Spring 14
81 Strawberries — 9/36 Days (Masterwork) (1x1) — 81 tiles.
81 Potatoes — 9/20 Days (Masterwork) (1x2) — 162 tiles
81 Peas — 9/23 Days (Masterwork) (1x2 — Trellis) — 162 tiles
81 Carrots — 4/5 Days (Uncommon) (1x1) — 81 tiles
81 Carrots — 3/5 Days (Uncommon) (1x1) — 81 tiles
81 Carrots — 2/5 Days (Uncommon) (1x1) — 81 tiles
81 Carrots — 1/5 Days (Uncommon) (1x1) — 81 tiles
9 Carrots in the Seed Maker.
72 + 27 Uncommon Carrots ready for sale.
Current Finances: 10 Gold Pieces (Clean), 270 Gold Pieces (Unlaundered)
I had to visit Jasmine anyway this morning, but with 89 Uncommon carrots ready, and a constant supply of 72 per day, I was about ready to head out. I still had the massive amount of gold that Jasmine had brokered with Madeleine before Elias died, but without it being cleaned first, I could only really use it for minor things.
Like commissioning Melissa to make me a very specific dress. But to explain that, I need to back up just a little bit.
Last night, there was a war council or something, but that didn’t matter as much as the fact that two of my friends had asked me to check out their family. I was vastly underqualified, but I at least had a way of catching up.
I spent the night after they left reading the Libre Sanitatis, and discovered a few things.
Well, the first one is this: I have to start bathing regularly, and begin using a mixture of ash, salt, and mint scraped on my teeth with a Miswak stick to get rid of…
Alright, so Levan is very, very smart. When I was a girl, the few times we went to a doctor, they would talk about the humours.
Sanguine. Blood - and the color of active people. Hot and Wet.
Melancholic. Black Bile - and the color of sadness. This is actually meant to be a reference to Necrosis. Yeah, I didn't know what that word was either, but I’ll get to it.
Choleric. Yellow Bile - or the color of vomit. It was often what the doctor thought I had too much of, alongside Sanguine because of my red hair.
Phlegm. White secretions - like sperm and snot. This is for a reserved nature. Apparently I had too much Phlegm when I was in school, but that's not the point.
Levan’s notes basically said all of this was wrong, and it was a very hard process to unlearn it. He kept the main points and instead changed it to this:
Vitality. This is what I call Anima - The blood. It represents life force.
Soul. This is what I’ve been calling Animus - the soul of a creature. However, his notes revealed something horrifying that I wasn’t aware of. Animus used to bind undead wasn’t ‘released’ back to the earth. Until the body was destroyed, the soul was kept here, trapped. I really wasn’t sure how I felt about this.
Mind. I decided to call this Animum - the mind of a creature. With people, the Animum was separate from the Animus. But when I was working with the dead, the Animum and Animus would become one, and I would need to supply Anima for it to function.
Germs. This was the one I had no context for, and it didn’t fit my model of the three. Apparently, maggots and rot didn’t just come from nowhere, but small creatures or things ‘beyond what the eye could see’ were responsible for spreading it.
So, Levan had made a very specialized outfit made of thick cloth, and a strange thing covering the face. It was completely black, and the beaked hood had herbs around it. It was also incredibly sealed off, so the germs in the air couldn’t come in.
Which comes back to why I have to start bathing everyday. Apparently, germs linger unless washed off with animal fat - Lye. This was a shock, but it made sense, and was probably why I was so sickly all the time.
Which leads to the second thing - I learned to cook. I forced Ophelia to help me level my [Cook] till I was able to make a fire, and then stopped.
See, Ophelia thought it was for me being able to bathe in hot water, but these ‘germs’ Levan talks about live in well water too! The best way to deal with this was to start boiling it, or drinking Ale instead. I don’t like Ale, unless it's peach, so boiled water and tea. I also found out I wasn’t drinking enough liquids - a state in his ‘problem chart’ he called ‘severely dehydrated’.
All of this was atypical to what I had thought medicine was like. That’s not going into it - Levan had an entire part that mocked the doctor's way of consulting a star chart. He claimed it was no different then just asking the gods to piss rain or ask a chicken what the weather was like.
Which is dumb since chickens can't talk, so I don’t get his point. But, yeah, no star charts anymore.
His entire set of notes was about something called ‘Symptom Gathering’ and then ‘Diagnosing’. He had listed many diseases in his appendices, and if I were to match the Symptoms to it as accurately as I could, I’d know what’s ailing someone beyond just asking a cleric to [Remove Disease]. This was very targeted.
I had two on my roster, and I wasn’t sure where to find the third. Thankfully though, the [Chirurgeon] role was very useful in other ways.
I was very proud that the world kept using my terms for whatever I named it, rather than what Levan did. It probably meant I should change the name of germs to something else? Nothing came to mind.
Oh! I had also learned the Physician’s Oath. It was very, very… humour based, and I don’t follow that. But the core message seems to be 'help people', so I made my own, and called it the Levanite Oath. Maybe I could teach people about it later?
"I swear by the sanctity of the Cycle, by the spark of Anima and the vessel of the Animus, that I shall uphold this pact:
To hold in honor the one who taught me this art and the knowledge of Levan . I will guard this knowledge, sharing its truths only with those worthy to walk the path, and I shall treat their kin as my own.
I will apply my skills for the benefit of the sick according to my judgment and ability. I will do no harm and give no deadly poison to any, even if asked, nor will I use my craft to end a nascent life. I will not claim their soul.
I shall use the knife. I will cut away the "Necrosis" and the "Germ" with a steady hand, for to let the rot fester is the greater harm. I will mend flesh with suture and set bone with artifice, for the body is a vessel to be maintained.
What I see in my gaze, what I hear in the sickroom, and all I learn in my practice, I will hold in sacred trust. The secrets of the patient are sacrosanct, and I shall not spread them.
If I keep this oath faithfully, may my Animum remain clear and my judgment sound. But if I should break my word and forswear this pact, may my knowledge fail me, may my hands tremble, and may the Cycle judge me as I have judged others."
I was already stressed out by the fact that for me to make undead, I would have to imprison their souls. So I wanted it to be clear, like Levan had intended, that if anyone following these teachings were to be using them – They were not allowed to reap the souls of the sick or dying.
I don’t believe that’s what Levan stood for, or what I, as a newly minted [Necromancer] should be doing either. And since it was his knowledge that made me good at this, I would hold his teachings.
It also meant I had to make my notes impossible to read. The Libre Sanitatas was written in gravespeech. I guess I’d make all my patient notes in the same language. It’d be kind of funny if the language of the dead became the same language that doctors used.
No one would be able to read it, it looks like scribbles.
Anyways, that’s where I was before I headed to town to meet Jasmine and Melissa.
“Ashy, this would make you look like a black bird,” Melissa said, looking down at the diagram I copied. I couldn’t show her the libre sanitatas since it had obvious references to necromancy. I was glad I was able to draw, since that was very typical of students writing down notes.
“It’s called a Crow Suit, Melly,” I responded. “It’s to protect me from germs.”
“What’s a germ?” Jasmine asked.
“Uh… things in the air that make you sick. Also, you should start drinking boiled water, or ale, and bathe regularly.” I instructed Jasmine.
Melissa shook her head, but stood up with a measuring tape. “Arms spread. I’ll be able to make this in no time, but I don’t have ‘germ-killing herbs’ in my shop, Ashley. I don’t know what a ‘thing in the air’ is, and I definitely don’t keep herbs.”
“Oh.” I pouted.
“Also, I bathe regularly, Ashy!” Jasmine said. “It’s just hard when The Stew closed down.”
“The Stew?” I responded.
“Oh yeah, you weren’t here for that,” Melissa chatted too, wrapping the measuring tape around my body since I needed incredibly tight measurements. It had to be properly sealed. “The Stew was the washing place, the public bath house. Even had hot water rooms! But, Agent Marigold shut it down since it was being used for money laundering.”
“Wait, I hear–”
“I told you that, Ashy!” Jasmine cut me off. “Besides, if you want people to bathe, you’re going to have to start doing that more yourself.”
“You should also clean your teeth in the morning with a mixture of ash, salt, and mint,” I tried informing Jasmine.
Melissa rolled her eyes, but then hesitated. “Are.. you any good at being a doctor, Ashley?”
“Lev– Amaril No,” I corrected myself. “I just started out and I had a creepy ghost just give me a lifetime of knowledge that I don’t understand. I’m going to check Jasmine’s mom out first, but, again, I just have memories.”
Melissa sucked in a breath, and then laughed. “Elora, you’re still the same woman even if you’ve gone full crazy. That… somehow makes me more willing to ask. But uh… Adrian and the Floran’s are in a fight? Mother Illya is mad at him for something, and now has prohibited her clerics from aiding my family. So, my mom has Dragonpox… and until Adrian sorts out the thing with the clerics, would you…”
“Sure!” I immediately said. I owed Mrs. Bellamine many, many dresses, and being able to look after her just felt right.
“I know a typical doctor's visit typically costs 50 gold. I don’t want to demean your trade, so would that be a good rate…?”
I turned to look at her face. “Why would I charge you? You’re making me another dress, and I owe your mom a lot.”
“I… thank you, Ash – Lady Hart.”
“You can just keep calling me Ashley, Melly. Besides, this just makes our Led–”
Jasmine hit me in the side. “What she means is that she’s trying her best to be your friend. And she hopes this can clear the space between you.”
I tilted my head at Jasmine. I guess it did do that, but it was more about keeping my ledgers balanced. I guess I’m now obligated to help Melissa for free? I figured Melissa would find this odd, but instead?
She moved in and hugged me, which was very, very confusing. Jasmine joined in, which was not confusing, and it seemed very typical of her.
So I had to peel them off. I had just explained the dangers of doing this. “Germs! Can you make me my Crow Suit?”
“Sure, Ashy. Can you stop by soon?”
“Yeah, I’ll come as soon as I can. I promised I’d see Noel first.”
“That should be easy, he did move in next door to you.” Melissa said. “He took over the Old Anderson farm; said he wanted privacy.”
I frowned. I wanted the Anderson farm myself, if only for the fields. I figured if I had to expand my operation when I could, it’d be the next big place. Maybe he’d strike a deal with me?
He could just live in town, it’s not like he wants to farm, and he’s so far away. I’d talk to him later about it, but nodded.
It really didn’t take Melissa long at all to make the Crow Suit, and I immediately noticed two things with it. It was very, very, stuffy and if I didn’t keep the beak properly placed, I’d choke out. And the other was that it was cumbersome to move in. I resolved I’d only wear it when I was seeing a patient, since it was worse than wearing high heels.
Oh, and Jasmine wouldn’t let me outside to test how bad it was to walk around in. She said I’d look like a crazy person, and she wouldn’t have Nathaniel meet me like this.
So I elected to wear my farming outfit, which smelled like rosewater after Ophelia washed it clean for me. Ophelia was becoming a weird problem for me though, since after I had learned that she was basically a soul trapped in a body against her will, was it my duty to release her?
I didn’t know. She didn’t seem mad about it? So maybe Rattlejack and the Zombie Boys aren’t that hurt? Though, Ophelia is really smart and has cool powers and I let her do anything. I can’t let Rattlejack or the Zombie Boys do anything since they have no ambition of their own.
It’s very confusing, so I tried not to think about Ophelia right now.
It was the only way I could tolerate meeting Nathaniel, though. He was a fine man, I guess? He was shorter than me, but most men tend to be. But he was burly, and his fingers were rough and bleeding. Jasmine and Him started laughing when I told him he should wear something to cover his face when working, and wear gloves to protect his fingers.
“Is that right, miss? A peasant getting med-de-cal advice from a doctor ‘ere?” he said rather… erratically? His pace picked up and slowed down at random points, and his fingers wagged.
“Yes? If you keep inhaling that smoke and working without protection, you’re going to get Black Lung or lose a finger,” I explained.
“Ah, that’s jus’ what we need. Some noble lady lordin’ o’er the humble folks. Jazzy, you like this broad?”
I looked around for this Noble Lady, but it seemed like Jasmine was angry at Nathaniel for something. “That’s Ashley, Nathaniel! You went to school with her!”
“Aye? Well, that girl ain’t someone I went with. Lady didn’t even come for her folks' funeral,” he spat.
Right, I didn’t actually do that either. I forgot that I never really spent much time around town, save for the few people I knew it was safe to interact with. But the rest of the folks in a small town?
“Nathaniel! She’s back, and she’s going to look after Ma! And she’s not a noble, she just finished her studies.”
“And fat lot that did. Us God Fearin’ folks lose an ‘onest man and lovin’ wife, and we get the broad who thinks to lecture us around and is doing us favours?”
I tilted my head at that statement. I wasn’t very sure what he was getting angry over. Must have been him thinking I was doing a favour? “I’m not doing anyone any favours, boy. I’m jus’ ‘elping a friend.”
“Oh, and now she tries talkin’ like us too. Where’s that haughty-taughty voice when you’re telling a working folk how to breathe? Dad’s worked as a blacksmith his whole life, and that didn’t do anything –”
That was wrong. “ – He died at 38. Choking up tar from his lungs.” I recounted from my memory. This wasn’t a private thing so I wasn’t breaking the Levanite Oath.
He spat on the ground, but his spit was getting black too. That was a clear symptom. “You should come see me –”
“Fuck off, your royal highness,” he said, turning back to his work.
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Very, very confusing. I turned to Jasmine who seemed to be both incredibly red, but had her eyes watering. Her fingers were balled up into fists, and her face seemed stuck between two emotions.
“Let’s go see your mom, Jasmine.”
She nodded, and led me upstairs. “Sorry about that, Ash – I know Adrian and Melissa like you, but uh… most of the town wasn’t a big fan of you.”
I shook my head. “Nothing to be sorry for. I told him I was doing you a favour, and that was the wrong thing to say.”
Jasmine bit her lip, and softly said, “That’s not why he’s mad.”
She opened the door, and I came towards a rather cramped lodge. It was bigger than my hovel for sure, but for a family of two, it was harsh. So the fact that Mrs. Carnwich was cooped up here with the two wasn’t the greatest sign of their living conditions.
And Mrs. Carnwich looked awful too. Her skin had lesions, her body was bruised, and I could see her body struggling to move.
And then my eyes twitched.
I felt the chill of winter and the call of death, the sounds of being a [Necromancer], but it had seemed the harmony had changed with my role. [Cryotheurge] felt colder to me like a blizzard, and being a [Reaper] sounded like a war being fought.
But this sensation? It felt like being clean. The Symphony always overwhelmed my senses, but this sensation wasn’t a physical feeling. It was the lack of one - being clean, academically, is just not being dirty or covered in germs. But that was the feeling I felt as my eyes freaked out.
I turned to Jasmine. “Get out.”
“Exc-”
“I said, ‘Get out.’”
My hand opened up and pushed the center of her chest, and Jasmine immediately put her hands up in surrender. I pushed her through the door, and then locked it.
I’d have to examine her thoroughly later.
Since I saw that Mrs. Carnwich was already infectious. I immediately donned the Crow Suit and approached her.
It was like moving with heels, but I had a destination in mind. I could feel my left leg wobble, so I immediately shifted forward, correcting the inadequacy. Each of these steps were like that, but it didn’t take long at all for me to understand what was going on and how to fix it.
I kneeled beside the woman, and looked over her face.
On her neck was the ‘Fey Kiss’, a common sign of Cupid’s Sickness. It was called that because the skin bunched up together.
The proper word for this, according to Levant, was lesions. She had a lesion on her neck that looked like a kiss. It shimmered and glowed, but that was just the infection taking root. And all around it was a rose-coloured rash, her Anima being attacked. It was all over her, and I could tell it was getting bad since her eyes were closed – fighting off sleep.
I had to wake her up, and for some reason, my mind repressed my body as the instinct to slap her face came up. That really didn’t seem appropriate, and would just harm her?
So instead, I got up to Jasmine’s kettle and began to boil water. I found the herbs I was looking for in their spice drawer, and stuffed a few in my mask’s beak. I then used the rest to make tea.
I then brought it to Mrs. Carnwich. I laid it beside her on the nightstand and got to work. I had cloth with me since I had prepared my bag and inventory with tools that Levan recommended. Of course, the ‘metal’ was replaced with bone, but I didn’t see anything wrong with Ghost-Bone scalpels. I could still sterilize it by heating the edge, so it was probably the same thing.
I wiped her head, which caused Mrs. Carnwich to get up. Her sweat was staining the rag. “Uh… Jasmine, sweety, is that you?”
“It is not, Mrs. Carnwich. I’m here to help you.”
“Oh, no. Did she go find a doctor? I told her we can’t afford that, and I’d be fine, I’m just tired, that’s all -”
“Mrs. Carnwich, you are not doing fine. Your Cupid’s Sickness is at Stage 3, and your heart and lungs are failing you. You are also incredibly infectious. I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Uh… what? Who’s there? Why does that voice sound familiar?”
“Mrs. Carnwich, focus. When did you notice you felt tired all the time.”
“For years now… but it’s always been tiring, here. You know, with my job –”
“Your job?” I asked, and replaced the rag with another.
“If I tell you something, you won’t tell the others? Pfft, it’s not like anyone would care, the whole town knows. But yeah, I’m a – “
I remember this. “You don’t have to say anything Mrs. Carnwich. I’m not here to judge you, and anything you tell me I’ll keep in confidence. I don’t need to know your job, that’s not relevant to this. I just need to know when it started, and how you’re doing now.”
“It’s not? I got Cupid’s Sickness! Elora damning a bloody [whore]! Of course it’s relevant.”
“Maybe, but you’re not cursed or damned, you’re just sick. I don’t care what you did or done to deserve that. Now, when did this start?”
“Oh, I don’t know, a couple of years ago, I guess? Some man from Flowers-By-The-River came by…”
“I understand. A few years ago is a long time, have you been suffering like this for that long?”
“No! The kiss was small when it started. But it’s only been getting bad in the last couple of months.”
“And… I hate to ask you this, but you did mention your old job. Are you still doing that?”
“Oh, Elora no! Jasmine’s been taking care of me ever since she was old enough to get a job. Says her boss fired her, but she found a new boss, and she’s being paid in actual gold a day! I think the poor girl lost it, and she’s trying to make me feel better.”
I said nothing. Normally, I’d find this irrelevant, but I believe under ‘Do no Harm’, I wasn’t here to tell a patient something they wanted or didn’t want to hear. The only thing she needed from me was my diagnosis, and help if I was able to provide it.
“I understand, Mrs. Carnwich. I’m going to examine your body now, and see what I can do.”
She said nothing, and I took this opportunity to focus on her. I was glad I didn’t have to undress her; I don’t think my Crow Suit's hands could manage such a thing.
That clean feeling came back.
Her [Anima] was very, very low. Her [Animus] was barely clinging on. And her [Animum] was full on delusional, and so, so, very tired.
But it was the Germs that really got to me. They were infecting her body, and they were all over the place. They seemed to be what was inside of her the most at this point, but they were pooling and forming on the woman's lesions.
…Which I could use Maggots for!
The maggots at the farm would only eat necrotic flesh. It was a common farmer’s trick to help clean out a wound. Auntie Laura showed it to me, when she was caring for the cattle. They ate rotten flesh, and wounds would heal faster.
Where was I going to get some maggots?
Wait, I actually had the answer.
I opened the window and raised my hands to the skies.
Alvira Blowflies, the ones that had the cleanest maggots, flew towards me. I held a few in my hands to examine their bodies, and they were plump and able to produce. I directed them to follow me, and came to her body.
This would hurt. And it would hurt a lot. She’d begin screaming, and Jasmine would break in.
Jasmine! I didn’t want to get her infected, but I think she wants her dying mother saved more than that. And if it’s still early on, curing her would be easier than whatever this is. I could also use the extra hands.
I ran to the door and opened it. I saw Jasmine pacing outside. I immediately grabbed her and pulled her in, and she saw the blowflies around my head.
“Ashley what is going –”
“I am going to start draining her wounds and eating the rotten flesh. Your mother is very sick, and is infectious. You are probably infected too, but it is early for you, so I can fix you right after. Right now, I need you to wear a mask, stuff those herbs down the front and manage your mother while I cut her open. Can you do that for me?”
She stared blankly at me. “Uh…huh?”
“Good! Now, it is imperative she does not move. I am using a knife near her body.”
She shakingly got beside her mother and held her hand.
I used my bone-scalpel to carve into her flesh, around the lesions to expose the rotten flesh. I called the blowflies in next, to eat away at the rotten meat. The maggots squirmed, and soon enough, her entire body crawled with them. Poor women had so many lesions.
She didn’t scream as much as I expected. Realistically, since I was doing my job right, I was cutting at dead flesh she couldn’t feel. Likewise, the blowfly sting would likely act as an anesthetic.
Then came the hard part, and Mrs. Carnwich was nowhere in condition to make a decision. So I had to ask Jasmine for her counsel, and probably her decision.
She was her daughter, after all.
“So, the good news is this - I think I can cure your mother. The initial disease sector is basically gone, and I’m getting rid of the rotten flesh as we speak. But the issue is the infection is all over her body. I mean all over it, it’s everywhere.”
“Yes…?” she continued, leaning forward.
“So, I can do this in one of two ways. I can start draining her blood to safe amounts, sterilizing it, and then putting it back into her. This process will take a very long time, might not work, but it would be relatively painless.”
“I suspect your second way is going to be worse?”
“So… I don’t know. I am thinking that since a germ is something that’s alive and invisible, I could still target it with my [Drain Life]. They’re so small that it would burn away easily. Except, they’re still your mothers cells, so…”
“You’d be draining her life, but targeting the bad cells?”
“Yes! Exactly. It will hurt. A lot. But I am pretty sure this will work. There are no guarantees that your mother won't just die from the pain, or if this plan will work the way I think it will. We are the cutting edge of science and magic here, and my journal has no idea if this was a thing that was tried before. But I know it can, since the problem is the infectious diseases, and then I can recreate the healthy cells by returning her purified life force back to her.”
“So, the slow, painless, but won't work way, or the crazy Ashley way you’re making up on the fly?”
I shrugged. That was accurate.
“We’ve been doing it your way so far, Ashley. It seems to be working.”
And that made me pause. What if it didn’t work? Would I just be killing a patient? I just said I wouldn’t do any harm.
“Actually, on second thought, we should just blood-let and let me purify.”
“Why, are you scared?” Jasmine asked.
“No, because if I fai–”
“Ashley! I’m not asking you as a friend. I want my mom cured. What would the… you know… Ashley say if she wasn’t concerned about my feelings about it?”
“I’d tell you to [Drain Life], since it’s faster, and frankly, even if it didn’t work, it’d be useful Data in case I had to do this again. But I know that’s using your mom as a tool to figure something out.”
“Yeah, that’s obvious, but why do you think that your plan will even work?”
“Well, [Drain Life] clearly targets the [Anima] and it seems the germs your mom has is attacking that. They seem to be bonding together, and if I burn one resource away, it’ll drain the ot–”
“Okay! So you thought this through, and you’re not doing this just as a sick joke.”
“No, why would I do that?”
“It’s hard to tell with you! You do strange things just to see what happens. Like, what the hell happened back there? You don’t even like talking to strangers, but you gave my husband advice when you suddenly come back?”
“I… what was wrong with giving him advice?”
“Ashley! You abandoned your own family to go to school! I know Adrian’s fine with it, I think, but that boy loves you. I was only fine with it since I just thought Amaril smacked you down. You were a raggedy farm-girl, so everyone just thought you failed, and you were one of us who tried to escape but got stuck with a bad hand. At least we knew Adrian TRIED to do it, and he never gave up on his family. But you? You did. So everyone was fine with it when you were going around being a [Farm Girl], but how do you not realize the dynamics shifted now you’ve shown yourself off?”
“What does this have to do with giving him advice?!”
“It’s not what you gave, it's who gave it to him! It’s like why you hated Adrian for pitying you! Now you're Adrian to most of the town, except Adrian did it the right way. He was always there for everyone. You let your family die, and now everyone thinks you're a [Cryotheurge] BECAUSE you did that, not because you came back!”
“Okay, fine, but what does that have to do with this situation?”
“Because you do stupid things and I don’t understand why! Like, why would you tell Melissa you were balancing a Ledger when you’re trying to become her friend, or even give advice to people who didn’t ask? And I can’t tell if this is a stupid thing you thought was normal, or you actually thought it through.”
“That… actually kind of hurts,” I admitted.
“And I’m sorry, okay! But, this is my mom, you know? I can’t make a decision on you if you’re just not thinking things right.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was going to give you the same advice regardless, I just… don’t really care that it’s your mom?”
“And that’s the problem! You should! You should care, that's my mom! That’s the entire problem, and It’s hard for me to always stand b–”
I raised my hand. “I think you think – and I know I’m bad at figuring you out – that I’m here to make some kind of point or balance a favour between us? But, that’s not what happened, Jasmine. You just asked me for help, and I’m helping you because you’re my sister and friend. I know I don’t say that right, but I’m not just helping you because I want to make sure you're paid back. I’m helping you because I want to.”
She didn’t say anything. So I took the opportunity to continue.
“It just doesn’t help either of us if I get involved emotionally in these situations. It’s not really time for me to figure out how to feel, but just what to do. But I whole-heartedly choose you, not for some weird experiment, but, it's kind of like how I feel about Ophelia, Madeleine and even Noel. I just want to help you out like you’ve been helping me. My farm wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful as it is without you, even if you don’t do any of the farming, and I don’t know how to contribute back without just being able to do this. So, I need you to focus, and make a decision.”
Jasmine opened her mouth, or at least I thought she did under the cloth mask. It’s hard to tell.
“Why are you at the farm then, Ashley. What are you even doing.”
That was a weird question to ask. “I’m home? I just like being here, and I don’t really know where else to go. I had always figured I’d take over the farm, but I just want to get it done right and proper, like my ma wanted.”
Jasmine snickered at that. “So you don’t even care that you came back to the town?”
“I kind of do? Oakheart’s great. I might not like it, but I definitely don’t remember anywhere by Flowers-By-The-River, and leaving home just seems wrong.”
“Then why didn’t you come back for your parents' funeral?”
“Ma wouldn’t have wanted that. I’m only a dropout because I got emotional and found out the home was going to be gone. I was very close to being a [Scholar] on my own. I don’t see how I could have honoured them anymore than being better than they were. And now, I’m kind of happy where I’m at? Sure, the source isn’t the greatest, but I’m basically fulfilling my mothers dream – as soon as I get the farm back in order. But that’s why that HAS to be a me thing.”
“Elora’s Laces, Ashley. Just get on with your stupid plan.”
Well, that was a complete waste of time. I had just cut open her wounds, and it was now Jasmine wanted to talk to me about that? She should have asked earlier.
I stood up still, and focused my attention. My hand raised out and green energy began to flow from her mother. My eyes narrowed, as the [Clinical Eye] remained ready to monitor. I never actually tried directing what I was draining.
Mrs. Carnwich began to scream immediately, which was not ideal. She kept moving, and the screaming really hurt my concentration. But I knew Jasmine was trying. I’d have to figure out a way to solve this issue.
The green energy turned to black, and while she struggled to get away, her interior black… germ level was getting low.
That name was getting silly. ‘Germ level’. It wasn’t even academic, and it didn’t fit my notes. It looked like…
Rot.
That was more my alley. I’d have to fix the Levan Oath to make it fight the rot.
Right, but the actual part of draining out the Rot? That was easy. In less than 30 seconds I held the black ball in my palm, and just started purifying it back to [Anima]. Mrs. Carnwitch was shuddering and I can see her body begin to shut down.
She’d be fine.
The black ball slowly started turning green.
“Ashley! She’s fading.”
I sighed. I might have had to stop having the patient’s family in the room. “I’m well aware, Jasmine.”
“Then do – “
“No. Wait.”
Jasmine glared up at me, but I knew she didn’t actually want me to comfort her. I was very bad at that. What she needed was me to finish my job, so I ignored her.
I kept monitoring her mother as the ball cleaned up, and her body slowed down. It was less than a minute before the ball cleared out.
“See? Nothing to worry about,” I stated, returning Mrs. Carnwich’s vitality back to her. Her [Anima] returned back to full, and now came down to just natural repair of her shell. With no lesions or infection points now, she wouldn’t be able to produce more Rot.
I then turned to look at Jasmine. She had a small amount, so I had to clean that up quickly before it just respread. So, I quickly zapped her too. She angrily yelped, but I ignored it.
I wanted to look at Nathaniel, but I wasn't allowed to talk to him, so…
“Jasmine.”
“Yes, Ashley?”
“You can’t have sex with Nathaniel.”
“I… what?”
“You can’t be intimate with Nathaniel. You’ll transfer it again. You shouldn’t really be touching him, but that’s too hard of an ask. Or you can let me check him out and get rid of it too.”
“It’s going to come back?”
“I mean it’ll get worse before it becomes very infectious, and I’ll have to repeat the same process. I want to prevent it before it happens? I’m already here?”
Jasmine bit her lip but stared at her mother. Her mother began to breathe steady, so Jasmine finally nodded.
She got up, ran out the door, and dragged Nathaniel up. I looked over at him, and he too had it. He also did have tar in his lungs, but I was advised not to give people advice, and I also didn’t think Tar was a thing that had life for me to drain. He was busy arguing with Jasmine about something.
I zapped him too.
“OW! What was that for?”
I said nothing, not wanting to start another fight with Jasmine. I instead looked at her with the end of my mask. “Everyone should be cured now. I will be making my way to Noel’s. Would you be so kind to meet me at Melissa’s?”
Jasmine pulled on Nathaniel and stopped him from saying anything. “You are going to start wearing a mask, mister, and gloves. And you’re going to apologize to her…”
“OW!” Nathaniel yelped.
I left, heading towards Noel’s.