Lorant strokes his chin.
"It sounds like Cas may have gotten an infection from one of the stirges. Eleanora, you were able to identify those potions, do any of them treat disease?"
I can treat it if you dont have the potion
Lorant nods.
"Thank you, Mathus."
"Um, no, I don't think they do," Ella says, looking on worriedly. "Shut up, Ed. There's a potion that can heal wounds, but that's about it."
Lorant nods and looks back at Mathus.
"Do what you have to. We can't have the pride of the Crusader War College getting sick now!"
"...pride?" Cassiel coughs. "You do realize I washed out a few times before I got accepted, right?"
"Better than wandering the country for a few decades not really knowing what to do with your life!"
"Can we please not get into a "who messed up the worst" contest?" Judah said, looking pained. "You're going to make Edward want to open his mouth just to one up everyone, and then we all lose."
Mathus digs through his pack and unrolls a length of cloth that pads a potion bottle.
Here - I believe this one cures disease.
"Can we please not get into a "who messed up the worst" contest?" Judah said, looking pained. "You're going to make Edward want to open his mouth just to one up everyone, and then we all lose."
"But neither of us messed up," Lorant replies. "I just felt his perseverance does him credit. The Inheritor doesn't tolerate quitters, and Cas is no quitter."
He smiles as Mathus retrieves the potion.
"Oh, we had one after all. Desna smiles!"
"Still..." Cassiel leans against the stone wall. "...I don't feel sick--I just feel like a big mosquito bit me."
"You realize how filthy those things are? Better that we treat you now and end up not needing it than have you getting a fever!"
"I think the revitalizing one might actually be a better bet," Ella comments. "For now, at least. We need Cassiel conscious more than we need me, and I know that I've felt fatigued ever since I had a run-in with those filthy things the other day. We can always use the potion if an infection develops...it won't hurt him too quickly."
She stays noticeably silent on the "who screwed up most" comments.
I will treat you both once we get to Kendra's - that may stop the infection without needing the potion.
"How long have we been IN here, anyway?" Lorant asks.
Ella shrugs. "I feel alright..." she murmurs. "But then, can't hurt to be sure. I think we've only been in here an hour or two, Lorant. Shall we look into the kitchen next?"
Lorant stands up.
"Sounds like a good idea. Watch your head in case we run into a pan or knife-throwing haunt."
Lorant looks to Judah.
"Care to check the door?
Judah moved to carefully scan the door.
Searching for Traps
Ella smiles faintly. "I doubt there are alarms or traps on the kitchen door...but then, I suppose this cult could have set them."
Lorant nods and strokes his chin.
"A fair point, Eleanora, though I'm more concerned about poltergeists. Kitchens are nasty places to run into those, since there's an abundance of sharp or hard objects in kitchens that they can launch at you with the speed of a bolt from a crossbow."
As Judah and Mathus confirm the room is safe, Lorant moves to sift through the ashes with an inquisitorial eye.
Ella enters the room carefully, gazing around with her crossbow drawn. "Still no sign of this alleged cult...I'm beginning to think that either Petros was wrong or, more likely, that they're very well-hidden."
"Or Petros' investigations spurred them into leaving. And he mentioned nothing of the haunts in his journal. Something's going on here. We just need to figure out what."
"No sign of the cult? Isn't it supposed to be a necromancy cult? Followers of the Whispering Tyrant or something like that? This place is full of signs that this place was packed full of creepy necromancers."
"Could they have created these hauntings?" Ella looks surprised. "That didn't occur to me...I suppose I was expecting something more traditional, like walking dead."
Lorant thinks on Eleanora's question.
Lorant inhales sharply through his nose as he finishes thinking.
"I haven't heard of necromancers creating haunts. Haunts are usually created by strong emotions upon death, you don't have control over whether a haunt comes into being. But perhaps the Whispering Way did something to...I don't know, wake them up?"
"Then we're going to have to put them back to bed, I suppose."
"I suppose so," Ella says, sounding slightly sad. "Poor things...whatever happened here, it must have been bad."
She sighs, shakes herself slightly, and looks around. "Well, no use standing here. Shall we?" She points to the door at the far end of the kitchen and Edmund, grumbling, phases through it.
"Aye, you've the right of it. Too many places in Ustalav have sad tales like this one. If we can put whatever phantoms who rage at this world in here to rest, it'll be one more step to making this land a better place."
He approaches the door, waiting for Edmund's report.
Judah sighs with overly exaggerated suffering and waves at the door. "Go ahead." he said to Cassiel.
Lorant glares at Edmund but says nothing as he lets Cas take the lead.
Cassiel steps up to the door and decides, perhaps for a change of pace but more likely to vent some frustration, kicks the door in.
Lorant winces as Cassiel kicks in the door.
"You're that frustrated?"
"Yes."
"Maybe he'll scare the ghosts away?" Judah shrugged.
"What troubles you, Cas?" Lorant asks.
"Aside from the annoying ghost we already have with us?" Cassiel sighs. "The feeling that I'm not doing enough to fix whatever's wrong here."
Lorant nods.
"There's honestly very little any of us can do at this point, Cas. We're ALL struggling to figure out what's going on here, and until we know that we have no way to set things right."
Look, this is the most haunted place I've heard of... one day of exploration isn't going to fix things. Everyone seems a little frustrated. Lets head back to Kendra's and take a rest.
Ella purses her lips. "That is tempting, though I'm inclined to think that we can at least finish exploring this and the ground floor. It should be Lorant's call, really--he's the most badly wounded."
Lorant nods.
"I agree. We should be able to finish this floor and the ground floor today. At the very least, it will give us a sense of direction when we return so we're not stumbling around in the dark."