Siderius returned to Mucktown. He stayed at the edge of the woods and observed Ashe's lonely house.
There wasn't any guard outside or ambush. There was light inside the house so Ashe was probably present.
He waited until the night completely took over the land then proceeded to approach the house.
Siderius didn't go inside. Instead, he peaked through the crevice of the window.
He wanted to make sure Ashe was alone.
She was alone. The girl was making some kind of stew at her fireplace. She had some clothes that were half-finished hanging around. It seemed Ashe had tried to make some living by making clothes. It's a natural solution as the dead field in front of her house was useless.
Siderius waited some more. He watched Ashe cooking, eating and finally changing to her sleeping clothes.
Siderius diverted his eyes away when she started changing. He may not be a kind soul but at least he would respect her privacy.
He waited until she was asleep and went inside.
Siderius sat down on the table.
"I have returned." Siderius said.
His voice echoed in the quiet room and made Ashe jump out of her bed.
"Oh, it's you." Ashe widened her eyes.
"It's me." Siderius nodded.
"Why didn't you knock?"
Siderius didn't answer and only shared a knowing smile while shaking his head. For a wanted criminal like him, it was best to be extra careful.
He picked up two big rabbits and put them on the table.
"Some meat I was able to hunt. It's probably going to sell well in the market. I need you to sell them for me then buy me a map of the area."
"Is that truly meat?!"
Ashe's eyes lit up and she came closer to look at them. It had been a while since she had proper meat. All she could offer were bread, porridge and the occasional fruit, which Siderius had taken quite a few.
There weren't that many hunters in Mucktown. Most of them were killed because of the Chaos Beast or gave up on their hunting for the sake of their lives.
There was still meat laying around but that was only available to the Citizens and above. Commoners like Ashe and Siderius could rarely touch it.
A piece of good meat could be sold for at least a few dozen bronze coins. Maybe even one or two silver coins depending on the meat quality.
The currency of this world was simple. People use bronze, silver and gold coins. The latter was much more valuable than the former.
One hundred bronze coins were equal to one silver coin.
One hundred silver coins were equal to one gold coin.
Siderius noticed Ashe's eyes were swelling a bit. It looked like she was crying recently. There were even lines of dry tears at the corner of her eyes.
"What happened?" Siderius said.
Ashe looked at Siderius. She was met with an indifferent but understanding gaze. His eyes were completely dark with no pupils nor sclera. She freaked out a bit and didn't know what to say. She's afraid.
His eyes were not the type that an ordinary person could have. And from what she heard, he was no ordinary actor.
Siderius sensed her fear almost immediately. He calmed his voice down and spoke in a hypnotic tone.
"Tell me what happened."
"I heard you killed Lyara's familiar."
Siderius nodded. "A minor punishment for what she did to me. There will be more waiting for her. Unimaginable anguish that I will give to her.
But that isn't what is bothering you right now, my apprentice. What. Happened?"
Ashe looked down on the floor. For some reason, she felt like she was being questioned by her father.
Unknowingly, she kneeled in front of Siderius while he was still sitting on the chair. Ashe took a deep breath before she spoke to Siderius.
"I have a friend. His name is Carsten. He is a good kid. Hard-working. Always smiling and always so happy even in the face of misery.
It's just… I don't understand why such good people always meet with a dire fate. It's unfair!"
Siderius lifted Ashe's chin gently. "Tell me what has happened to him?"
He could see tears started to swell up in Ashe's eyes. But she remembered what he said. She held it in and cried no more. Then she tell him.
"The Gray. He caught the Gray."
"What is the Gray?."
"The Gray Death. It is the deadliest disease to ever exist. There is no cure, no prevention and no hope for those who had it.
Carsten contracted the Gray. And soon, he will join his ancestors in the afterlife.
He is my only friend in this town. Without him, I might not have been able to survive."
"The Gray…" Siderius mumbled.
For some reason, this sickness reminded Siderius of the Bubonic Plague back in his old world. It was the most powerful and destructive weapon the Witch Queen used to eradicate all other living beings.
"If he is that important to you, I will save him." Siderius said.
"You can? But why?" Ashe widened her eyes.
"Because he is your ally, my apprentice. And he helped you. We always repay our debt, Ashe. It is our way of living."
Ashe didn't understand much but she nodded.
"He is a miner in the Rocky Pit. I can lead you there."
"Good. Then we should go immediately. Time is the most important to treat any sickness."
The pair left the house. Siderius grabbed a half-knitted scarf on the way out and wrapped it around his face. Ashe was a tailor so there were lots of clothing laying around for Siderius to pick.
It was his best interest to hide his identity. He was still a wanted criminal.
The Rocky Pit was located in the south of Mucktown, cramped in between the Rose Springs and the Rottin Woods. The Rocky Pit was a huge mining camp with the center ground descended gradually.
The Pit led down to an underground cave that had a huge amount of minerals and ores. The place was also directly next to the Rose Springs, a collection of natural hot springs.
When Siderius and Ashe arrived at the Rocky Pit, most of the miners had already stopped working. Some of them sat under a pine tree and gambled to pass the time.
Siderius pulled his scarf up to cover his face, making sure no one would recognize him.
He and Ashe approached the group of miners.
"We come to see Carsten." Ashe said.
The miners looked up and were immediately startled by Siderius. His dark eyes were something otherworldly. But he wore guard clothing so they didn't dare to question him.
"Who are you?" A muscular miner stood up and faced the pair.
"I'm Carsten's friend, Ashe. And this is..."
"Siderius." The hunter nodded to the miners.
"Why are you covering your face?" A miner said.
"To protect myself from contracting the Gray Death. Don't you know the disease can spread in the air?"
Siderius made up a reason on the spot.
"Really?"
The miners looked at each other and immediately covered their noses and mouths.
"Please, can we see Carsten? Siderius here is a healer, he may be able to help."
Thanks to Ashe's quick thinking, the miners all believed them. Alex, the muscular miner from before, led the pair into the mining camp to see Carsten.
The mining camp didn't have any houses. They built tents to live inside. The tents were makeshift wooden poles with fabrics acting as ceilings. It was in a much worse condition than the tents in the circus. One simple storm could break them all to pieces.
Carsten was lying inside one of the tents. He was pale like a dead man. His limbs hardened and fractured like the bottom of a dried lake. This condition was the worst at his fingertips and toes. The upper parts were a bit better but Siderius could see it was worsening.
"As you can see, Carsten had caught the Gray." Alex said.