Episode 2 : Dark of Sight, Dark of Heart
1450 Words
When everything is in darkness, one loses the sense, and urgency of time. As such, Daerutt, like many other villages and towns, needed a way to tell time.
It is said that in safer towns inland, bell tolls were the norm. In Daerutt, however, loud sounds and light are taboo, as it is likely to lure over vicious Shadowfiends, or even high-level Shadowfiend, termed "Shadowlord".
Instead, the town uses the only practical method available to it : the Cerberus Shadowfiend, a domesticated, hound-type shadowfiend purchased many years ago from Shadowhunters passing by the village.
The Cerberus sported a dog-like body, only around 4 times bigger than even a wolf, a skinny, sleek black body with patches of white bones revealed under its skin, yet without flesh underneath it all.
It is speed-attributed and is able to move lightning fast under cover of darkness.
Other than using it as the village protector in cases of Shadowfiend attacks, the village head commanded it to howl every 6 hours, in accordance to the sandglass in the village hall.
The Cerberus' howl also has an intimidating effect to Shadowfiends of lower grade than it, saving the village the effort to fend off lower grade Shadowfiends from time to time.
"Awoooooooooo........."
The boy was startled awake, having fallen asleep on the wooden table.
"Mmmm...its six already....", he mumbled.
Almost losing his balance, he walked over to the wooden bed, nudging the girl trying to wake her up.
"Sis...sis....its six already....wake up and have some breakfast...", he said while slightly shaking the girl.
The girl's only response was a slightly inaudible grunt.
"Sis...whats wrong??!!", the boy started panicking.
He flipped her over, and put the back of his hand against her temple.
"So hot!!"
"Wait a while, I will bring the doctor over!!", the boy quickly said, before running over to the door and promptly exiting the house.
While running through the streets, the boy suddenly remembered something, and doubled back towards another shack, just neighboring his own.
Knocking furiously, he screamed.
"Uncle Daff, help!!"
"Who is it???!!!!", a gruff voice responded.
"It's Luc, Uncle, help me please!!", still knocking furiously, the boy answered.
The door then opens with a bang, and Daff emerged from within, evidently quite annoyed at the disturbance. A dim light from within the shack revealed a big middle-aged man, with burly body, scruffy features, accompanied by an odor just as strong.
"What do you want, jynx boy!!", Daff said with angry eyes.
"My sister is sick!! She is burning hot!! I need some coins for the doctor, please help us!!", ignoring the look of anger, Luc quickly screamed.
"Why?", Daff calmly said.
"What?", this reply confuses Luc.
"Why should I help you and your sister?"
"Because we're neighbors!!" Luc replied without thinking.
"So just because you squat beside my house I should help you? Why, I oughta help each and every Shadowfiend attacking the town then!!" Daff said while slamming the door shut.
Indeed for people living on the edge of town, Shadowfiends can be considered neighbors, since the very first houses under attack was oftentimes theirs.
Helpless, Luc had no other choice other than resume his journey to the doctor's house empty handed.
After running through the outer layer of the village, Luc then stopped in front of a wooden house situated within what was considered the inner layer of the village. Although still quite shabby, this particular wooden house is much bigger and nicer than others. In fact, the only better house would be the village head's.
Still huffing and puffing, Luc knocked furiously on the wooden door, evidently too out of breath to speak.
"Doc, doc, help!!", Luc finally managed to scream these few words while knocking.
The door promptly opened, revealing a skinny middle-aged man, with white clothes, glasses, and a scholarly countenance.
Doctor Ross, the only village doctor in Daerutt. Although it is unclear where he got his expertise from, the villagers aren't especially picky about doctors nowadays. As such, the doctor enjoyed prestige among the villagers, with the best of everything the village has to offer, in exchange for his services.
"How may I help you little guy?", the doctor said politely, evidently having no idea who Luc is. After all, he has never met the doctor before, courtesy of having no coin.
"Please come, my sister is burning hot!!" Luc said briefly while slightly pulling on his shirt.
"Hang on, let me grab my tools"
Doctor Ross then quickly walked into the house, coming out shortly after with a simple leather backpack.
The duo then promptly walked back to Luc's wooden shack.
At the sight of the wooden shack, a perceptible frown was shown on Doctor Ross' face. This was missed entirely by Luc, though, in his haste to his sister's aid.
Showing the bed on which his sister is laying upon, Luc then said, "Here is my sister, please help her!!".
Doctor Ross stood still for a while, before calmly said, "Before that, young man. May I ask, do you have the coins required for my services?".
Flustered at his reply, Luc then said, red-eyed, "No..but I will get you your coins, I promise!! Please help her!! She's all I have!!".
"That, will not do", the doctor said firmly.
"But....this will", the doctor continued, saying this while pointing his finger upwards.
"What...?", Luc was confused.
"The house.", Doctor Ross calmly said.
"Yes, yes, whatever it takes, please help my sister!!"
"It is agreed then, but you have to understand, I will only do my best, and regardless of the result, I will take the house."
Blanched, Luc could only nod his head in reply.
"Step aside please", the doctor said, after which he kneeled down beside the wooden bed, putting his palm on the girl's forehead.
"Hmm...this is...." the doctor mumbled.
"There's no other way then...."
"Activate Level 1", Doctor Ross said softly, still keeping his palm on the girl's forehead.
A silver tattoo then appeared on the back of the doctor's hand, blinking silver light revealing a Gaia Silver.
After several minutes of silence, the blinking silver light suddenly stopped.
If one were to look closely, they would notice the doctor's forehead were covered in sweat, seemingly after exerting quite a bit of effort in using his Gaia Silver.
"Is she okay??" Luc asked impatiently.
"Hmm....yes and no....", the doctor ambiguously said.
"You see these mark up her neck over here?", the doctor pointed to the girl's neck, where squirming ink black patches are visible.
"These are called "Shadowgrip", a sign that she has been poisoned by the waters of Poison Lagoon."
"Possibly she contracted it while in contact with tainted herb's roots that has absorbed poison water".
"The poison will not kill her, but if left untreated, she will in time mutate to half-human, half-Shadowfiend being, losing her mind in the process. It is quite common in this area.", the doctor offered an explanation.
"No way!! Can you cure her??", Luc replied hastily.
"Technically I can. However, I need a Shadow Core to forcibly draw the poison over, and I'm guessing you have neither it nor the fund to purchase it."
This reply seemed to drain all blood from Luc's face, as he struggled to reply.
"But seeing as you are so generous to offer me the house... run-down as it may be...I will offer you a way..."
"This will be dangerous, but I see no other way you can possibly procure the core, now, will you do it?", the doctor said.
"Anything!! I'll do anything!!", Luc replied without thinking.
"Very well", the doctor said while pulling out a parchment scroll from within his backpack, unfurling it on the wooden table.
It was a map of Daerutt and its surrounding areas.
"You see in this area marked here, two days ago I spotted an injured "Harehound Shadowfiend". It was big enough to surely contain a small Shadow Core, and was so severely injured it could not move. If not for me running out of usable Moon Stone back then, I would surely had killed it and retrieved the core myself."
"Now, will you go and fetch it? It will be dangerous without a Moon Stone, but if you are careful, you might just make it", the doctor said.
Luc just nodded heavily, before collecting a worn down mantle and a knife from under the bed. He then wore the mantle, stashed the knife on his trousers.
"Wait for me sis...You have to hang on!", Luc softly caresses his sister's hair before nodding to the doctor and briskly walked out.
"It was within a cave!!", the doctor's voice can be heard from within the room.
Gritting his teeth, Luc then walked away.
- Writer
