A cure applied

As promised, it doesn’t take long for Melora to return with everyone else. After some very enthusiastic greetings, you head over to where Kaeli and Samus are waiting. The demigod nods as you approach.

“You are all here, I see. We can begin whenever you like.”

You look at Kaeli. “Well? Are you ready to try this?”

Kaeli nods. “Of course. The sooner the better.”

Samus stands, and places a hand on Kaeli’s shoulder. “You know this will be unpleasant.”

Kaeli shrugs. “I am aware. But I doubt it will be worse than what I’ve endured. Let’s begin.”

Samus nods, and walks towards the center of the clearing, where everyone else is gathering. You start to go as well, but surprisingly, Kaeli stops you with a hand on your arm. You can feel her trembling, and when you look into her dark eyes, you can see the worry there, despite how she tries to hide it. She looks away, and speaks quietly.

“I just want to say…in case this goes badly. Thank you. You didn’t have to do any of this, and I will find some way to show you my thanks. Words are not enough.”

You start to answer, but she shakes her head. “No more words, Nicholas. Let’s go.”

Holding her head high, Kaeli walks away, to where samus is standing with Nadia. You join the rest of the group, and make yourselves comfortable, as Kaeli and Nadia kneel facing each other. Samus looks around, and nods.

“I cannot aid you in this. Good luck.”

With that, he steps away, and Nadia reaches out and places her hands on Kaeli’s head. You almost immediately feel a pull, as the faerie begins to draw upon your power. It’s much stronger than before, and you work to keep your mind clear. The light in the clearing seems to dim, and you can hear Kaeli groaning as more and more power is poured into her. You risk a glance towards her, and you see a nimbus of light surrounding Kaeli and Nadia, golden and shot through with streaks of red and blue.

You feel yourself sweating as Nadia pulls more power, and the glow in the center of the clearing seems to be the only light, while the sounds of the world seem to fade. Then, suddenly, everything stops. The light returns to normal, and you can hear gasps and panting from everyone as the drain fades. Looking up, you see Nadia slumped over, clearly exhausted, but breathing. And Kaeli…

The technomage, eyes wide, staggers to her feet. She looks around for a moment, and then a smile appears on her face. “I…my mind is clear…”

Samus walks over, looking into her eyes. After a few moments, he nods. “It worked. The corruption has gone.”

There’s a cheer from everyone, though it’s somewhat muted, as everyone is rather tired. You stand, and slowly walk over and help Nadia up. The barely conscious faerie gives you a weak smile, and you help her over to a more comfortable spot. Kaeli follows, and helps you set Nadia down.

You turn to her, and smile. Kaeli nods, wringing her hands nervously. Then, suddenly, she hugs you, and you can feel she’s shaking, though you can’t tell if it’s from emotion or exhaustion. After a moment, she releases you, and hurriedly walks away before you can say anything.

The others break out the supplies you hadn’t even noticed they brought, and begin setting up a camp for the evening. They clearly expected this to take all night, and prepared accordingly. You hurry over to help, but Sarah stops you, smiling and shaking her head. The hellhound sniffs, and wrinkles her nose.

“You smell, Nicholas. Go get cleaned up, we’ll set things up here.”

You chuckle. “I suppose it has been a busy day. You want to come scrub my back?”

Sarah grins. “Maybe later. Go on, we’ll get everything handled here.”

You nod, and start walking towards a nearby lake. As you go, you hear the girls giggling among themselves, and you’re sure they’re already plotting something. You’re not surprised, this was a day worth celebrating. You chuckle to yourself, making your way through the woods.