Cycle 7
A Brief Respite
When the MIT reached their
eureka moment inside the mushroom house, they immediately distributed the remedy among themselves to immunize against the effects of Red Fever. As far as they could tell, the concoction seemed to have abated the surging emotions, so they weren’t going to end up killing their own like the poor saps that occupied Camp Nisus before them. Once the formula was ready to go, MIT members spent the rest of their time mass-producing the potions with the ingredients that kept being delivered to them from the Guild.
By the time the MIT stumbled out of the mushroom house’s door, night had descended over the camp as the storm had trickled down into a light sprinkle of rain. By that point, the Lions had already claimed a heroic victory over the ape chief, covering for one another as they drove the primate threat from the camp. Any remaining apes
ooked and
eeked away into the jungle.
Then came the slime-covered Guilders who had made it back after what seemed like a frightening encounter as well. There were a lot of injuries among them. Anyone who did not know about the golem would have wondered why they looked so tattered from simply wrestling ingredients for the MIT’s remedy. Trevis and Caccu were among the returnees, crowded by the people who were concerned about them.
With the majority of expeditionaires gathering at camp,
Elynn, who was completely disheveled, bumbled her way toward the crate filled to the brim with the Red Fever abatement potions where she gave some of her peers a near-heart attack when she tripped and face-planted herself right next to the crate. The fall must have brought out something inside her as she started bawling. One of the MIT folks decided to splash a bit of the concoction at the elf, fearing that it might have been brought on by Red Fever.
The MIT did their best to gather the other faction members in one place before they loaded up the mechanized dispenser with the concoction and had it blast everyone present with the Mist of Serenity.
The entire expedition took a few more minutes to catch its breath. Although, how anyone was supposed to find and confirm the safety of their friends and loved ones in the moonless pitch-dark camp was a mystery.
With everyone meeting up again,
Levi,
Chad,
Childress,
Feodan,
Nin, and
Trevis had a meeting in one of the vacant tents near the middle of the camp. The topic at hand was about the fact that it had been more than half a day since the expedition had split, yet no one had heard from the Explorers at all. Even if you cannot listen in on their conversation, Childress’ grimace from afar said it all.
A few minutes into their heated conversation, a shout from the camp’s northern entrance alerted everyone to a new arrival.
HEY! HEY! Make way, make way! I’m in a hurry…
Breaking through the throngs of people standing in the way was a tall, strapping lad with a
sword through his mouth. While sprinting through the camp, the five whistles hanging from his neck rattled against his bare chest. Anywhere you can see bared skin was a bruise, a scar, or a gash. The man was a portrait of injuries. The most peculiar thing about him was his hat, which was in pristine condition except for the deep bloodstain.
When he reached the tent where the faction meeting was taking place, he hunched over as if his body was giving in to exhaustion the moment he reached his destination.
A surprised Feodan immediately stepped out of the tent.
Goodness, Kiryuu! You’re alive! What happened to Camp Nisus before we left?
Feo… not now. Childress!!!
(He shouted for Childress in-between his breathless gasping.)
When Childress headed out of the tent, the rest of the group followed her.
Haa… listen… shit… hold on… tired…
He stood up and took a big breath before trying to use every ounce of his lung capacity to speak quickly and concisely.
If you’re here, it means that Czeva was able to deliver her report… Thank god… Anyway, my group managed to escape the moment when everyone lost their goddamn mind. We found the source of the Fever, but…
Tears welled up in his eyes as he took ahold of the whistles hanging around his neck, giving them a firm squeeze.
They gave their lives so I can make it back.
After he wiped the tears from his eyes, Kiryuu began speaking again.
The Fever is coming from a demon corpse that way. Its decay is tainting the entire area with its insane magic, and it seems to grow stronger the closer you get to it. It’s not just us who’s affected by the Red Fever either, many of the wildlife is behaving erratically right now. It’s a bloodbath out there.
How are you not affected?
This piece of shit (he points to the sword sticking out of his mouth) is overriding my Red Fever condition… I’m on borrowed time here.
On the way back, I spotted a Kurungaar Mother capturing some whistles. It’s heading toward the demon corpse, ravaging anything standing in the way. If you don’t believe me, those guys can back me up.
Kiryuu turned to point, revealing the battered members from Arlyn's company who had returned just after him. Some (
@Schilva Flasch,
@Lady N,
@Ru Ning, and
@Bluebird) were forcing their way through the crowd much like he had, likely to make their own reports. Any relief is dampened by just how few of the group have returned.
Regardless, if we want to catch up with them, we need to leave, right now!
No. We are not going to pursue the Kurungaar Mother in the middle of the night, and especially not after everyone had battered themselves after a day-long battle. Go get the Red Fever cure and pull that ridiculous sword out of your mouth, Kiryuu.
When Childress finished saying her piece, she turned her back to leave. An intense anger morphed Kiryuu’s face as he flashed his fang on the side of the face that didn’t have a sword shoved through his cheek.
CHILDRESS!
DON’T YOU TURN YOUR FUCKING BACK TO ME!
I WATCHED MY ENTIRE COMPANY BUTCHER THEMSELVES, IDIOTS WHO THREW AWAY THEIR FUTURE SO I CAN STAND RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF YOU.
WE HAVE THE INFORMATION TO ACT NOW. NO ONE ELSE HAVE TO DIE FOR THIS!
They made their choice, which is lighting the way for the rest of us here.
I SAW THEM GET TAKEN. THEY DIDN’T CHOOSE SHIT! Some of them don’t even have a whistle. You’re the one making the choice for them. My gang didn’t die just so more innocents can die.
A dangerous aura was circulating around the otherwise stoic Childress, as if her patience was waning.
Go cool off your head, Kiryuu. That kind of thinking is what leads to unnecessary deaths. I’m not going to endanger the rest of the mission. When the Lions play hero, you talk about them as if they're idiots, but when you do it, it's noble?
You swore a vow, Kiryuu. Abide by it, or turn your whistle over.
Kiryuu ripped the black whistle tangled with the bundle of whistles that hung around his neck and crushed his alone with his bare hand.
I keep my vow in my heart. I don’t need a whistle to walk beside death. I’ll rescue them not as a whistle, but as myself.
The moment Childress heard such words coming out of Kiryuu’s mouth, a 12-feet tall spectral avatar of the Beastlord, a godly figure of savagery materialized behind Childress as her face displayed immense rage.
You insolent brat… Breaking your vow and disregarding the lives that had been given, so you can stand there yapping your mouth…
Feodan who saw the exchange going south immediately stepped in front of Childress and put his mountainous hand on Childress’ upper arm as he shook his head.
Kiryuu, if we tried to save everyone, we wouldn’t be able to carry the weight of how many whistles would be lost.
We are not heroes. We push ahead and brave the unknowns, so we can minimize the loss of those who come after, whistles or no.
I’m sure the Knight Commander and Knight Captain (he gestured at Levi and Chad) would have loved to lend you a hand, if they were not charged with so many lives to protect for the upcoming battle, isn’t that right?
Chad was looking around without a single clue, while Levi scratched his head in annoyance. The mountain was far too perceptive.
As Childress’ Beastlord avatar disappear, she turned and headed back into the tent, while Kiryuu walked up to Feodan and handed the remaining whistles to the giant as tears began to well up at the corner of his eyes.
Leona, Bergsten, Yuulaw, and Riene kept up their vow until the very end. Will you put them to rest with the rest of the company for me, Feo?
You can honor your company when we meet again on the battlefield. Childress and I will be waiting.
Kiryuu gave Feodan a bittersweet smile before turning around and pulling his hat closer to his eyes. The time for tears was over. He had people to rescue.
Kiryuu spent a few minutes in the camp, but after he had downed some water and stale bread, he departed from the camp, summoning the spectral chain to guide him back to the Kurungaar Mother. He purposely left signs for the rest of the expedition to follow after him, knowing that regardless of priority, their destination was one in the same.
When Kiryuu departed the camp, the faction organizers resumed their meeting, though the tension was much higher than before as Childress sat silently in the corner of the tent. Even without the Felis' intensity, the conversation about
what's next? was heated, primarily fueled by fear and uncertainty.
When they had decided on a course of action, Levi again was nominated to be the face of the group. Thus, the Knight Commander shrugged off his worn body and conjured the remainder of his energy to deliver the plan the four factions agreed upon.
I know you're all tired after a day-long battle, but it's not over yet.
If you were around to hear the first-hand accounts from the Whistles that made it back to camp, the source of Red Fever is a demon corpse that is radiating a dangerous amount of magical energy north of here. This energy is the thing that's making the wildlife as... insane... as we were.
There's also the matter of a giant creature called the Kurungaar Mother, which is a living colony of flying insects behaving erratically because of Fever. According to the reports, it is heading toward the demon corpse.
We don't know why this creature is heading toward the corpse, but in the case where it is intending on eating the corpse, we're going to have a big problem on our hand. Anyways, we're on borrowed time, we only have so long until the MIT's immunization wear off. Anyone who is able should take a quick 30 minutes break before heading out with the rest of the raiding party.
Allow me to remind you that even though it's a corpse of a demon, it's a demon nonetheless. This might very well turn into a bloodbath. The Lion Arms is urging anyone who is new to the game or is on their second death to log out at once! There is always time for heroism and this is not one of those times.
