"Why would you help us?" the leader asked, staring at her injured ally, his breaths steady, but small. Slowly, she looked up towards Vekrem, and her eyes were all cold fury. "You know we wouldn't have done the same."

"I know…" Vekrem replied, reaching to grab three hollowed out mushrooms. He placed one in my hand and then the leaders, which she took hesitantly. It was hard, but I soon realized that it was a sort of cup. Slowly, Vekrem poured each of us the tea he'd been preparing earlier.

I hadn't realized how thirsty I was until I had the liquid just in front of me. I put the cup to my lips, taking the luke-warm liquid into my mouth and letting it pour slowly down my throat. It was good.

Really good.

The leader looked at her cup with suspicion, but, seeing me drink, she lifted the cup to her own mouth, drinking deeply. Her red-furred ears twitched in pleasure, her fox-like nose scrunching up. Despite the situation, she smiled, showing white, sharp teeth. "Leave it to an alchemist to be able to brew a great tea," she said, swirling the liquid in the cup. It was the nicest thing she’d said to them so far.

Vekrem smiled softly to himself, his grin disappearing behind his own cup as he drank. When he was done, he lowered it. "You asked why I helped you, right?" The leader nodded, taking another swig. "The answer is because I wanted to. I care little for politics or wars—in fact, I generally prefer my own company as opposed to others. It's simpler that way. Humans, Were-races… I see very little difference between us. After all, we are all descendants of the original cursed humans—as much as others don't want to admit it."

Looking at the red-furred fox creature, I could hardly believe that they were of human descent. But, she simply nodded to his words, going stoic; Quiet… as if they wrestled with some internal struggle.

"Besides…" Vekrem added, "If I didn't help, your people would've killed me and my new friend. Think of this as a life for a life. Or, in this case, two lives for one. But—" Vekrems face went serious, "What I've done to save your friend; it's only temporary. The rot will eventually begin to spread again. I'd like to offer a possible solution."

The leader's eyes narrowed towards him. "I thought you said—"

"I said I would save his life, not that I'd cure the rot. But, I now offer you just that. Or, at least, I’ll try to do just that. I've been studying rot for a long time, you can say it's my primary occupation. My goal in life. I have an idea to eradicate the rot for good."

The leader stood, walking to the injured Chitik, placing her hand on his chest. "What is it?"

"Spriggan's are immune to the disease,” Vekrem replied. “In an attempt to develop a cure for the rot, I've studied their properties. Intricately. I believe, if I can get a good enough sample, I'll be able to cure your friend. But it's a risk to whomever traverses the Primordial. I've been meaning to make the trip myself, but I needed a strong guide—" He turned to me. "Someone like my new human friend."

“And how long?” she asked, her voice breaking. Appearing uneasy about the turn of events, she forced herself, adding, “How long does Kech have?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Vekrem tapped his chin thoughtfully. “A few weeks? A month? Perhaps more? It’s unclear how long the rot will stay dormant, it’s different in everyone. I know that, eventually, it will rear its ugly head once more. And the next time, the rot will be too deep to draw back. Make no mistake, next time, it will kill him.”

“I know…” she replied at the point of sobbing. “I know.” She turned to look at me, and I knew it cost her a great deal as she threw her pride aside. “Well then, human… I never thought I would say this, but I put Kech’s life in your hands. Please… save him.”

“Now wait a second—” I said, standing to address the room. “I never agreed to this. I’ve got my own shit to take care of, I can’t just—”

“What are you, a coward?” I heard a familiar voice say.

It came from the back of my mind.

“Dragon…” I replied. “There you are. Have you had a good nap? Pleasant dreams of stealing gold from innocent villages to horde on a mountain side?”

Dragon let the insult pass, instead, weighing down on me with his immense pressure. “I slumbered, yes, but I picked up pieces of what had transpired. You seemed to have used your power inadvertently, harming a local… whatever that is.”

“He tried to kill me.”

“As many others will do. But, it is up to you how you choose to engage the world around you. What is the saying? Honey catches more flies than vinegar? Not that I know what either are, your head is filled with such strange things.”

“Next you’ll tell me with great power comes great—” I trailed off as the two of them looked at me with curious eyes. I addressed them, adding, “Don’t worry about me. So, Vekrem, you said you needed help in a place named “Primordial.” That sounds ominous… not a place I think I’m going to enjoy. But, since I feel somewhat responsible, I guess I can help.”

“Excellent,” Vekrem replied, clapping his hands together. He turned towards the leader. “In the meantime… I’m sorry, what was your name?”

“Saise,” she replied. “Of the Redore clan.”

“Saise,” Vekrem repeated. “I suggest you bring Kech back to your home. Get him all the healers you can. Keep him stable. He may seem fine for a few days, but, eventually, he will become sick again. The spread won’t be as quick the second time, but keep him calm. Keep him in bed, vigorous activity will only serve to quicken it.”

Saise nodded at his words. “And how will you find us?”

Vekrem snapped his finger. “Glad you asked.” He went to the corner of the hut, rummaging through some chests to find what he was looking for. Pulling out a large parchment, he unrolled it onto the table. Taking a glance, I saw it was a map of the immediate area.

I was having a hard time studying the map, but Saise took one glance, and then turned back towards Vekrem. “And how do I know you aren’t just trying to get me to give the location of our clan so that you can send other Rodrent’s to attack us? Your kind cannot be trusted—”

“You’ve trusted me this far,” Vekrem countered. “Why not just trust me now? If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. There are hundreds of concoctions I could have made to render anyone in her quite deceased. So… Do you trust me?” He smiled, and it was easy to tell it was forced. For someone who claimed to be perpetually alone, Vekrem had quite the way with words.

Saise sighed, marking a circle on the map with her finger tip, leaving a small scratch in the parchment. “Here. I’ll let them know you’re coming, and why. My people will be interested in a possible cure for the rot. If anyone other than you or the human show, they will be killed on sight. Mark my words, It’ll start a war.”

“Is war all you think about?” Vekrem replied, shooting her a contemptuous glare. “I’m trying to save a single life. One life. Stop this nonsense about conflict this, and war that—it matters not to me.”

Saise nodded as Kesh roused, sitting up on the bed of spores. He reached out a ginger hand towards her. “Sai… se. Where… am I?”

She took his hand, placing it against her cheek. “Safe my love. Safe.”