"Whoa," Lila breathed, stumbling slightly as she regained her balance. "That was... fast."
Lysaria adjusted her robes, looking pale but composed. Sherry simply nodded, her eyes narrowed in calculation as she processed the implications of such magic.
'How much are you hiding from us, Riku?' Sherry muttered to herself.
"Let's move," Riku said, already striding towards the city gates.
As they approached, the scene was even more grim than Alia had described. The crowds of refugees outside the walls seed thinner, but also more desperate. A palpable fear hung in the air. The main gate, usually bustling, was heavily barred, and more guards than usual stood patrol, their faces grim, spears held ready. A makeshift barrier had been erected, keeping petitioners far back.
"Halt!" A guard captain stepped forward, his voice rough. "City's under quarantine! No entry or exit permitted by order of the Lord Mayor and the High Deacon!"
Lysaria stepped forward, pulling back her hood to reveal her Vestal sash. "I am Sister Lysaria of the Inner Fla. I demand entry on urgent Church matters."
The captain hesitated, clearly recognizing the rank, but shook his head firmly. "Apologies, Sister. Orders are absolute. The sickness spreads. No one enters until the Church purifies the source."
"Purifies?" Lysaria repeated sharply. "What purification?"
"The curse," the captain muttered, glancing nervously towards the city. "They're dealing with the source today. At the main temple. Now, please step back."
Lysaria opened her mouth to argue, invoking doctrine and authority, but the guards remained unmoved, spears lowered slightly. It was clear the local command structure, fueled by fear and church decree, superseded her rank here.
Riku watched the exchange, his eyes scanning the walls, the guards, the atmosphere. Arguing was pointless. He subtly caught Lila's eye, then Lysaria's and Sherry's, giving a minute shake of his head. He stepped back slightly, drawing their attention away from the guards.
"This isn't working," he murmured under his breath. "Stay close."
He subtly activated another set of stones – smaller, almost invisible pebbles. With another near-imperceptible shimr, the four of them bypassed the gate entirely, reappearing silently in the shadow of a narrow alley just inside the city walls. The guards at the gate remained oblivious.
Lila gasped softly. Sherry raised an eyebrow, impressed despite herself. Lysaria simply looked resigned to Riku's repertoire of convenient miracles.
"Alright," Riku said, keeping his voice low. "The guards ntioned the temple and purification today. We need information, fast. We split up. I'll check around the temple district, see what I can learn about this 'ritual'. You three," he looked at Lila, Lysaria, and Sherry, "start asking around the area near the orphanage and Master Elms's shop. See if anyone knows more about the sickness, or what happened to the other children. Be discreet. et back at the Amber Hearth inn in two hours."
Lysaria nodded curtly. "Understood. Let's go."
Sherry gave a sharp nod, already scanning the alleyway. Lila looked a little nervous but determined. "Okay. Be careful, Riku."
"You too," he replied, before lting into the shadows of a side street, heading towards the city center.
Lila, Lysaria, and Sherry exchanged a look, a silent agreent passing between them. They pulled their hoods up slightly and stepped out of the alley, heading north towards the district where the orphanage and the doctor's shop resided.
The streets of Vintross felt suffocating. Windows were shuttered, doors barred. The usual bustle of rchants and townsfolk was replaced by an eerie quiet, punctuated by distant coughs or the hurried footsteps of people clutching cloths over their mouths. Fear was a tangible presence.
They approached a small bakery first, smoke curling weakly from its chimney. Lila knocked gently. After a long pause, a bolt slid back, and the door opened a crack, revealing a woman's wary eye.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice muffled.
"We're looking for information," Lysaria said gently. "About the sickness... and the children from the Sanctuary of the Dawn orphanage."
The woman's eye widened in fear. "The curse? Stay away! Don't bring that darkness here!" The door slamd shut, the bolt scraping loudly back into place.
They tried two more houses with similar results – fear, slamd doors, whispers of "curses" and "dark magic." It seed the Church's narrative had taken firm root.
Sherry scoffed under her breath. "Cowards. Blaming children for their own incompetence."
"We need to find soone who isn't completely terrified," Lila murmured, looking down a side street. "What about the doctor's house? Master Elms? Alia said he tried to help."
Lysaria nodded grimly. "It's our best lead."
They navigated the quiet streets, the silence pressing in on them, until they reached a modest building with a faded wooden sign depicting a mortar and pestle. 'Elms Apothecary & Healing'. The door was closed, the windows dark.
Lila knocked softly. No answer. She knocked again, louder this ti. A faint, ragged cough echoed from within.
Lysaria pushed the door gently. It swung open with a low creak, revealing a dim interior slling faintly of herbs and sickness. On a simple cot in the back room lay a figure, pale and shivering beneath thin blankets.
It was Master Elms, his face gaunt, his breathing shallow and labored. He looked years older than when Alia had described him.
"Master Elms?" Lysaria called softly, approaching the bedside.
The doctor's eyes fluttered open, clouded with fever. He focused on them slowly. "Ah... visitors..." he rasped, another cough shaking his frail body. "Warned Alia... shouldn't have... taken them in..."
"We're friends of Alia's," Lila said quickly. "We ca from Elowen. What happened here? What is this sickness?"
"Don't know..." Elms wheezed. "Ca on fast... after the boy... the one the Vestarch 'healed'. Spread like wildfire... Church calls it a curse... dark magic..." He coughed again, a painful, rattling sound. "Took the children... said they'd... exorcise them... today..."
Lysaria knelt beside him, her face tight with concern and a dawning horror. "Let try to help." She placed her hands gently over his chest, closing her eyes. A soft, warm golden light emanated from her palms, sinking into the doctor's skin. It wasn't the overwhelming brilliance Elian had displayed, but a steady, comforting glow.
Slowly, Elms started getting better.
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