Chapter 62 - Elixir of Life

In a small clinic on the eastern edge of Noga, Hakuya put all his skill and knowledge to use to create the antidote for the Devileyes. Dr. Ilec had granted Hakuya full use of one of the examination rooms, which currently looked like an improvised laboratory.

Several tables were pushed together to form a lab bench, upon which Hakuya set up a complicated looking arrangement of brass implements and glass vials. Hakuya reconstituted the dried biltishroom in water and then with his silver dagger painstakingly removed each and every one of the poisonous pips from the chalky yellow flesh.

It was a slow process, one that required Hakuya’s utmost focus, since if he missed even one pip it could turn his ‘antidote’ into a poison. Finally, after several hours he had finished the task. After carefully going twice through each and every piece of mushroom to ensure he had not missed anything, he finally sat back with a sigh.

His eyes glanced out of the opened window. It was already a few hours past sunset, the night sky was at its darkest. Now that the pips had been removed, the rest of the potion making was relatively straightforward for him.

The regular process to extract the key ingredient from the biltishroom flesh would be to simmer the biltishroom in water just before the boiling point while meticulously spooning out the resulting oils that seeped out of the mushroom. The amount of oil that a single mushroom produced was about a teaspoon. The boiling method was fast, but the problem with it was that the heat from the process broke down the oils, resulting in a less effective ‘medicine’. The second was to immerse the mushrooms in a neutral oil and let it sit for several days as the ingredients slowly diffused into the oil. This was slower but didn’t risk damaging the final product.

Of course, this was the process for a normal herbalist. For Hakuya, whose path specifically dealt with extraction and purification, his Exalted powers could be used to enhance the ingredients and processes related to potion making.

In addition, he had the blessings of his Goddess to assist him. Given that he was trying to extract a specific quality of the biltishrooms and subdue the lethal elements, he felt that it would be best to appeal to Yuima for her assistance. Ensuring that the door was locked, Hakuya closed the window and drew the shutters as he prepared an enhancement ritual. This was the same ritual that he had performed in front of Reid. Its purpose was to call upon the powers of Nature to purify and enhance the qualities of the potion being brewed.

Hakuya lit a stick of citronwood incense and prayed silently to Yuima while holding it to his forehead. He bowed three times and set the incense down on a brass plate. Then he placed the chalky yellow mushroom pieces in his brass bowl with runic inscriptions and poured a small vial of veldseed oil into it. Then he lit a beeswax candle in the center of the plate. These supplementary items were favoured by Yuima and were a way to appease her and show gratitude for the blessing she was about to bestow.

He placed the biltishroom in his brass bowl with engravings on the exterior along with a few dried flowers and herbs to promote digestion of the medicine. Then he poured a vial of veldseed oil into the bowl. He held his hand over the boil and softly muttered in Ancient Fortus:

O’ Everblossoming Goddess

Bringer of Balance

Preserver of Nature and Purity

Your servant humbly request your blessings

As he focused his spirituality he felt his energy stir the runes engraved on the side of the bowl. He felt his spirit merge with the energies in the runes and project into the astral plane. Like all rituals, a deep and intimate connection formed between him and the greater power that he was appealing to. It wasn’t that he was giving Yuima the power to control him, to read his thoughts or any such effect (though such rituals also existed), but rather that by forming this connection he acted as a conduit to allow Yuima to influence the world in his vicinity.

He felt a tingling in his body as Yuima channeled her power into him. The shadows in the room grew dark and heavy as the lights in the room dimmed, and the smoke from the incense began curling into the bowl. He activated Extract, a Candidate level ability that assisted in pulling out qualities and ingredients in the target substance, but with the Goddess’ blessing it was many times more effective.

The chalky flesh of the mushrooms began desiccating and the ingredients crumbled rapidly as the pure, almost colourless veldseed oil began taking on a dark yellow hue. The process only took a few seconds, then he felt the connection to Yuima sever from her side as the lights in the room returned to normal.

He bowed his head in gratitude and muttered a short prayer to Yuima before packing up the elements of the ritual. Then he filtered the oil through a cheesecloth into a vial and held it up to the lantern light to inspect it.

Hakuya then took two tubes and poured half of the extracted biltishroom essence into each. He stepped out of the room, where Dr. Ilec was already waiting for him.

“Was it a success?” Dr. Ilec asked.

“Yes. I was able to make the antidote without problems.” Hakuya said, “Now we will see how effective it is. Let’s administer it to Lucelle first. Her condition is better and the parasite is not as developed.”

“Let me know if you need my assistance.” Dr. Ilec said, following Hakuya into Lucelle’s room.

The girl was in a deep sleep. She had not yet sprouted any leaves from the green-tinged sores over her body, and it had been difficult to wake her even since mid-afternoon. It was clear fighting the parasite was consuming a great deal of energy and strength.

Hakuya and Dr. Ilec sat down next to the bed. After trying to wake Lucelle for a few minutes unsuccessfully they decided to proceed with administering the medicine. Dr. Ilec gently tilted the blonde girl’s head back and opened her lips, and Hakuya poured the thick, pungent smelling oil into her mouth. She moaned softly but swallowed all of it.

At first there was no reaction, but after a few minutes Lucelle began stirring, her hands reaching down to her stomach as she rolled over to her side. Her face contorted in pain as she started crying out. Dr. Ilec looked up at Hakuya with a concerned look.

“It’s expected.” Hakuya said regretfully, “In addition to the abdominal pain and cramps, I suspect that her eyesight is also failing her.”

“Can we administer anything to ease the symptoms?” Dr. Ilec asked as he gently placed his hand on Lucelle’s arm to comfort her.

“I could not think of anything that would also not interfere with the antidote.” Hakuya said.

Lucelle squirmed and tossed around on the bed as her stomach felt like it was being wrung out like a rag. Her skin began burning and aching across her entire body, but especially around the sores. When she opened her eyes she could only see blurred shapes and colours.

After several minutes she began convulsing as she felt like her stomach was about to explode. Her deep, painful retching brought Rosalie in to the room with a terrified look.

“Grab a bowl!” Dr. Ilec said, observing the Lucelle was about to vomit. He held her hair up as Rosalie quickly came over and held it in front of the girl’s mouth.

At that moment the girl vomited out a torrent of thick, goopy substance that had the colour of burnt molasses. There was so much that it overflowed the metal bowl and splashed onto the floor. In the center of the vomit was a twisted black mass of root-like tendrils filled with eyes.

The tendrils convulsed and squealed in the open air as they shriveled up and died. After the mass was expelled, Lucelle calmed down significantly. Hakuya ran his hand over the sores along her arms without touching them, using his sensitivity to spiritual energy to sense the state of the tendrils that were coiled beneath her skin. After a moment he looked up and nodded to Ilec, who was watching with a shocked but hopeful expression.

“I think that’s done it.” Hakuya said, “The parasite’s main body couldn’t handle the administered poison and had no choice but to leave. The parts of its body in the sores throughout her body are all withering now that the main body is dead.”

The nurse began cleaning up the bile and mucous as Dr. Ilec ran a quick physical on Lucelle, confirming that she was not suffering any life threatening effects from the process.

“My tummy hurts...” Lucelle whimpered, her cheeks wet from tears, “I can’t see anything.”

“You were very strong, Lucelle.” Dr. Ilec said, “We fixed the disease that was making you feel bad. You’ll feel better soon, I promise.”

While Rosalie cared for Lucelle, Hakuya and Ilec left the room.

“Now for her mother.” Hakuya said quietly. His intuition told him that administering the antidote to Anabelle might not run so smoothly, but they could not hesitate any longer.

“May Lord Noga provide his blessings.” Dr. Ilec prayed, holding his hand to his chest.

They entered the room with heavy hearts.

Two eyeballs hanging off the end of sinister black fronds turned to look at Dr. Ilec. They waved back and forth in a slow manner above the still body of Anabelle. Her arms and legs had been secured to the bed frame with leather straps, though even up to this point Hakuya did not have the heart to explain why. This caused the doctor and nurses’ imaginations to run wild as they feared the worst.

Hakuya walked over to Anabelle and pulled out the second tube of biltishroom oil. Once again, Dr. Ilec opened her mouth and Hakuya poured in the antidote.

There was an immediate reaction to the medicine as Anabelle’s eyes suddenly shot open and she began moaning and struggling against her bonds. The bed began to creak as her thin arms began pulling against the straps with all her strength. Dr. Ilec backed off, looking towards Hakuya who remained focus.

“So far so good.” Hakuya said softly. He felt a disturbance in the spiritual energy of the room as the Devileye within Anabelle writhed about. A thick black liquid began leaking out of the disembodied eyes as the tendrils and fronds began to shrivel while emitting a high pitched squeal.

Suddenly Hakuya’s spiritual perception triggered. An immense aura of corruption filled the air in a thick miasma.

“What is...” Dr. Ilec stood up from his spot and stared towards the north wall of the room. His eyes seemed to gaze at a place beyond the walls as his body began trembling instinctively out of fear.

A source of corruption so strong that even a regular human can sense it? Where is that coming from? Hakuya immediately understood that something was horribly wrong.

Flooded with the corruptive energies, the parasite which had been in its death throes suddenly gained a burst of life. The tendrils and leaves which had been wilting regained their vitality and began growing at a rapid pace.

Without warning the boards of the bed frame snapped as Anabelle’s arms ripped free. Her eyes were white and glassy as she lunged towards Ilec with her jaws wide, a gutteral scream emerging from her throat.

Dr. Ilec was too slow to react! Her fingers dug into his arm, tearing into his flesh.

“Augh!” He yelled, stumbling backwards. Anabelle was halfway on top of him when she suddenly froze in spot, giving Dr. Ilec time to fall back and push himself away from her with his legs.

As soon as Dr. Ilec was free Hakuya released the stasis he had placed on her and grabbed Anabelle by the shoulders, thrusting her back onto the bed. A feral rage flooded through her body as she snapped at the monk with frothing jaws, her hands slashing at him like claws.

“Get out!” Hakuya yelled over his shoulder. He heard Dr. Ilec scramble and escape the room.

Hakuya had to use all his strength to hold Anabelle down on the bed. Black liquid frothed out of her mouth as she resisted against him with an almost inhuman amount of strength. He looked into her eyes and felt for her spirit with his own. With a deep sadness Hakuya understood that the human soul inside her body had departed, leaving only a puppet of a body that thirsted for sustenance to feed the parasite that had taken over.

The best thing to do would be to cut her down and end her misery. Kill the parasite before it spread. Despite knowing the futility of continuing to fight, Hakuya couldn’t let it go. Despite the fact that he had not even known this woman before two weeks ago, he felt a deep sorrow in his heart that he couldn’t release. Sorrow for this woman and her family. Her family whose daughter was ill, whose father was missing, whose son was taking part in a dark and evil cult. Her family who was cared for and loved by Dr. Ilec and his nurses. This family who had done nothing wrong and yet ended up suffering such a terrible fate.

The burden of saving them was on his shoulders. It was a burden that Hakuya had placed on himself, not caring about the cost or consequences. Not caring about reason or reality. The worse Anabelle’s condition had become, the more he had gritted his teeth and insisted to himself that he would find the way to save her.

As he felt Anabelle’s fingers claw at his arms and shoulders, Hakuya looked deeply into the dead eyes of the woman in front of him and summoned all the strength in his soul.

“Rewind!”