Tainted Streets
To walk through these streets in ths tainted state was a task that proved to be quite heartwrenching. Not just that he was forced to see just how many had fallen, no, he could also tell easily just where their blood had been spilled, where the monsters had ravaged the land - And exactly where the foul beast had spat out it’s poisonous bile.
The main water source had been tainted, and while there were other places to obtain water from that had stayed pure for the most part, it was still a problem they needed to mend as soon as possible. There was water aplenty in some of the pools - but they could hardly allow the people to take sips from sacred ponds that carried strong folklore with them.
He could only hope that even in this hour of despair the people of Myrefall would stay strong in their faith and comply in this matter... Even if it meant hardships for them.
“We need to make certain that all traces of the beast’s toxins are isolated and removed. Take good care that none of the civilians get near them - especially not the children. Understood?”
The two guards that had been following him on his patrol up until now both saluted at his commands and nodded eagerly before hurrying off. They seemed to be good men, both experienced enough to not fall into despair over the huge number of casualties Myrefall had to sustain in this assault.
He needed men like this now more than ever. Myrefall needed them. Lady Lenne needed them.
If he’d find the time to spare he’d need to make certain that more of the guardsman would become men like these two. And mayhaps he could also arrange for all the citizens that wished to learn to defend themselves better to receive rudimentary training. It was at the very least certainly something to bring up once he returned to the Quartier’s side and made his report to her.
But he needed to give her a proper, a full report. And that included finding out what became of the monstrosity that lead this attack, the one some of the more superstitious villagers had dubbed Echidna, ater the mythological beast of old. He did not know of these stories, but especially the elderly were insistant on pointing out the similarities between the creature of legend and the bringer of destruction that had wrecked havoc here.
And it was not like he objected to giving the creature a name like this. After all, a foe this terrible that managed to escape from the Lady Quartier herself as well as Lady Lina deserved a name to it’s own.
But this was strange... the furthe he drew away from the site of the battle that saw the fiend forced to retreat, the more and more prominent the traces of blood and poison became - yet there was no conclusive sign of the beast’s fate. No sign of it’s remains. And there weren’t other corpses to justify the amount of blood here either.. Just what was going on here?
It is then when he turns around another corner following this particular trace and finds a sight most unexpected: A veritable lake of bile -and in it’s midst the body of a woman.
The stench was terrible, and the half dried up puddle of poison did not look very inviting, but the Swordmaster found himself unable to deny walking into it. The simple white dress that this woman wore, tainted by the poison and other dirt as it may have been, he still recognized it. And it told him that this person should never have been here, not this far away from where does wearing such clothing belonged. So he needed to make certain...
As much as he may have wished it was not true, it still undoubtedly was.
The woman lying dead in this carnage wore the robe of one sentenced to an eternity in isolation, the clothing of one found guilty of the most foul crime a citizen of Myrefall could perform, the gown of a convicted murderer. The gown of the former Lady Emerald.
Her poor frail body looked battered and bruised, more so than the time she had had to spend in isolation since her crime at the ball. As if it had gone through a terrible ordeal, one she did not wish for but could not resist.
I see... so this must be how it happened...
He would need to immediately inform Lady Lenne of this. She needed to learn of this, for it raised questions that needed answers. Someone had their hands in this tragedy, had machinated this disaster. Someone bigger than they had thought so far...
And if he was right then that meat the other towns were not safe either.
They would need to send messengers out and see how the other towns fared as well as inform them of the tragedy here - but before that, there was something he needed to do.
First relieving himself of the top part of his clothing, the Swordmaster then carefully used it to wrap the unfortunate young woman lying in the poisonous mess on the ground into it, allowing him to carry her
“May your suffering have found an end now... you poor misguided child... And may you find peace and rest now...”
He could not just leave her lying there. He would make sure that she got a proper burial, even if Myrefall’s laws would be against this.
But he had hope that Lady Lenne would not deny him this request once he had explained everything to her.
~~~~