Open Chronicles The Cure is Here for YOU

[The Doctor]

It started with a village, then it went to the next, and the next, so on until it rampaged in at least 5 villages, and the nearby town. No one knew where it started, only that it killed. No one knew how to kill it though, only beat it keep it at bay and to kill those affected. The people of these villages and the town, they grew desperate, calling for aid, sending the healthiest of their number to a nearby city. They asked and begged for aid, and eventually they received it. But this threat that faced them was not a monster, a demon, or any of the other horrors that walked the earth. No, this was worse, far worse. It was a plague, death incarnate that was spreading. Thus, the first help they received was from a source they would've never wanted had they had a choice. A Plague Doctor, The Doctor to be specific. He made his way to the town, even as the healthy ones stayed there on his order, as The Doctor made his way towards death and misery, while the healthy fled, calling for more help.

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The town was half dead, corpses lay in corners, windows were shuttered, and animals walked freely. It was quite, aside from the rustling of the wind and haunting sound of the dead and the damned. That silence was broken by a consistent clicking. It was rhythmic, slowly growing louder as the one making the sound grew closer. The Doctor entered the town, staff clicking as he walked, making his way towards the center of the town. He was clad in his full plague doctor outfit, staff in one hand and medicinal bag in the other. It didn't take him long to find himself in the town center, half abandoned as it was. Those that were out and about looked on fearfully as The Doctor passed, each fully bundled up in an attempt to ward off the plague.

Finally finding himself in the town center, The Doctor looked around and picked the first store attached to a building he saw. Making his way there, he quickly commandeered the place for himself, with no one trying to stop him. Setting himself up in the back room, The Doctor placed his tools around in an organized manner. Once he was satisfied, he left his bag near the table in the back, one that would soon become an operating table. Making his way to the front of the store, The Doctor opened the door and made his way back outside. There he stood and looked around before calling out loudly, his voice echoing into the town, able to be heard by all.
"Bring me your dead and your sick, your unhealthy and miserable. I am The Doctor and my cure is most effective."

With that, The Doctor stood there by his door, silent as a ghost and shrouded in darkness. His visage was terrifying to behold, and all dread him, though they still came. They brought their sick and their dead, themselves and their loved ones, and The Doctor set about his grizzly work behind closed doors.

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

The Doctor. The Doctor. The Doctor. A name one always loathes. A name one seldom needs. Yet when he is needed that loathing turns into worship. A doctor is held in higher regard than any god or deity when their service is required. The Doctor. So many spoke this name around Ye'svonne. Even when he was still aboard his ship. Pirates knew him, or perhaps there were many of him. All that the alchemist knew was he'd waited to meet a plague doctor for some time. This disease ridden town held word that he was in the vicinity. Helping who he could and disposing of corpses.

The lizard salesman made his way into town dawning thick cloth around his mouth and head. Whatever was happening to this town was something he wanted nothing to do with. Some accursed plague had this town and many others in its grasp. Ye'svonne had seen the likes of this before and despite his medical background could not understand how to help the afflicted. His herbs, his potions, all of it. It could always help.

Except when the plague struck.

It had been a long journey for the alchemist, and he had not traveled in a long time. He was weary. He was also determined. He could overhear some villagers speaking on how The Doctor had taken over a room in a local shop. Ye'svonne wasted no time heading that direction and asking the shopkeep where this doctor was. He was directed to a backroom where he promptly swung the door open and peered upon The Doctor, there in his sight line.

The aura of The Doctor chilled Ye'svonne to the core. They would probably have nothing in common. However, he came for business and intended to get it. He softly closed the door behind him and cleared his throat.

"Are you who I think you to be?"

 

[The Doctor]

The people came when he called for them, and The Doctor was grateful for that. He'd rather not have to drag anyone out of their houses yet, that just caused trouble that he didn't need. As they came, he set to work, putting to good use his training and his skill, doing what he could for the living, and learning from the dead. Though not many bodies were brought to him, for fear of this plague, The Doctor learned enough from those that died while he was trying to cure them.

He was working in the backroom, viles of poisons and potions all around him, along with various cutting tools. The Doctor himself was covered from head to toe in black, aside from where red blood had spattered on him, of which a not inconsequential amount was on his arms. A testament to how many he'd work on in such a relatively short time. It would be here that Ye'svonne would find The Doctor, working on another patient. Said patient let out a scream of pain as The Doctor cut apart a rather large blister on her leg, even as he washed out the excess puss, blood, and disease. Wrapping up the wound, The Doctor proceeded to inject another vile into her leg, before speaking to her in a monotone voice.
"Stay off the leg, and stay in bed for at least a month. The worst of it should be gone now, and the rest will leave as time goes. Make sure to drink something clean and have fresh air as often as possible."

He then handed her some medicinal herbs to breath while she left, helped out by her husband. By this time Ye'svonne would've been in there a few minutes. However, The Doctor brooks no interruptions, and as such ignored the lizard salesman completely. The Doctor still did not give the lizard any attention as he proceeded to clean up the table by splashing water over it, before dunking his gloved arms in as well. When he took them out there was less blood on both the table and his arms, but only a deep clean would truly get it all out.

Turning to face Ye'svonne, The Doctor finally addressed the lizard.
"I am The Doctor. What is your business with me lizard? I have little time for shop talk, and you don't seem to be diseased."

It was then that The Doctor took several steps forward, standing in front of Ye'svonne. With his eyes boring into the lizard, The Doctor looked him up and down, checking him over for any signs of anything.
"No. Not diseased currently, but susceptible due to weariness. You are very susceptible currently, and your cloth will not protect you."

And just as suddenly, The Doctor took several steps away, back to his bag. There he took out a syringe and began filling it with a liquid, dark brown and swirling with strange contents. Turning to Ye'svonne, he advanced once more.
"This will provide some protection against the plague. For around a day or so, then you will be as susceptible again. Now hold still, this must enter through a vein."

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

The alchemist seemed mostly not phased by the goings on in the building. It was a testament to the times he'd seen at sea as well as the plagues he had seen consume others. Without reluctance he offered The Doctor a vein at the base of his bicep and nodded for him to inject. Trusting that the legends he'd heard of plague curers had been accurate.

"I mean not to impeeeeeede on what you are doing here. If I must, I can even offer you my services in exchange for some information." He opened his ragged cloth jacket to reveal a multitude of potions of his own. Though nothing to protect against the plague itself anyone with ability could see that the lizard knew his craft and knew it well.

"Many consider you a horror, though I doubt sssssssuch nonsense. Though your mannerisms and your person-ability could use some tidying. I came to offer my own skill set in trade with how to deal with this plague. I am a skilled pharmacist myself yet cannot figure out how to combat such a nightmare."

He pulled his cloth from around his face revealing his jagged frame and the flowers and mushrooms that he'd placed behind his ears. "I can offer your patients ease of pain while you work and even faster recovery rates from the lacerations you place upon them." His eyes were stern.

"What say you?"

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor noted that despite their surroundings, this lizard person wasn't squeamish, nor did he hesitate to take the offered/enforced antidote. That was rare, and as such The Doctor merely swiftly injected the liquid into the lizards arm. All that he'd feel was a prick, some dizziness, nausia, and a mild headache that could grow worse, but after that he'd be alright. Other than that, the liquid would do as he'd said, protect Ye'svonne from the plague here, at least for the day.

Once that was done, the lizard spoke, and The Doctor listened. At the same time though, he put the vial away while cleaning his various cutting tools that had recently been used. Upon seeing Ye'svonne open his cloak to show his various potions, The Doctor glanced over them before nodding his acceptance that the lizard was indeed a pharmacist. Then The Doctor spoke, his voice still monotone, even as he set back to work preparing his operating table for the next patient.
"It is not often that others offer themselves to assist me. As such, I accept your offer. Alongside this, I am blunt lizard, very blunt for I have no time for pleasantries most of the time. This is another time where pleasantries is unneeded and unwanted, only the plague matters here, and curing it."

As The Doctor set about filling another vial, Ye'svonne would only see various liquids, along with some lumps of something, be mixed together and then ground down. Holding it up, The Doctor held another vial in his hand, now filled. It wasn't the disabler that he'd given to Ye'svonne, but merely another tool in his arsenal to combat the plague.
"I am a horror, for I do what must be done, and go where others won't. It is hardly my fault for the fear and imaginations of others. Besides, they fear me, thus they do what I command them to. Fear is a powerful tool young pharmacist, learn to use it and you shall have many advantages in life."

Though The Doctor didn't mention the disadvantages, primarily the fear of others to him. Even if he was merely passing through, people simply feared him for they believed he followed the plague to them. Often this was true, but not always. That said, The Doctor hardly cared, it got him what he needed, such as this building for his personal use. Turning to Ye'svonne to regard him once more, The Doctor nodded slowly.
"Again, I accept your help. Do what you can, though pain means they are living, remember that."

That said, The Doctor turned his head to the door leading to the outside and shouted 'Next!'. Immediately another patient entered, this was a rather large and bulky dwarf, clearly a blacksmith. He got up on the table as indicated, and it would be visible to Ye'svonne if he got closer that this blacksmith was diseased, though the stages of his plague were early on. Regardless, The Doctor set about immediately, using his vials and knives at once, setting about removing the plague from the dwarf.

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

A light snort from the lizard as the needle pierced him. The fluid entering him was foreign and his body was likely to take the side effects ten fold from a beginning dosage. As the syringe left his skin he began to feel them immediately. Calmly, he reached into his cloak and revealed a lavender potion that he wasted no time drinking. He smacked his lips in an unpleasant manner. A cure of stomach and head issues was not hard to make but it tasted like rotten blood. So it goes.

Ye'svonne listened back intently and held back his frustrations knowing he wanted to learn from the figure in front of him. Whoever this was seemed to accept the idea of being a horror which would bother any civilian. The Doctor seemed to transcend anger, fear, sadness and many other mortal aspects. What a conundrum. "A lack of suffering does not necessarily mean they are dead, either. I shalllllllll get started right away. I will wait for you to finish before I implore any of my own concoctions to avoid confusion."

His talk of fear made sense. Ye'svonne still hated it. A doctor was a servant of the people, not their commander. The difference in this was that The Doctor had a skill that almost all other doctors unlike him didn't. A cure. A gods honest cure. He could act however the hell he wanted and the alchemist do that. And calling him a young pharmacist? The gall. He asked to learn about the plague not to be mentored by an enigma. He contained his emotions inside. His petty grievances would do neither of them good.

He moved to the other side of the table near The Doctor and continued a few steps behind. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat in it. Reaching into his cloak he revealed a travel size slab of wood that he quickly unfolded into a portable table in front of him. Big enough for him to work yet not big enough to interrupt the doctor or his patients. He laid his tarp upon the table and pulled his mortar and pestle out. He began to grind away even before the dwarf came in.

As The Doctor prepared to operate Ye'svonne ground many powders and placed them in vials containing a combining liquid. The potions were all either cyan, lavender, or completely clear. Some powder he left out as a salve. He tried to make heads and tails out of what he was seeing in The Doctors jars but had never seen the specimens before in his life and thus would have to ask when he was finished.

"Come to me when you're finisssssssshed." He spoke to the Dwarf without tearing his eyes from his work.

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor had noted how Ye'svonne had taken another concoction, yet did not make further note of it. If the lizard wished to take more on top of what he'd been given, so be it. When he next spoke, The Doctor merely listened before replying.
"Correct, but the pain can be a focusing tool, if used correctly."

He nodded once more when Ye'svonne spoke of going to his patients after The Doctor was finished, it made sense. While Ye'svonne set up his table, The Doctor simply continued on, and then he had called for the dwarf.

He didn't notice, nor would he have cared if he had, about the inner monologue of Ye'svonne, choosing to focus on his job. Once the dwarf was on the table, The Doctor had set about his work, moving swiftly. The dwarf had visible lumps on his legs and arms, though only a few were anywhere close to being ripe or close to popping. This indicated to The Doctor that the dwarf was in the early stages of the plague. As such, it was a simply matter to cut them and use the vial he had on hand.

Using his knife, The Doctor swiftly cut open the edges of the lumps, making the cuts so that the fluids inside would flow out and onto the table. Said liquids did so with ease, a mixture of blood and white liquid, along with brown clumps. Said clumps were rather similar to what had been in the vial injected to Ye'svonne. The cutting of all the lumps took several minutes, during which the swelling of those cut visibly went down, showing that something worked, though it was clear that The Doctor was far from done.

Once many of the lumps were at a suitably low enough size, The Doctor grabbed a ragged cloth and wiped away the bloody mixture. This revealed small lumps and raw skin, partially courteous of the ragged cloth, now rather bloody. The entire time the dwarf had been groaning in pain, or trying to grit his teeth. Not the The Doctor truly payed attention, far too focused on his job. Once the lumps were almost gone, he turned from the patient and went to his bag, drawing forth another vial. This vial was clear in nature, almost as if nothing were there.

Ensuring that no air was left in the vial, The Doctor then went to the dwarf and held it out to him.
"Drink this dwarf, you should be fine to an extent soon enough."

With shaky hands the dwarf did as instructed, pushing through his pain to drink the vial. The Doctor nodded in turn before taking the empty vial from the dwarf and stashing it away. Helping him to a sitting position, The Doctor looked the dwarf over once more. Then he turned his head to Ye'svonne.
"Your turn now alchemist."

And with that said, The Doctor turned from the dwarf and back to his bag. There he continued with what he'd been doing before, mixing liquids and filling vials.

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

Ye'svonne was unsure of how much would be required for his long night ahead of him. He'd brought enough ingredients to ensure he could make as much as was needed for around 36 hours. Violetta knew that he was doing this and had reluctantly agreed. She was a worrywart, but many would not want their husband diving head first into a place infected so horrifically. After a while, his table was completely covered in recuperation recipes. Potions for head and stomach, cauterizing and numbing salves. Anything he needed to ensure their was a comfort at the end of the procedure.

He grabbed another chair during The Doctor's seamless work. He really was masterful. The alchemist only looked from his own work a couple times but when he did he saw just how adept the person before him was. And it was hard to call them heartless. They did save lives, after all. He set the chair in front of his desk so that patients would have rest while he assisted them.

What did catch his eye was the similarity of the clumps in the dwarfs flesh to that of what was in some of the vials belonging to The Doctor. Vaccination. Sensible enough. It was almost hard to believe it that easy. Ye'svonne thought the plague was brought on by some sinister magic. Perhaps nature was more sinister to us than any nightmarish mage could ever be.

The Doctor finished up with the dwarf and passed him down to Ye'svonne. The diseased fellow took a seat across from the lizard with a dead look in his eyes. He was in tremendous pain still and trying to hide it. Lacerations from the doctor and and the turning of his stomach from sickness and likely the vaccine as well. The alchemist reached into his cloak and revealed a small wooden cylinder and a rag. He poured one of the clear potions onto the rag and moved over to kneel by the dwarf.

He rose the wooden cylinder up towards the dwarf. "When I say three, youuuuuu will bite this as hard as you can. The pain will be severe, but short lived. Please bear with me, friendddddddd." The patient reluctantly agreed as he put the block into his mouth. One, two, three. Application. One, two, three. Application. This repeated for each one of his cuts and sores. While clearly suffering through it, the dwarfs eyes showed relief at the end. The skin on the first wound was already miraculously healing. The lizard then handed him a lavender potion.

"The potion you have already taken needs to settle before you drink this. I'd say aboutttttttttt three to four hours. Then drink this. The nausea should fade. Be brave." He smiled towards the patient and helped him out the door. Then turned back to The Doctor with a sigh of relief.

"Those clumps. Are those the plague in physical form, or just a byproduct?"

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor hadn't even noticed as Ye'svonne placed the chair near him, he was so engrossed in his work. Thus after several minutes of work once he turned to finish up his end, The Doctor was slightly surprised to have the dwarf sit so readily. Turning to observe the lizard, The Doctor simply observed as Ye'svonne set to work, the dwarf visibly becoming better. He'd have to see about getting himself some of that clear substance, it would make the more unruly of his patience easier to handle.

Nodding once in recognition, The Doctor then turned back to his bag. There he produced another cutting tool, some more vials, and a glass jar filled with liquids and several of the previous lumps. Then he set to work, his body blocking clear view for Ye'svonne. During that time the dwarf was escorted out and The Doctor created half a vial for a half cure. He'd need to work on it more before its use, but it would suffice to be put away once more. The Doctor was about to when Ye'svonne asked him about the lumps.

Picking up the vial to eye level, The Doctor held it in his hand, clinical eye observing the lumps before his eyes gazed back to the table.
"Each person is different. With some, it is the plague itself being expunged. With others, it's the waste of the plague and parts of the plague being removed. The later in the development the plague is, the more likely it's the waste of the plague rather than the plague itself. During early stages, as with the dwarf, the plague can be simple to remove, if done properly and quickly."

Ensuring that the top was properly on the vial, The Doctor held the vial out to Ye'svonne to take.
"As is evident upon closer inspection, the lumps here are the plague itself. This is evidenced in the structure of the lumps. They still have the antenna on their bodies, their purpose are currently unknown. Later samples of the plague don't have said antenna, but are rather swamp like."

To prove this, The Doctor retrieved another vial from his bag. The lump therein was as he'd explained, jelly like and without protruding antenna's, rather it looked like it would simply glide along.
"What do you think of this then alchemist, what would your analyses of the plague be upon seeing this? For this is the plague, in one of its purest forms. If such a vile thing could ever be considered pure of course."

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

It wasn't uncommon for patients to show varying symptoms. This much made sense to Ye'svonne. What didn't make sense was the form of the plague itself. It seemed alive. As if this unholy sickness was somehow conscious in its rampage. Antennae with an unknown purpose only seemed to further this hypothesis and made the alchemist feel rather uneasy. He looked long and hard at the vial The Doctor held while trying to make heads and tails of what would cause such an awful ailment.

"What bafflesssss me is its creature like form. Almost an ooze, or some sort of repugnant conjuring. Without a known purpose to the antennae its difficult to say if that would be an accurate assumption but the structural makeup of this disease gives such a life like property." He rubbed his chin deep in thought. "Though this may be but speculation, it also occurs to me that the plague is something only found in areas of high population and domesticated cities. I have not heard of a plague rampaging through wild lands or forested areas."

He turned in his chair scratching his head. He placed a lily from his cloak into his mouth and chew. It was an aid for thought, and though his thinking on the matter was but a hypothesis it still felt as if he was closer than he'd ever been to finding out its origins. "I can only wonder if this disease is intended as weaponized nature. As if the planet itself is seeking vengeance on those who have damned with machinations and materialization. Though I cannot be certain as to the accuracy of that, that is what my brain draws as a conclusion."

 

[The Doctor]

Still holding the vial, The Doctor also examined the contents once more, even as Ye'svonne did the same. Nodding as the lizard spoke, he thought the same about the plague. It was curious, and this was just one form, it was merely the form for this plague. Others were different, which was why it was so hard to combat properly.

"Indeed, no doubt if it could be observed within the body the purpose for the antenna could be found. Alas, I have no means to do so, nor do I know of anyone who does." Sighing, The Doctor returned the plague vial back into his bag while shaking his head slowly. "No. The plague has no limit, it does not remain in cities, nor does it usually start there. You don't hear of any of the plague's or viruses rampaging in the wild lands amongst the tribes because they die too swiftly to tell anyone. I have often come across the plague's path, taken from one place to another by some unlucky soul seeking help, only to bring death with them. That is how the plague spreads alchemist, through the unlucky and the dying, damning others while trying to save themselves or their people."

Making his way to the door, The Doctor was about to call in the next patient when Ye'svonne spoke once more. Eyes widening behind his mask, unseen though they might be, The Doctor realized that it was possible. Whirling around to Ye'svonne, he spoke once more, voice filled with some urgency, but also exitement, and worry.
"It's possible, it's very, very possible. By Jove it's damn possible, but not quite the way you think I'd say." Quickly making his way back to his bag, The Doctor began rummaging around for more supplies and more samples of the plague. When he didn't find more than the handful of vials, he spoke to Ye'svonne while going to the back door. "Cover your mouth and nose, I need a corpse for this, and the stench of that will be unsettling, to say the least."

And just like that The Doctor was out the door, grabbing one of the first corpses he could from the pile. He'd need to find a suitable specimen for this, one recently deceased, and one that had been affected more obviously by the plague. As such, the body was near the top, though it would take a few minutes to find the perfect one for him.

Ye'svonne Airileth

FYI, won't be able to post for the next week or so. Sorry in advance, but wanted to let you know so that it's not just me vanishing for a week. Thanks!

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

It made sense. That those in more rural areas or even the wilds would not survive the plague without immediate medical assistance. That being far more scarce in areas such as that it made sense that those places fell victim too fast to document. He snapped his fingers. "Is there such a place terminated by the plague that you could think of? If nothing else it may lead to clues it its origin. All disease must have some sort of origin." That was at least his experience. Even with the most trivial of illnesses there was a beginning to it. A first plague.

"Where was the first plague documented?" He asked, genuinely curious.

At The Doctor's request, Ye'svonne nodded and put on a surgical mask to cover his intakes. It wouldn't block it completely but he'd dealt with dead pirates before. Corpses were no new thing to him. Though something wafted that he couldn't have been prepared for.

The smell of the distant bodies that have been affected by this accursed plague. Something foul beyond comparison, even one could say an evil stench. Ye'svonne was tough, but it still made him gag and cough upon it reaching his nostrils. Whether he was right or not about this disease, it was an ironclad fact that it was unlike anything he'd dealt with before.

((OOC)) No worries friend! I'll be there to respond no matter the length it takes you.

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor nodded along to what Ye'svonne said, for he had come to the same conclusion, which was what caused his outburst as it was. Thinking about it as he worked, The Doctor had no definitive answer, only suspicions.
"Reports are conflicting on that, though I found this particular plague further North. Similar plagues have been found in that direction as well, though I have found others coming from the Southwest. Most likely from slavers in the Southwest, and Orcs or the Blightlanders in the North."

And then he was out of the room, searching for the body, not even glancing back at Ye'svonne. After several minutes of searching, The Doctor had found a suitable body. Picking up the corpse of the dead pregnant woman, he made his way inside once more. Placing the corpse on the table, The Doctor glanced at Ye'svonne once to ensure he had his mask on. Nodding in satisfaction, The Doctor took out a bonesaw and set to work.

He cut open a large welt combined with a lump on her upper arm, one that covered almost the entire upper right arm. Then he proceeded to cut out smaller lumps of the plague, pushing them out and into vials. Once he had a handful of said vials, The Doctor placed a towel over the gaping wound so that it would be covered, while also dropping some flowers around it to help with the smell. Then he turned to the vials and picked up one from the woman and another from prior.
"Yes... these are quite different. The older one is from a recently diseased person, it still has the antenna. This woman however does not. However, I knew that, and it's not the most interesting thing here. No..., so let's find it."

Trailing off into thought, The Doctor set back into work, not noticing Ye'svonne for now, but focusing fully on his work. Said work consisted of drawing out more vials and getting more samples from the woman, all the while comparing various parts of one vial to the other. He worked swiftly and almost silently, merely mumbling to himself about various facts of the plague.

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

The Blightlanders. Ye'svonne had known about them ever since his arrival on this continent. He'd not done much research or been told many things other than to avoid them. Blightland orcs were supposed to be brutal and murderous. How they could relate to the origin of the plague was completely beyond him. But with a name like 'blightland' it was entirely plausible.

He watched The Doctor exit the room and retrieve the corpse of what looked like a woman with child. How horrible this disease was. Two lives lost in one foul swoop with virtually nothing they could have done about it. While he ground up more powder it came to mind how lucky he'd been to avoid such tremendous losses. These people did not deserve what they were being forced to suffer through and it broke his heart.

He continued to watch the doctor work as he did. He couldn't be much help in the way of taking apart corpses, and he had an ever encroaching fear of infection from being here.

 

[The Doctor]

What Ye'svonne thought was true, in a fashion. While the orcs themselves weren't all that smart enough to create such a plague, there were certain criminals and other sorcerers that could. That was what The Doctor was thinking at least, that there were those up North who wanted to unleash such a plague upon the people.

The Doctor kept cutting into the woman, removing pieces of clothing and cutting away at the plague. Soon enough he had filled a handful of vials, each with pieces of the plague cut from further inside her. Laying them side by side on the table before him, The Doctor examined them closely. Grumbling to himself, he shook his head before turning his head to gaze at Ye'svonne.

"It is a weapon of nature, but it was not created by nature. I see now what these antenna are for, movement. To worm its way further into the host body, then to lose the antenna once the plague is eating away at the healthy body. Not only this, but it seems as if it can lose the antenna at any time, as if on command. This shows that it can stop itself so it doesn't kill the host. No doubt when it needs to travel long distances."

While this didn't reveal how the plague spread, at least not more than what The Doctor had said, it showed that it wasn't just coincidence. The Doctor knew that nature was a wondrous thing, one that could easily kill and create. But he also knew that such a plague didn't just appear, it started somewhere, and this plague had originated around here, though similar ones had been found in the North.

Sneering down at the plague vials, The Doctor shook his head. There was still much about this plague that he didn't understand, but he knew one thing.
"I can create a permanent cure for this, and I know now that it's most likely someone from the North that created this plague. Perhaps sorcerers or necromancers. This remains to be seen for now. Do you wish to see this alchemist?"

He indicated a pair of vials, a pair at the feet of the corpse. Not waiting for a response, The Doctor turned from the corpse, The Doctor place the vials into his bag, before moving to take some more out of the bag. It was then that the corpse moved. It wasn't far, it wasn't even truly noticeable, but the cut open arm of the corpse shifted, moving away from the body ever so slightly. At the same time, the eyes opened, still staring ahead blindly, but they opened. The Doctor noticed none of this though, too engrossed in his work at the bag.

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

The antennae were for movement. What a horrifying thought. The plagues essential ability was to spread. Not like other diseases which were spread through physical contact with another, though this could very well be doing this. This specific disease was manufactured with something dark and genocidal in mind. The idea of the plague now seemed closer to a curse than an actual ailment. How any of that was possible was beyond his comprehension, as was the idea anyone would want to do something so heinous. How could anyone sleep at night knowing what they've done? What gain could come from that?

"It's resilience is the easily the mooooooost terrifying thing about it. Seeing as there's so few who can combat it and such drastic medical measures required to do so at all." He watched intently again, now setting the powder he was creating aside in order to witness whatever it was the Doctor intended on doing. This was met with a very upsetting reaction from the corpse.

Ye'svonne did not see the arm move, no. He did see the eyes open however. The alchemist sprung from his seat, knocking his chair to the floor in horror. "Wh-what is happening?" He spoke, trembling. His foretalon pointed at the corpse and his eyes locked in its now open lids. He was visibly sweating out of confusion and fear as to why a still body would have any motor function left.

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor continued his work, pausing only now and then to catch his train of thought. When Ye'svonne spoke once more, The Doctor merely grunted in agreement, far too engrossed in his work. He took out a few vials to use on the corpse, even as it moved itself and opened its eyes. The Doctor didn't notice though, not until Ye'svonne reacted in horror.

Spinning around at once, hands reaching for his staff and for the bonesaw, he paused upon seeing the corpse. Its eyes were open and it seemed as if the arm had moved, though The Doctor couldn't be sure.
"That confirms one thing at least," said The Doctor, voice calm despite the situation. "it was most likely necromancers who did this. However, this is the first time I've seen something like this. Strange."

Cautiously making his way closer to the corpse, The Doctor stared into its eyes, even as the eyes slowly followed him. It was disturbing in its own way, but The Doctor didn't seem affected. That was until he was within arms reach of the corpse. All of a sudden its arm flung up, trying to grasp at him. Letting out a shout, The Doctor instinctively jumped backwards, managing to avoid the arm. Raising his bone saw, The Doctor stabbed the tool into the corpses arm, in doing so pushing it back down onto its chest. By now the mouth of the corpse was open, and it let out a moan of tortured pain.

"Fascinating, it seems that the plague is more than just something to kill, it's something to control as well. This is what I'm assuming for now at least. Perhaps the antenna work as a controlling method that breaks off and spreads throughout the body? Further testing is required." Turning his head to face Ye'svonne, he continued. "What is happening is that a necromancer has brought this corpse back to life, most likely through the use of the plague. We'll have to see now won't we. Perhaps they overheard our conversation and think to deal with us, as the truth is too damaging to them. It's unknown currently."

Before The Doctor could speak anymore, he heard more groaning, but not from this corpse. Then the screams began. Sighing in frustration, The Doctor realized that more of the corpses were no doubt coming to life. Pulling the bone saw from the corpses arm, he stabbed it in the neck, effectively cutting the connection from brain to body. For now the body wouldn't move, at least The Doctor hoped it wouldn't. Turning back to his bag, The Doctor placed the now very bloody bone saw next to the bag before pulling out a small short sword.

"Well then alchemist, it seems we have a problem that needs dealing with. And here I thought this would simply be another plague. Tsk tsk." That said, The Doctor tilted a head questioningly to Ye'svonne, waiting to see how the lizard alchemist would react to this new problem they faced.

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

Ye'svonne was wildly unprepared to deal with hordes of the dead. This made more sense as to the plagues nature, but it wasn't helpful. This beckoned the question of how the necromancers were able to hear them in the first place. It was unlikely that they were nearby since the plague spreads throughout the entire world, meaning that something was able to transmit their words to ears of another. "The antennae!" He said aloud. "They have to have some sort of communicative purposssssssse!" He was still trying to decipher what was happening in the midst of their impending doom.

He withdrew a dagger from his robe, but knew this would be to no avail. Ye'svonne was far from a fighter. He was visibly stressed, but he also seemed ready to act. "Here." He said to the Doctor, handing him a potion of mustard hue. "This will recover your stamina and vigor should you find yourrrrrrself growing weary. I ask that you hold off the first few, as I am no warrior. I have a plan."

He then ran back to his makeshift alchemic table, and began to craft something. The doors were soon to break down. He would likely have to face at least a couple. If he could manage this potion, they may be able to reduce the chaos.

 

[The Doctor]

As Ye'svonne spoke, The Doctor snapped his fingers. That was a smart observation, though he wasn't sure how the antenna could be movement and communication, but that would be a mystery for later. For now, they had to deal with the undead. Oh joy. When he was offered the potion, The Doctor took it and placed it in one of his many waist pouches.
"Thank you alchemist, this shall serve well against these undead."

As Ye'svonne turned to his table, The Doctor made his way to the door, even as banging was heard from the other side. Sighing once more, he stabbed the corpse on the table for good measure before stopping by the door
"Word of this has to spread. While I am not much of a fighter myself, I have had to fight off hordes of sick people often enough. This shouldn't be much different." He said that to Ye'svonne before muttering to himself. 'I hope.' Before finishing his thought to Ye'svonne. "Should I die in this venture, ensure that word spreads and vengeance is had. My work will be for naught if no one learns of this. Various attempts of the cure are in my bag. As such, should I die or this place be overrun. Run far and run fast."

Then he turned to the door one final time, opened it and stepped outside. In doing so he pushed the undead outside away from himself, though Ye'svonne wouldn't see it. Once he was fully out, The Doctor set to work once more, this time fighting for his life rather than curing others. However, this was a cure of a different kind.

Smashing his staff into the head of one zombie, The Doctor cut off the head of another with his short sword. Twirling the sword lightly to remember the feel of it, he set to work, cutting into the diseased undead. As he did so, The Doctor called out loudly and proudly to the heavens, in turn drawing the zombies to himself, even as the villagers spotted him from far away. They found hope in him, even as he knew the zombies found their target.
"Come then undead abominations! I am The Doctor and my cure is most effective!"

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

The Doctor was quite brave to listen to Ye'svonne without worry, and it gave the alchemist hope. Though it wasn't a large part of his arsenal he did have a couple potions up his sleeve that should prove useful in combat. One particular against a crowd of wild, brainless undead. He kept at his work listening for any shift in the Doctor's safety. As he couldn't see the man outside he could still hear and knew roughly where he was. And no matter how strong the man proved himself to be numbers often were a deciding factor in combat.

The lizard meshed together a powder of icy hue, and began to drop it into a vial as fast as he could. As opposed to his normal potion making agent, he also imbued this with a bit of gunpowder. Their still needed to be a liquid catalyst for this to work properly but his potion gel wouldn't be volatile enough for the reaction he desired. Instead he revealed a different vial, a poison, and poured it into the concoction. "Yes!" He cried out once the weapon was ready.

He sprinted after the open door and grabbed the Doctor by the collar, throwing him into the room he'd exited. "Forgive me!" He yelled as he hurled the light blue potion into the area swarmed by walking corpses. He closed the door behind the doctor and him swiftly. Not a second late a sharp, loud explosion could be heard followed by the temperature of the vicinity dropping tremendously.

He opened the door to peer inside, displaying a beautiful show of frozen zombies. Some not frozen entirely but all of them immobile. He sighed deeply.

"I don't knoooooooow if that's all of them. But it should cover most of the problem."

 

[The Doctor]

The groans and moans of the undead horde grew louder as he emerged from the relative safety of the building. It grew even louder as he started killing them, cutting into them with the short sword and hitting them with the staff. While The Doctor was no fighter, he did know how to swing his weapons and defend himself, which was more than enough against these zombies. Growling as he cut into the zombies, The Doctor simply hit away, not letting them get too close. His fight however brought more zombies to them, as they sought him out, and once they found him, they attacked him.

As he as swinging his sword into another zombie, cutting deep into its chest, Ye'svonne suddenly appeared. The Doctor was grabbed and thrown into the room, caught completely off guard. Being thrown in like that made him lose grip on his sword, causing it to remain embedded in the zombie, even as The Doctor hit the ground, hard. Letting out a grunt as he hit the floor, The Doctor held his staff up as if to ward away Ye'svonne, thinking the alchemist had been affected somehow. Instead he heard the cry of apology and saw a flash before the door closed.

Grunting in pain and annoyance, he sat himself up while observing Ye'svonne. Concluding that the alchemist was still his lizardy self, The Doctor stood up and relaxed his grip on the staff, placing it on the floor before him while keeping his hand on top of it.
"I assume you made something to stop them alchemist." It wasn't a question, but rather a statement of fact. "Thank you."

Making his way to the door then, The Doctor looked out at the frozen zombies, finding the view oddly beautiful. Stepping out of the door, he made his way to the zombie with his sword in it. Immediately he noted that it was frozen too firmly in the chest to be removed. Sighing, The Doctor instead smashed the zombie across the head, shattering the undead abomination.
"It may not have been most of them, but it was quite a lot of them. Which is good, but these must be destroyed before we can truly continue on."

To hammer that point home, The Doctor smashed the next zombie across the chest, breaking it in half as well. After that, he continued to walk from zombie to frozen zombie, whacking them to destroy them properly. Ye'svonne could no doubt note that The Doctor was still making note of the plague captured within the ice mixture. Even as The Doctor did this, the sound of more zombies grew louder, but so too did the sound of villagers and other people from within the town. Soon they'd have more company, both good and bad.

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

Ye'svonne followed suit and began to destroy the frozen creatures with his talons and dagger. Where were the other corpses coming from? A body pit? There could only be so many in the building itself and he could have sworn that'd done away with most. It looks like he was in it for the long haul as he would never choose his life over his alchemy. Which all of the tools for were now set up in the Doctor's office and he could not leave behind. Violetta would crack him good if she knew he thought that way but it was embedded in him.

"I need a better weapon." He said looking at his flimsy dagger. The things would crush a head if need be. It's range was the problem. Having the undead be that close to him would cause nothing but hysteria and trouble. He peered out into the alleyways. Torches of villagers and moans from the zombie infestation carried across the entire city. "This attack wasn't random, wassssssss it?" He said to his scientific friend. "Have you been followed?" Zombies were not to act on any accord but that of hunger. Their spawning was directly interrupting their work as well. Something was gravely amiss.

"The numbers are immense. And their all closing in on this building. If I mayyyyyyyy be so frank, doctor, I think someone wants your head. Even mine by association now." Luckily, some of the accursed were warriors and he was able to find a hatchet on a limp body. He readied himself and tossed The Doctor a red potion.

"Should take care of any injuries so long as they aren't fatal."

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor held similar thoughts to what Ye'svonne had, though he also knew that there were far more infected and dead than one would believe at first glance. Not that it made their job any easier, far from it. As for the many around the building, they'd been mostly dealt with here, but the others around the village, well, there had still been bodies that were lying around.

"From the sounds of it alchemist, we won't need to fight soon." As if to emphasize this, a group of villagers appeared. They were carrying pitchforks and torches, both would be useful in dealing with the zombies. The Doctor then nodded to the dozen or so villagers, who returned the nod before turning towards the undead coming around the corner. There were only a dozen there, though they sounded like they were far more numerous. That didn't eliminate the possibility of more in the rest of the village, but they could be dealt with later. "I haven't been followed alchemist, not to my knowledge at least. However I also don't think this was random. Perhaps the necromancer who did this can somehow see and hear through these undead zombies, though I can't be sure 100%."

Sighing in annoyance at not knowing, The Doctor caught the potion that was thrown to himself. Placing it with the other potion that had been given to him, he nodded in appreciation.
"I believe these villagers can handle the rest of the undead, especially if they all come in this direction." Stopping for a moment, The Doctor then called out to the villagers. "Set up defensive measures here, let the undead come to you and they shall be easier to kill. A cure shall come soon to these undead, regardless of what it may be."

They gave him their affirmations while setting up various defences, even as the undead zombies grew closer. The Doctor for his part turned back to the door they'd come out of, back to where he had been working.
"Alchemist, I suggest we get to finishing a cure quickly, so that we may help these damned souls."

Ye'svonne Airileth

 

[Ye'svonne Airileth]

If dark magic was afoot in this then it was highly probable that healing magic may be required in the cure. He couldn't say that for sure as even some of his own home remedies had the ability to cure magical wounds. This just felt much heavier than just a spell wound. He held that hatchet tightly despite the Doctor's coaxing. Ye'svonne was admittedly a bit of a wimp when it came to these situations. While he acted fast, his fear dissipated in a much less timely manner.

"I hope that you havvvvvvvven't doctor." He said, in regard to his comment of being followed. "It is a great task that you've attached to your waist. And if this plague is the worrrrrrrrrrk of a dark being or group, I would imagine they would detest your involvement in trying to thwart it." He meant what he said. Any evildoer made it a point to show great obstinance when it came to their dark dealings. He looked back towards the villagers as The Doctor spoke to them. His confidence was admirable. The villagers seemed to understand who they were talking to as well. It was no wonder rumor of this man had traveled such distance.

"Yes, you are correct. Let usssssssssss continue." The alchemist spoke, sliding the hilt of his newfound hatchet into his belt. He returned inside the building. He stopped before he reached his desk and viewed all they had worked on so far. So much progress yet so many questions remained.