Chapter 409 - A Yellow and Black Plague III (Patreon)

I slung my arm into Iona’s, and started walking towards where Barvah had said Tessa was working on a solution to the plague. My healing was still blasting around me, curing anyone who got near.

“First thing’s first. Going by Dawn here because I don’t want to explain my name every three seconds. Second. City’s got an interesting law. For every person I heal, they charge five arcanite coins as a fee to the guild.”

Iona gave a slow nod.

“About the price of a sandwich, lets them keep track of who’s in town, makes sure that everyone acting as a healer is trained as one, and providing funding for the guild to do what it needs to do. Seems reasonable so far.”

I shot her a glare, but Iona just kept looking around the crowd, not noticing my displeasure.

“How many people do you think I’m healing this second?” I asked her.

I could see the windmills turning in her head, and her mouth opened.

“Ah. Yes, I see the problem. That’s what, 100,000 coins a day? They didn’t make an exception for a plague?” Iona asked.

I shook my head.

“Not in the slightest. I don’t intend to stop in the slightest, and while I know your own [Vow] has limitations, you’re in the clear to help me, right?”

Iona thought about it.

“It’s… tricky.” She admitted. “Like, yes, I’m all for you healing people. That’s fine, no issue there. I’ll remove any obstacle to that. But like. End of the day, we’ve got a bit of a nest egg.”

“Brrrpt!” Auri liked nest eggs.

“All the Guild’s asking for is to get paid according to their law. If we’re broke, we’re broke, and we can’t pay them. That’s easy enough. Is it that easy to say ‘no, this is our money’ when we should pay the tax, when we do have money? We paid to enter the city, if we disliked that, should we sneak into the city like thieves? Drop in from the air to avoid the tax? We’re strangers here. We’re not going to like every custom and law we encounter. This is the most mercantile city I’ve ever encountered, doesn’t mean I’m not playing by their rules and paying people when I need to. How are we any different from adventurers if we pick and choose what rules to play by?”

Ouch. Right through the heart with that adventurer comment, and I saw Iona’s point. Adventurers ran around, doing whatever they wanted and ignoring the law because they didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be an adventurer, or anything like one.

“I see your point, but the law is basically ‘give me all your money because I said so’. There are fundamentally unjust laws, and taking your logic to the extreme, where do we stop? After they take all our money? Do we let them take our possessions as well and auction them off? A full set of mallium goes for a pretty penny. I’m unsure of the penalty if we can’t pay, do we let them jail us for a decade or three? Do we happily line up for the hangman’s noose? Even pretending the law is in place for a good reason, it is being grossly misapplied in the current situation. People who are poor can’t afford the tax, let alone healing, and that’s before they’re in the midst of their entire family dying around them. Their neighbors dying. We can’t protect the meek if we let a stupid law tie our hands. Watching people die to appease the fat toad in her office isn’t honorable, and a massive injustice. It’s hard to be the sheltering light, or generous, if we let ourselves get tied down like this.”

Iona raised her free hand in surrender.

“I got it, I got it.” She testily replied. “You don’t need to go down every line of my [Vow]. Why don’t we figure out an amount we think is fair to pay as a tax, pay that and only that, and heal as much as we want?”

I mulled it over for a moment, then nodded.

“That feels like a reasonable compromise, although it grates. People are usually paying me to heal them, not the other way around. Such bullshit…” Didn’t have the time to ask everyone to hand over a few coins, not at the speed and scale I wanted to operate at.

I had a few more choice words about the guild mistress under my breath.

“Brrrrpt?”

“No, please don’t repeat any of that.” I told Auri.

“Brrrrrpt!!”

I facepalmed as Iona laughed. She quickly steered us off to a food vendor, flipping them a coin and grabbing an oversized gyro in a single smooth motion. My girlfriend shoved it into my hand.

“Eat.” Iona commanded.

My stomach rumbled, and I became aware of just how hungry I was. Healing, using magic on this scale, wasn’t free. I was much more powerful, and could do tons more in a short timeframe.

“Thanks.” I downed the food in a few quick bites.

“I’m thinking… a single emerald coin?” Iona proposed.

I shuddered at the thought, but it was only money. ‘Only’ 200 lives saved.

I’d already done more than that in my brief walk from the guildhall to where Tessa lived.

“Fine, but let’s pay it in arcanite coins. Make them count a thousand coins.” I was feeling petty.

“We can do that, but whoever’s taking the money probably has a skill for it.” Iona pointed out.

I grumbled a bit at that, then brightened up.

“Oh! You can find me someone who doesn’t have the skill!”

Iona chuckled.

“Sure, I can do that for you. What’s the plan?”

I knew what she was asking. The healing plan.

“I figure if I’m doing this blatantly, they’ll get mad sooner rather than later. I was going to be subtle. Go invisible and hit the rooftops. I’m thinking I’ll circle and criss-cross the city a half-dozen times to hit the bulk of people. Getting people who are in shadows, who are inside their home and can’t leave, is trickier. Figure I’ll need to sneak in after I get the bulk done and heal individuals. I don’t want to risk using [Nova Lance] to [Imbue] [Dance With the Heavens] through walls. Don’t know if people on the other side are tougher than their walls…”

Iona shot me a puzzled look.

“Why don’t you just [Imbue] your [Cosmic Presence]?”

I almost missed a step as I looked at her with an open mouth.

“Uh. Fuck, I feel stupid now.”

It was the work of a moment to use [Astral Archives] to tie [Dance With the Heavens] with [Imbue] to [Cosmic Presence], then tie it all off with [Persistent Casting].

Metaskills were such incredible bullshit.

[*ding!* [Imbue] leveled up! 35 -> 36]

“Yup that - shit.” I swore as my mana rapidly dropped. It didn’t quite zero out, but I’d just spent maybe a quarter of my pool.

[*ding!* [Imbue] leveled up! 36 -> 40]

[*ding!* [Companion Bond between Elaine and Auri] leveled up! 457 -> 458]

I cussed up a storm.

“... MANA PENALTY!!” I screamed to the uncaring sky. [Imbue] wasn’t terribly efficient at the current level, and while I’d be rapidly raising it here, the penalty sucked. While the skill didn’t mention it, the School’s book had also discussed a ‘hidden’ penalty when [Imbue] was applied to aura skills like this. Penalty on top of penalty in a crowded area?

“Brrrpt!” Auri was pleased.

“And you!” I complained. “How the fuck are you getting a second level already!! You JUST GOT ONE! At over 450!”

“Brrrrpt.” Auri’s smug look was infuriating.

Iona flicked the cocky bird off my head and patted my arm.

“Think about this. How much mana does it take to heal someone with your [Imbue]? How much mana did you just spend? How much mana do you generate a second? Do the math, and you’ll know how many people you just helped, who needed it.”

I gave Iona an amused look as Auri flew back to my shoulder, loudly protesting her treatment and promising to get me mangos the next time she could.

“Because you don’t want to do the math, do you?”

She shook her head.

“Nope. I got the track, I am SO DONE with math for a while. I’m leaving that to you.”

I chuckled.

“We’re here. You sticking around?”

Iona nodded.

We pushed through the door into an apothecary, my mana starting to slowly tick up. This felt better, because I knew I’d be able to use all my mana, and not ‘waste’ any. I’d be forced to take a break or slow down for regeneration reasons sooner rather than later, and at least this break was productive.

The place was typical, but interesting. There was only a small area for customers, a fence walling off from the rest of the store. Instead, we could see rows upon rows of potions, each one neatly labeled and priced. I didn’t recognize most of the potions, although the names were self-explanatory. Three cauldrons were bubbling merrily, while a fourth had frost forming along the sides. No druglord lair in the basement this time, thank the goddesses!

“I’m out of stock on Plague Potion, brewing a new lot now. You’ll have to wait if you need some!” The [Alchemist] shouted from the back of the room.

Iona and I didn’t need to communicate to know she’d take the lead on this.

“Hello! Are you Tessa? We came from the Healer’s Guild. Dawn here’s an expert and is wondering if she can lend a hand.”

A human made her way from the back, dirt under her fingernails, her ponytail holder gamely trying to keep her hair back, and various stains all over her apron.

“Hi! Wow, you’re tall. I’d shake your hand, but I’ve got toxic reagents on them. Before you ask, skill. Melvinna sent you? Can you help with bees?” She asked rapid-fire.

“Bees? Not fleas?” I asked, tilting my head.

Tessa shook her head.

“Sorry, thought Melvinna would’ve filled you in. Yes, bees. Concocted poisons will only get us so far, in spite of the special license we obtained. Don’t want a reputation for brewing poisons either. It was a hard no on Miasma, not that I blame them, and we lack an Ice classer that can properly do what needs to be done. So bees. My husband’s a [Beekeeper]. Helps a ton with growing all these herbs, I’ll tell you what. He’s training them to swarm rats, and teaching them how to overheat fleas. Still think that one’s a waste, he’s got a skill for it. Helps with wasps you know. Should be another week or so before we’re ready. Think you can help?”

It took me a moment to process what she was saying and figure it all out. They wanted to use bees to find and kill a majority of the rats and fleas in the city. Unconventional, but if it worked, it worked, and the System gave everyone a big hammer. Not too surprising that everything looked like a nail.

“I don’t think I can help with that, sorry. But it sounds like you’ve got it well in hand. Anything we can do to help?” I asked.

“Brrrrpt?” Auri had her usual solution to everything. Fire.

Tessa gave a sharp nod.

“Yes. Our major concern is how many rats we need to kill, and while my husband’s got a skill around bee stings, we’re unsure if it’ll last with the scale we’re dealing with. Kill rats… if you can.” She seemed to realize she was talking to a [Healer] last second, and that normally, I wouldn’t have good rat-killing skills.

Iona and I traded looks, then looked at Auri.

“BRPT! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPT!”

“That handles the fleas, but how are you planning on handling the pneumonic person-to-person transmission?” I asked the [Alchemist].

She smiled.

“Good question! It doesn’t. Our thinking is with the reservoir out of commission, it should be manageable from there. Normal healers can handle the rare person-to-person transmission.”

It made sense. It was almost exactly what we’d done in Perinthus, although without an army ready to burn the city down and less coordinated.

“Sounds like the best thing I can do is get out of your hair, and help people.” I said.

“Thank you, Tessa.” Iona said, and we stepped outside.

“BRRRRRPT!” Auri demanded.

“You read my mind.” I told her. “Let’s work together. I’ll spot rats and point them out to you, you burn the rats, and only the rats! Put out any flames after!”

“Brrpt!” Auri gave me a tiny salute with her wing, then started to stare around me like a bird of prey, intent on hunting rats twice her size.

“I’ll get you food. Tap me in the next direction you’re heading, I’m pretty obvious, crimosaurus.” Iona half-teased me with a serious tone.

I stuck my tongue out at her, and she pulled me into a kiss. We broke and she looked deep into my eyes.

“Hey. I love you. Be careful, alright? Yell if you need help.”

I kissed her again.

“I love you too. I will.”

With one last quick hug, we broke apart. Auri flew out and hovered next to me. I recalled the Jiwa rune for [Greater Invisibility], and started drawing it in the air in front of me with [Lepidoptera]. In no time at all, the spell finished, and I got to watch my arm fade from existence.

[*ding!* Congratulations! [Butterfly Mystic] has leveled up to level 446->447! +8 Strength, +8 Dexterity, +70 Speed, +70 Vitality, +70 Mana, +70 Mana Regen, +70 Magic power, +70 Magic Control from your Class per level! +1 Free Stat for being Human per level! +1 Strength, +1 Mana Regen from your Element per level!]

Heck yeah! Doing new things, exploring new places, seeing a multitude of new magic and learning about it, and casting spells for unusual purposes - stealth healing - were all things [Butterfly Mystic] loved. Add in that it was life and death for thousands, if not tens of thousands of people, and I had a formula for a level!

All of my other skills in [Butterfly Mystic] leveled up as well.

[*ding!* [Radiance Affinity] leveled up! 446->447]

[*ding!* [Radiance Resistance] leveled up! 446->447]

[*ding!* [Nova Lance] leveled up! 446->447]

[*ding!* [Lepidoptera] leveled up! 446->447]

[*ding!* [Nectar] leveled up! 446->447]

[*ding!* [Solar Corona] leveled up! 446->447]

[*ding!* [Scintillating Ascent] leveled up! 446->447]

[*ding!* [Kaleidoscope] leveled up! 446->447]

I couldn’t be seen. I couldn’t be heard. Minor traces of my passing, like disturbed dust and eddies of wind, would be corrected and fixed. I couldn’t even be picked up by echolocation!

This wasn’t my city, my country, or my culture. A building was a building, but there were all manner of little bits and pieces hanging off of it that I had no idea what they were, how securely the average builder attached them to the structure, or if there were any skills at play. No hanging from the window-dressing for me, oh no!

I did have a silly amount of stats to give me a hand though.

I bent my knees and jumped straight up, half-folding against the edge of the rooftop. With a deft move, I flipped up onto the roof, getting my feet under me. I made a little arrow with [Mantle of the Stars] in front of Auri, pointing to where I was. She flew up onto the roof, managing to smack me straight in the face.

“Brrrpt!” She apologized, flying in largeish circles around me.

I shifted [Mantle] into a thumbs-up in front of her. One of the downsides to [Greater Invisibility] was I couldn’t talk with anyone. Another major one was I couldn’t fly - my Radiance wings blew straight through the illusion.

And ugh. It used a bunch of mana regeneration to boot. Not enough that I was normally concerned, but I had healing to do! I was already planning on dropping [Greater Invisibility] when it started to get dark.

I surveyed what I could see of the city from my rooftop. Wasn’t the biggest roof around, but I got a feeling that I was closer to the walls than the harbor.

I could try criss-crossing the city, dividing it up into zones, then tackling one zone at a time. I could circle the city, from the perimeter and go deeper until I spiraled into the center.

The other question was who I healed. The brutal mathematics of triage were rearing their ugly head again. People out on the street were healthier than people stuck inside their home, but healing people with [Wheel of Sun and Moon] instead of [Imbue] was much cheaper.

I ran the numbers. I could hit eight to thirteen people with the same mana using [Wheel] over [Imbue]. The [Imbue] people were generally closer to death, and less likely to be healed. [Wheel] people weren’t in critical condition, but they would be progressing to critical condition soon.

There was another twist with the Black Death. In some cases, in some species, the immune system completely collapsed. The very same immune system that was responsible for a number of physiological responses to the disease, like the fever, sweating, body pains, coughing and more. Which had a person feeling great for about a day before they dropped dead.

How many people were on their last day, out and about, feeling great? I didn’t know. They’d get pulled from the brink of death.

Save a grandmother on her deathbed, or save ten young men who were partying hard, barely sick. One sailor, drunk out of his mind inside a tavern, or a dozen street rats. Hit the outer edges of town, or cross through the center first. Dart into homes quickly and smack one person with an efficient heal, or blaze as much distance as possible, hitting as many people as I could.

Alright, fine, ‘darting into homes’ was a euphemism for ‘breaking in’. It was for a good cause! Nothing like an adventurer!

I was condemning people to die either way. It was never easy making peace with it, but I reminded myself that I was saving people who would otherwise die no matter how I sliced it.

And that hemming and hawing over how to best do it was wasting time. Time that could be spent healing people instead.

I was going to go fast. I was going to hit as many people outside of buildings as I could, since I had no plans to slow down or stop once the sun set, and then more people would be inside. [Wheel of Sun and Moon] would only be good for a short time period, at the right angles. The phases of the moon weren’t in a good spot, and I was unsure what the angles would be like here. At that point, I’d switch to hitting people inside, and hope I didn’t attract the wrong sort of attention.

I decided to cross the town, since the central town square was a familiar place where I could keep reorienting myself. In a slightly petty move, it also meant I’d keep throwing a wrench into the Healer’s Guild operation. From what I’d seen, I didn’t think they had any downtime, so I wouldn’t be taking healers out of commission. There was also something of a guarantee that a large number of sick people would be there, while some parts of town might be empty or abandoned.

It had taken me less than a minute to work through everything, my bond with Auri multiplying with my stats to increase my thinking speed to an absurd degree.

With a heavy heart I turned off the [Imbue] blast. If my mana got high enough, I’d flicker it on to drain down a bit.

I turned [Mantle] off, then made a second one in front of Iona, pointing in the direction I was going. Should’ve thought of this before I went invisible, but meh.

Then I made [Mantle] into a small little star-studded mango near me, so Auri could follow along, then I was off, bounding across the rooftops like a [Cat Burglar].

I was slowed down a bit by Auri’s speed, and I paused when I detected the first rat’s nest. A pointed arrow was all that was needed for Auri to let out a warcry, and dive in through an open window.

I pulled a face at the screaming, shouting, burning, more screams as the rats came boiling out of the walls, smoke going everywhere, a thrown pot and a broken chair. Auri came darting out of the window two minutes later, the families inside still running and shouting like there was an intruder inside.

“Brrrpt!” Auri was very proud of her work. I facepalmed. I was completely invisible, she couldn’t see me, but I did it anyway.

I pointed a [Mantle] arrow down to the street, waited for a spot open enough that I didn’t need to worry, and dropped down onto the road. Auri came fluttering down, and I dismissed the spell.

“This isn’t working well. We should split up. I’m going to find Iona, have her be in the central square. She mentioned food, she can also relay messages. I’m going to keep running around and healing. I want you to search and destroy rats. Meetup points are Iona, the central square, and the tavern. Got it?”

“Brrrpt! Brrrpt?”

I knew I was going to regret this, but I didn’t see any reason to say no.

“Yes. Burn them to your little heart’s content. Burn them all.”

My heart sank into my feet as Auri flew away like a meteor, cackling madly.

“Brpt brpt BRPT BRPT BRRRRRPT!”