Ashe opened her big eyes looking at Siderius like a puppy in need of saving.
Siderius shared a gentle smile. "Don't look at me like that. I didn't say that I won't save him. However, we may need to postpone our trip to the Rocky Pit a few more days."
"Why, Master? What do we need to do?" Ashe said
"We need to make sure that we will survive…"
Three days later.
Siderius and Ashe approached the Rocky Pit. He had a new leather pouch on his waist.
"Do we really need that, Master? They seem… excessive."
"Nothing is too excessive to guarantee your own survival, my apprentice. Soon you will learn why."
Ashe nodded. She didn't understand Siderius' carefulness at the time but she knew that it didn't cause any harm to be extra prepared.
The air outside the Rocky Pit was different from before. A heavy suffocating dread presented in every corner of the camp. Even the faces of the miners were filled with fear.
Something had happened. And it wasn't good.
Siderius and Ashe stood faraway from the camp, hiding themselves in the shadow of the night. He squinted his eyes, observing the area carefully.
There wasn't any ambush. At least not in the public area.
He wrapped the black scarf around his face to hide his identity. Then Siderius and Ashe climbed through the wall to get inside, instead of using the main gate.
Ashe was a bit clumsy but she did manage to follow Siderius in the end. She needed extra work and training on those rigid legs. Siderius added a task to deal with later on, training Ashe's muscle memory.
Most of the miners were in their tents, leaving only a few hanging around in the open area. They weren't paying any attention at all, which was perfect for Siderius and Ashe to sneak around.
They found themselves in the tent of Carsten in no time.
Nadia was there, sitting at the table and resting her head on her knuckles. Her eyes were half-closed but they shot open the moment Siderius and Ashe appeared.
"I thought you wouldn't return." Nadia said.
"I'm a man of my word." Siderius said.
"It actually seems to be so... But I don't know if we can save him anymore. Take a look yourself." Nadia pointed to Carsten.
Carsten laid on the bed motionless, his eyes were closed. His skin had lost all of his healthy color. The only thing left was a deathly shade of gray. His skin fractured like an old piece of ceramic jug and all of his hair had fallen off.
"How long has he been in a coma?" Siderius said.
"Two days…" Nadia said.
Siderius approached and touched him. His skin was hard like rock. It almost looked like Carsten was turned into a statue.
Siderius lifted Carsten's shirt up only to see an enlarged dark red heart emerge from his chest. It was beating and inside it was a chaotic life force.
"This?!" Siderius gasped.
It couldn't be mistaken. Carsten's disease was not sickness. It was a curse. This curse used all of his life force to feed something inside his heart.
It could be a monster, a magical artifact, or even a material. Siderius wouldn't know unless he let the process finish.
However, he had no intention of leaving Carsten to die. He always fulfilled his part of a deal.
It was at this time that Alex entered the tent.
"The healer came?" Alex said.
Nadia nodded, keeping no mind to Alex. Her eyes were fixated on Siderius. "Can you save him?"
"I wasn't sure before. But I am now."
Siderius took out the glass bottle and placed it on the table.
"As I promised, the cure. This will place Carsten's body into a high fever and deal with the Gray. The process will be painful but he will live."
Nadia picked up the bottle and examined it. The bright orange liquid was strange to her.
"But this cure is not a miracle elixir. To survive, he must have the will to live.
If not, he will succumb to death."
"Are you saying this... cure may kill him?" Nadia frowned deeply.
Nadia held the bottle in her hand. Even now, the orange liquid gave off heat, the glass bottle was warm to touch.
"Every cure is partly a poison. So does this tonic. I tried it myself. It'll work. But it will hurt."
Nadia squeezed the neck of the bottle tightly. She didn't know if she should trust this man.
She looked over to the petrified Carsten. He was a good boy. He was a little lazy and always tried to escape work but he was kind and brave.
Nadia could still remember the first day the kid came to the mining camp. His bright smile lightened up her day and he would spend all night entertaining the miners with his stories.
Without him, these last few weeks had been sour and hopeless. They had lost the only positive person in this hellhole of rocks and caves.
Working and working. Mining and mining. Days with no end.
Sometimes, Nadia didn't even know why they did what they did. Right… I know why. Because we need to live. Nadia was thinking silently.
Nadia took a deep breath. "I hope the cure will save him."
"Do you think he's strong enough?" Siderius said. His gaze aimed directly at Nadia.
"Of course!"
Siderius smiled. "Then he will live."
Nadia approached Caraten but suddenly, Alex approached her and took the bottle of Arvenox.
"What are you doing? Give me the bottle!" Nadia shouted. She reached for the bottle but Alex was just too tall for her. He simply lifted up his arm.
"We can't do this, Nadia."
Nadia's gaze pierced Alex. "Why?"
Alex simply shook his head. He shared a pitiful look at Carsten.
"The Gray Death cannot be cured. Or else torment will rain upon us."
With one swing, Alex threw the bottle to the ground, shattering it completely. The orange liquid spread all over the ground, seeping under the dirt.