บท 75: The Plague
It was almost noon before the moontaur sisters woke up. Zero was still sound asleep in the trees a good few hundred metres away. Hua Tuo had finished tending to his fields and was making lunch now. He'd drawn water from the well to water his plants, inspect the plot for weed and bugs, harvested some herbs and prepared them for drying, tilled the dirt to plant a new batch of seeds, cleaned the small house and hunted for pigeons while the young ones slept. It was amazing to see how an old man could manage so much in just a few hours.
On the other side of the same forest, Truen was looking ghastly. He hadn't slept at all, running through the forest with Lily urging him in the right direction. Flying at his fastest speed, Truen knew he was pushing his magical stamina too much. With some magical plants from Gaia, Truen depended on them heavily while he flew. They were magic recovering plants and the effects were extreme exhaustion.
According to Lily and Mii, Zero was already outside of the old man's house but hidden in the forest. He was more worried when Mii reported that Zero was hiding because he secretly followed two moontaur girls who were sent by their village to convince the old man to save their people who had been infected with the plague.
Nothing about the situation sounded good to Truen. He only prayed that Zero wouldn't do something as foolish as trying to save the villagers or meet the old man. Thankfully, Mii reported that Zero had fallen asleep at dawn and wasn't due to wake up any time soon. This was the best news Truen has heard ever since Zero ran away. The elf felt terrible for being so harsh on the innocent boy. He promised that he would apologise after he found the brunet and that promise alone fuelled Truen along.
"Truen slow down!" Lily wrung her hands in helplessness. The elf was acting too foolishly by abusing the number of magic recovery herbs. His body had long passed the limits and if Truen continued to exert such a high magical output, he could end up paralysed when the magic in his veins run dry. If Gaia knew that the elf was going to be so reckless, she wouldn't have given Truen the magic recovery herbs.
Stubbornly, the elf persisted. He could feel the coppery taste in his mouth, a sure indication that his body was giving up on him, but he only had Zero in his mind. He was close after all. Only two more hours and he will reach the boy.
Back at Hua Tuo's small house, Layla finally remembered why they were sleeping outside the medicine man's house. Kayla decided to try knowing on the door once more.
This time, the door opened. An old man stepped out and Kayla frowned. He appeared human but the air around him indicated otherwise. She took a cautious step backwards, pulling Layla along. The boy who saved them was weird as he didn't have any aura. However, the old man emitted an aura that created an uncomfortable pressure. It was there to intimidate and although Kayla knew it, her body wouldn't stop shaking.
It was Layla who mustered all her courage to speak first.
"Wise medicine man, we have come from far to ask for your help. Our village has been infected by a plague and our chief is willing to pay for your services. Please save our people!"
Hua Tuo took a good look at the girls and sighed. It was only a matter of time before the moontaur tribe on Endow Hill would be wiped out along with many other species who reside here. He wasn't against saving them but this was something beyond his expertise. They've come looking for the wrong person. After all, the plague wasn't a disease. It was a symptom of magic deficiency.
Something was draining magic from Endow Hill and Hua Tuo had no idea what it was. He had an inkling but was unable to confirm his suspicions when the source suddenly disappeared a few days back. While the source was gone from his radar, it didn't stop absorbing magic from the mountain.
"I'm sorry, this is beyond my expertise. I can only suggest that your tribe moves out of Endow Hill before it is too late. A major event will be happening in this mountain soon and if you don't want to be caught up in it, you should leave as soon as possible."
Crestfallen, the girls were speechless for a long time as Hua Tuo went back to finish cooking lunch.
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