“Must be those Trolls that got thrown over.” Cap Dwarf helped to get everyone to line up. He was completely fine.
Ebony noticed that other than Cap Dwarf, about 3 people were acting normal. Athena, someone new he didn’t really talk to and Ayla’s supposed brother, Hayec. Hayec and Ebony were about the only Masters unaffected
“Is it the food? Did the Trolls spread anything in the warehouses?” Athena shot sharp looks at the people lying down on the mattress. She might not have trusted everyone to have dealt with the Trolls with the same efficiency as she did.
They brought everyone into an unused dorm. Some were sitting up on the bed in annoyance while others were lying down in pain. Most of the warriors were still doing fine and Ning Xin was just sitting on a chair, likely thinking about pot pie from tiny vibrations he could catch from her belly.
“I saw some of them vomit. They might have kept something in their stomach.” The toughest-looking man in the room with a deep scar running down his right eyebrow to his neck spit onto a bin. He was a muscular fire mage that wielded a tiny wand with a broken red gem. There was reddish brown phlegm in his spit and Dorqe analysed it.
The Trolls were almost naked other than pieces of cloth that survived the corrosion cloud thanks to the layer of vitality they were wrapped in. There weren't many ways they could keep or hide objects.
“Shamanic plague, there are a few types. This isn’t as bad as I prepared myself for but it’s not ideal either. There’s a good chance it was in their blood as well. It probably started spreading as they bled and ran around the city before you hunted them down.” Dorqe kindly asked them to shut up as he diagnosed everyone one by one. He was more of a doctor than a healer and no magic was being flung around. He just asked questions and checked their throat, phlegm and eyes. It was a bit awkward for him when it was Ning Xin’s turn but her condition wasn’t that bad compared to some who fainted and developed a fever.
Ebony didn’t study magical illnesses but he understood that the way it spread was likely through the air and mana. If they couldn’t perceive it, it was going to be extremely hard to stop. They reacted fast and the Trolls didn’t even get far yet people around the area are already getting sick.
Dorqe shared his results. The plague starts out by targeting one’s lungs and based on his questions, he guessed that only those with an effective Constitution above 3000 were completely fine. Even Grand Knights would be affected. Those who had an effective Constitution above 2000 could somewhat resist it. However, the bad news was that it only gets worse as it stays in one body and absorbs life force to strengthen itself.
No wonder the citizens showed symptoms so fast even though they were the first to come into contact with those suicide Trolls.
Ning Xin didn’t even have a thousand base Constitution but perhaps her poison resistance, concentrated blood and physique helped. Boiling herself might have done her good. Her mask also constantly healed her. However, she had plenty of life force and she frowned when she started to find out if her life force was being eaten up. If the plague could strengthen itself, then she might be in trouble if they don’t remove the root cause soon.
The bad news was that Dorqe wasn’t able to heal them. He only prescribed them medicine that would weaken the symptoms and slow down the growth of the plague. Ebony didn’t know if it was some kind of magical bacteria or virus and he wasn’t able to guess from Dorqe’s explanation. According to the doctor, they had to watch out for what other symptoms came as there was a good chance it was some new disease or there are odd mutations in the plague. He believed it wouldn’t kill anyone within two or three months but the symptoms might get really bad depending on how much spread through one’s body.
Ebony was especially worried. It probably spread throughout Ning Xin’s body unless heat and fire worked well against the plague because spreading energy throughout her body as fast as possible was something she excelled at.
Within half an hour, a large portion of the city was quarantined. They activated the scholars and healers to find out more and check their records but it might take more time before any conclusive come up.
“Eat your own rations for now.” Ning Xin didn’t look at him and left the noisy dorm.
“It might not be transmitted by food. And I’m not affected at all.” Now that Everlasting Tranquillity changed a little, he had food cravings once in a while. Watching his chef enjoy food might have affected him. Although she wasn’t that affected by the plague right now, her disappointment and sadness were very obvious to him. There were few things that would cheer her up and food was the fastest and most effective way.
“You won’t have to worry about your ingredients if you haven’t touched your bag. I’m sure Sister Jing’s preservation containers won’t let anything in. We are only using the city’s ingredients.” He added while thinking about the possible worries that she had.
“Let’s have dinner together, just the two of us.” He managed to persuade her in the end.
Their unit was quarantined within the barrier as high-risk personnel and would have food delivered. He didn’t worry about food wastage with a bunch of hungry men present. Athena was also a big foodie. However, she left the training camp with the newer member who wasn’t affected by the plague. Hayec and Cap Dwarf remained as neither seemed worried about catching the plague.
Korta was still sleeping and Ebony didn’t really know what to do with him so he just left the Arch Mage alone. He made an igloo for himself. Hopefully, the Frost Elf invested in his physical body a little.
He helped with making the pot pie's pastry and his chef’s mood improved. They had a delightful dinner and she was distracted by her failure in getting the mutton to taste the same. He stayed close to her the entire time. They had been somewhat separated during their time here so it had been a while since they sat in silence within the confines of a small room.
“I was healing as fast as the plague was working so I didn’t notice. It’s growing but I can’t pinpoint where it is. It’s too small, once it grows I should be able to find it.” After they finished washing the dishes, she faced him and put on a serious tone. Her mask had a constant rate of healing and was limited in many ways. The plague seemingly had the ability to get stronger. It was only a matter of time before it got stronger than her recovery.
“Burning it doesn’t work?”
“I raised my body temperature to the limit during the spar earlier but it didn’t make a difference.”
Another healer was going to come by once they returned from the front lines but he didn’t have his hopes up. Those up front were better with physical injuries and not illnesses.
“You should get some sleep, don’t speed up your heart rate.” He didn’t know what to say and generic words such as drinking more water came out.
“Relax, I can speed up my health regeneration. It won’t affect me that much.” She stubbornly refused the medicine that Dorqe left. Arguing that she might get some kind of new resistance or level-up poison resistance.
They cut down on night training and it was quiet throughout the camp. The archers and rogues were suffering quite terribly but the mages were in the worst state. Some had to lie on their side as vomit splattered out while they were unconscious. Ebony could sense them and his Glacial Models were in charge of making sure they didn’t choke on their vomit. They also kept the temporary infirmary clean.
They might be Grandmasters but even warriors don’t have 3000 stat points in Constitution. Unless they had the right skills and resistance their condition was getting worse as the night goes by. Ayla was personally nursed by Hayec. Cap Dwarf was more assured when he saw his Models taking care of the others. The Dwarf sat on a rock and drank alcohol while moon gazing. It was a pastime that Ebony shared with more than once but he did not join the Dwarf tonight.
Ebony conjured his chair by Ning Xin’s bedside.
“Ehm. You can leave now, I promise I’ll sleep.” The red-haired girl had her hair down after another bath.
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“I will wait till you fall asleep.” Ebony was aware of the worsening conditions of the others in real-time as they were just a building away. These dorms didn’t have magically enchanted walls that hindered his senses. Nowadays, a crack under the doors and windows is enough for him to poke around with his mana so he was able to ‘see through’ common walls.
“...I can’t sleep with you watching.” She wore a pink set of pyjamas that he made for her. It was made from a material similar to a mix of cotton and silk and was very soft on the skin. She held a pillow over her chest as she sat on the bed. This wasn’t something she wore in front of him before so he was actually appreciating how well it fit her.
“You’re not taking off your mask, it’s healing you. So my presence shouldn’t inconvenience you.” Ebony assumed that she slept without her mask and that was what she was worried about.
“I’m too nervous with you watching me.”
“I’ll close my eyes.”
“It’s too warm for you here.”
Ebony cooled the room down till it resembled an industrial freezer. His body temperature might be slightly higher now but it shouldn’t affect her. Thinking about her heat sensitivity, he didn’t contradict her and just lowered the temperature with a little ice mist.
“I--I actually can’t sleep without hugging my bolster!” She mustered her courage.
“Go ahead.” She was so easy to understand that even he could tell that wasn’t what she wanted to say. It might be true but she was just making excuses.
“It’s embarrassing…”
“It’s not. Just take it as if I’m not here, I can hide my presence if you want.”
“Please get out! And don’t peek in here with your mana until I say so!” She physically pushed him out the door.
❅❅❅
‘What do I do! He’s too persistent. I wore this for him but I can’t sleep with these on…’ Ning Xin knew that she was very particular about getting quality sleep. In their trailer, she trusted the rooms to maintain privacy. The most she would wear to sleep was a set of underwear…
Of course, she could make do with anything if she was out in the wild and would just sleep in her battle gear. She wasn’t willing to dirty her bolster but she was actually getting groggy because of this plague and she felt like her energy was getting drained. Her mind was muddled since the after-dinner exercise and her eyelids got heavier.
‘Whatever, he’s not like that.’ She stripped down and got under her covers, mumbling “Don’t stare…” before falling into dreamland.
❅❅❅
Ebony stepped back into the room and adjusted his chair to face the window.
The white tiger he got her was poking out from under the blanket together with her head. She laid on her side with both the tiger and bolster in her embrace.
‘You didn’t even give me time to withdraw my mana from the room.’ Ebony tucked her fair shoulders under the blanket. Seeing that she didn’t have any difficulty breathing or sleeping, he looked out the window and just meditated. Time usually passed much faster but he was disrupted the whole night. He threw another blanket over her as she kept tossing and turning, making sure to cool the blanket down.
The white tiger’s face was squished and he thought about how he rarely gave her presents. They don’t really celebrate birthdays and he also didn’t have that habit. But one didn’t have to have a reason to gift presents or show appreciation. Accessories weren’t ideal as she didn't like trinkets on her while she fought, she barely even wears her Myriad Bracelet nowadays. Her mask had all the necessary functions. He already made clothes and hair ties that she selectively wore but they seemed insufficient to him.
He was practising making robes and mantles so that he could make some for them in future. So far, their quality was a bit lacking. They could be worn but anything sold in stores was better. Specialised tailors had a bunch of skills and Fortifications after all. His only advantage was that his mana compression made his creations extra sturdy in the right way.
‘I got it, I'll get her a new whetstone.’ He felt her twin swords vibrate and recalled her worn-out whetstone. He continued to work on manipulating life force and expanding his mana pool. Only disturbed by a single cough and the kicking of sheets. He was guilty of staring at her long legs for a minute before hiding them again.
“Maybe the change in Everlasting Tranquillity isn’t that good after all.”
He climbed out the window and sat on the roof instead, leaving a crack in the window.
The conditions of mages started to stabilise before the archers and rogues. By daybreak, the warriors were in a worse condition than the archers but not as bad as the mages.
‘I knew it. The plague feeds on life force to grow. The symptoms are different for each of them. Other than coughing blood the most common problem is the weakness they face.’ Ebony already took note that some people are having trouble getting up to go to the bathroom. Those were for those that chugged down water through the night. Perhaps they felt more thirsty than usual or wanted to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling in their throat.
Ebony underestimated the healers here a bit too much as the couple that came only took an hour to get everyone back on their feet except a few mages. The warriors were energetic again but no one was fully healed. Apparently, Shamanic plagues were something taught in the Royal Academy. Yvette the Life Queen made it part of the curriculum that every student knew how to fight against the symptoms and cause the plague to weaken.
Sadly, the plague used in every war changes ever so slightly and both healers that were supposedly the most well-studied of the group couldn’t find the exact location to direct their healing efforts too. They didn’t do anything to Ning Xin. Once the plague weakens, they get harder to locate and the Xeng already had constant healing from her mask so it didn’t grow to the point where the healers could do anything about it.
Ning Xin was very easy to read. If she didn’t have a mask, Ebony was sure that her emotions would be shown all over her face and he would have learnt about reading expressions much faster. He had knocked on the door to wake her up earlier and her face flushed when she woke up and found her pyjamas folded and placed on his chair. He could tell from the steam rising above her head. He sensed her looking down to check that she still had some cloth on but he took back his mana sense right after that. It was cute to see her coming out and acting natural but her quivering voice betrayed her false calm.
The healers were an excellent distraction even though they weren’t of any help in her case.
The training grounds were already noisy from the unit's rage but many remained in bed due to the painful night before.
“Poor warriors, they had to give up their lives for these shameless tactics…” Cap Dwarf whispered. Ebony and Ning Xin were of the same opinion. He might not be able to sense emotions the way she could but he knew that Troll warrior held a lot of pride and would not regret fighting to the death. They were sent here to spread a plague to weaken their opponents and weren’t even allowed to fight, having their bodies controlled to run around as much as possible might have been a fate worse than death for them.
Koawe must have stayed over at Arcta for a night as he only came over the following day with Korben and Orren’s party coming along. Korta slept the entire duration, fortunately, his overflowing Wisdom didn’t spread far and it didn’t cause any problems for the sick.
“Wrooh! I dreamt about getting beaten by Midnight Shepherd back then. I’m not gonna wait for them to come over!” The igloo burst open with a loud roar and Korta flew off with a bang. It was drizzling during the night as Korta’s mana started leaking but there was no storm.
The Frost Elves shook their heads. Not everyone in Orren’s party knew Korta personally due to the different villages and their age gap but their village wasn’t that large and Korben might have told them about his uncle. Ebony already told them about the plague so Arti didn’t land or descend that much. They flew off after Korta and chased the rain clouds.
“Is it fine to let them go off by themself?” Hayec asked, he looked drained after nursing Ayla for a night. The others might not have noticed the Arch Mage’s strength or even presence in the igloo the entire night as they were bedridden. They might not even have noticed the light rain. With the older Frost Elves around, Ebony wasn’t worried about Orren’s party.
“Worse comes to worse, they should be able to escape.”
The healers reported the situation but the only update they got was that they should wait for the crown princess to come and if she also didn’t know how to deal with it, then they would send for more help. Both the healers were posted with their unit to deal with any rising symptoms. Since the symptoms could be suppressed, the situation wasn’t the highest priority.
It was a bit extravagant to have two healers for a group of dozens but they set up a field clinic right at the side of the camp’s gate. They were going to receive civilians nearby to lighten the load on the hospitals. The militia was mostly relieved that it wasn’t a lethal plague that killed instantly. But civilians were in panic. Ebony had a bunch of his Models help the healers organise the people who rushed here after they got word of the field clinic. It was pretty terrible, many were carried here by soldiers. Older folks had weaker bodies even if they had the same Constitution. Non-combatants wouldn’t really invest in the stat much depending on their Class and occupation so they had it pretty bad. The only silver lining was that they weren’t directly infected like the militia was but it didn’t make a big difference if the plague got stronger over time.
It was midday when some Journeyman Knights who were usually Identified as [Squire]s or [Novice Knight]s came running over. Although there was a callstone stationed in one of the buildings here, none of them operated it. They were pretty close to the walls and other camps and it wouldn’t even take a minute or two for a messenger to rush over.
“Please help!”
“No thanks, we’re quarantined.” Cap Dwarf replied, he was day drinking right at the end of the field and pretty far away from the gate but was sober enough to hear the shout from kilometres away. He was clearly pissed about the situation.