Vorin, Synexus, Yu, and Gene stood in their way-too-small room at the inn barely standing, nestled by the gate to the town. Two guards stood outside their door “keeping them safe” or at least that’s what they said their orders were.

  Synexus went into his Progress Garden and started work on rudimentary soundproofing before they started their discussion on the status of the town and its people. Minutes later he returned his attention to the outside world holding a dense privacy moss that he further altered to grow in layers. Then he hit it with Instant Growth to create a decent amount of soundproofing.

  “Thank you, Synexus. Fine work. Now, what are we thinking?”

  “I believe the officials seemed oddly hostile. Even having guards watching us to enforce our early departure. I’m quite surprised they didn’t force us out immediately.” Gene gave their thoughts.

  “Yes, they were quite rude. Even when we provided proof of the soldier’s death by plague and the coughing we’ve witnessed here in town, they denied the possibility of such an illness.” Yu added.

  “It does seem suspicious. Also, the foul smell coming from the numerous cracks in the roads that no one wants to talk about.”

  “If the mayor wasn’t so pushy then I would have asked about smell as well. Perhaps this town has a secret. If they have a Plague Doctor here creating plagues for biological warfare against their sister town then it would make sense, they want me out as soon as possible. However, if that were the case, why spread a cough to your own people?”

  “There is a possibility that is the case, and the plague is only being spread by visitors who go from one town to the other.”

  “Synexus is correct. That or it’s spreading through animals. A bird lands in the other town picks it up and then carries it back here to spread it.”

  “I considered that, Gene, but unless they are an extremely low level, then why wouldn’t they create it specifically to only travel between people? It just doesn’t add up. We need more information.”

  “You know I’m all about collecting more knowledge, but how would be able to with the guards watching us?”

  “They are watching the door, that’s true, Yu, however, our room has a balcony. Synexus do you have any more of those invisibility fruits?”

  “I do, but they only last five minutes.”

  “That’s long enough. Gene and I will both eat one. I’ll wear a heavy cloak. By the time it wears off, I’ll be on the other side of town. Gene can use the air to investigate anything that looks off. I’ll investigate on the ground.”

  “How will you get back?”

  “Gene could fly back in when they want. Once it’s late, I should have no problem quickly climbing through the balcony window. If morning hits and I’m not back, then meet me outside the city walls.”

  A round of nods from the group showed approval of the plan. Synexus quickly grew more of his Untraceable Lychees and handed one to both Gene and Vorin. Moments later they were invisible and gone.

  “Looks like it’s just you and I then, Yu.”

  “Indeed! How can we assist from here?”

  “By being ready and alert to help our friends if they need it.”

  “Right! But, uh…do you perhaps have a snack while we wait?”

  Synexus laughed and pulled out some fruits that he grew.

  ***

  Gene used their owl eyes and silent flight to do a low sweep over the streets of the town looking for anything worth investigating. The sun was getting lower, and people were simply going about their business as if nothing was wrong.

  Thanks to the centuries as a tree, their mana sense was on another level compared to most beings in existence. They would see the mana thick in the atmosphere and differentiate the different types.

  Every time someone used a skill, they saw it even from above. It resembled a quick flash of mana. The owl knew that Vorin would be following the plague and that left following the mana because mana was simply something you couldn’t hide.

  Still, even with homing in on the mana of the town’s people nothing looked amiss. Every piece of evidence pointed towards it being a normal town with a weird cough afflicting its denizens.

  As they stalked the sky, Gene thought of what they witnessed and worked on anything that was slightly bothering them. The first thing was that they were currently only getting half the story since there was a whole other town. Could it really be biological warfare? The towns just seemed too small and underdeveloped to be waging a fight like that.

  The second thing was that they had all their best guards go stand on top of a mountain. If anything, they only needed a couple to keep watch. Why send twenty? That seemed wasteful when it was most of their guard.

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  Finally, most towns that were at war or had an enemy they didn’t want to have would attempt to pay or trade favors with any class chosen passing through to add another soldier to their ranks. The town officials hadn’t really said anything about their “war” with the sister town. Vorin easily out leveled all of them and yet they didn’t even attempt to ask.

  Their brain worked over the problem as their eyes kept a close eye on the movements of mana in the town. Darkness fell over the town and the invisibility wore off, but still they kept watch.

  Townspeople started closing up in the market and heading home after a long day of trading or crafting or whatever it was they did. Gene watched closely at the skills they used. Some were using skills to pack up their wares quicker or put security measures on their shops. Some were using skills to speed up their walk home or light up their way on their walk home.

  Bright flashes of mana reflected off the owl’s deep eyes and that was when the first odd occurrence happened. Every citizen had a moment when walking on the street home when they would flash with mana in a weird way that certainly wasn’t them using a skill.

  Gene dived to get a better look and confirmed that it wasn’t the citizen’s mana flashing. The cracks in the road were flashing then they walked over them.

  Something was under the town.

  ***

  Vorin dropped from the balcony and took off in an all-out sprint towards the other side of the town. He was able to slip into an alley right before the invisibility wore off.

  Shadows in the alley mixed with his black cloak hid him from anyone walking by. The only indication that there was someone lurking beneath the void garment was the beak of the plague doctor’s mask sticking out from the hood.

  From the safety of the shadows, he watched people as they passed by and noted to himself how many were infected. To his surprise almost every single person was, which made him even more suspicious.

  When they entered the city, it was about half of the citizens from what he could see. Now, in the course of a day, it seemed that it went from half the citizens to the whole population.

  Night fell and he kept his vigil when he saw the mayor walking down the street. Instead of just going home like everyone else seemed to be, he stopped to talk with every single person. Not only talk but shake their hands.

  Vorin’s eyebrow rose as he saw a small bit of the plague move to every single person the mayor touched. It was as if the mayor was deliberately infecting his town.

  Now that night had fallen, Vorin was no longer confined to the alleyway, and he started to tail the mayor while still keeping to the shadows where he could.

  Through his mask he could see the sickly black, brown, and green colors of the plague emanating from the townspeople. They were beacons in the night, and he continued to follow the brightest one.

  It was clear that he wasn’t going home or if he was then he was taking an inefficient route. Vorin watched him continue to converse with every single person he came across. Each interaction didn’t last for a few seconds as he told them to have a good night and then shook their hands to spread the plague further.

  Vorin’s focus was solely on the mayor until a small flicker at the edge of his vision pulled it away. When he looked over, one of the citizens that had just shook hands with the mayor was now completely clean of the plague. Vorin couldn’t believe it and started to watch others while still following the mayor through the streets of Northern Slate.

  Minutes later another flicker happened. Then another. One by one the sickly auras radiating from the townspeople were disappearing.

  Vorin focused in on the group of people who were just completely healed and then watched a few people who were still showing they had the illness. Sure enough, right as they passed the same area as the larger group in front of them, the aura disappeared. No, it didn’t disappear. It went down in an instant. Into the ground.

  That’s when it hit him. The cracks in the roads. The smell.

  Something or someone was under the town absorbing the plague and the mayor had something to do with it.

  He looked back towards his mark who was now a distance ahead of him and he skulked after him.

  Another two hours passed of the mayor walking around town talking to people before they arrived at his home. Vorin was close behind him and was going to confront him before heading back to the inn. Unfortunately, the mayor didn’t go inside. He started to walk on the side of the building. Vorin followed.

  A garden of colorful flowers took up most of the space behind the mayor’s house. Vorin watched as the man walked directly into the middle of it and kneeled down.

  “Is Southern Slate rid of the vermin yet?”

  Vorin almost stood up since his cover had been blown. His scythes instantly appeared in his hands, but then something replied to the mayor’s question.

  “Not yet. It takes time.”

  “It’s been months!”

  “Some are resilient.” A laugh soaked in evil fell over the garden.

  “We’ve been feeding you for too long.”

  “You will continue for much longer or your fate shall be the same as the others.”

  “That wasn’t the deal.”

  “Plague doesn’t care about deals. Disease spreads regardless of permission. You’ll do good to remember such things. Now feed me.”

  Vorin watched through his mask as the sickly aura of the mayor vanished and was shortly replaced by another.

  “There. Now you will be able to feed me again tomorrow. Tell me of the newcomers.”

  “I sent them away. They have no business in this.”

  “No! Two have the stench of my kin. That damn worm. Feed them too me.”

  “One said he has a class specializing in plagues. I didn’t think it wise to have them stick around.”

  “It is no matter. No one has better control of my domain than I. Feed them to me. I will not ask again.”

  That was meant to be the final word, but a strange occurrence caused the finality of the sentence to falter.

  “You are no longer infected. Explain.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He means that I healed you.”

  Vorin stood over both the kneeling mayor and the strange oval shaped creature that squirmed around as it stood. It was tiny and had no face, yet it could talk. It shifted from sickly green, to brown, to black, and back.

  “Who are you, bird?” It spoke.

  “I’m Vorin. I’m a Plague Doctor.”

  He touched the small slimy enemy and activated his skill to heal disease.

  It screamed. Not only the small thing with barely a shape in front of Vorin, but the entire ground.

  When Vorin stopped the monster was completely gone like it was made of the plague itself. He turned back towards the mayor as tremors started to rattle the town.

  “How could you feed your citizens to such a foul creature?”

  The mayor was panicking and clearly was not following the words that Vorin had spoken.

  “What have you done?!?! What have you done?!”

  “Me? I’m ridding your town of plague. Do you need to be added to that?”