Keisei was still heart broken over what she had done to the forest, however when she took a closer look at the trees that would make for fine charcoal now she realized that the trees were diseased. The likely cause was probably from the mushroom spores that made the branches look like twisted fingers reaching towards sky. A soft sigh escaped as she looked skyward and walked to the others an poked her head inside the tent, "We should get going the sun is up!"
She received a collective groan from the group as they went to their respective rooms to get their gear before assembling outside the tent so that Keisei could tuck it away in her bag of holding. Once they set out Keisei let out her first sigh of happiness as she tilted her head back to bask in the sun that she hadn't felt in several decades. For a high elf this was pure bliss bordering on a euphoric high. After a while she blew out a breath as she considered her options, she knew she needed more magical components and more appropriate equipment and weapons because at the moment they only what she could scrounge up after their escape or what they took after their escape. When they stopped to rest around midday she pursed her lips as she muddled through her thought process and eventually pinched the bridge of her nose, "So what should our first course of action be? What I managed to scrounge up won't last us forever."
Norrik snorted at Keisei's statement which made the elf bristle and before she could say anything Fae stepped between them holding up a finger to the centaur and with her other hand lightly placing the index finger tip on Keisei's lips and gave them both a glare, "As much as I enjoy listening to your petty arguments, we are approaching ruins and in case you have forgotten tragic violent deaths tend to attract ghouls, ghosts, and other undead. Personally I would like to AVOID gaining their attention." The young woman blew out a breath and turned on Norrik and crossed her arms, "And YOU need to be a little more grateful for what Kiri has done for us, yes I understand that you have your grievances as a ranger for the damage she did to the forest, but it bothers her too so stop acting like a child and provoking her at every chance you get!"
Keisei was taken aback and blushed feeling like an errant child and Norrik bitterly swallowed his grievances and inclined his head to the young darkling. After that lovely almost conflict the group arrived at the ruins of a small village. It was rather obvious that what had done in the village was the explosion but as they looked at the few remaining corpses and the trees their hearts collectively sank. Keisei sighed as she crouched down by a corpse and looked at the twisted limbs and pressed her lips in a thin line, "They were basically already dead...."
Norrik frowned as he looked at the trees, "How can you be so sure?"
Keisei was getting fed up with being questioned but motioned to the trees, "The trees were infected by those weird spores, this corpse shows the same twisted features as the ones in the cave... so if the fire had not taken them out we would have had to put them down ourselves." She tilted her head back and sighed, "It disturbs me that I don't know what this spore it or the fact that it can turn living beings into fungal zombies." Standing up she started to head towards the cathedral that was towards the center of the village, "The building itself may have seen better days but the shell is still on consecrated ground which will keep the undead out so it seems the best place to camp."
With the group agreeing with her theory they set up camp in the burnt out cathedral. While the others were in the tent getting food or whatever before they settled for the night she was drawing wards around the tent as an extra precaution because she had a feeling they weren't alone. As she finished the last rune she and the tent disappeared from view and that was when she slipped an invisibility spell over her being and simply waited just outside the wards. It did not take long for what appeared to be a young human to show up looking confused as he stepped into the cathedral thus proving she was not undead. After a few moments she called out, "I know there is someone in here I command you to come out right this moment!"
Keisei chuckled and answered while still invisible, "And who might you be to command so much as a breath from me? And before you answer that I should let you know I will know if you lie with an alias rather than you're actual name." She figured the girl was either a noble or even possibly royalty, although if she was royalty she must have a pressing problem to leave the safety of her castle.
The girl stiffened her back and seemed honestly terrified as she clasped her hands in front of her and raised her chin, "I am Princess Ameera of Faloria."
Keisei hummed for a moment and stepped out of the shadows and revealed herself right next to the princess causing a startled yelp to escape as she quickly jumped back from Keisei and nearly fell on her ass causing Keisei to chuckle before she cocked her to the side looking inquisitively at the princess, "Last I heard Faloria was in a state of civil war.... so pray tell.... why would the only heir to the throne be out on her own in the middle of a charcoaled forest? Where are your guards and retainers?"
Ameera flinched slightly and lowered her head, "They died...."
"How did they die?"
"We were attacked by a hoard of those zombie like creatures and then the rest perished protecting me from that horrible inferno..."
Keisei sighed with guilt but pressed on with her expressionless mask, "That still leaves me the puzzle of why you are here to begin with."
"I volunteered to prove myself a capable ruler to find the cause of the zombie creatures, why our crops are rotting, and why out forests are twisting into things you would normally only find in your nightmares."
Keisei paused as she considered the princesses words and then started to slowly pace around the princess taking her measure as she did so, "And you are what.... 16 maybe? Why are you in such a rush to prove yourself? Also keep in mind as I mentioned earlier I will know if you are lying to me."
The princess bit her lip as she looked down at her feet and nodded her head, "17.... And I was sent off because the disease spread to the castle, the Queen had already passed and turned into one of those creatures when my father decided it was best for me to leave and hopefully be able to return with a cure or at least a way to deal with the problem, but the most I can hope for now is to pray the fire didn't destroy my kingdom and make the best of what is left."
Keisei released a frustrated sigh as she scratched the back of her head, "The best way to deal with the infection is to burn it out, it's caused by a mutated fungus. It's extremely contagious and spreads quickest by blood to blood contact but it is also just as effective when air borne. I don't know how it came to be mutated, where it is from, or why but that is all we know thus far.... Also while you are telling the truth that is not the full truth is it?"
While listening to Keisei Ameera visibly flinched and her heart rate picked up as her mind raced to find a change of subject when it occurred to Ameera that Keisei may have been the cause of inferno and cautiously asked, "You caused the great inferno didn't you?" When Keisei 's posture stiffened the princess knew she was right, "Why?"
Keisei growled under her breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "It was an accident, my traveling companions and I came across the zombies in a cave we were trying to leave and once we dealt with them the mouth of the cave was surrounded by those mushrooms, none of us expected to cause a grain house explosion let alone to this extent." Crossing her arms over her chest she sighed looking up at the moon, "The people in this village were already turned, while it pains me greatly to admit it these people were done a kindness and the fire cleansed the mushroom spores as well."
"Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night? Most would simply consider you a mass murderer, something to be killed on sight."
Keisei almost exploded at the ignorant human as she shouted, "Who are you to judge me pup?! You ran away from home and abandoned your people most likely to escape the engagement linked to that ring on your finger!" Keisei got even more pissed when she watched the girl pale at her words, "I did not start that explosion on purpose, I meant to blow up two mushrooms and the plan back fired on an epic scale and you have no idea how heavily it weighs on me but running around screaming that I wiped out a third of this continent will solve nothing but get me killed and then who would be left to solve the problem at hand?! You? I think not!"
The princess was taken aback as her vindictive and petty words were thrown right back at her and Keisei was right her main goal was to escape her engagement, she didn't know what else to do so she literally asked timidly, "Then what should I do? Sure I can fight and I know a few magical spells but I'm alone, lost, no supplies, nor any means to protect myself... what do you think I should do now?"
Keisei sighed heavily and grabbed Ameera's hand and dragged her along, "For now you can travel with us, we can figure out where to go from there after you bathe, eat, and get a decent nights rest."