Chapter 7: From Mante to Sacro, part 2

On the third day, they managed to reach the city of Sacro. It was clustered together, with mosaics depicting the sea. A typical sea-side resort.

Not only did they managed to clear the infested ranch, but plenty of other animals from Mante to Sacro. They stayed by the caravan only to get their pay, and then went to the adventurer's guild for their next quest.

"This was fun," Anmu said. He had so much mana gathered from the animals that his three lovers have felled for him, that he felt like he could work a miracle.

"Well, this is life for me," Eleric boasted. "Constant traveling, constant adventure. Come to think of it, I don't even need a house."

They got inside the guild hall, and went straight to the quest board. There was one written in red letters.

"A plague?" Fen asked, looking at the red quest. "Anmu, dear. It seems that it is your turn to shine."

"With all of the mana I collected from the animals, I feel like I can heal anyone. I just need to get a feel for what is ailing them," the Naga told him. They went to the receptionist's desk, and Anmu slithered closer to it.

"We would like to take the red quest," the Naga spoke.

"That one is not given to anyone but a healer," the receptionist told them in a bored tone.

"I am a healer. This is my license," Anmu pulled out a silver tablet, and handed it to the receptionist.

"Well, you are welcome to try, but only you will enter. We can't have those three spreading the sickness," the receptionist pointed at his companions, and Anmu nodded.

"Count on me," he spoke, and then was handed a quest scroll.

Fen placed an arm around Eleric's and Alistair's shoulders.

"Well, darlings, seeing as Anmu will be the hero now, and we are not busy..." the receptionist gave him a weird look, to which Fen responded with. "I am an incubus, dear woman."

The receptionist blushed deep red, and hid her face in her hands. Fen was going to tease her, invite her, even, but then Alistair glared at him, and he decided not to risk losing what he already had.

"Where is the nearest inn?" Eleric asked the woman.

"Two streets from here. The big blue building with the orange door," she managed to say in a squeaky voice.

"Thank you for your assistance," Alistair all but growled. He wrapped a possessive arm around Fen, and gently led him out of the guild hall.

"I can come with you and wait outside of the house, if you want?" Eleric asked. Alistair was more than enough to feed the incubus. Eleric wanted to use any and all excuse to be with Anmu.

"No, go feed him. He had gone without for a long time. You fed me your own kills, you shouldn't make Fen feel ignored," Anmu told Eleric, and then took a hold of the elf's hand. "I will be right out of there. I am certain that whatever it is, can be healed with enough mana."

Eleric nodded, and they went their separate ways. The black miasma that came out of the house of the sick people was contained behind a barrier, but that didn't give Anmu any security.

The Naga got inside the house, and saw servants sprawled on the floor. He quickly got to work. Carrying them to the rooms and placing them in beds. Then, after he was done, he bit the nearest one to get a taste of their blood.

The blood was foul. He used some mana to make sure the blood cells were fed with oxygen. Then, he checked their lungs. There were no clumps, thankfully, but the patients had fevers.

Anmu condensed his healing mana into pills, and fed each of the servants one. Healing mana was the greatest medicine there was, when it was in its raw form. Not everyone could condense their mana, however.

The Naga washed down the pills with the water from the healing pond that Eleric had handed him a couple of days ago. Immediately, his patients had some color returned to them. Yet, they did not wake.

Anmu figured that there was nothing more to do, but wash them from the grime. The masters of the house had run away at the first sign of sickness. They were not reported sick, however.

That led Anmu to believe that the curse must be placed on something that was used by the servants exclusively. He slithered to the kitchens, and looked around.

The whole room was bathed in the black miasma. He stared at the well in the middle of the kitchen, and got inside. He dropped in the water with a splash, and dived in.

His second eyelids activated, even though the waters were too dark for him to see. But that was ok. He was looking for the concentration of the miasma.

Feeling up the bottom, he felt a doll in the water. It was made of stone, and was warm to the touch. He swam out of the water with the doll in his hand, and then slithered out of the well.

Inspecting the doll, he found a secret compartment in the back. There was a lock of hair inside. Straight away, he knew what powered the curse. He took the hair, and burned it in the hearth of the fireplace. The miasma cleared away, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

With that done, he threw the doll inside the fire as well, and turned back to the well. Bucket after a bucket, he began to drain the well. He was fortunate it was not that deep. When he drained it three times, and boiled the dirty water, he went and threw the water in the gardens. The flowers didn't wilt, and Anmu smiled.

Going back inside, he saw that the servants were moving about. He smiled brightly at them, and began to explain to them about the curse. Anmu left the house behind, and the barrier receded after him.