As usual, citizens stepped aside as Cira’s skiff made it through the streets of Uru. It was a little cramped, but she put the Salty Songstress away for now. The mana it took to keep out was not insignificant. Now, Nanri was busy meeting their new guests while Triton went over their report from the Last Step that day.

Cira listened to him while shoving wormwiches into her mouth hand over fist. Mephisto had a secondary food stand in the streets not far from Uru’s center, and of course it never closed. Once Cira found this out she had to make a stop. This time the owner wasn’t present since he lived in a different city beneath their feet, so she had to pay, but it didn’t hurt her much. It was a small price for such a feast.

While the sandwiches were distributed to everyone, none shared such a voracious hunger. The exorcists had eaten not long prior, as they were waiting on Cira for a couple hours before getting plucked out of the air. She was only half-heartedly listening to Triton’s report, “Sounds like there wasn’t any trouble, but just give me a number.”

“Huh?” He replied.

“The ghosts. How many did you kill?”

“Oh, uhh…” Triton started counting on his fingers, but Nanri was quicker.

“About forty since you left, give or take. There were some groups, and a few disappeared through the walls so I’m not sure if we got them or not.”

“Not bad…” Cira finished chewing, “Hopefully we have plenty of aetherium to get started.”

“Do you think we can get everyone in the plague ward?”

“It’s doubtful… For the trial run we should try to cure the last platform with the worst patients. After that, there shouldn’t be any handed out for a few days—”

“Hey, you!” Cira was taken aback as a man in white robes came running up to the side of the boat, “It’s you isn’t it! The saint!”

She looked behind her and around, “No, no saint here.” She hoped her pirate getup would dissuade the man.

“Please, wait!” He ran behind as the skiff didn’t slow down, “I’m a priest of the final sky! The High Priest of Fount Salt!”

Now Cira slowed for a moment and turned around, “Is that right? And you’ve come to offer me something in my efforts to cure the plague, I imagine?”

“What? Uh,” he looked uneasy, “I don’t have anything like that… Wait, no! Come back!”

The skiff had already begun rising from the ground, leaving the pious man pleading in the dust. He grew into a distant speck indiscernible in the dark of night.

Of course, before they were able to conduct their business, they had some prisoners to drop off. They were attached to the underside of the boat like Triton was a few days ago. He kept looking at the big guy who was so heavy he tipped the whole skiff back.

“Can’t believe you took out Don…” he was impressed.

“He really wasn’t much. Hell, you could have taken him out with a single spell. How did he ever get so big?” She paid no attention to the glaring sponge maidens.

“Get enough people and steal the right things, I guess anybody could do it.” Triton quietly lamented his decades of poverty, “How’d you end up with James’ crew anyhow?”

“Ahem,” Cira gave him a sly grin, “I think you mean my crew. Found them at Milty’s and offered them money.”

“Ah… That makes sense.” He nodded in understanding, drinking his own ale.

Delilah directed Cira to the jailhouse and brought them down. There was a small commotion with the guards but after they recognized the Overseer’s daughter, they let up, carrying the prisoners into their cell. Apparently, Don had a bounty on his head, and as a city riddled with pirates, they were prepared to pay.

“This is hardly enough for a barrel of ale…” Cira shook her head. “That guy was a disappointment all around.”

Juan was wanted in silver, but the big one was like a ghost. Nobody had any clue who he was and there was no bounty placed on his head. She had to carry him in herself, making sure they wrapped him up with excessive chains for when he awoke.

Getting back in the boat she finally returned the sponge maidens’ glare, “Last chance. Stay with Don or work for me.”

They shared a look of defeat and held their silence. Eventually the sorcerous pirate nodded and redirected course to the plague ward. Losing the prisoners was as if a great weight had literally been lifted and they rose above the city lit by Cira’s field of stars, nymphs lazily fluttering through the dark behind them, riding a thin cloud.

The three girls sat in the back looking upset. Something was still bothering them, and the frail, spirited one put it to words, “Tell us the truth…”

Cira raised an eyebrow at her, “About what?”

“How many times have you been with Don?” While Cira was taken aback with an absolute lack of understanding, everyone else in the boat exploded. Even Triton held his hands on his face.

“No way! With Black Scourge Don?!” He looked at Cira in disbelief. Nanri held a hand on her heart with bated breath. Only Delilah was snickering at the blatant misunderstanding.

“With him? Like in general? Well, I suppose there was earlier when I first saw him at the tavern, but I don’t think he enjoyed the encounter—”

The sponge maidens gasped and looked at each other distraught, lips quivering. One began to shed tears. Kate had only caught a glimpse of the oaf but quietly looked at Cira with disgust. Lomp and Chip merely rolled their eyes as any words from Cira’s mouth were likely to be under the wrong pretense to begin with. Nanri just looked terribly worried.

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Delilah couldn’t control herself anymore and started busting up, leaving Cira to frown in confusion, “What…? Did I say something wrong? I only told the truth.”

“Nooooo!” The curvaceous sponge maiden broke down, and the other two comforted her while sneaking furious glances at Cira. She could only sigh.

“Well, I don’t know what that’s about, but we’re here.” They poked through the hole in the wall leading to the dark plague ward. There was much less light in this next chamber, but it started to brighten up as Cira entered close to the ceiling. They descended to the first platform which held a larger number of Earth Vein representatives than last time.

They all gawked with their necks craned back, but the one in charge recognized the boat and calmed everybody down. Once they landed, he held back the confused corporate guards, Cira stood up and dusted off her shoulder before stepping out.

“P-p-p-pirates?!” One younger Earth Vein fellow couldn’t control himself anymore and started panicking, sending some of the others into a fluster.

“Relax, you idiots!” The first man said, “I just explained this to you!” He then turned to Cira and gave her a light bow, “Madam witch, please forgive my subordinates. They are still green and have yet to understand a witch’s actions are beyond their comprehension.”

“No offense taken—” Cira tried to calm the situation down but was cut off by a shrill voice from her boat.

“So, you really are a witch?! You—you bitch!”

“Silence, sponge maiden.” She wagged her finger and an opaque dome appeared over the three, cutting off all sound. Lant looked at them and gulped. After a long sigh, she returned to the Earth Vein liaison whose sweat had begun to soak through his clothes, “Don’t mind the prisoners. We’re here for a trial run of the cure. I’ll need a place to set up shop. Perhaps there…”

The orichalcum staff magically appeared again and a metallic platform rose up behind the checkpoint. I’ll replace it soon enough. Doesn’t have to last long. She nodded in satisfaction at her quick handiwork then looked back at the man. His eyes were shot open, trying to tear his eyes away from her staff, but he held his composure better than most.

“Ah, of course… of course…” But he was still nervous and now his cohorts looked like they were holding back questions, “Does… does this mean you’ve found the cure?!”

“Indeed. That’s why I’m here.” Nanri had stepped off, but Cira’s passengers floated over to the new platform before landing again. “We need to—”

Everyone present at the checkpoint started cheering—even the new Earth Vein recruits were shedding tears of joy. There were a few Uru guards there as well that fell to their knees and wept. Earth Vein or not, everyone present felt the same way about it.

“Er, as I was saying,” Cira continued when she could, “The first run is a test. I mean, it’ll work, but the masses can’t be treated until as late as next week.”

“That’s incredible… So soon!” The liaison had his fists clenched, “Truly incredible… I can’t imagine the sorry state these skies would be in if it weren’t for you witches.”

It made her uncomfortable seeing stars in the eyes of a man as old as her father, give or take, and his gratitude was aimed incorrectly, but she would have gained nothing from crushing the old man’s spirit. “Sure, sure… Well, anyway, I better get started.”

She awkwardly separated herself from the devoted crowd and slunk over the fence before jumping over to her new workshop.

With the first yawn of the night, Cira conjured a table to slump against, “What time is it anyway?”

Nanri slid up next to her, “It’s almost dawn by now. You should really get some sleep.” When Cira looked up, she saw the witch’s trademark look of concern.

“Maybe once I get Delilah started, but now I have to make all kinds of things for the new exorcists…” She looked over at the fresh pile of work she’d accumulated again with weary eyes. Nina fluttered over and sat on the table, looking around with her.

“Let me help you,” Nanri pat her on the shoulder, “Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Hey…” Cira looked over and saw a mildly pouting Delilah, “I can help too…”

Having such eager assistants put a smile on her face which was immediately broken up by a yawn, “Aaaaand indeed you shall.”

She plopped a transcribed page onto the table, holding the recipe for soul remediation elixir on it. “Okay, we’re scaling it up so one batch makes a hundred doses. What’s… What’s a hundred teaspoons, again?”

Stroking a beard that didn’t exist, she pondered it for a few moments, “Ah, that’s right, I prepared for this.” A bucket appeared out of thin air, that her helpers could only assume was a hundred teaspoons. Next, one of half the size, “This other one is for the prima salt.”

“W-we’re using prima?” Delilah asked.

“Of course. I guess this is a good time to get our materials ready. Exorcists!” She grabbed their attention and extended the platform on two ends with a concave floor. “Put all of your aetherium on the left. It should pour out if you open your bags and shake them around.”

They looked at each other awkwardly then grabbed their bags and walked over. Meanwhile, a lid popped off the barrel which sat in her skiff, unleashing a torrent of prima salt. Cira put a little distance herself and the checkpoint so she could ignore the commotion from across the way and finished piling all the prima salt up. It ended up filling a pile almost as tall as she was and easily twice that in width.

Luckily, the steadfast leader calmed all the Earth Vein folk down across the way, but her party was just as surprised. “The hell is that?!” Triton shouted, “That’s way more than it looked like! I could… I could live like a noble until the day I die with this much! Er, I mean… We can save so many people… Hurray!” After a pointed glare from Cira, he changed his tune.

“Now then. Go ahead and get our materials, Delilah.” She instructed.

“Oh, of course!” She grabbed the biggest bucket and scurried over to the aetherium pile. It wasn’t much to speak of, so Cira made a little scoop appear before it. She imagined what was left wouldn’t fill up more than one more full bucket, but it was a start. Cira watched Delilah meticulously scrape the excess off with the backside of the scoop then trot over and gently set the bucket back down on the table. Next, the girl took the other and easily filled it with prima salt from the mound, using the same tool to scrape the top.

She placed it on the table with a satisfied look, “Okay, what’s next?”

“And what can I do?” Nanri looked up with pleading eyes.

“Hmm… You see those three?” She lifted the dome of silence, letting their complaints roll over her, “I made their shirts out of salt. See if you can replicate that so we can make more exorcists gear. I also thought plate-mail would work for one of them.” She yawned and held her hand up. Salt flowed up from below and formed scale-like plates that meshed together like chainmail, but of course, made of highly condensed salt. “The mage would be a good fit for heavy armor. He’s an exorcist for sure, but see if the girls would rather help Delilah here instead.”

“Are they… all your prisoners?” Nanri asked timidly.

“Eh, more or less. I don’t get the girls’ whole deal, but they were part of Don’s crew. I guess they’re more like Kate at this point, but it’d be nice if they stuck around. If we can get one of them to join the exorcist team it would free Lomp up to do more of his Lomp work and Delilah will surely appreciate a couple pairs of hands.”

The man in question, Chip, Triton, Kate and Glasses had taken a load off in the boat. They let Cira do her thing since they knew they couldn’t help with alchemy, not that they wanted to. Their work from earlier was plenty for one day as far as they were concerned, and they were left questioning why they weren’t delivered to somewhere they could sleep—short answer, it escaped Cira’s mind completely.

But Lomp couldn’t help overhearing something, “What the hell is Lomp work supposed to be?”

“You would know best.” She replied, “But don’t interrupt me. I’m trying to work.”

Nanri began ingratiating herself with the prisoners and inspecting their clothes, allowing Cira to return to Delilah. “You only need two instruments fort this recipe. The cauldron could be anything, but I’ll have to make your alembic out of blessed silver.” A massive hunk of silver crashed onto the table.

“Oh, great and holy one…” Cira yawned again, “this silver… bless it. Uh, please.”

Try as she might, Cira had precious little time left in the waking world.