“I wanna join!” said Lynga of the werewolves.
“Don’t forget about me,” added Loewe of the orcs.
“So, like, why do you guys always come over together?” Zenos asked.
After the temporary closure due to Zenos’s infiltration of the Royal Institute of Healing, the clinic in the ruined city was slowly returning to its usual routine.
Chapter 1: Night Festival in the Slums
“The doc’s mentor, huh...?”
The usual gang was gathered at the clinic this afternoon, and the demi-human leaders, curious about Becker’s letter, were having a lively conversation.
“Must’ve been an impressive guy to be the doc’s mentor,” Zophia mused.
“I didn’t even know he had a mentor,” Lynga chimed in. “I was surprised.”
“He was an elite healer, yeah?” Loewe asked. “‘Impressive’ is right.”
Zenos took a sip of the tea Lily had brewed and nodded slowly. “Well, he was impressive... I think...” He’d been quite surprised to find out that his mentor, who’d looked like a dodgy old man at best, had actually been an elite healer. “He taught me to read, told me everything about the world of healing magic, all sorts of things. If I am who I am now, it’s thanks to him for sure.”
“Are you looking into this mentor of yours, doc?” Zophia asked.
“Well, I’m curious,” the healer admitted.
Lynga and Loewe both made a bit of a face at this. “I wouldn’t recommend it,” Lynga said.
“Me neither,” Loewe agreed. “I want to help you, Zenos, but I’m not too keen on that.”
“Why not?” Zenos asked.
Lynga and Loewe furrowed their brows. “I dunno much about magic,” Lynga replied, “but forbidden spells and curses? That gives me the creeps.”
“Tangible problems I can solve with my fists,” Loewe added. “But curses? I can’t punch curses.”
“Guess not,” Zenos muttered, crossing his arms behind his head.
Zophia propped her chin on her hand. “So, curses, eh... What even are they?”
Soon, all gazes turned to Carmilla, who sat at the edge of the table sipping tea. Noticing the many eyes on her, the wraith slowly raised her head and cleared her throat. “I know not the precise nature of curses,” she explained. “Some say they are a form of divine punishment, others believe them to be the whims of demons, and still others whisper of powerful contract magic from great wizards of eld. Whatever the case, one must know that meddling with the natural laws of the world incurs severe retaliation.”
“Wow,” said Lily in admiration, teapot in hand. “You know so many things, Carmilla.”
The wraith chuckled. “I have not lived for three centuries for nothing.”
“Except you’ve been dead this whole time,” Zenos pointed out as he always did, then let out a small sigh. “Well, it’s not like we can know for sure either way.”
In his letter, Becker had said to look for the man’s notes to find out more. Zenos did recall seeing a black leather notebook back when he’d traveled with his mentor. He’d innocently asked once to see it, been scowled at, and been denied. After that, he’d never seen the notebook again. His mentor had either hidden it somewhere or burned it; either way, it would be difficult to find.
There was actually one clue that came to mind, but even that was no longer a practical option. There was something I wanted to say to him... he thought, gazing out the window at the dazzling sunset.
“By the way, doc,” Zophia began, “this is kinda weird, but...”
“Hmm?” Zenos mumbled, suddenly brought back to reality. “What is it?”
“We’re planning a little event, see.”
“An event?” Lily asked eagerly. “What kind?”
The three demi-human leaders exchanged glances, and all said in unison, “A night festival!”
“A night festival?” Zenos echoed, cocking his head.
Zophia leaned in. “See, we’ve been talking, and we’re planning to hold a festival in the slums at night. There’ll be stalls, dancing, games with prizes for people who do well, stuff like that. And we want you to participate, doc.”
“Wow! That’s so cool!” Lily exclaimed excitedly. “It sounds like fun!”
“Huh. A festival,” Zenos mused. “I’ve never been to one, but it sounds interesting.” His former party had once come across a festival in a town they’d passed through; he’d seen many stalls, and dressed-up people dancing away happily. The others had told him to watch their belongings, so he’d been the only one who hadn’t participated.
“Another pitiful tale,” Carmilla remarked.
“I’m pretty confident about my pitiful past,” Zenos said.
“I don’t think that’s something to be proud of,” Lily pointed out.
Zenos scratched his cheek awkwardly as he turned to Zophia. “I mean, sure, why not? I’m looking forward to it.”
“Hells yeah!” Zophia exclaimed. “Make sure you come, all right? We’ll let you know when we’ve set the date.”
