They arrived at the second village in late afternoon. Chuck let out a sigh of relief as he saw people moving around. Then he started getting a little nervous that they might bring the disease to the village. They hadn’t actually touched any of the bodies but he wasn’t sure how the disease was spread.
He decided to park the pickup a ways away. They got out and he yelled at the avians who had gathered to see the spectacle of the truck. “Hello, I’m the otherworlder Chuck Miller. Is there anyone sick in this village? We have brought healing potions to cure them.”
One of the avians stepped forward and yelled back. “There are two sick with one death. We would be grateful for any assistance. Can you tell us what has been happening in Axete?” Chuck proceeded to tell them about the outbreak and deaths. The avians were understandably shaken at the news.
He left the village the crate of potions since he was certain more of them would get sick. After wishing them luck, they headed back toward Axete. Chuck still needed to give his report but it was already dark so they decided to camp outside the town and wait until morning. It was a nice night so they snuggled together in the back of the pickup.
When the sun came up, Chuck made them some breakfast. He was hoping after he made his report that they could return to the capital. The rest of the wagons carrying supplies should reach Axete soon and he didn’t see much else that he and Tess would be able to help with. Chuck was more than ready to leave the disease ridden town and the stench of death.
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In the back of his mind he was still worried that the disease would spread to other races even though he had seen no signs of it. Chuck had been tempted to keep a couple potions out of the last crate to be on the safe side but in the end he decided not to. Before they left the capital Tess had assured him that shapeshifters never got sick but he wasn’t convinced.
If something ever happened to her, he didn’t know what he would do. Chuck was a little worried that they wouldn’t let him and Tess leave because of the quarantine but it seemed like the quarantine was mostly for the avian population. They found the brown feathered avian again and reported their findings. The avian was shocked that the northern village had been wiped out but the silver lining was that the seaside village should be saved with the potions Chuck delivered.
The avian thanked them profusely and said goodbye. Chuck was glad to get his side quest done so they could leave. His first stop was to the shore where he and Tess washed themselves off in the water. Chuck also burned his clothes to try and decontaminate before heading back to the capital. He drove at a leisurely pace on the way back and it didn’t take them long before they saw the supply wagons.
They waved at the wagons as they went past. The supplies would be very welcome. They could only fit so much in the pickup but it should have saved the worst cases. Chuck had thought about pulling a wagon behind the truck but then he wouldn’t have been able to travel fast, thus defeating the purpose of his mission.
They made camp when it started to get dark and ate around a campfire. After that it was another peaceful night sleeping in the back of the pickup. The next day they were back at the capital. The trip back had been uneventful and the pickup was running like a top. They entered the city and headed for the castle to report to the king.