WG - The Mystery of the Poisoned Healer Options

[Grits]

(Continued from approximately here.)



Abiene in Chorrol

Eyja explained what would be needed for a complete recovery. “For the amount of metal you've been exposed to, you may need to keep taking it several times daily for at least a week, and do a restorative healing on yourself several times per day as well. The raw ingredients work better and quicker if you can stand the bitter taste. The potions are flavored, but are much weaker.”

Abiene started to reply. “I can stand the taste, but I’m sure an alchemist will be better able to…” Several times per day? She pressed her fingers against her face again, fighting down that frantic feeling. “I have patients to tend! I won’t be able to— I’m already taking far too many magicka potions just to keep up my workload. There’s nothing for it, I’ll have to ask for a leave of absence from the chapel.” She clenched her fists on her knees, anger creeping up through her fear. “Darn whoever did this!”

Eyja handed Abiene a list of ingredients. “Expect to be near an urn for a while,” she told Abiene. Then Eyja tucked her materials away.

Great, thought Abiene. I’m not going to go through a week of purging on the pot in my chapel quarters. She put that concern away for now and looked at the list.

Garlic
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Flax seed oil
Corkbulb root
Netch Leather
Scrib Jelly
Scamp skin
Kwama cuttle
Ash yam
The juice of a lemon
Dried seaweed
Charcoal

“Abiene, I need you to remember exactly how long you were at the inn, who you saw there, who brought you that tea, and if it was the same person you ordered it from,” said Eyja.

Abiene tried to clear her thoughts. “I reached the inn after dark and spent the night. There was a commotion when Irvana arrived with talk of vampires, and I ended up healing her in her chamber. I had a glass of Tamika’s last night with the stuffed mushrooms, plus a cheese plate with strawberries. This morning I ate a sweet roll and drank some kahve at the bar. A Dunmer woman was there, I didn’t catch her name. She was another guest. Lycus was sitting there, too. Yetta the cook and Lleris the hallboy were serving, but I got my breakfast from what was already set out on the bar. Bograk and Aravi were there, too. Oh, and I believe Kayla headed upstairs around the time I came down with Aravi. Honestly Eyja, I’m probably forgetting someone. I’ve been told to improve my situational awareness, but I’m not really sure what that even means.”

She hoped Eyja wasn’t too disgusted with her lack of information. She had not been paying attention at the inn because she had not been up to anything she felt she needed to hide. And Aravi’s troubles had been foremost in her mind.

“Then I got some tea from Yetta and went outside. I spoke with Dar’muktah and watched Lowren and the Argonian man cleaning up after the storm. Then I met Maxical. We sat on the bench chatting for a while. We have some mutual friends.” What happened next? “I must have been in a fog, because I can’t say how long we sat there or even what we talked about. I don’t really remember getting my things from the inn, but I must have.”

Abiene looked at the list again. “I can pick up a few of these things today at the chapel. Master Selvilo might have some of them, he’s a Dunmer. I can’t imagine why he would have netch leather, though. I’ll need to pick up my crystal ball so I can try to reach Darnand. He’ll know where Jerric is. That’s the alchemist.” She shook her head. “I hate to involve them in this.”

Abiene’s mouth went dry and her heart began to race. Perhaps that’s still the poison, she thought, gripping the bench’s edge.

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This post has been edited by Grits: Aug 24 2013, 04:01 PM

[mALX]

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Eyja pounded her chest and waited till Abiene had done the same before dropping onto the bench beside her and speaking very close to her ear and in barely a whisper.

"There is something important you need to know about Maxical. When I said Maxical can't heal, I meant it literally. She can't heal at all, not even basic healing on herself. It is some kind of magic conduction disorder that gives her complete weakness to magicka, poisons, and diseases; she has no natural defenses. It is imperative no one learn of this, she has many enemies in unknown places that would use that knowledge to take her down."

Inside Eyja was struggling to suffocate the fear that had been building in her since learning Honditar‘s illness came from Abiene. A man as strong and healthy as Honditar becoming that ill so quickly; what would it do to someone with no defenses?

She fought to keep the panic from her voice as she continued, indicating Honditar with a jerk of her head.

"He is strong and healthy, and you saw how ill this made him. Maxical will be doubly ill; worse than he was, and unable to cure it without help. She could be in grave danger from the disease if Casta Scribonia can't heal or has no potions in stock, she could..."

Eyja broke off as the impact of the words she was about to say suddenly struck beyond the logic and calm she’d always shielded herself with and left her feeling raw and afraid, and vulnerable in a way she hadn’t known in decades. It would be like losing her sister all over again. Eyja strangled that thought with an effort, trying to control her voice as she continued.

"Without her knowledge, she is my responsibility. I have been tasked with keeping her alive for two years, she has been appointed...she is in the service of Cyrodiil. I'm a bodyguard that she can’t know is commissioned to protect her. To her knowledge I am just a close friend who travels with her. I’ve already failed the one that commissioned me in the biggest way possible, he is dead. If anything happened to her, it would be like letting him down...all over again.”

Eyja choked on a ragged breath at the last words, feeling control breaking loose inside her in an overwhelming rush of emotion. With her hands balled into fists so tight the knuckles showed hard and white through the thick pink of her skin she fought against the tears that threatened. In a raw voice the next words tumbled out in a rush Eyja couldn‘t stem.

"The truth is it goes beyond the task. I care deeply for her. I never meant to become attached to her, but have. She is so much like my own sister who died when she was about the same age Maxical is now...too much like her. That squabbling play between us that you saw this morning, sometimes it feels like I could close my eyes and it would be my sister there. I can't let anything happen to her, but even greater than that I couldn't stand it if something did."

Eyja stood up briskly, embarrassed by the emotions she’d never meant to express; but the worry still lingered in her eyes and mind.

“I need to get you that charcoal, and I'll see if I can get my hands on some of these other ingredients while there. If that Argonian at the Guild can be persuaded to allow Maxical inside, please bring her there. She will be well protected there, both from this disease and the assassin if he is still about."

Eyja hurried toward the gate without waiting for a reply, smacking away a tear that escaped with a curse.



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