Chapter 151: Shock And Despair

POV Eliza

After meeting Lynn, I considered whether I should stop by Lirella's place. But I decided against it. I was still worried about the children suffering from the terrible disease. Lynn's story had also shaken me. That's why I suddenly felt homesick. I felt the urge to return to camp as quickly as possible. I was afraid that my decision would waver if I experienced the family atmosphere at Lirella and Weyn's house. So, with a heavy heart, I wrote a letter to the two of them and asked the Adventurers' Guild to deliver it.

I even decided against staying overnight in the city and set off immediately. I borrowed a horse for the journey, which I returned two days later in Lightburgh. Here, I stocked up on food and traveled directly west toward the camp. It took me five days to reach the nearby town. From there, it was another four days to the camp, or three if I hurried. The prospect of seeing the others again spurred me on, and I ended up needing less than three days. In doing so, I pushed myself to my limits. I had hardly slept at night for over two weeks and was very exhausted. I could tell by the fact that my sleep resistance had increased.

It was late afternoon when I came within sight of the camp. It had been several months since my last visit, and the fortifications had grown further. The wooden fence was now complete, as far as I could see. The gate was not visible from my direction, but there was a small watchtower. A person was standing on the watchtower, keeping watch. I knew the person. He was one of the boys who had come of age this year. I stepped out of the forest and took off my hood.

“Halt, who goes there? Identify yourself!” <Boy>

“Lenan, it's me. Eliza. I'm back.” <Eliza>

“It's you. Come in. The others will be happy to see you. The entrance is on the other side.” <Lenan>

“All right.” <Eliza>

I hurried around the fence and approached the entrance. There was another watchtower here. I waved to the guard, who then opened the door for me. Inside, there was a lot of activity, although the mood was very subdued. I looked around and spotted Will, the leader of our small community, in the distance. I hurried toward him.

“Will, I'm back and I have news.” <Eliza>

Will turned to me and I saw deep worry lines on his face. I had the impression that they were getting deeper. I looked at him questioningly.

“Eliza. Why are you... oh, never mind. Maybe it's better this way.” <Will>

“Will, what's wrong? Are the children not well? Has one of them died?” <Eliza>

"No, thankfully not. But instead... come with me. You'll find out soon enough." Will Will turned around and started walking. I felt my stomach cramp up and tighten. I had a very, very bad feeling. Will headed for a hut and I started to panic. The hut was the one mama lived in. Had something happened to her? Please, no.

We entered the hut and I saw mama lying in her bed. She wasn't moving and I couldn't hear her breathing. I dropped my backpack and rushed to her side. I knelt down and took her hand in mine. It was ice cold. I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"Mama, no. What's wrong? What happened? Why? Why? Please don't leave me!" <Eliza>

"She's not dead, at least as far as we know. But she's not conscious. Unfortunately, we don't know what's wrong with her, but her symptoms are the same as the children's, unfortunately much worse. The children are responsive and can eat on their own. Mimi doesn't respond to touch and doesn't eat. If this continues, I doubt she will live much longer. I'm sorry, Eliza. We can only hope that our three friends find a cure." <Will<

He put his hand on my shoulder, but I didn't notice. I burst into tears and shortly afterwards lost consciousness. My exhaustion took its toll.

POV Will

I was overwhelmed when Eliza suddenly stood in front of me, and that didn't happen to me often. I was about to hide the situation with her mother from her, but then decided against it. She would find out very quickly anyway. So I just sighed inwardly and led her to Mimi. As expected, the sight was a shock to her, and shortly after she burst into tears, she also lost consciousness. I had a small bed set up for her and laid her down in it. Then I left the hut and went back to my duties.

The next morning, I heard loud voices coming from Mimi's hut. I ran over and saw several people talking excitedly.

“What happened?” <Will>

“I was assigned to check on Mimi today and try to feed her. I noticed that her cheeks were red and she almost fell out of bed. Her wrists were also red and she had a small cut on her finger.” <Woman>

“How can that be? Didn't Eliza see anything? What does she say about it?” <Will>

“Eliza? I haven't seen her. Her things are still in the hut, so she can't be too far away.” <Woman>

“That's very strange. Ask around the whole camp. She must be somewhere. We need answers from her.” <Will>

The others ran off and asked around, but to no avail. No one had seen her since yesterday. Eliza had vanished into thin air. However, after a thorough search of Mimi's hut, we found a note that hadn't been there before. Next to the words “necrotic paralysis” was a list of ingredients and instructions for making a potion. Was this the cure and the children's illness? Eliza had obviously come to us to bring us this information. Was she now looking for the ingredients? And where were our three adventurers? She must have encountered at least one of them, because she seemed to know about the illness. I was faced with a mystery and had no choice but to wait until she returned.