Inquisition Agents

Chapter 16: The sickness

The agents ran to the source of the screams as fast as they could. Their weapons were already unsheathed, assuming problems ahead. However, the situation surpassed even their darkest expectations.

- Please, help me!

The group stopped near a basic wooden fortification surrounded by a spike pit. It looked like a military provisional base for one of the Orlesian civil war forces. The main gate was open and, on the entrance bridge, a man was crawling to them: one of his hands was covering an ugly wound on his side, while the other was reaching for the agents. By his accent and his uniform, he was an Orlesian soldier. But the injured man was not the adventurer's focus of attention.

- What on the seven fucking seas is that... - Brisa whispered to herself.

Over a dozen corpses were back to life, walking slowly but steady to the soldier. They were coming from everywhere: from the base, from the surrounding forest, even from inside the pit. The agents were speechless, until after a couple of seconds Dazkar reacted and approached the man. She was already grabbing her healing kit.

- C'mon, cover me! - she yelled.

The group reacted at once. Keaton and Brisa charged forward, smashing the foes that were trying to reach the bridge. Meanwhile, Levi and Fenrraor took advantage of the distance with magic and arrows. Oerik approached Dazkar and knelt down to help her.

- Here, put this bandage over his arm, quickly! - the mage said.

As fast as she could, Dazkar was trying to plug the soldier's side wound to end the haemorrhage. However, the dwarf was petrified.

- Oerik, now! We have to...!

- This is not good, not good at all... - the dwarf shook his head while putting down the man's arm.

The soldier had a terrible cut on his forearm. Around the wound, a strange black-greenish shade was slowly growing, and it was already all over his hand until his elbow. When the man saw it, he got into panic.

- No! I don't want to! I'm not going to become one of them! - he took Oerik by the collar of his shirt. - Cut it off, please!

The dwarf looked at Dazkar, searching through his mind for the proper word. However, the mage could read into his brown eyes.

- Are you crazy? He'll bleed to death! - she shouted.

- Would you prefer to leave him here to feed those things? - Oerik answered angrily, which made Dazkar hesitate for a second. Then, he added. - Is there any way we can do it without killing him?

The mage thought deeply for an answer. Her medical knowledge was just that: theory. She'd never practised such intervention, and they only had a few minutes to stop whatever infection was that. If it reached the heart, Dazkar knew there wouldn't be a way back. Suddenly, a scream called her attention. A corpse just scratched the pirate's left arm, making her bleed.

- Brisa! - Dazkar exclaimed, worried.

- That's nothing, snow-hair! Make him walk and let's get the fuck out of here! - the Rivani answered while chopping an enemy's head.

- Focus, Dazkar! We have to do this! - Oerik hurried her up.

The dwarf didn't want to push her like this. As the rest of the agents, that were silently fighting, he knew that the responsibility they were putting into Dazkar's hands was far from being easy. However, they all trusted her to make the right decision. She took a deep breath, willing to concentrate, but the battlefield blocked her mind. The corpses moaning, their putrid flesh being ripped up by the swords, the smell of scorched bodies...