Tales from the Wasteland | The No Leaf Clover

Chapter 22

Several days pass for the hunters after the fight with Druscilla in the unexcavated depths of the quarry. The slight reprieve gives them time to lick their wounds and tend to Slade and the wounded Blade Arms. Mother Nature gifts Midland another brisk morning as Rod exits the bathroom. A cool breeze flows into the hallway from a cracked window across from his bedroom. He's given the bedroom to the brothers, allowing a bit of privacy while Slade fights off Druscilla's pheromones. Alena did say it would take some time for the antidote to purge Druscilla's toxin, Rod thinks as he passes the closed door. He finishes drying his hair, flipping the towel over his shoulders as he steps into the kitchen. He grabs a clay mug from a cupboard and fills it to the brim with freshly brewed coffee. Rod takes a big whiff of the dark liquid before indulging.

The enjoyment of the first sip of coffee is interrupted by a soft knock at the front door. He lets out a slight sigh of agitation as he walks over to the door. Rod opens the door. A familiar face stares back at him with a stern grin. Rod gestures for Kendrick to enter.

"Thank you. How is Slade doing?" The Blade Arm Commander asks. "The same, still in a coma, but he'll pull through."

Both men walk into the kitchen where Rod pours his friend a cup of coffee. Kendrick thanks him and takes a gentle sip.

"The head of the succubus had an ample amount of blood. Mixed with the balm, it should give us an antidote for Slade," Rod tells Kendrick. "Alena's working with the local herbalist. They both seem to think it will be a slow process. Too much of the antidote could send his body into shock. Hopefully, it will only take a couple of days to run its course. Jain, I believe her name is, was able to lower Slade's fever in the meantime."

"Sounds like promising news," Kendrick replies. "Well, I stopped by to give you an update on the contract. Thanks to the three of you, we were able to apprehend Lorana."

"What's to be done with her?"

"Depends on her, really. We will send a formal inquiry to Orgrimdeare. If there is a contract on her head, she'll be sent back. Otherwise, she'll be moved to prostitution caste. The Lord Mayor believes her talents could be better utilized there."

"I'm sure he thinks so."

Kendrick continues ignoring the snide jab at Vinic, "I sent a small scouting team in yesterday to verify that all the demons were slain. They purged the corpses with fire and sealed it off with several demo blasts."

"Is that going to impede on Midland's coal and mineral resource?"

"I don't believe so. Our best guess is, judging from the arachnids' cavern, there is still plenty to mine. To ease the miners' qualms, I will have a battalion with them for at least the next few months."

"Sounds like a wise move," Rod says with another sip of coffee.

"So, I received Alena's debrief on the contract. I would like to hear your theories on the succubus and arachnids."

"I don't think I'll tell you anything that will enlighten you more than what Alena told you."

"Humor me," Kendrick says with a smile.

"Well, the succubus closely resembles an elder demon."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, she was able to transition her energy from the ethereal plane to here without a host body. Almost like she was able to manipulate energy in this plane to create a sort of avatar."

"That's always been a theory of Gramps. Scary to think it is true. So we didn't actually destroy the demon just the surrogate body?"

"I'm not sure. This is still all theory based around how lower demons possess a host body. It may not work that way. Maybe demons are able to transfer their consciousness through the Kniln into our world."