The Heart of Alchemy - A Witcher Eskel FanFiction

Chapter 22 - In Secret

First, they had crossed the tract in which the citizens of Oxenfurt "resided", should they let something come to debt. On this floor the prisoners were relatively well accommodated.

But the deeper they entered the building, the darker and colder it became. The smell of mold, excrement and unwashed bodies took away Thalia's breath. This was were the outcasts of the society vegetated.

If Thalia dared to look behind the bars that lined the side of the aisle, all too often her gaze fell on non-humans. The condition of the prisoners was sometimes more than worrying.

The guard led them to a separated area behind a heavy iron gate."Here we have housed the infected. Take one of the masks and put it on. The plague affects only non-humans, but you never know. The doctors from Novigrad have ordered us to go to the sick only with protective clothing."

The scientists put on the smocks and gloves that laid on a table and put on the protective masks. Not for the first time, Thalia wore one of the beak-forming face masks to protect against infection. The glass-sealed eye openings severely restricted the field of vision.

The guard unlocked the door and led the group into a slightly brighter section. "Over here ...", he pointed to one of the cells on the left side. "... is the worst one." He opened the gate to let the scientists in. Professor Basilius first entered the small, dirty cell and crouched down beside the elf, who was lying on a hard bunk. The skin of the man was covered with inflamed pustules - some so large that only a few intact areas were visible. With gloved fingers, Basilius pulled up an eyelid of the supposedly unconscious and glanced at the iris and the pupil. Then he felt the pulse of the patient.

"Well, gentlemen ... it looks like we're late. This one is already on his way to his pointed-eared ancestors."

He turned to the jailer. "Make sure the body is kept cool. One of my colleagues will deal with the section. And now bring us to the other infected."

The guard led the group to other cells. Thalia counted nine infected elves, six men and three women who appeared to be in different stages of the disease. Two of the infected men had a slight rash, but another seemed to be closer to death than to life.

Thalia stayed in the background as much as possible during the examinations. The way her colleagues (with the exception of Yonka and Laikos) treated the patients disgusted her. The scientists shared their findings as if the infected were objects. And she realized that they saw it as just that: the non-humans were just interesting research objects for them to study. They took blood and saliva samples and talked about their observations as if these people were not concerned about their inevitable death.

Thalia was glad that the mask covered her features. Her horror and disgust at her colleagues would have been hard to hide. The mask also helped to maintain some distance from her surroundings, at least enough to prevent her from panicking at the sight of the suffering prisoners and the thought of the effects of the plague. She forced herself to rest. If she lost her composure, she would only put herself in a bad light and perhaps have no opportunity to put the plan she had forged last night into action.

After the investigation, the scientists gathered in the courtyard of the prison and Thalia filled her lungs deeply with the cool, fresh air.

Alric Efferen came towards her, showing a smile that could have been considered charming if you did not know him.

"You were holding on well for a woman, Thalia. But you always seem to be good for a surprise ..."

"Yes, I'm tougher than I look, Alric. Who would have thought that I would ever return from my expedition ..."