072, 2/2

Erick found Kiri in the guest rooms, near one of the beds used by Turock or Veel; he wasn’t sure which one this particular bed belonged to. Kiri was staring at the bed. Erick instantly noticed what Kiri had noticed.

A pocket of normal air surrounded one of three pillows on the bed; the [Prismatic Ward] did not form around the pillow. There was something untoward in that soft space.

“Oh,” Erick said.

Kiri said, “I’m not sure what to do with it, or if I should do anything at all.” She turned to Erick, saying, “I’m not sure if I can go back to Oceanside, either.” She quickly added, “No. Never mind. Forget that. I can go back.”

Erick paused, then he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Kiri took a long time to answer. Eventually, she said, “We just saw a dragon eat that Flare Couatl. I can’t help… I can’t help but think…” She went silent again.

Erick understood, but he tried to clarify, “Are you worried about the Headmaster?”

“… Yes.” Kiri whispered, “I forgot he was a dragon. How could I possibly forget such a detail.” She added, “Poi already checked me out. None of my memories have been altered. This is all me. This is my failure. But I have to go back.” She gestured toward the suspicious pillow, saying, “Parasites in a compromised house, or normal terror and the possibility of help. There’s not much of a choice, is there?”

“We’ll solve this problem, and then we’ll solve the rest.” Erick said, “We’re coming back with help, even if I have to give up some secrets to the old dragon. I would like you to be there so I can teach you these secrets, too. Are you interested in this?”

Kiri’s eyes did not sparkle like they usually did when Erick offered to teach her something. She did smile, but it was a faint expression; barely there. She said, “I am interested.”

“Good.” Erick said, “As soon as I can get Jane ready, we can destroy the house and remake everything inside. You need anything in your room?” He added, “Though I don’t know if we can trust any of it.”

“Crash the house to the ground. I have nothing here that can’t be replaced.”

Erick had lived in Windy Manor on Oceanside for the past two months, but his home was here, and he was about to willingly tear it apart because it was obviously infested with parasites. He was going to take [Stoneshape] and turn the house to sand. And it hurt.

It didn’t matter that [Mend] could be Aurify’d into repairing the whole thing back together, because something would inevitably be lost in the destruction. He wouldn’t know what had been lost until after he tore the house apart, and put the place back together, and then when he went to go use something, it wouldn’t be there. It would be gone.

But that didn’t really matter, did it? They were under attack, and Erick would do what needed to be done. This parasitized house was a liability, right now.

“It’s all just stuff, anyway.” he said. “I’ll leave one wall up and the rest as a pile of sand for a while. We’ll spend the night in Windy Manor and come back tomorrow.”

– – – –

Erick stood outside of the closed door to Jane’s bathroom, on the second floor of the house. Her room was just down the hallway from his own.

She retched into water on the other side of the door. It was not a pleasant sound.

Erick said, “Hey, Jane.”

She puked again.

He asked, “You’re not dying, right? This is normal for losing your essence, like you said it would be, right?”

She spat, then dry heaved. Thick air spilled out from underneath the door.

Erick winced. He wanted to rush in there and hold back her hair or rub her back. Offer her tea. Something. Anything. He had taken care of her so many times when she was a kid. The flu always hit her hard, and then there was a stomach virus once or twice. Jane got her vaccines when she was a baby, but as soon as she was old enough to fight against the needles she skipped out on the flu shot from age 8 to 16. Sometimes literally.

Erick smiled, saying, “Do you remember that time you ran away for a day because I tried to make you get your flu shot?”

More retching. More thick air slipped out from under the door, followed by a blue glow. She groaned out small curses.

Erick said, “We’re leaving to go get help from the Headmaster. I already told Silverite. She doesn’t think it will work, but she wishes me luck. I want you to come with us, and be safe in Windy Manor while this Messalina mess plays out.”

Jane groaned out more curses. She spat. She said, “I can fight, now. The essence is ghHOOoo—”

Erick winced, listening. He said, “You’re in no shape to do anything. You’re going to be sick for a month and Messalina is apparently throwing around Dream Worms like they’re candy. You might even have one in you. The hospitals at Oceanside are really good. They take everyone in for free and do their best to help mitigate problems exactly like yours.”

“YouUu tAalked to thEem about mEe?” Jane paused. She asked, “What did you say?”

“Not exactly. Not yet. It was on the list to ask the doctors about your specific convalescence, but Rats has been there for weeks now, and all of his stories are about how they’re doing this or that for these long term patients.” Erick said, “I’m sure they have a good program for people in your situation.”

“… Ask them specifically about people recovering from dragoOn esseEEn—” She burped on the other side of the door. She said, “I heard that he eats everyone with essence…” She went quiet.

After a moment, gentle crying echoed from inside the bathroom.

Erick panicked. He put his hand on the door knob, saying, “I’m coming in, Jane.”

Jane sobbed quietly, as she said, “Fi— fine.”

Erick opened the door. Beneath the window, beside the toilet, Jane sprawled on the stone floor with one arm around the rim of the commode. She leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. Her face was three shades too pale. But she chuckled. Then she started crying again.

Erick went to her, but not too fast. She didn’t like it when he crowded her when she was sick. He stepped to the side of the sink, five feet from her, and kneeled down. He said, “Hey there.”

Jane glanced at Erick, chuckling. She sobbed again. She said, “This is really fucking terrible. I knew it would be bad. But I never expected this.”

“I don’t know much about dragon essence failures but—”

“No, dad.” Jane shook her head, then stopped, stock still. She quickly stuck her head over the toilet and dry heaved. She flickered dark blue, and stopped heaving. She said, “Healing helps… but not enough. It’s— It’s a soul sickness. Dragon essence failure is a soul sickness.” She added, “But no. That’s not what really sucks. I can handle this…” Tears filled her eyes, then flowed down wet channels already lining her face. “I thought Veird would be more fun than this.” She instantly added, “It’s stupid. I know it’s stupid. I’m stupid.”

Erick did not expect her to talk in that direction, but he rushed to catch up, saying, “You’re not stupid.” He added, “It’s tough. I know it is.” Erick’s own eyes began to water, as he said, “It’s not okay, but it’s okay for now. Okay?” He added, “Monsters and pain and horror. We can handle it. You can handle it. And when you can’t, it’s time for a break.”

Jane smiled. Then she puked bile into the toilet. When she was done, she flashed dark blue again, then flickered a [Cleanse] into the room. Thick air spilled away, across the floor then into the hallway. She said, “I expected adventure and levels and loot and magic. Sure, there’d be some horror. Of course there’d be some horror. But I could have died twenty times over in that unicorn hunt. I would have never seen it coming, either. I’m just now realizing how dangerous Ar’Kendrithyst actually is—” She said, “And now I’m just being a baby.” She added, “I already knew how dangerous this place is. I’m just being stupid.”

“You’re not stupid, Jane.” Erick said, “I never expected this place to be this vicious, either. Now we got Dream Worms in people and Silverite thinks Mog is compromised, among others.”

“I heard.” Jane went silent as more tears welled in her eyes. She eventually said, “I made dinner for… for those two, and me. Last night. Shepherd’s pie. Great big platter of it… I used the leftover beef from a whole cow Turock roasted two days ago. Veel liked the way I made my potatoes, with cheese and too much butter.” She stared at the ceiling again, saying, “When I was in the Dead City… Ten other soldiers died while I was in there. We had seven casualties during Yetta’s mission to kill Planter… Not including Allan. And Dorthy. And Basil.” She paused. She said, “That place gets 500 adventurers a month, now. It’s like a theme park where the theme is murder. It’s horrible, dad. I don’t know…” She went silent again.

She suddenly added, “And that Unicorn Hunt! That place is rotten to the core. Something is really, really wrong over there. None of the cities have walls so the unicorns just waltz right in and dominate whoever they want and the people kill each other over the littlest things and I think someone set us up to die, dad. To die. And the Queen of the Forest talked about Melemizargo! And she thought he would respond if she just yelled his name at the sky!” She added, “The gods listen for their names and he’s a god, ergo he listens for his name and fuck, of course he does. It’s all just… It’s a lot. A lot a lot.”

Erick listened. He didn’t catch all of what Jane had just said, but he caught most of it. He would need to talk to her about all of that in a better setting than this, and soon.

He said, “Oceanside has been really nice for me for the last two months. I was able to unwind.” Erick said, “I rained here every day, and I killed the more dangerous monsters roaming close to Spur whenever Mog gave Poi a call. But I did it all at a very long range.” He said, “You’re a wreck. You need a break. Do you want to go to magic school, too? I can swing the tuition, no problem. Maybe I can help you make a [Familiar] like Ophiel, and you can do what I do.”

Ophiel listened nicely from Erick’s shoulder, like a tiny parakeet. At hearing his name, he trilled in violins.

Jane smiled at Ophiel, then at nothing in particular. She got out, “MaAA—” before she had to lean over the toilet again.

Erick tried a joke to lighten the mood, “I thought it was supposed to come out of both ends.”

Jane seemed to pale again. She stared, wide eyed at Erick, as she said, “Get out.”

Erick quickly left the room and shut the door as burbling sounds echoed loud from Jane’s tummy. A lot of unkind words followed his exit.

Erick tried to convince himself that this was normal. This was fine. She was fine. She wasn’t really okay, but she was okay. For now.

Erick joked from the other side of the closed door, “Like eating some of those Carolina Reapers, right?”

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Jane groaned, “FUUUuuuuuuck.”

– – – –

Not ten minutes later, as Erick was stringing Ophiel across the ocean, back to Oceanside to talk to Rats, a knock came from the front door. Erick answered it. Bluescale Felair, the [Witness]er of Spur, stood on the other side, along with one other; a matte-grey dragonkin-shaped wrought.

“Liquid! Felair.” Erick said, “Hello. Come on in.” He granted both of them permissions and stepped aside, saying, “I was just about to take down the house.”

“Glad I came here first, then. Silverite’s got a list for me; she’s running me ragged today,” Felair said, looking over the layer of dense air across the doorway. He touched the dense air, and his fingers went inside without pause. He stepped into the house. “Show me to Turock’s and Veel’s room.”

Kiri appeared behind Erick. She said, “I’ll show you.”

Erick said, “That works. Can you tell me what you find?”

Felair said, “Sure. She’s cleared you for that.” He thumbed to the air outside of the door, to the front yard. “Turock and Veel died there with dream worms in their heads. I can’t tell if they were active, but they were there. I can tell you that they did [Defend] themselves to death. I can recognize that ability, for sure.”

Erick felt cold.

Kiri showed Felair down the hallway; the man moved fast. Erick watched him go.

Felair was the only [Witness]er Erick knew of in Spur. Surely there were more, but they were not in the public eye like Felair was. Erick had read about [Witness] back at Oceanside. His respect for Felair easily quadrupled since that day. The only way to be able to buy the spell was to have a really, really good Mana Sense. Good enough to see for kilometers around, passively, through the ambient mana.