Chapter 50: Outbreak

Givontair:

A week after Sorix came to live with us, the people of Amestavora faced a new challenge. There seems to be an outbreak of a fever sickness, that takes the victims to the grave within a day.

I have never heard of something like that. The mayor didn't want for me to handle it, at first. He said that I allowed myself too many liberties, when I treated the patients from the paralysis. Yet, after the people made a petition, he didn't have any other choice, but to let me handle it.

I don't dare bring Erik anywhere close to the clinic. For all I know, the people might be spreading the infection with each time, they exhale. The sicknesses of mortals don't really have an effect on me.

If Sorix wasn't so adamant about his lack of involvement in this, I would have thought that he was behind it. Yet, the Dread Lord has let me see his mana signature. The only thing he did, in the last week, was to free the corpses from his grasp.

I walk inside the clinic, and nod at the two guards, who were instrumental in dealing with the paralysis outbreak. I still don't know what caused it. Sorix swears that it wasn't him. I believe him, even if the rest of the party do not.

As I go to the nearest bed, I see two coroners take a body from one of the beds, and place it in a body bag. I close my eyes. If I ever find whoever did this, there will be hell to pay.

I go to the nearest patient, and clear my throat. As he stirs, I pull gloves on my hands.

"Hello, can you tell me a bit about your condition?" I ask the elf. He blinks up at me. I can see, from his hazy brown eyes, that he is not entirely with me. I repeat the question, and he takes a hold of my hand.

"I need the toilet," he rasps. I help him get up, and lead him to the toilet. The place is clean enough, so, I help the man stay steady, while he goes about his business. There is blood in his urine.

"It stings," the elf moans out. I begin to piece together the clues.

"How many times have you gone to the toilet, in the past couple of days?" I ask him. He glares up at me, and points at the bloody waste in the toilet bowl.

"Why are you asking me useless questions, when I am about to die? Are you even a healer? Use your mana already!" The patient snaps. I help him pull up his underwear, and then place a hand on his body. He shivers, when he feels my mana.

I notice that there is just one wrong thing with him. There are bacteria in the tube that carries urine out of the body. Bacteria, which should be in his bowels. Huh, this could only be kidney infection. Yet, I have never heard of one, which is as deadly as what is happening in Amestavora.

"You have a kidney infection," I tell the elf. "It is curable. I have just the pills for it."

He smiles then, and lets me lead him back to the bed. I prop him on some pillows, and take out a bottle with antibiotics from my bottomless bag. Slowly, I help him drink one pill. I really should contact Damian for more supplies.

I make the rounds, and scan each patient with my mana. Not only that, but I help a couple urinate, as they can barely stand. It seems that someone has not cleaned the filters on the water supply.

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After everyone drinks a pill, I go to the restroom, and address the nurses. It still irks me, that there are no healers in here.

"You are to make sure that the patients drink a pill from the bottle on their nightstand every 8 hours. Wash them with boiled water. Who wants to show me where the sewer entrance is?" I ask. None of the nurses rise their hands.

"We don't have a sewer," the head nurse says. I blink at that. She seems to have noticed my confusion because she clarifies. "Each house has a filtering rune. It gets the waste out, and transports it in the forest."

"In the forest, or in the river," another nurse adds. I begin to grind my teeth. Typical elves. They cling so much to tradition, that they refuse to have normal houses with canalization.

"Do any of you know, just where the waste is dumped?" I didn't notice a waste yard on the way here, so, it must be closer to the grasslands. A place with many animals, which could easily spread the disease.

"No, but the guards at the gates know," the head nurse says. "Healer Givontair, will the patients live?"

"If you wash them with boiled water, and give them clean water and the pills, they will. Now, excuse me. I need to get the runesmith to help me clean up the river," I walk out of the restroom, followed by whispers.

After five minutes of walking, I am before Luke's, the runesmith's, house. We worked together once already. The barrier he crafted could have kept Sorix out. Yet, we were both too blind, to account for his undead army.

I knock on the door, and wait. The Fae comes out of the house, looking worse for wear.

"Healer, it is good to see you. I don't feel so good, and I constantly want to urinate," he says. I place a hand on his forehead. A fever, just as I thought.

"You have a kidney infection. Drink this," I pull out my final bottle with antibiotics. I give him a pill, and a water skin. "Keep the water skin. The water in here is clean."

He drinks deeply, and steps to the side, to let me in.

"How did you diagnose me so quickly?" The Fae asks. Even his wings have lost some of their luster.

"There is an outbreak in Amestavora. Basically, bacteria that should be in your bowel found itself in your bladder. Normally, it is harmless, as long as it is where it is supposed to be. Why didn't you tell me that this town contaminates the river? How could you direct a rune meant for waste disposal, that way?" I'd chew him up some more, but he sways to the side. I catch him, as he nearly falls. Before he loses consciousness, he murmurs.

"Not the river. It was supposed to end up in the dumping site where the land was salted centuries ago," with these words, Luke closes his eyes. If his breathing wasn't as steady as it should be, I'd be worried. Yet, I managed to get a pill inside of him. He'll live. 

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