Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 25

My transparent robes blended in with the night, I light stepped to a rooftop nearby, where I'd be in close proximity if needed. The two physicians, no longer needed, began to excuse themselves. Before they were finished the guard outside the door knocked, delivering clean robes.

"Wait." The Crown Prince told the physicians. They stopped their retreat in unison, turning around to await their orders. "Tell me about the poison in her body." He ordered Blight. Blight obediently retold the pieces of information he knew, which didn't include many details. He told of the experimental tents and the survivability odds of the subjects. I'd never told him about the hole in the ground, how I slept at night, or how we were pitted against each other, omitting the details of our pitiful existence.

"So there are others like her?" The Crown Prince asked.

"She never told me of any others, she is the sole survivor of her experiment. But from my research I discovered in her guild there are two others with similar results. From stories I've heard, their poisons are different. I think they were part of different tests but during the same period." Blight concluded. I kept them away from Demon's Peak, not wanting anyone else to have access to Ruby's skills. Any information Blight gathered regarding Demon's Peak would have likely come from the palace dungeons, previous assassins that were captured and interrogated.

"Her eyes are like that from large quantities of eurosariph, the concentration levels it'd take to make her this way, I can't even imagine the pain she suffered." The elder doctor commented.

"Could you pick out the others?" Blight asked, I'd never actually told him the exact poisons that had been used on us, feeling he'd either learn of them eventually or they'd disappear forever.

"There were probably many different combinations within her, without sampling her blood I can't know for sure. Even with a sample of her blood it'd be unlikely I could identify them all. She told me the other two main bases were feristaria and silitate..." He trailed off, shaking his head, still unable to comprehend how I was living.

"What do they do?" Lei finally spoke up.

"When inhaled eurosariph sends chemicals to the brain, mimicking a sense of euphoria. Entranced by the sensation, a person would willingly do anything. If ingested directly it can cause a number of reactions, most commonly death. The toxin goes through the bloodstream burning through the passages, searing its way through the body. The poison is one of the rarest to find. Flourishing on the highest mountains, growing from the cliffs under thick layers of snow and ice. It's impossible to find without searching relentlessly. The people skilled enough to adjust to the high altitudes and survive the journey and know the exact locations of the source were eradicated. It's likely the people experimenting on her were the ones that killed them, what happened to the people experimenting on her, I'd be curious to know. It's likely there isn't a single person alive who knows the exact location of it, assuming there's any left at all." He continued his lecture.

"Feristaria is also rare, not easy to come by, but compared to eurosariph easier in contrast. Deep within the jungles it can be found in select areas. It grows near toxic water, the nearby wildlife are usually toxic and should be avoided. While most people will die in large doses from it, the chances of survival aren't unheard of in small doses. Extended high doses are unheard of, firstly because there are easier and cheaper poisons to substitute. While the effects may not be as desirable from the alternatives, the risk of killing the person are less. Secondly the effects instill fear on whomever inhales it, which is another reason it's unlikely that someone would continue to be poisoned by the substance as the exposure is obvious. In the future there are still risks of seizures, shakiness, puking, and the mind can become unstable even after one dose. To ingest it.. I don't know who would do such a thing." He shook his head at the thought.