug their graves. For several moments after the man left Lore’leia stood there in silence, looking calm and collected with a gentle smile on her face. All up until Riley spoke.

“You just lied to a representative of the crown…”

“Incorrect, I simply did not tell the whole truth. This should be able to get us off the hook, so you better be fucking grateful.” Lore’leia spat as her innocent smile transformed into a frown.

“No, you just made this all so much worse…” William said, still shocked over everything that went down.

“It can’t be worse than it already is.” The elven woman said in a belittling manner.

“You sure? You honestly think they’ll find signs of her being possessed? The churches know what to look for when it comes to these sorts of things.” William desperately countered. “You know what happens if we are caught lying to the crown about something this serious? Not to mention lying to the gods? Exile is suddenly the best case scenario instead of the worst case scenario.”

“We are their only real witnesses in that regard, you just need to keep your mouth shut and things should be fine.”

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t honestly-” William began before Lore’leia interrupted him.

“Now you listen to me, we are running out of time so I need you all to do as I say. Go prepare the guard's body for the institute's arrival while I spin a believable story which you all just have to stick to, got it? I am not getting sent back to Thyren just because some angry bitch decided to steal her kid's corpse.” She jabbed at William.

“I hear Silfa Serine is nice this time of the year…” Riley mindlessly said under his breath, causing Lore’leia to toss him an annoyed glare.

“I am fucking tired of living in trees, you hear me? I’m not going back to that fey infested hell hole, I don’t care if it's my birthplace.” Lore’leia hissed similarly to an angry snake. “Do you have any idea what that place is like?”

“I’ve heard it's beautiful there… But that’s not the issue at hand-” Penelope said nervously in an attempt to defuse some tension, though it seemed to have only angered Lore’leia further as she was quickly interrupted by the elven woman’s angry rambling.

“You know, we don’t have rats in Silfa Serine… Instead we have flying, rainbow dragons the size of your head that can go invisible and puke glitter… and they’ll laugh at you while they ruin your life.” She snapped in a way that made Penelope want to crawl into a corner and disappear. With each word she spoke her voice got louder and seemingly more annoyed, as if the mere topic itself made her want to resort to violence. “They dangled a treat over the fencing of one of the bridges while I was walking my childhood dog 400 years ago. Biscuit leaped over the fence and fell about 140 metres to her death... Another time, one of these fuckers hid a rotten fish inside the walls of my bedroom, it decayed to the point where I couldn’t breathe inside of my house and they had to demolish entire walls to find the disgusting thing. And you know what? These fuckers aren’t even the worst of the pests you’ll find in Thyren. So unless you want me to go find one of these bastards and convince it to follow you around for the rest of your short, pitiful lives you better fucking do what I say, okay? Because I do speak their language and I’ll pay the little bitch in shiny things and sugar to have it torment you until the day you die.”

Penelope glanced up at William, whose face was riddled with displeasure. While it was understandable why Lore’leia wanted to paint them like the victims, none of this felt right. She couldn’t help but feel ashamed of the fact that she didn’t dare to voice her thoughts about it, yet she had a feeling William might have the guts to actually speak his mind. It should have made her happy, yet every single way out of this situation scared her.