The Unholy (Arifureta X OC)

Bize Of Ankaji

Kane POV

Tio: "Sure is rough out there."

Shea: "No kidding. If it wasn't for Hajime's Brise we'd all be in deep trouble."

Cattleya: "How you doing up there?"

Kane: "I got sand in my eyes!"

Myu: "This place's far different than the last time I was here."

Kane: "Hey heads up."

Hajime: "What the heck are those things?"

Tio: "Sand worms. They're pretty common in the Gruen Desert. But something about the behavior is off."

Shea: "Wonder what they're doing."

Tio: "If I had to guess, I'd say they're having difficulty making up their minds."

Kane: "Who cares. Time to kill!!!"

I exhale a giant tornado of fire. The sand worms wail as they blow away as ashes. 

Kane: "Too easy."

Cattleya: "I'd expect nothing less from my king."

Shea: "Hey look, there's something up ahead."

Hajime drifts to a stop as we exit and investigate.

Kane: "It's a man."

Kaori flips him over onto his back. She then looks at his status plate.

Kaori: "He's suffering from mana overload."

Kane: "The heck's that?"

Kaori: "I'm not certain but I fear he's ingested some kind of poison. It's causing him to be in a state referred to as mana overload."

Tio: "He's got too much mana?"

Cattleya: "I've only heard of it. If he doesn't get it released then his organs and arteries will rupture."

Kaori aims her staff at the man.

Kaori: "Heaven's blessing. I hereby request recurrence. Grant him... consecration!"

Seemingly nothing happens.

Kaori: "My spell didn't work. Could it be that the poison dissolved too deeply in his body to be cleansed?"

She places her hands on his chest casting a new spell. His body glows as some kind of red mist flows from him to the ring on Kaori's finger.

Kaori: "I drained as much mana as I can but the root cause remains unresolved. If I drain anymore then there's the danger of death by emaciation."

Kane: "So he's still at risk."

Kaori: "Yes. And unless we act then it's only a matter of time before he goes into mana overload again."

He finally opens his eyes.

Man: "A goddess? I see. I must've died back there. Now my time to meet God has come."

Kane: "Sorry kid but God ain't here, only me."

Yue: "Egoist."

Man: "I'm still alive. I was certain that I was had met my end."

Kaori: "I think we should bring him with us."

We load him up into the car.

Man: "Thank you for saving my life. If I had died out here then everything I hold dear would've surely been wiped out. My name is Bize Feuward Zengen. I am the son of the duke. Lanzwi Feuward Zengen of Ankaji."

Hajime: "Duke of Ankaji?"

Shea: "An important trading hub for seafood. It comes there from Erisen, the city on the ocean."

Yue: "Myu was born and raised in Erisen too."

Myu: "My mama's waiting for me!"

Tio: "If I remember correctly we're headed towards Ankaji weren't we?"

Hajime: "That's right. From what this man says it sounds like the town is in a bit of trouble."

Cattleya: "Tell us what's going on."

Bize: "A few days ago citizens all over Ankaji began to collapse from a high fever. A poison that causes mana overload was found in our drinking water. Our oasis was polluted by the stuff. The oasis is protected, maintained and managed with the utmost care. No one knows how it got poisoned or who did it if anyone. However there is an antidote to the poison. It involves a special mineral called stillstone. This mineral is exceedingly rare. When ingested it calms a person's mana a great deal. It's only mined from the Gruen Volcano which is quiet dangerous."

Shea: "The Gruen Volcano?"

Bize: "Yes. But now all the skilled adventurers of Ankaji have fallen ill. And the average adventurer? They wouldn't get past the sandstorm around the volcano. Powerful adventurers are rare too. There's no time to find one. We're almost out of safe drinking water."

Kane: "So basically you set out to track down help, but then you collapsed as well. Meaning Ankaji is in real deep trouble now. Someone only needs to cleanse the oasis and bring stillstone from the volcano to cure everyone effected right?"

Bize: "Yes. So I ask you. Will you please aid us in this enterprise?"

We all look at Hajime.

Hajime: "It's on our way. So, might as well."