The Plague of Jadet

[Silence Sei]

((Closed, PM if you really wanna join, but for now it's just me & Zieg.))

The lush forestry of Concordia was now flourishing more than ever. A New beginning for the area came around every year. Just as Concordia started anew, so did the cycles of Anita Orlouge and her father, the cursed 'Protector of Radasanth' known as Sei Orlouge. The two had accepted a mission from the employment kiosk, an area where warriors typically went to earn money or valuable items. Sei nor Anita were not concerned with either or those, instead opting to help those in need rather than seek a material reward from it.

As the birds chirped and the trees began to revive, Concordias radiance sent a smile across the two young heroes. Occassionally, there would be a falling acorn or some other nut from a tree marking that the past season was still trying to stay alive, butn it was too late. The new season came in whether the old season liked it or not. The old season had to die for the new season to live. It wasn't the most romantic metaphor, but it suited the situation of both Concordia and the father and daughter's destination.

The city of Jadet seemed to be under a nasty plague. At first, it was probably thought of as a bug just being passed around (or so Sei assumed from the kiosk). Now, people were suspecting foul play, that witches on neighboring islands were casting a curse upon the people of Jadet. Perhaps it was witches, or perhaps it was just a random plague casted on one unfortunate city, but in either case, Sei and Anita Orlouge were going to get down to the bottom of it, and hopefully find a cure for the sickness.

"Papa, are you sure it was a good idea to send that messenger to Lord Tulfried?" Anita asked as the two observed the new leaves while trampling over the old ones, "I mean, is there not a chance that he, his pet, or his son will also catch the illness? That would make us murderers Papa." Sei looked to his daughter a bit with a wry smile across his face. "You give him too little credit, child," Sei said to his daughter, "I sent the details of the mission to Zieg, and simply requested his assistance. If he wishes not to come, so be it, but he will be a great asset to us if he decides to assist us. Anything that could kill him or his bloodline will have it's way with us long before it gets to them."

"Great," Anita said in a sarcastic manner, "I'll either be a murderer of a friend, or a suicidal freak. I'm too young to die Papa! I've never even had my first kiss!" Sei glared at his daughter when she spoke those last words. Sei would prefer it if Anita never kissed, for that would lead her down the road to much more inappropriate things.

Soon, the two came within viewing distance of Underwood, at which point, Anita looked to her father. "Well," she said,m placing her hands on her developing hips, "Which way to Jadet, Papa?" Sei closed his eyes in response to his daughter and sat down. Sei knew that they would have to cross through Underwood to get to Jadet. Hell, they would have to cross Underwood to get to any major Corone city for that matter. Underwood was the link that bound the cities together.

"We will wait outside of Jadet for three hours, Anita. That will hopefully give Zieg time to catch up with us," Sei stated, sure of himself. "If he shows up," replied his daughter, lacking the confidence of her father. Sei once more glared at Anita, as he began to realize his daughter was growing more mature. If this keeps up, Sei thought quietly to himself, I might want to trade Zieg Kaza for Anita. The mute smiled as he fionished his latest thought.

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

The messenger rode valiantly on horseback across the vast Tular Plains. The plains were still rather dangerous, as various tribal groups could still be found migrating, many not kind to strangers. The rugged dirt rode which he traveled would lead him straight into Vilxen Drakz, the new home for the Demon Army. He had a message for Zieg dil' Tulfried, the High General, from none other than 'Silence' Sei Orlouge. However, the mute's messenger would not find the demon within the walled borders of that town.

Despite Sei's prediction that the demon knight's lineage was far to strong to be taken down by the disease, Kaza Tulfried had taken ill within the city walls. The demon general, his companion Xeppa, and his half-breed son, Kaza, were on the trail of Findelfin ap Fingolfin, eager to learn the mysteries behind the strange golden object Zieg had found a week earlier. Their journey had brought them to Corone, the city of Jadet. News had a habit of traveling slowly to the new region of Haide, so Zieg had no idea that an epidemic had taken over the city. There was no one nearby to stop the demonic trio for everyone had fled from the disease as soon as they could.

Upon entering the city, they had stumbled upon a dying woman, lying motionless on the ground. Only subtle sobs let them know that she was even alive. It appeared that she had been dumped, wrapped in a black blanket, onto the ground in front of an armor shop. Kaza, being the good boy that he was, knelt before her and grabbed her hand. Which was when he got the infection.

They had searched most of the city before there was any evidence that the boy was even sick. There seemed to be no sign of anyone not ill within the city walls. Either that or everyone was so boxed up within their houses that they did not see the demon. Zieg was beginning to feel that their search was fruitless when Kaza collapsed with barely a moan. His father rushed back to his side and scooped the boy up. He stepped to a nearby house and kicked the door in, rushing inside. Two bodies lay limp on the floor, flies buzzing over the body. Zieg shook his head and carried his feverous son upstairs and laid him down on the bed.

Zieg, I think Kaza's infected with whatever is going around here. And the outcome does not look well. Xeppa said in Zieg's mind. The demon shook his head and leaned over his son, worry in his eyes. He ran one gloved hand over the boy's forehead, which was drenched with sweat. The child's eyes fluttered open and glanced at Zieg.

"Papa, I really don't feel so good. You're gonna make me feel good again, right pa?" He looked up with his round green eyes, trusting his father implicitly. It truly broke his father's heart. Tears welled in the demon's eyes which he forced himself to blink back.

"Of course I am, Kaz."

[Silence Sei]

Three hours passed in no time, mostly due to Anita's constant chattering to her father. Some things she talked of held little importance, while some were major concerns, but either way the time flew quickly. Sei slowly lowered his head towards Anita's shadow as she passed backl and forth, ranting on about how she sometimes needed her space. Sei's eyes widened as he looked to his daughter and simply said, "Lord Tulfried is not here. As such, we will continue through Underwood, and then east to Jadet[/i.]"

Anita, not realizing time had gone by so fast, simply nodded and helped her father up from his sitting position. "Have you not heard anything I said Papa? That is -so- like you to think about your own concerns and not hear mine out!" The young girl stomped her foot as Sei sighed and began to head towards Underwood.

When the two entered the town, it was obvious that Anita fell in love at first sight. Whether it was the lush environment, or the fact that there were so many feminine looking elves around, Sei could not decide. The mute and his child were quickly making their way through the crowds when Sei heard something that caught his attention. "I'm telling you that it was the High General himself! Zieg dil'Tulfried came here!" Sei turned to the man ranting about to his friends.

The man was talking to two others, all lumberjacks (or so Sei assumed) due to the axes sheathed at their backs, the unbuttoned flanel shirts on their skin, and the muddy boots at their feet. The man talking was an elf, which was obvious because he had pointy ears, a slender frame, and a crossbow on his left arm. "He came by, towards the direction of Jadet!" the elf exclaimed to his friends. One of the two to whom he was talking, a human looking person wearing blue jeans and red, dwarf-like beard, let out a bellowed laugh. "Yeah right," he said, "The only people going there nowdays are people seeking death."

"Aye," the third finally spoke, a deep, demon-like voice escaping his lips, "I've heard that no race is immune to what plagues those in Jadet. Not even vampires. If Zieg dil'Tulfried was going to Jadet, he would be a fool not worthy of the title of High General."

Sei looked to his daughter, who was also overhearing the conversation, and nodded in her direction. Without hesitation, the two quickly broke out into a run, Anita being the one with the longer legs and as such, running past her father as they headed towards Jadet. "[i]Remember Anita," Sei warned his daughter as the two once again entered Concordia, dashing eastwards to meet up with Zieg, "Do not touch anyone who seems infected with their disease. The last thing I want is for you to die in a place like that."

"That's so thoughtful, Papa," Anita replied, rolling her eyes, "I suppose that you would prefer I died somewhere else then?"

"Don't get cute."

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

3 Hours After Infection

The hours passed very slowly in the city of Jadet. Moans echoed throughout the city, sounding through all hours of the night. Screams merged with the moans as the ill passed into the final stages of the illness. Zieg found a journal of one member of the sick family that had lived in the house where they were staying. As far as he could tell, the illness began by sapping the energy from the person and causing a high fever. After two hours, the nightmares come. Violent, awful nightmares that keep the ill from falling asleep to regain their strength and fight the sickness. An awful ache overcomes the sick, keeping them incredibly uncomfortable. Ten hours in, the vomiting begins, followed shortly thereafter by seizures. For the next several hours, the patients go into a coma-like state. Finally, for the final four hours, they bleed from every orifice of their bodies. Then, twenty-four hours after infection, they die.

The demon knight was doing everything he could to aid his ailing child. He dunked a small cloth into a bucket of water and draped it over Kaza. He was shivering now, more out of fright than cold. His eyes were wide open and his tiny hands were gripping his father's tightly. He was mumbling out his nightmares, and Zieg was doing everything he could to calm the boy. He was tearing himself apart that there was nothing he could do. He was no physician, and by the time he could get one, Kaza would be dead.

It was obvious that this sickness had been in the city for quite a while and no one seemed to be around to help. This told Zieg that everyone that could have helped had already given up. It was crushing the demon's soul. Once he had the boy back into nightmare filled sleep, he stepped away from the bed and slumped against the wall, head in his hands. Tears billowed in the demon's eyes, and a loud sob escaped his lips. There was nothing he could do, nothing to save his son.

Xeppa padded silently up to Zieg and lay down at his feet. Zieg looked up with red puffy eyes, his helmet laying on the floor where he had dropped it hours before. "Isn't there anything you can do? With the powers of Structure?"

The pup had a very sincere look of sadness on his face. I'm sorry, Zieg. It appears to be a magical disease, one of strange origins. If I could unravel the flow of the magic, I might be able to create a cure for it, but that would take time that we simply do not have.

Zieg mournful features hardened. "Magical? Do you mean that someone is intentionally doing this to these people? To my Kaza?"

Quite probable. The only other possible explanation is that a magical field has overcome the entire city. It is quite rare, however. It has only happened three times as long as I have existed. And I have existed a very long time, Xeppa explained. Zieg leapt to his feet, grabbing his helmet from the floor.

"I'm going after whatever it is that is doing this to my son." He strode to the door. "Stay here with Kaza. I'm going after whatever is doing this to him."

[Silence Sei]

Thanks to the combined speed of the father-daughter duo (not to mention Sei's ability to fly), the two were on the outskirts of Jadet in no time. As soon as Sei's eyes fell upon Jadet in it's full form, he hit his knees and clutched his chest. Anita quickly rushed down to her young father with a very curious look on her face. Sei's eyes were straining to keep closed, and his teeth were clenched as if someone had just stabbed the 'child' through the heart.

"Papa, what's wrong?!" Anita's concern rang out throughout all of Concordia. "It's nothing Anita. I just suddenly had some hurtful memories." Anita, however was not satisfied with that explanation. "Memories of what, Papa?" "Nothing you need concern youself with!" Sei's hostility in the last comment seemed to stop the evening birds themselves from singing their songs.

I do not mean to be mean, Sei thought to himself, but this seems like a form of Mystic Shadow Magic. Only a spell cast by a Dark Mystic would be able to hurt me so by just walking. The mute looked back at his daughter, who seemed now more concerned than ever for her father. Anita knows that mystics are either born with the dark element or the light element granted to them naturally. If I let her know I'm feeling this pain because I'm a light mystic around a Dark Mystics spell, she might learn she is not of my blood...

With that thought in mind, Sei stood up, despite the fact he was in horrible pain, and continued into Jadet. Anita, still stunned and concerned by her father's outburst, quickly got up and followed, keeping a watchful eye over 'The Protector of Radasanth'.

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

3 and 1/2 Hours After Infection

The minutes crept by very slowly for Xeppa as he lay on a table that sat beside the bed on which Kaza was suffering. The hybrid dog, Magim Beast, supreme elemental combination was feeling things he had never felt before. Never before had Structure had such a connection with any single human being as Xeppa now had with both Kaza and Zieg Tulfried. Not in any of his many reincarnations across the numerous years had he truly felt the pain he was feeling for the young eight-year-old that was tossing and turning under the thin sheets.

Death and Life were both necessary parts of both Structure and Chaos and were neutral in their never ending struggle for control over the universe. Mortals were mere specks in the ultimate time line and in the end had no effect on the vast issues that he dealt with. However, Xeppa had grown to love both of the demons with such a pureness he simply could not explain.

The tiny droplets of sweat which covered Kaza's body reeked of illness to the dog's sensitive snout. He had no idea what the young boy was going through, but he yearned to end his suffering. He desired more than anything to make the young boy well. He simply had no power to do so, and it ate at him. So, he merely watched in silence as a loved friend slowly succumbed to death.

~~~~~~~

Zieg searched the town fruitlessly for some living being that could tell him who was responsible for this epidemic. There was simply no one around that was not delirious or already dead, bloody tear streaks gracing their still facial features. He was growing more and more frustrated as time went by. He was the most powerful demon in the Demon Army, both in strength and position, and there was nothing he could do to find the person who was doing this.

Searching yet another street in the large city with no results, Zieg pulled out his demon blade and thrust it toward the sky, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Dammit!! Show yourself! If I have to burn this entire city to the ground, I WILL HAVE YOU!" To exclaim his point, he pointed the Gamygym at the nearest building and unleashed his fury at it, in the form of a massive stream of flame. The building exploded, billows of smoke filtering up into the sky, hovering above the tendrils of flame which now rose from the blazing building.

Zieg dropped to his knees and bent over clutching his chest. He vomited all over the ground, tears rippling from his demonic eyes. Vicious sobs of pain escaped his lips, guilt killing him from the inside. His son was dying and he was helpless to save him.

[Silence Sei]

With each new step into jadet, Sei Orlouge felt his heart pulse more and more. Normally, Sei would welcome such a feeling (especially after being one of the undead for so long) but this pulsing was different. This pulsing was painful. Every time Sei manage another foot down, his heart felt as though it was going to explode out of his chest. Due to this the mute had to rest every few steps.

Naturally from being with her father for such a long tiome, Anita Orlouge grew weary of the mute's strange behavior. As Sei took another break, Anita walked right past him and turned around for only a second. "I'm going to go scout ahead Papa. You wait here, ok?" Anita did not wait for her father to answer before she sped off into the town. Sei could not have stopped the youthful girl anyways. She was growing rebellious in her age, and even if not for that, Sei was trying to focus too much on avoiding his own pain than on anything else at the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

However, the mute's aches were felt by another, one who specialized in the category of pain. Not far from Jadet, on a small island, three figures stood watch over the city, two of them weilding a sinister smile. "They sent the protector of Radasanth after us, sisterss," the first voice said to her kin. "Indeed, they are not taking us likely any longer. I simply wish wecould torture the fools more." The third figure remained quiet as the other two continued their conversation. "I believe that another is here as well," the first figure said, pointing to the smoke in the sky. "Let them send as many as they will like, they will never defeat us. If we can destroy Sei Orlouge here, the world will truly know not to take us lightly."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in town, Anita was running through the cioty, careful not to touch anything or anybody. However the girl's senses quickly flared up at the scent of smoke. "Fire!" Anita shouted quickly, reaching into her backpack for a small flask of holy water. The girl quickly began to follow her nostrils to the source of the smell and soon found a familiar face. There in the middle of Jadet, vomitting for all to see, was Zieg dil Tulfried, the one her and her father had sent for. "No...." Anita was stunned. How could such a virus affect one of the mightiest men she had ever known? The girl rushed to the demon generals side, careful not to touch him.

"General Tulfried, it is I, Anita Orlouge. Are you alright?! Is there anything I can get for you?! Where is Kaza?! And Xeppa?! Has the virus taken them?! Were we too late?! Did you not get our message?!" It was obvious Anita was in a panic from the way she kept firing off her questions without allowing Zieg the opportunity to answer. Anita grew impatient rather quickly however, and began to widen her eyes, fearing the worst had come. "Are they Dead?!"

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

4 Hours After Infection

Zieg's tear streaked face rose at the sound of another person's voice. He had been crying for a while now, his stomach emptied many minutes earlier. His eyes connected with that of Anita Orlouge, Sei Orlouge's daughter. She was older than she was when he last saw her, but there was no doubt that she was definitely Sei's little girl. He wiped his mouth with the back of his gloved hand and slowly rose to his feet, his stomach still reeling.

"Anita? Is Sei here? Kaza is... not well, and Xeppa is watching over him. There is nothing I can do! My son is going to die, and there is nothing I can do!" Zieg grabbed his weapon from where he had set it at his side. "Where is Sei? Maybe he knows how to stop my son's death, maybe he can save Kaza."

~~~~~~~~

Kaza Tulfried's eyes burst open once again, accompanied by heavy breathing and a sweat drenched forehead. The boy sat up, a splitting pain ricocheting around in his head. He rubbed it with one clammy hand and looked around. The eight-year-old's whole body ached, though he did not squirm.

"Papa?" the child asked aloud.

Xeppa leapt up onto the foot of the bed in which the boy was sitting, careful not to touch him. I am sorry, Kaza, he is not here. Your father went out into the city to try and find a cure, or at least the cause of this disease.

The boy's lips pursed as he thought about this new occurrence. "I'm gonna die, aren't I, Xeppa?" He finally vocalized his thoughts. He did not dare to look at the dog, for he feared the answer.

Do not give up yet. Your father has not. If there is anyone who can stop this plague, it is him. You know that. He loves you so very much. Trust him. Kaza nodded before lying back in bed and staring at the ceiling, too afraid of the nightmares to try and go back to sleep.

[Silence Sei]

The fact that Zieg left some of Anita's questions answered while addressing the others told the girl that he did not in fact get the message. It also insinuated that the Demon General himself was not a victim of the virus like Anita had originally thought. However, it seemed that Kaza had indeed fallen ill to the plague of Jadet according to his father. "No, Kaza can't die! He's one of the only people around my age I can relate to!" Leave it to a teenage girl to only think about herself in a moment of crisis for others.

Grabbing the general by the hand, Anita began to lead him to his father, tucking through the streets and alleyways that she took to arrive at Zieg's location. When the duo arrived they were welcomed with a sight neither of them expected to see. Lying on the ground, clutching his stomach was the Dragon of Drantrak himself, looking like a helpless child as he squirmed on the ground to try and relieve some pain.

"Papa!" Anita rushed to Sei's side quickly and kneeled down to feel the mute's head. Upon her touch, Sei's eyes opened and the telepath saw Zieg dil' Tulfried standing before him. "General Tulfried, it's good to see you again..." the child spoke in between the grunts coming from his throat. "Something terrible is happening to this town General. I need your help to determine the cause of these illnesses..." Sei strained his eyes closed once more as he stood up, having to look up towards Zieg.

The warrior was obviously in pain, and a veteran such as Zieg dil' Tulfried should have been able to figure such a thing out. The youth looked to each side of Zieg quickly as if he were going to greet Kaza and Xeppa. "They're not here, Papa. The plague, it got to Kaza. According to Lord Tulfried he is alive but not well..." Anita bit her lower lip at the last bit of the sentence. The girl was imagining that the worst had already become of the demons son.

"General Tulfried," Sei's eyes met the demons once more as he spoke to him privately, ignoring Anita entirely, "I have a clue as to who might be causing this illness to spread. You see, I'm only under such severe pain as when I'm around a mystic. Not just any kind of mystic though. Light Mstics have always been prone to the spells of Shadow Mystics." As Sei finished the last part of his sentenced, he coughed into his small hand, looking down and noticing the azure blood trickling down his palm.

"What I'm trying to explain is that this is not your run of the mill illness. This is -magic-. To be specific, it's Shadow Mystic magic. But who would cast a spell on such a town as Jadet, and why?"

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

Zieg was numb as Anita led him through town to where Sei Orlouge was. He mindlessly followed her to near the entrance of town and saw the young Sei curled over in the street similar to the way he was just a while earlier. The young mystic spoke in the demon's head with a plea for help. According to Sei, the one who was plaguing this town was a shadow mystic. The demon had no idea what this implied, and had he been thinking straight, he might have been able to deduce a plan.

In fact, the father was not even thinking about who was doing it anymore. His mind was back on his son, and he had to make some kind of arrangement to care for his child. Completely ignoring Sei's request at first, he turned to Anita.

"Anita, will you go and look out for my son. He is in a house across from the blacksmith in the central square. Xeppa is there with him." Tears ran down the demon's cheeks as he thought of the child. Zieg wiped his eyes before reaching at his back, underneath his cape. He pulled out a pair of dragon-skin gloves and handed them to the girl. "Don't touch him with your bare skin, the illness is transmitted by touch. These may be big for you, but at least you will be able to comfort, Kaza."

Zieg took one deep breath, and with his son being cared for, he focused on the problem at hand. "A shadow mystic is doing this? We have to figure out where this mystic is. Where would a shadow mystic hide?"

[Karuka]

Man...I remember glancing at this thread when I first joined Althnas and thinking I should read it when it finished. This was shaping up to be a great thread, and it's a real shame that it didn't finish.

Anyway, here are the numbers, with little commentary, as per request.

Continuity: 4 I kinda sorta had vague ideas why you guys came, but only a vague idea where and why ONE of you was going afterward, and of course, the lack of finish really hurt here.

Pacing: 5 This was great. Unfortunately, the lack of end or middle hit me like a slap to the face, just when it was getting good.

Setting: 6 Not bad, but not great.

Persona: 7 Zieg really shone here, with the father's concern for his son, but Sei was kinda iffy. Maybe he'd have been better if the thread completed.

Action: 4 This could have been so amazing, and it was shaping up great. If this had completed, I'm sure it would have been a 9.

Dialogue: 6

Mechanics: 7 Watch out for typos.

Technique: 4 There wasn't much there from either of you.

Clarity: 7 What was there was clear.

Wild Card: 5 This is the best I feel that this thread warrants, as an incomplete. Don't take it harshly, I really loved what was there. I just wish there'd been more of it.

Total: 55! Congratulations!

Rewards:

Zieg dil' Tulfried receives 1,265 EXP and 83 GP

Silence Sei receives 1,165 EXP and 83 GP

EXP/GP added!