Curse of the Crystals

Chapter 12: Unexpected Allies - part 2

"The crystals seem to be involved in all cases, either directly or indirectly. It seems like they might be used to drain the energy of animals and people. Most of the victims die, but I think there are some that don't. A good friend of mine, who helped me in my research, fell prey to a rat attack, yet suddenly vanished from the hospital. I believe he might've ended up as one of the people mentioned. Those that don't die after being drained of their energy seem to become like that. Well, that's my theory, at least. It would explain why some people went missing, and why some rats died while others turned into rats that spread the energy draining curse."

Arethusa listened attentively, then nodded. "That seems to be in line with all we've learned. However, there is one thing I don't understand. They don't seem to display any cognitive awareness, yet infiltration into the Liberators and into the Army cannot be done without a good plan. It can only be done by someone with both intellect and connections."

Maiara nodded. "Which means there is a group of people that is capable of using these crystals and of infiltrating both the army and the Liberators, and who knows what else they infiltrated. The crystals are their means to an end we've yet to discover."

Itzal agreed. "We've got quite a dangerous enemy, but there is one thing that bothers me. I've been infiltrating all sorts of groups left and right, so I should I can speak from experience when I say that it's nearly impossible to get a high rank in a short amount of time. Either this third party has been infiltrating groups long before anyone noticed, or they were able to sway some of the higher-ups in record time. Both options don't seem all that likely to me."

Maiara shook her head. "You're forgetting that we're dealing with something we don't understand. They might use an entirely different method to get access to the upper echelon of these groups, or they might have means of infiltrating we're unaware of."

Itzal clicked his tongue. "Fair point, I guess. It's a shame we don't even know their end-goal, as causing all this chaos isn't just a hobby of theirs, or so I hope." He turned to Arethusa. "So what's the plan with all of this? The entire camp here and all that."

"We wish to reach the Heart of the Forest. We've been stacking up herbs and we trained to deal with infected animals before they can even scratch us. The most difficult part will be dealing with the infected people, but we've trained our best to deal with those as well. We were planning to head there in only a few days."

Itzal smiled. "Well, I guess that means we'll be tagging along. If you believe in some level of supernatural guidance, I'd say this is the moment where you should claim it's fated that we ran into each-other here. Let destiny guide us!"

Maiara scoffed. "I don't believe in fate or destiny. Things like that are little more than an illusion, but I will admit that this outcome might be beneficial to both of us."

Arethusa interrupted. "You're quick to assume that I'll let your group tag along."

"You won't?" Itzal asked.

She laughed. "No, I will. It's just odd to see you guys eager to tag along."

They shared a few looks. All five of them knew that their eagerness was likely the result of how they hadn't much of a solid plan on their own. Being able to latch onto something that seemed almost entirely tailored to fit their needs was an incredible luxury. There was no need to share this part with Arethusa though, as it was better to not to show how unprepared they had actually been.

The group split up not long afterwards, spending the rest of the day apart from each-other. Ambrose met up with the group's healer to learn what herbs she blended to counter the tiring effects of the crystals. To his surprise, a few things seemed familiar to the herbs he used himself, but there were multiple things that he didn't know about. Some herbs used were gathering exclusively in deep parts of the forest and weren't really traded outside of the autonomous zone, but the opposite was also true. In fact, Ambrose even questioned if some herbs couldn't be replaced with the ones he'd commonly use in his own craft, upon which Arethusa's healer had no reply.