August 17th, 1630
As I lay dying from the illness I've so desperately tried to remedy, I felt nothing but pain and discomfort. This pestilence has gone on for far too long, taking many into its rot infested hands. I have locked myself in an old shed that had long since been abandoned, in hopes of no one coming across my disease-ridden corpse. I have survived many things, I have lived longer than most in this profession, but this godforsaken plague will be my undoing. It was getting harder to breathe, it felt as if there was something within my lungs. I slowly unstrapped my mask and pulled it off. As the mask came off the smell of herbs faded, and the smell of blood, pus, and pestilence was evident. I looked at my mask with reverence, it was a symbol of my work. The plague doctor's mask, when normal citizens saw it, they would often lock themselves away. The long beak was stuffed with herbs, to protect from the miasma of the plague, perhaps that practice is faulty after all. The glass protection around the eyes had been recently cleaned, as with all my garb. The black leather of my mask was held together by studs made of steel, they shined slightly, I made sure to clean my clothing twice a day, but still, it did not help me. I was careful, I am unsure where or how I was infected, but I am and my time is nearing its end. I have seen so many die from this damned curse, I only pray that the world does not fall to this pestilence. With a few coughs, I felt blood trickle up my throat and reach the back of my tongue. With a final sigh, I put my mask back on, placed my hat atop my head, held tight to my cane, and closed my eyes. I will die here. With no final rites. Nor a single person to mourn me. I pray this plague ends.
Me: "Please, let me find peace."
One moment there was pain, the normal for one with the plague, then there was nothing. No pain, no discomfort, it truly was a relief to be free of that pain. But, I could still feel the cane in my hand, the mask on my face, the slight chill of cold air around me. With a sudden jolt, my eyes opened and I quickly realize I was no longer locked away in that shed, I was in the middle of a forest. I looked around for a moment, it was night so I couldn't see very far, but I could make out a faint glow off in the distance. It was most likely a campfire, perhaps those that made it could let me know where it is I am. As I walked towards the glowing light I used my cane to feel in front of me, to avoid any tree roots I may trip over. As I grew closer I could hear the faint, ragged breaths consistent with sobbing. It was so quiet one could've easily missed it. I slowed my pace to a stop as the campfire came into view. The fire was close to going out, obviously, the one who made it had not been maintaining it. A woman was sitting by the fire. She was shorter than most I've seen, but she was most certainly no child, her figure told me that much. She wore rather vibrant and unique clothing, mixed colors of pink, brown, and white. The style of the clothing was nothing I could personally recognize. The woman held her head low as soft gasps and heaving breaths were all that could be heard from her. She held a hat in her hands, black with a red strip of cloth across it. The poor thing was mourning someone she had lost, I do hope it wasn't to the plague. I took a breath, the smell of herbs a comforting familiarity, as I took a few steps forward and made myself known.
Me: "Pardon my intrusion miss, but-"
The woman was quick to react, she grabbed a parasol and wielded it as if it were a sword. She was frightened.
Me: "Please miss, I mean you no harm. I wish only to know where I am."
She stared at me for a long moment while remaining silent. It would seem I mistook her response. It was not of fear. The look in her eye was pure hatred and anger. After a moment more of staring she lowered her parasol. As she lowered it I followed the motion with my eyes and noticed a sizable cut on her leg. It certainly wasn't an accident, someone had attacked her.
Me: "How about a deal? I can fix the cut on your leg, then you can tell me where we are."
She looked to the cut on her leg then back to me.
Me: "I am a doctor, I have bandages and ointments in the pouch behind my back. It won't take more than a moment."
She stared at me once more, then nodded slowly and sat back down beside the fire. I slowly walked over and took a closer look at her leg. The cut was clean, and there were no signs of infection. I pulled a clean rag from my pouch and began wiping away some of the blood, there wasn't much but it gave me a chance to inspect the woman closer. Her skin was pristine, no sign of boils or any swelling, she seemed healthy. The strangest thing about the woman was her hair and eyes. Her hair was two different colors, and the same with eyes, pink and brown. I shook away the questions I wished to ask and simply began working on wrapping her leg in a bandage. Once I was done I took a step back.
Me: "It will heal in time, but I suggest changing the bandages once a day."
She nodded.
Me: "Now, Miss can you please tell me where we are?"
She suddenly began using sign language. Odd, I haven't seen that in a fairly long time.
Woman: "Outside of Vale, walk that way and you'll reach the city eventually."
I looked in the direction she meant and grew confused.
Me: "Vale? I'm sorry I'm not too sure where that is located. Are we anywhere near Florence? Or perhaps Venice?"
This time she looked at me, confused.
Woman: "I've never heard of those places."
Well, this certainly isn't helping answer any questions. I began asking random questions, the date, the year, anything I could think of. The woman's answers led me to the conclusion that... I was no longer in the world I knew. I also felt like a fool when I looked to the stars and noticed the moon. Half of the moon was shattered into pieces that still seemed to stick in place. The woman seemed to notice I grew silent as I thought about what was happening. I looked over to see her staring at me.
Me: "Yes?"
She pointed to my mask then signed.
Woman: "Why do you wear that?"
Me: "It helps prevent the spread of sickness... or so the theory goes."
I sighed. Why am I still wearing it anyway? I took my hat off and unstrapped my mask. As I removed it the fresh air was simply invigorating. I have smelled nothing but herbs and the scent of pestilence for so long. I set my mask down beside me, along with my hat. I then sat down and put my cane over my lap. The cane was simple in terms of looks, black with silver trim. It was a tool all plague doctors needed for examination and directing the sick. However as the world became more dangerous in terms of bandits and deranged people that had fallen ill, I had a sword's blade placed inside the cane, it was easy to unsheathe when it was needed. A man in Florence created it for me, I do hope he's healthy still. I placed the cane beside me and looked over to the woman again, she was staring at the hat again.
Me: "A friend's?"
She nodded slowly.
Me: "My condolences."
She nodded. We sat in silence for quite a while. I kept the fire going as she sat there. I thought about leaving but decided against it. This world was not my own and... some do not wish to grieve alone. I noticed the woman's eyes follow me whenever I got up, and wouldn't stop until I sat back down. I decided to stick around, at least until sunrise. Suddenly a thought came to my mind.
Me: "I have yet to introduce myself. My name is (Y/N) (L/N). May I ask yours?"
She looked to me then signed the letters N-E-O.
Me: "Neo?"
She nodded.
Me: "As long as you don't mind Neo, I would like to stay until sunrise. Is that okay?"
She thought for a moment then nodded.
Me: "Excellent. Thank you."
As I sat there, I sighed. Many questions roamed my mind, but I decided not to bother Neo anymore. I was in a world I had yet to know anything about, with only a few things with me.
Me: "It is a rather dire situation."
I slowly reached over and put my mask back on, then put my hat back on top of my head. Neo looked over to me for a moment then stared back into the fire.
Me: "Then again, it's better than dying of the plague."
