They should be getting close to Axete according to Obb. There was no traffic on the road which was unusual and fortunately they didn’t run across any more wagons of death. Tess mentioned that Axete was about half the size of Axtol and as they came into view of the town, he could see it was definitely smaller and didn’t have a protective wall.
The road into the town was blocked by a gate and they were the only ones trying to enter. Chuck pulled up to the gate and honked the horn. Two burly Orc guards came out and were startled by the pickup. They held their weapons tightly and shouted that the town was under quarantine. Obb got out and handed one of them the letter from the king.
The letter basically introduced them and indicated what supplies they were delivering. It also mentioned that additional wagons of supplies would be arriving as soon as possible. The guards looked at the letter and then each other before one went back through the gate holding the letter while the other stayed to keep an eye on the pickup. They waited for around 15 minutes before the guard returned and opened the gate. Chuck was then given directions of where to go to unload the supplies.
The streets were quiet with only the occasional head sticking out to see the truck as they drove by. Chuck didn’t see any bodies but there was the faint smell of death in the air. The directions led them to the town’s alchemy guild which looked about the same as the one in Axtol. They all got out and went to look for a guild member.
From his time in this world, Chuck knew there were no actual doctors. Instead, there were healers who used magic or various potions to treat different things. The potions were of course made by the alchemy guild. Healers usually worked out of churches but could have their own shops as well.
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They found someone and Obb once again handed over the letter. The tired looking guild member took one look at the letter and then did a double take, looking between the letter and the new arrivals. After getting to Axete, Tess had changed from a cute dwarf into a cute tiger girl with orange striped ears and tail.
The guild member guided them to a nearby warehouse to unload the pickup and Obb hurried off as he was directed to the church where the other healers were treating patients. Chuck helped unload the crates of ingredients and asked the workers about what had been going on in Axete.
The workers told him the citizens were scared and staying in their homes after the town was locked down due to the quarantine. The outbreak among the avian population had skyrocketed in the last few days but they didn’t know the body count. Obb had explained that Axete was a famous fishing town and a lot of avian folk lived there due to their love of fish.
When he asked about the head of the guild, he was told she had died from the disease early on. After they finished, Chuck was told to take the remaining crates that had potions to the church. He and Tess drove toward the church in a somber mood. As they got closer, the smell of death intensified along with a burning smell and Chuck could see wisps of smoke in the direction of the church.
The church was situated at the edge of town, a short drive from the alchemy guild. A large number of tents had been set up around the church and the smoke was coming from a field behind the church. Chuck had a feeling he knew what the smoke was from but had no desire to see if his hunch was correct.