Dawn arrived quietly, with soft birdsong dissipating the stillness of twilight. Tsarra pinned Exill with an accusatory glare while attempting to disentangle him from the slumbering Murderess. Envy swatted her hand away, all the while digging her face deeper into his side to avoid the approaching daylight.
“Why didn’t you wake me for my shift?” She asked angrily, feeling betrayed that Exill didn’t trust her with the task. He was treating her like a kid once again.
“Tsarra… you were too scared to pee alone, let alone stand watch last night.” He replied blearily, too tired to protect her feelings. He had woken up twice in the past hour as Envy nibbled at his arm and hadn’t received a good night’s rest. Sitting up, he gestured to a slight impression on the ground to the south, where the tentacle had attempted to grab the Priest.
“You see that over there? We were attacked by an Aberration last night. That is why I covered your shift.”
Tsarra stared at the site of the attack, paling slightly, identifying the globules of grey slime splattered imperceptibly around the impact point. Her jade eyes turned hard as Exill absentmindedly teased the tangles out of Envy’s crimson hair with his fingers.
“So you asked Envy instead of me. What would it take for you to trust me with a shift like that?”
Confused by her line of questioning, and not understanding why she would want to take on such a duty, he swept his hair back in frustration.
“Ask me again once you’re not afraid of the dark.”
Realising too late the sharpness of his rebuke, he ruefully glanced at the timid woman who was angrily at a loss for words, the tips of her ears bright red. Taking a more measured approach he continued.
“Even if you were fearless and powerful, I would not put you in such danger. There are greater fates in store for you. Remember that you wanted to be a healer and your hands are meant to heal, not kill.”
Exill unknowingly repeated Ranger Verill’s words that had been said to him over a year ago, not realising the irony of its recurrence. If he had been more introspective, Exill would have drawn the parallels between Verill’s actions and his.
He knelt down to roll up his sleeping mat, then approached the brook where the Priest crouched down to refill the vial of Blessed Water. There were dark circles under Father Jonas’s eyes as he faithfully recited the prayers of consecration.
“You did well to warn me last night. It was an abomination most foul… but it thankfully fled when I performed the second rites with your enhanced infusion.”
Exill reached out to freshly infuse the vial held in the Priest’s hand with mana, turning it into its upgraded variant. “Thank you Father Jonas. I don’t want to imagine what would have happened had you not been here… could I trouble you to bless my flask as well?”
The Priest smiled tiredly while repeating the prayers of consecration on his flask. “Well, let’s keep this incident between us then. No need to alarm the others.”
Exill nodded as they returned to the swiftly razed camp, helping to lift the cauldron up. Remembering Mattan had washed it after supper, he inspected it to find it was miraculously spotless.
‘Huh… so he is capable of cleaning.’
“We should arrive at Virigo in five to six hours. So ye better relieve yourself ‘cos we ain’t stopping.” Koopra exclaimed to the others while clambering up to the driver’s seat. After securing the load, Exill gave Tsarra a significant look as he was the last to climb on board, sitting next to Envy. She studiously ignored him while fidgeting with her silver ring, still hurt from his earlier rebuke.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Noting everyone was on board, the Navigator cracked his whip, The cart jolting forward as the brel picked up a leisurely pace. They traversed the road uneventfully for several long hours, until up ahead, thin streams of vapour could be seen trailing the sky.
“That should be Virigo, I must trouble you to join us for supper if you are willing. I have a comely daughter, just turned seventeen who is incredibly interested in the healer’s trade. It is my wish that you would provide some guidance to the promising girl.”
Councilman Coran squeezed Exill’s knee while offering the thinly veiled invite, his eyes pressuring him to agree. Simultaneously, a sharp pain stung his back as Envy dug her fingers in, warning him otherwise.
“I… have to prepare the clinic for tomorrow, so perhaps some other day would be more appropriate.”
The pain in his back faded away, expressing its disapproval that he had not turned down the invitation outright. The Councilman threw a charismatic smile at the Witchdoctor, undeterred by the denial.
“Understandable, perhaps some other night. You are also invited to our private hot spring to wash away the grime from our long travels. It is rumoured to contain restorative properties!”
Exill merely smiled while nodding, neither committing nor declining the offer. Soon, the cart crested a hill to reveal a breathtaking scenery. The town of Virigo lay beyond, hundreds of houses crowded around an inactive volcano, from the caldera of which poured steaming hot water into the terraced bathhouses below using a system of aqueducts.
Worthy of its reputation as a resort town, the buildings were bright, bustling, and cheerful… quite unlike the dreary claustrophobic streets of Ark. Even the people that could be seen in the distance wore colourful dyed clothes.
“We should be safe now…” Father Jonas gave him a meaningful look and subtly pointed to the Waystones passing by. An enclave of the Church was stationed here, and any Aberration would have a difficult time penetrating the barriers they maintained.
“Welcome to Virigo! Yonder southwest is the river town of Holmsburn, you can grab a fast boat all the way to ye port city of Savig.” Koopra announced while gesturing in the distance with a bony finger. The Navigator would likely pick up passengers in this mountain resort town and head on next to Holmsburn. Exill noticed a dangerous gleam in the Vampire’s eyes at the mention of Port Savig, it was evident she had some history there.
After that, the dirt road turned to paved cobblestone when the cart entered the town proper, turning left into a large dusty yard where various vehicles and beasts of burden were hitched. Exill hopped off the cart first, helping Tsarra alight as Envy ignored his proffered hand.
“Ask for Great Koopra when you wish to return! I promise best safety and satisfaction!”
Waving farewell at the cheerful spindly man, Exill turned to follow Councilman Coran to the clinic that sat on the southern outskirts of the resort town. The immaculately dressed man took up a conversational tone, gesturing to nearby landmarks as they circled the town.
“We haven’t touched the Clinic since the former Healer died. She was an eccentric who enjoyed collecting herbs from the nearby forest, which is why she didn’t live closer to town. One day she just vanished, poof! And a week had gone by before anyone was dispatched to Ark for a replacement healer.”
Coran pulled out an iron key when they approached a homely cottage with circular windows overlooking a small vegetable patch. An apple tree grew behind the building, laden heavily with delicious green fruit. There were traces of herbs that had been left to dry out front, that had eventually disintegrated after repeated exposure to rain.
“It might be a bit dusty in there, I’ll send my daughter over to give you a helping hand.”
The Councilman winked at Exill as he turned the key to reveal a well-lit interior filled with cabinets and shelves of ingredients. Motes of dust drifted lazily in the sunlight while they poked around the Clinic.
There were three rooms surrounding a central living area that also served as a reception hall. Two rooms were the personal space of the master and apprentice, while the remaining one was for patients. One notable difference from his own clinic was the lack of a treatment bed, instead, an elaborate wooden recliner stood in the centre of the treatment room.
“Well, I must be off, I’ll make sure to send my daughter here with a welcome bundle to get you all comfortable.”
Exill accepted the house key as Coran cheerfully walked away, waving while doing so. The Witchdoctor stepped out to pluck two blades of grass, one shorter than the other, then shuffled them around, before holding it up to the two women.
“Looks like we have a shortage of beds. You two can pick straws on who gets to sleep on the floor.”