(From Ingrid)
It was quite a bizarre scene, suddenly the terrain in front of me, as well as both the doctor and Lucius, started rising. It took me a moment to comprehend that it was I who was falling. I could probably survive the fall, but I wasn't so sure about surviving the temperature of the water. Fragments of my life flashed before my eyes. I shut my eyes tightly, and entrusted my soul to Lord Enki, hoping for a miracle to save me.
But nothing happened, I didn't feel the boiling water in my skin, nor the divine magic of the Lord of the heavens. Instead, when I opened my eyes slowly, I saw myself cradled in a nest of red threads. I looked up and saw Rosanne, with her arm extender towards me, and her hand as if pulling me towards her. I saw in her face she was doing an intense effort to bring me towards safety.
As soon as I thought I could reach the cliff, I didn't think twice and jumped towards it. I heard the threads snapping right after I jumped. Rosanne caught me with her arms, and helped me get away from the ravine. But even once I was safe, she didn't let go of me. She was hugging me, with a surprising amount of strength.
—T-thank goodness —I heard her murmur, and I could hear her sniffing.
—I... thanks, I mean, thank you for saving me —I said once she had calmed down a bit and let go of me.
I was still shocked that she seemed more affected than I was, when it had been my life which was at risk. She rubbed the tears off her eyes and smiled.
—All that matters is that you are fine.
We told the guys at the other side that I was fine, they had seen me being pulled up, but still had been worried I had gotten wounded by the fall. We discussed how to proceed now that the path has been cut.
—We'll continue towards the tower and turn off the signal—Lucius said—, meanwhile, could you go back to the town and get something to help us cross back?
We agreed, and Rosanne once again used her threads to give them the key to the tower, using one to emulate a slingshot between her fingers, and another to hold the key in case she missed.
—Umm, you might want this —Rosanne said, handing me her mask.
It was only then that I realized mine had gone missing, most likely it had fallen to the river.
—Keep it, keeping your horns hidden is more important.
—Are you sure?
—Yeah. It is not like we HAVE to use them always. They are meant to represent that the whole church is a unity, but considering our current situation, I don't think it matters.
—I see...
We went through the forest with a hurried step. Just as Lucius had predicted earlier, the storm seemed to be returning. We needed to quickly find something to help them cross back, and do that same trip two more times, before the worst of the storm fell onto us. They should be able to stay safe inside of the building, but we didn't know the exact conditions in which the tower was, nor did we know how long the storm would last.
But when we arrived at the temple, there was another type of storm already brewing there. There were more people there than when we left, several girls with their guardians, but they were mostly sitting out of it. The confrontation was between a man who I had never seen, and a woman who was carrying "Lillie". Quejada was trying to control the discussion. Santicus was closer to the door, looking worried and anxious.
—What is going on? —Rosanne asked.
—Oh, my ladies. I met that man when I was looking for the girls you asked for —he said—, he told me he was also looking for his daughter, so we joined forces. But once we arrived here, he claimed that the baker's child was his kid.
—Please, listen to me, your honor —the man loudly spoke—, Elise is my wife. I have known her since we were kids. We were happily married for several years, but when she gave birth to our baby, she disappeared one day without saying anything. I have been looking for both of them desperately since then!
—That's not what happened! —the woman yelled.
—Can you tell me your side of the story then? —Quejada said.
The mother of Lillie looked conflicted, she was keeping her kid behind her at all times.
—I... I can't.
—Then I am unable to take your side.
—Wait! —Rosanne said, and walked close to the situation.
The man took a look at her, who was still wearing her priestess' costume and the mask covering her face, and his face changed from a somewhat amicable expression to one of panic and anger.
—You stay away from us, you won't take her away from me, dirty Enki's drone!
—Don't talk about her like that! —Lillie shouted, coming out of her hiding spot.
The man saw this and tried to grab the girl, but his hand froze in place.
—Don't you dare touch even one of her hairs —Rosanne said, with a voice so cold that I almost didn't recognize it.
The man showed his teeth, frustratingly trying to release his hand as Rosanne approached him.
—Stop! Don't come any closer! —he yelled.
He used his other hand to take something out of his pocket, which at first I thought was going to be a weapon. But instead it was some sort of device with what seemed to be a tuning fork attached to its top.
—Is that —Rosanne said, sounding surprised— a portable radio?
The man's only response was to push a button on its side. Almost instantly, the patients started to have fits and convulsions, their situation becoming worse in mere seconds. Rosanne tried to use her threads again, but even those which were already holding him came loose. Both she and Lillie were feeling an intense pain. Whatever that apparatus was, it seemed to be able to emit an even stronger signal of the curse. Even the people who had not been affected by it before, like Quejada, Santicus, and the mother of Lillie seemed to be paralyzed by it.Everyone in that room was unable to move. Everyone but me.
So while the man was holding his device above his head, trying to reach out for Lillie, I grabbed the hilt of my sword, and in a swift movement I closed the distance between us. I hit him in the stomach, with my sword sheathed of course. I had never actually used my sword against anyone before, all of my experience had been in training and mock battles. But it wasn't even necessary, as the man fell to the ground, coughing and wheezing. He even let go of his strange device, which I quickly stepped on, breaking it into pieces. The patients seemingly calmed down immediately, and everyone else looked confused and disoriented, but not in pain anymore. Rosanne was on her knees, breathing heavily.
—Are you two ok? —Lillie asked us, but she was focusing more on Rosanne.
—I... I'll be fine, I just need a moment —she replied.
—I'm fine, whatever was that thing, didn't affect me.
—Thank you for helping us —Lillie's mother said, picking her kid up in her arms and hugging her.
—It is not like we could just do nothing after seeing what was going on, but this is beyond a simple familiar dispute, isn't it? Could you explain it to us?
The woman looked conflicted for a moment.
—Alright, I trust you, I'll tell you, but only you. Could we move to someone more private?
—That's fine with me, but I think we need to deal with this person first —I said—. Quejada, you are the law here, do you think this man's action merits him to be put in custody?
—I... yes, certainly —he said, still looking a bit dazed.
With the help of the nurses, I tied the man to one of the few beds available. Quejada would need to deal with the rest. Rosanne was looking better after drinking a bit of tea.
—We would need to hear what you have to say later —Rosanne said to Elise—, we still need to return to the tower with something to help Maxwell and Lucius return.
—Ah, yes, we have to do that —I said, having totally not forgotten about it in the heat of the moment.
But just as I was about to ask Quejada about what we could do, I heard something snapping. The restraints from one of the patients that were in the worst conditions had been torn apart. The last time I saw them, they barely looked human, but the creature that rose from the bed was something else. An ethereal specter, their skin was completely black, almost as if it absorbed the light. Their limbs were twisted and bent in ways they shouldn't, disproportionated and asymmetric. Their movements were... just wrong, like a broken automaton or a puppet with their strings tangled. If I had to describe it in some understandable way, they looked like a deer with the head of a wolf.
And following that one, another one of them broke free, until all of the twelve former cultists had rosen. All transformed into disfigured monsters, staring at us like hungry beasts. The worst part is that in their eyes, I could still see a glimpse of humanity, trying to fight against what they have become. They were in agony, suffering, being swallowed by an ocean of darkness. And I heard their voices, calling me...