Guardian of Healing - Etrian Odyssey 2 - Boyxboy

Chapter 4

AN: Yay, I got this chapter done~ I should have next week's done as well, but after that Octopath Traveller comes out and I don't know what will happen then. I initially wasn't all that interested in it until @thispleasestormod told me about Alfyn. And it took me mere minutes to fall in love with this precious good boy. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Hope you enjoy reading~!

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Chapter 4:

Dr Stiles listened silently and intently as Lynus told him what he had learnt from the mysterious hexer Mahogany. About how he theorises that a band of rogue academy students were possibly behind the curse plague, and how whoever tried to remove said curses would likely receive painful retaliation.

After Lynus was done, silence reigned over Dr Stiles' office, the head doctor staring forward with his hands folded under his chin and a truly intense look of thought on his face.

He suddenly slapped his hand atop of his desk, the sharp crack breaking the silence and causing Lynus to jump in his seat. He gripped onto the arms to prevent himself from actually falling out of it.

"Ok, now I'm pissed," he said with an irritated twitch of his eye. "A group of rogue hexers on the loose? Great, just what we need. Though, it does explain a lot."

Lynus gave Dr Stiles a half smile as he settled himself back into his seat. He knew that he wouldn't have been pleased, but the hit against his desk still caught him by surprised.

"Where is this hexer now?" Dr Stiles asked him as he, too, tried to settle himself down, to not allow his frustrations to get the better of him.

"He's still resting at the inn," Lynus explained. "From what I could gather; he's been suffering from the same curses as our patients."

Dr Stiles nodded his head as he mused to himself for a moment or two. "Do you trust him?" he unexpectedly inquired.

Lynus pressed his lips together as he mulled over the question. "Well, honestly, trust is a board term, isn't it? Let's put it this way; he's truthful and not a threat."

That answered seemed to satisfy him enough and Dr Stiles nodded his head once again. "That's a start," he muttered as he leaned back into his chair and pulled his glasses from his nose to idly clean with a piece of cloth he pulled from his pocket. "Speaking of starts, what do you suggest we should do? We are receiving more patients with curses by the hour. And I refuse to let you heal them all. Not after what happened yesterday."

"I'm afraid I don't have much to offer you," Lynus said with a sigh as he idly rubbed the centre of his chest. "Keep them comfortable until we can find a way to remove the hexes without receiving pain in return."

He couldn't help but release another sigh. As a medic, he was supposed to stop the pain in others, to ensure that they have the highest quality of life possible. So leaving patients with aliments he knew he could remove himself was troubling. But...he honestly couldn't go through that pain again. Especially not after he healed Mahogany. That pain lingered for far too long.

"Still, at least I have a better idea of what we're dealing with," Lynus continue. "I've done a little bit of research on hexers in the past and thanks to the events of yesterday, I have a slightly better grasp on their skills. I'm going to spend some time in the library. I want to look up ways, potions or even accessories, to prevent people from being cursed in the first place."

Dr Stiles nodded his head in acceptance as he placed his glasses back upon his nose and idly pushed them up. "Other than removing them, that's all we can do at the moment," he said before he placed his hands atop of his desk and pushed himself to his feet in a subtly haggard manner. "I better warn the other staff. To be on guard and made aware of possible more patients. But we're going to need a bigger hospital if this keeps up."