Sick of It

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[OOC: Solo.]

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Felicity stepped into the town.

Where everyone was crying out.

”Oh, Jomil! May Thou hath mercy on us!”

Felicity raised an eyebrow, confused. The hatch roofed houses were plain and humble. The brown dirt village was running amok with many animals, chickens and pigs, all unusually unhealthy. They appeared too scrawny to be in good health, their eyes coated with a green ooze. Felicity cautiously placed a hand over her mouth as she approached the crowd. They all were too frail to be in health as well. Some had their eyes glued shut with the same green ooze, others could hardly stand. They cried out in great pain, ”Oh, Great Jomil! Please! Haveth mercy!”

As they cried out to the Thayne of life and death, Felicity approached.

The air stunk with the stench of sickness. She fell pale, plugging her nose over such an atrocious scent. Many people, visible from the village's town center, leaned against their houses in agony. Moaning, shouts of pain, horror. Fear was evident in the swear smell that accompanied the sickness.

The dry, hot weather did not waiver the townsfolk from gathering in a circle, crying and desperately replicating Jomil worship ceremonies.

“Stay away!”

Felicity gasped, turning towards see an elderly man standing on one leg, the other black in rot. He leaned on a cane, wincing, as he waved her away.

Felicity stepped closer instead.
 
“Hello?” Felicity approached the grey haired man.

“Child,” he shook as he let the cane support his weight, “You do not want to he here. You could catch it.”

Felicity crossed her arms, “Catch what? What’s going on?”

He vibrated, “We-we don’t know-“

Felicity tapped her alchemy kit, at her hip, “I could find out. I’m a medic.”

Before he could intervene, she went to business, “No charge. I just want to help you. Now, I need samples of the sickness and a suitable lab.”

She was picking up Yvonne’s boldness.

The room was made with sticks and crumbling mortar. The open window let the sunlight and sick stench into the room. It was mostly empty, save the plain wood table. It was poorly made, scratched up with no smoothness or craftsmanship to it.

Oh well. It was something.

The elder stood by the open, uncovered door. The hatch roofed cottage sustained itself as Felicity immediately set up shop. She set her limited alchemist’s supplies up. She neatly organised them the best she could around the crude countertop.

“Ma’am?” the elder raised a hand, “We have samples incoming.”

“Awesome.” Felicity was setting up her vials, organizing in size, “Bring them to the table once you have them.”

Soon enough, samples came in. Rotted flesh, sticky furs… Rhyolite pulled her hair into a bun and performed the tests. She rolled her eyes when she heard the prayers still commencing outside. Her family had a history as Thayne followers. She never really doubted their existence, but she never sought after proof either. So far, these chants seemed like a wasted effort.

Come nightfall, she figured it out.

The tests came back pointing towards one illness. A fungal disease that targeted soft tissue. It was a gross one too. Felicity grimaced.

The elder stepped in, through the moonlight, “Ma’am?”

“Your village,” Felicity safely contained the samples, “Has a pretty icky case of Darkmud.”

The elder gasped, “Wh-what’s-“

Felicity started the hastily pack, “You don’t want to know. Thankfully, it doesn’t kill. Easily…”

She checked her weapons supply, “It’s just painful and disgusting.”

“Good to know…” the elder muttered sarcastically. “Oh, Jomil must despise us if we have a fate worse than death…”

“Shut up about Jomil already,” Felicity huffed. She approached him with her tools gathered, “I know the cure, but I need to gather the three ingredients. I hope to be back in several days, won’t take long.”

Before the elder could scold her for bad mouthing Jomil, she swiftly left the room.

Her annoyance steadily turned into compassion as she walked through town. The small settlement was riddled with sick, decaying people. A child coughed, crying as he held his grey, pained arm. Felicity had to bolt out of the town, or else risk her tears to fall. The moonlight guided her towards her first target. A gentle evening wind blew as she darted through tall grasses.

Three ingredients. South western zaffreroot. Athelas. Web flower. After gathering all of these, it will take nothing to make the cure. It’s finding them that's the hard part…

First ingredient: South western zaffreroot. Taking it its juice can aid in many things. It can boost immunity, ease migranes, and sooth pain. While all of those are great, it’s best in this case for kickstarting immunities and tissue healing. It’s located in the deeper parts of Concordia…

The green canopy contrasted the burning morning sun. The leaves had halos of bright gold as Felicity dodged the rocks and roots of the forest floor. She leapt over a toppled tree, swerving around as she stepped deeper into the forest. Going at a pace suited for such travel without her exhaustion, she munched at a high vitamin and protein bar as she rested against a tree. She grew up near Concordia. She remembered her once wildest dream of joining her late cousin in the ranks of the Rangers. That dream, however, died a long time ago. She was over it now, although disappointment hung within the back of her mind still.

Nostalgia raced through her heart as she searched the ground. The root plant grew in thick dirt, where dead trees transformed into nutrient filled soil. As she skowered the ground, a white barn owl with silver tipped wings watched silently from the overarching trees.

She carefully surveyed the forest floor, hoping.

…

…

… As the day turned into midday, midday turning into evening, she had no luck in the hour long searches. She wiped sweat from her forehead, frustrated and muddied.

-Then she saw it!

In the ground, arrowhead shaped leaves poked out. A rabbit attempted to pull out samples of the bitter but nutritional plant further down the line. Felicity laughed, almost insane, she finally found a cluster! In haste, she yanked the dark blue roots from the dirt.

She placed the plants in a bag before continuing her search.

Athelas is the most common plant on my list. Who doesn’t like this stuff? It may be bitter, but it comes with so many benefits. It’s a magic imbued plant by nature. A rapid healer, this thing can cure literally anything on its own! Imagine it in a concoction of other healing agents. With athelas, these people will be better in no time!

Athelas was the easiest to find. It was sprinkled here and there across the forest floor. Before she knew it, she had a heaping bag full. It did not mean bending over and pulling it up was easy work; yet, she was pleasantly surprised in the good time she made.

As night fell over the forest, she pressed on.

~~~

Spider flower is much more difficult to get than the others. It only grows in a certain part of the forest where monsters lurk. Named after the N'jalian Spidermage it grows alongside, spider flower directly targets and kills the Darkmud fungi.

The trees here were ancient. Felicity could feel the dread magic in the air. One Thayne after another, N'jal created the once wood elves which dwelled here. Felicity was starting to seriously consider the Thaynes’ existence – althoughshe doubted if they were of help anyone at all. The twisted webs which hung across the trees like gowns were hideous in color and scent.

Felicity looked awful.

Her entire outfit was muddied, her hair was down and tangled, she had circles under her eyes. Should such an exhausted traveler place her steps in such dangers?

As she stepped over a large deer carcus, which was atrocious to every sense, she spotted it. A pale green flower, in full bloom, sat atop an aged log. Its hexagon shaped petals seemed to welcome her. Happy to have found it so soon, Felicity staggered towards the plant.

She was stopped in her tracks, however. For spinning down a humongous web, faceless and pale, was a spidermage.

Are you kidding me?

Felicity pulled out her bow.

The creature hissed (somehow), warning her to stay away from its territory.

She pulled an arrow out, placing it upon the string.

The half spider abomination jumped to the ground, causing the ground to shake.

She pulled the arrow back.

*Thlack!*

The spidermage fell, dead, with an arrow in its neck. Felicity stomped past, kicking the corpse aside. “For the love of whichever Thayne is the thayne of sanity, leave me alone.”

She pulled the flower from its resting place.

Before anymore spider things came from the darkness, Felicity collected her arrow and scrammed. She raced through the forest, following the markers she set up in her mind. Shoving more food in her face, she scaled fallen trees and ages roots. She had all the ingredients. Now, she was ready to make the cure and get this done and over with. The morning sun faintly shimmered between the forest roof as she ran back to civilization.

If you could call that village “civilized.”

“We thought you would never make it!” The elder called to the girl. Worn out and frustrated, Felicity promptly shoved him aside as she entered.

“You know what I said about no payments?” She hurriedly pulled her equipment and ingredients out.

“Umm…” the elder was quite baffled.

“I take it back,” Felicity scowled as she started prepping the cure, “This little fiasco will cost one bath.”

Thus, the race to make the cure began. She cut up all the herbs, made juice from the herbs and flower. She mixed, combined, cooked… Under the evening sun, she ate on the go as she anxiously worked on the formula that would save the villagers from sickness.

At last, as evening fell across the ailing village, the deed was completed. A blue colored liquid was poured into multiple bottles, ready to be drunk up.

“I’ve done it!” Rhyolite huffed in deep satisfaction.

The elder, plus assistants, checked on her.

“Quick!” Felicity ordered, Give this potion to every soul and animal in town, even those who appear unaffected. We are eradicating this disease!”

Soon enough, the townsfolk were all given their share of the cure. The animals, unwilling to drink the weird goop, had to be injected. The process took well into nightfall. By three in the morning, all had been given a dosage of the medicine.

“It will take up to two weeks for the full effects to course through,” Felicity had told them, “You will feel the healing as soon as dawn.”

With the health of the town secure, Felicity took her long awaited hot bath. After biding the thankful elder fair well, she took off again.

”Where are you heading?”

“Radansanth.”

“Why? Are you insane? The Empire is there!”

“Yes, but my new purpose is there as well. I’m about to become a part of something big. Important. Maybe then, I’ll find love and usefulness…”

”What do you fear?” the old shaman asked.

She lay across the ground, drowned in tears and sweat.

“Useless…”

She walked upon a dirt road. As the orange sun beat down, she tossed mouthfuls of nuts in her mouth. Her thoughts were geared towards the excitement of joining Faith United. The heat beat down, but she did not care. A butterfly fluttered by as she gazed upon the flower spotted meadow. Her boots scruffled across the ground. In the mountains of Eiskalt, in a trial conducted by her neanderthal kin, she vowed never to give up hope. She vowed to be a potion of the earth, not a poison. She would bring health, joy, love, and hope to Althanas through heroics and good actions. It was her desire to help the world, even when its darkest forests threw monsters in het face.

She smirked, subconsciously holding her sword’s hilt. This girl had potential. Hopefully, in Radansanth, she would fulfil it.

”We all have monster inside us, dear. What matters is what we do with it.”

Yet, she had weaknesses to combat her strength. Anger issues, an anxiety disorder, uncontrollable powers. She was in a constant struggle for control of her own self. In the aftermath of her rage, she could be just as devastated as everything around her. Her past always hounded her steps, haunting her. She was forced to face memories she wished she could just forget. It always followed her. It was her ghost, possessing her mind until she broke.

Her own powers, which gave her even more strength, were so difficult to keep under wraps.

It seemed like she was destined to lose.

No. She refused to fall. She had already come this far. Her internal struggle was nothing she could manage. She would fight. Through blood and tears she would battle for some fleeting hope at the other side of darkness. She was sick of it. Sick of the misery. Through her wounds, however, she only grew stronger.

So she continued down the country road, carrying her weapons and alchemy kit. From a lone tree from the side of the path, the bright owl watched her with everlasting vigilance.

~~~
I want to set the world on fire.
I was to bring warmth to this cold world
Others have failed before me, they have tired
But I will fight for love forevermore

“You are incredible, Felicity Rhyolite. You have the talent, courage, skills, and blessings to make such an incredible impact. I will watch you closely, flaming songbird. I will guide your steps to where even the Great Thaynes cannot ignore you.”

Thread Title: Sick of It
Type: Basic Rewards

Flamebird receives: 1170 EXP and 117 GP

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