Chapter 118: The illness and the Occult

Hearing the anxiety, desperation, and seriousness in Crule’s tone, Chun Qin immediately confirmed and headed toward the town of Janus.

A few days later, he finally arrived and was immediately rushed to the inn by Crule.

Seeing the pale Ming in the bed sweating profusely and obviously in pain, Chun Qin frowned deeply.

He noticed the green veins slowly creeping up her neck.

[Chun Qin]: How long have this been going on?

[Crule]: From when I called you till now. Her symptoms have been getting worst. It seems my aura cannot consume whatever is hurting her too.

Chun Qin sighed. He sat down besides the bed, took a few tools of his trade out and placed his finger on her wrist.

[Chun Qin]: No irregular pulse although her heart rate is elevated. I suppose that’s from the pain she is no doubt feeling.

Crule’s heart was turmoil seeing Ming in such pain with him unable to do anything. He never liked the feeling of being so hopeless. He promised himself before they set off to the past that he will take hold of his destiny. A strong firm hold, as so he would never feel so hopeless again.

[Chun Qin]: I need to take a sample of her blood. It looks like the toxin is traveling via her blood stream.

Chun Qin picked up a plastic-wrapped syringe from a small white box. He took a small cotton ball and dipped it in a small glass bottle of rubbing alcohol. After disinfecting Ming’s arm, he took the syringe and drew a blood sample.

Using the syringe, Chun Qin dripped a drop of the blood onto a glass petri dish. He placed his hand firmly over the dish and circulated his aura to it. He closed his eyes and information filtered into his mind.

[Chun Qin]: I see…

He sighed again and opened his eyes.

[Chun Qin]: I never thought I would see this damned sickness again.

[Crule]: What is it? Can it be cured?

[Chun Qin]: It’s a diseased caused by a form of bio weaponry used back in the war. It incapacitate soldiers en masse. The illness causes the victim to be unable to move, speak, or do anything. It basically puts them in a comatose state. It then mess with them through their memories.

[Crule]: Memories? How is this possible?

[Chun Qin]: If only I knew. Bio weaponry that somehow got mixed with the occult was never my specialty. However, there was a cure found by my era.

[Crule]: What is it?

[Chun Qin]: It was under experimentation and was just a trial. But if successful, the sickness was eradicated at a 100% accuracy.

[Crule]: What? How?! Tell me please!

[Chun Qin]: Once researchers have found ties with the occult, they consulted an occult expert. A famous demon hunter from Spain was found. The demon hunter played the flute. With an eerie tune, he manage to wake up entire hospitals full of patients inflicted by the illness. When asked how, the demon hunter only replied that his song affects memories or dreams.

[Crule]: So any occult music that can affect memories or dreams?

[Chun Qin]: Conveniently yes. The scientists went further to find various other occult musicians. Regardless of how the music affect the mind, as long as it affect the mind, it cured the illness. It seems this sickness is very weak to outside stimuli.

[Crule]: I see…I know what I have to do now.

[Chun Qin]: I will stay here to monitor her symptoms. We were lucky this time. This illness doesn’t kill the victim, only incapacitate for an unknown period of time. It’s also not contagious.

[Crule]: Thanks Chun Qin. I wouldn’t know what I would have done without you.

[Chun Qin]: Hey, I like being useful to others. Why did you think I took up the look of a priest?

[Crule]: Because you enjoy religious authority?

[Chun Qin]: God damnit no! I like healing people.

[Crule]: Hmm…Use that for your fame.

[Chun Qin]: *sigh* it’s against my better nature but I guess…

[Crule]: I’m heading out now. Ming hold on for me…

Crule brushed his hand on Ming’s fevered cheeks. With a single tear shed from her eyes, Crule wiped it again. He will always be the one to wipe her tears away.

A determined looking Crule left the room. With Ming in the capable hands of Chun Qin, he set out to look for an occult musician.

______

[Dante]: Have you found a way to cure Ming?

[Crule]: Yes, I will head out immediately. Do you with to join me?

Dante remembered the demonic feeling she gotten from Crule during the last fight. Her curiosity was overshadowed by her fear.

[Dante]: I-I’m good.

[Crule]: Suit yourself.

Crule sighed and left after placing his dagger into a holster on his waist. He didn’t want to seem like a weaponless adventurer.

As soon as he walked out the door, Turf came out from his room.

[Turf]: I-is he gone?

[Dante]: Gone for now…

[Turf]: *sigh* To think I could have offended such a demon…Just thinking about scares me witless.

Turf shudders again when he thought of the feeling depravity he felt that day. He promised himself to always stay on the good side of that monster wearing a human skin.

______

[Crule]: Now where would I find an occult musician…?

Crule thought hard for a moment.

[Crule]: Wait a minute…how could I forget that?!

He walked at a fast pace toward a certain district in the city of Janus. Soon he arrived at a large white building. The large sigh in front of the building gives one a feeling of awe.

‘The Janus Adventurers Guild’

[Crule]: Most people with the kind of power I am looking for will be an adventurer.

He walked in the revolving door. No one really paid attention because Crule looked like a just an average young man full of angst dressed in black garb.

He walked over to the giant billboard. The wooden billboard was huge. Thirty meters tall by fifty meters wide. On the billboard were countless requests. There was a limit on how big of a poster one could post on the guild board but there were so many of them that layers of paper had stacked on top of each other. Some of the older requests may never be fulfilled due to the sheer number of them.

It has only been a few months since the games started but yet there were already so many request. One can see just how much things the people in the town of Janus wanted done but were too lazy to do themselves. Since this town was a mid-level town for the gamers, there were only a few hundred people in the city to take on the numerous request.

Crule carefully stood under the board and carefully scanned each and every sheet.

There were countless requests. From delivery, to escort, all the way from material gathering to revenge. There were even modeling jobs as well. Basically any work that would require someone else to do, there was a request for it. The adventurers and gamers were considered jacks of all trades.

There were nothing that they wouldn’t do for a good reward and to improve their guild rank.

Finally Crule spotted something interesting that could prove useful in healing Ming.

He took a copy of the paper and headed toward the front desk where a blonde receptionist was dealing with a burly and rowdy adventurer.

The adventurer dejectedly left after a long sigh. He didn’t want to cause too much trouble as there were people he didn’t want to offend in such a large guild hall.

Crule was up next as he walked in front of the counter.

[Receptionist]: How many I help you sir?

[Crule]: Yes, I would like to take this request.

He hands the sheet of paper to the girl.

A flash of excitement momentarily glared in the girl’s eyes but faded away quickly.

[Receptionist]: Yes sir!