"Poisoned?" Alexjin's forehead furrowed and looked at the five unconscious men, "I think they're just sleeping."
"No," Geraldine hurriedly went to them and tried tapping the shoulder of a man in his 40's to wake him up but there's no reaction, the same goes to the men who Alexjin tried to wakes up.
"No response," Geraldine sighs and went to investigate the area to see a bunch of rambootan skins scattered on the grass. If they would combine it all, it can make a large basket full.
"Did they eat so much that they get stomach sickness?" Alexjin asked upon seeing the amount of rambootan skins.
Geraldine's mouth snapped shut as she doesn't want Alexjin to know the real reason for the men's condition. "I'll try to heal them but it's still not enough, go and call for help at the infirmary," she gives him several gold and silver coins.
"But master, I don't want to leave you alone here," Alexjin insisted to stay at his master's side, he was worried that she may be harmed by the men or any wild animals around.
"Just go Alexjin, do as I say!" Her expression hardened seeing that Alexjin is not following her orders.
"Yes, master!" He hurriedly runs away as fast as he could so that he can go back faster, as he doesn't like to leave his master alone in the forest.
After Alexjin was gone, Geraldine started to chant, "Bahay Kubo, Kahit munti, ang halaman doon ay sari-sari!" A soft light appeared on her palm towards the man in front of her. Slowly, the man's eyes flickered open but it was only for a second before he lost consciousness again.
"This is not good!" She mumbled as she tried again but it only healed him a little, "If I use my true powers, Alexjin will be suspicious of me," Her hands trembled while deciding whether to save the men's life or let them die.
Geraldine touched their bodies only to feel that they are in the severe stage of the poison, their arms and legs are already paralyzed and it slowly goes up to their trunks and if it does, there will be difficulty in breathing that could lead to death.
With guilt stripping her alive, she decided to find the one that will mostly survive and that is a boy around 8 years old, his paralysis is only at his legs. Geraldine performed a light healing with a bit of her mana essence based on her knowledge in the past but her current young body wasn't able to hold that much magic causing it to be disarray and nearly hurt the boy.
"Sh*t!" Geraldine throws away her bag and focused again on her magic. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she was trying to focus her mana in the right places. Little by little the boy's condition started to get better and she could feel the lightweight in his ambiance.
"Master!" Alexjin shouts while waving his hands towards his master, there are also three men behind him and a wagon waiting for them at the entrance.
"Alexjin, hurry and get them to the infirmary," She quickly stepped on the side and picked the child she just healed and started to run out of the forest, the rest of them also carry the remaining four men. It was a bit tiring job but they were able to put them on the wagon and went to the infirmary. As for their stuff, Geraldine was able to hide them behind the bushes before they arrived as she knows how the people in town love money.
When they arrived, the infirmary healers did their best to diagnose and treat the patients but they were not able to do anything, even the herbs they use are ineffective as they don't know the cause of their coma and paralysis.
In the end, they just dump them on the side like a dying patient, nobody cared to step up and find a way because they saw the men being poor with no silver or gold coins to pay them.
Geraldine was pissed at how irresponsible and avaricious they are. "Miss, did you just give up on them? they still have time to be cured!" She grabbed the female healer in the arm to stop her from going away.
"Lady, there's nothing we can do, their conditions are severe and our medicines are ineffective, they are doomed to die," The female healer looked at her from top to bottom and gives Geraldine a smug look before aggressively shakes her arm to release herself from Geraldine and went away, mumbling, "poor brats."
"Master, what should we do?" Alexjin's eyes burned with anger seeing how the healer treated poor people like crap when they don't have gold in their pockets.
"You heard what she said, they are doomed to die," Geraldine walked away from the infirmary and to the bed where the five men are laying down, waiting for death to visit, "Pay the three-person who comes with you with 30 silver coins each and also buy this wagon, we'll take these men with us, after all, they are our responsibility," Geraldine's eyes drooped, seeing the young boy sleeping peacefully. She imagined that if this boy lost her family, he'll be lost too.
Alexjin and the three men slowly put the four unconscious men on the wagon and the boy on Geraldine's lap. They immediately went back to her house and put the unconscious men in the underground basement.
Aurelie and Alexjin were confused when Geraldine asked them to wait outside and take care of the young boy. She closed the door to secure that Alexjin will not be able to see what she'll do.
Geraldine went to the men laying like corpses on the cold floor as their breathing slowly begun to shorten.
"I guess it's time to revive back my old evil power hmm," Her red eyes glinted in the darkroom. She went towards the man in his 40's who has paralysis on both his arms and legs.