Chapter 193 – You Are in the City Guard Now

Lilyth

‘Did we have any other cases?’ The Viscount asked when we gathered in his council room for the daily crisis management meeting two days after the events at the clinic.

There were eight of us there: The Viscount, Kartyen, Baerniel, Jillyead, Yachiro, Malika, Persephone and me.

I was there because I decided against returning to the Realm of Air and since I forbade the others from coming here because magical pathogens are bad, I was the only member of our group in the city to have been in the Akh'ret's Mercy.

The others weren't happy, but the prospect of becoming Rot zombies was enough to keep them away. Then, after I told him what had happened the last time, the Viscount closed the city gates and put a curfew in place and the question became academic. Nobody in or out.

‘Not that we know of,’ Jillyead replied, ‘though it is too early to tell. Assuming that the young man was patient zero, we might have nipped it in the bud. Based on the documents Miss Caeileera retrieved from Akh'ret's Mercy it seems that the Smiling Death is primarily spread through vomit. Specifically, by spraying open wounds with it. That's… unusual and likely limits the spread considerably.’

‘That’s because it was designed as a targeted means of terror more than to cause damage,’ Persephone explained. ‘Turn a few soldiers into carriers and have them spread the disease among their comrades. All carriers would eventually be identified and killed, but the morale impact would remain.’

‘Or you could infect someone and let them loose in the city,’ I pointed out. ‘Likely causing well… what happened five hundred years ago.’

‘No use dwelling on the past,’ Malika, to my surprise, said. ‘Also to the best of my knowledge, we stopped Enmar before the Smiling Death was ever used.’

‘Mom never completed it,’ Persephone shrugged. ‘At least I was imprisoned before she did.’

‘Mommie Dearest was busy during her imprisonment then,’ I sighed.

Wilhum coughed, bringing us back to the main subject.

‘How long until we know that people who were in contact with this “patient zero” are not infected?’ he asked.

‘Based on Doctor Vaan Lohren’s records, the usual onset of symptoms happens around three to five days after the initial infection,’ Jillyead provided. ‘Let's make it ten to account for the outliers.’

‘So… eight more days. What's the chance he was the only carrier?’

Wilhum asked this question at every meeting, hoping the answer would change.

‘Right now?’ Jillyead mused. ‘We have to assume it is zero. We will have to wait at least a few more days to rule out the existence of any other infected.’

Personally, I had mixed feelings about that. Assuming the three-to-five day incubation period was correct, it has been between five and seven days since that poor bastard from the clinic had been infected. The assumption that all the potential carriers were infected at the same time also struck me as incredibly flawed. Still, I wasn't a medical expert, so I would let smarter people than me make the decision on that.

‘You wouldn't dig up an ancient magical disease to infect just one person with it.’ I added. ‘

‘Maybe one dose is all they had,’ Persephone said. ‘I can’t imagine there being many surviving samples of the Smiling Death. Remember, the previous outbreak was caused by Lendaria accidentally releasing my mother. If she were the cause of it here, I assure you it likely wouldn't be this benign.’

‘Based on Doctor Vaan Lohren's notes, the Empire did try to find a cure,’ Jillyead mused. ‘As the Fall happened around the same time, it is possible that there was something left in one of their old labs.

That did make sense, which, given the rest of the evidence, made “someone found a sample in an old lab” our leading hypothesis. There was, of course, the question of whether they had any more, but since we couldn't rule it out, we moved on to a more pressing one - why? Or rather: Why Ror-Bhyk? As much as I liked my new home, the sad truth was that the place was a backwater. Deploying a priceless bio-weapon here was well… stupid. It would be like dropping the Tsar Bomba on fucking Bald Knob, Arkansas. Sure, you can. But why?

‘The fae,’ Baerniel found the obvious answer. ‘The Church of Light is running a campaign against them. A mysterious illness appearing and spreading while thousands of people are visiting their clinic each week…’

Easy target for any propagandist.

‘I apologise for this, Jillyead,’ The Viscount said. ‘You came to us in our moment of need and some of my people responded with violence. If the link between the Church and this attack is confirmed there will be reckoning.’

‘Thank you, Lord Viscount,’ the ashplamath responded. ‘There is no need for this, however. Our organisation does not believe in retaliation. We do believe in self-defence, however, and with your permission, we will supplement your guards with some of our own.’

‘Granted. Frankly, we will take all the help we can get, so if your organisation can spare some extra ones we could use them to help enforce the curfew.’

I wasn’t sure whether that was a good idea, given how someone was trying to cause racial tensions, and “first, they came with aid, and now they are taking over the city” would easily take root in people's minds.

This is why we can't have good things.

‘I will send a request,’ Jillyead said. ‘I expect it will be approved, as stopping the resurgence of the Smiling Death is viewed as the highest priority for our organisation.’

Jillyead didn't need to explain why. The only documentation on the disease that was available was the records from Akh'ret's Mercy and whatever Persephone remembered. And both these sources agreed on one thing - the only cure for the Smiling Death was intracranial nine millimetre injection.

Baerniel was the next to speak up. He said that there were reports of “something” happening in the Lower District. There were reports of disappearances, strangers walking around, and blood on the snow. This was all very alarming, but so far any investigation turned up jackshit.

The next thing we covered was Yachiro’s intelligence network. Unsurprisingly, brothels were a perfect source for gathering all sorts of information, alas the right people didn't come to get their wicks wet yet.

‘I have asked my couriers to keep an eye out too,’ Ren’s grandpa said.

As I knew Dainyir was one of them, I hoped he would stay safe. I would have to ask Yachiro to set up a meeting between the two of us. Not because of my impending “horny period”, at least that was what I kept telling myself, but because well… it seemed that we would be working together for the duration and I wanted us to be on good terms.

After Yachiro finished giving his report, it was time for the stand-up com… suggestions part of the meeting. Kartyen had one.

‘Maybe we should mount an expedition into Akh’ret's Mercy for more information.’

We looked at her confused.

‘Such as?’ Jillyead asked.

‘How was it handled the last time?’

‘Flamethrowers and execution squads, I believe,’ I shrugged.

‘And we would rather avoid having to resort to using those,’ the Viscount said.

Yeah. I don’t think there are many flamethrowers in Ror-Bhyk.

The meeting ended shortly after that and we began returning to our duties. In my case, I would actually be starting them that day, as the Viscount conscripted me into the City Guard until the crisis was over.

The reasoning behind the decision was sound as having one of the Heroes of Ror-Bhyk show they are sharing everyone's toils and helping keep the citizenry safe would greatly improve morale. I was placed under the command of our old friend Sergeant Milten, and the bearded man was already waiting for me in front of my quarters along with Sol, the other rookie under his command. Like many others, we would be patrolling the Lower District looking for anything “weird”.

‘I guess I am reporting for duty, Sergeant’ I said, a bit unsure.

‘Glad to have you with us, Miss Lilyth,’ the guard responded. ‘Wish your other friends could join us as well, but in your shoes, I also wouldn't want my family here right now.’

‘We’ll have to make do with just us,’ I sighed. ‘Anyway, let me grab my gear.’

‘Don’t you want our chainmail?’ Milten laughed.

‘I’ll stick to my dragon leather,’ I smiled back

‘Dragon…’ Sol whispered in awe.

‘I found it,’ I quickly lied, deciding not to reveal that it was a gift from Ereshkigal. ‘In the Murdergrove.’

Inside my room, there was a care package from Nyx waiting for me in the form of a giant gift basket. It was actually the second one I have received since the outbreak began.

The first one, I found in my room immediately after getting quartered in it. It was mostly stuff meant for me to take “care” of issues: some potions, a Neverending Canteen, a satchel of holding, some rations and most importantly: the nine millimetre semi-automatic that Caei grabbed for me in the Akh'ret's Mercy and… the Blade of the Black Rose.

Caei unbound it from herself, and according to the note attached: I would need it more.

It was honestly a touching gesture.

The way to a woman's heart is indeed through the sternums of her enemies.

Despite Savri's best efforts, I was a terrible shot, but hopefully, with more than two hours of emergency training, I would improve. I feared I would be an even worse swordswoman, but as I told the sergeant, I would have to make do with what I had.

Anyway, the second care package actually lived up to its name and was full of treats and other nice things: the herbs for my issues, a furbrush, various Kitsune-favoured snacks, orange-flavoured tea that likely was from Ere, my cat-shark plushie from the Fruitful Growth, some books, Nyx wouldn't be herself if she didn't sneak in some porn, and last, but certainly not the least - Fluffy, looking absolutely adorable as he was bow-wrapped in that complimented his OwO face.

He immediately began vibrating upon seeing me and I took him into my arms and squeezed.

‘Hey, boy,’ I whispered to him. ‘You have no idea how happy I am to see you.’

He rubbed his body against me in a gesture that said, “Me too, Mom.”

I was sad to leave him there, but duty-called. I decided that I would make it up to him in the evening.

Knowing my luck, that meant I would be chest deep in blood in some random dungeon by noon.

‘GODFUCKINGDAMMIT!’ I screamed in rage when another kid thought it would be funny to throw a snowball at my head to get my fur wet.

I am going to murder those little shits!

It wasn't even that it hurt, fuck that, the fucking snow got my fur all tangled and icky. I would have so much grooming to do after this.

Sergeant Milten also seemed to have had enough and chased the kids away warning them they would be spending the night in the clink if they didn't go home “right-the-fuck-now”.

‘Thanks, Sarge,’ I said.

‘Kids gonna be kids,’ he replied. ‘Still they need to learn some respect.’

‘Would you have really arrested them?’

‘No. I would do something even worse: tell their parents. Having your child dragged home by a member of the Guard for assaulting another Guardsman would result in an interesting conversation, I am sure.’

I shuddered. That would be the worst.

‘Not a member of the Guard, though,’ I said.

‘You are one while serving under me. Plus, you saved this city how many times now?’

‘I had help.’

‘And all of you deserve respect for that.’

I just smiled weakly.

‘Thank you.’

I then decided to change the subject:

‘You know, now that I think of it, joining the City Guard might not be a terrible idea for me. As much as I have been enjoying rest, I kinda want a job. I have been freeloading in Ren’s house, and while she is okay with that, I am not.’

‘We’ll see whether you think the same way after you finish your first week,’ Milten chuckled.

That was true. It had only been the third hour out of ten of our patrol and all we had to do was walk around in reasonably good weather. Sure it was cold, maybe minus ten degrees Celsius, but it wasn't sunny and there was little wind.

That changed by the sixth hour when it already started to get dark and a piercing cold wind began to blow and then two hours later snow began to blow.

The good news was that nobody felt particularly naughty in such awful weather.

The bad news was that we would likely find corpses of people who froze to death in the morning. While part of our efforts was directing any person in need to shelters, a standard Winter procedure, the sad truth was that not everyone would listen or some we would just not find.

The worst news was that we would have to find the bodies and all the survivors before the people responsible for the plague did.

We weren't terribly concerned about the Smiling Death infecting the corpses, there was nothing to suggest it could do that. The problem was someone or something infecting soon-to-be-corpses. There was also the risk of Necromancy.

My greatest fear, however, was that someone has accidentally used the Smiling Death in a way Persephone described. The entire City Guard was now possibly running around like headless chickens looking for a threat that wasn't even there and, meanwhile, whoever released the disease could move almost undetected.

Those were wonderful thoughts to keep you warm while freezing your tail off in a blizzard, which is why the quickly-cutoff shriek followed by a gurgle from one of the side alleys was such a relief.