With the nightmare over, Keyaruga has calmed his nerves in Freia's embrace. Having washed their faces and eaten, the duo would then disassemble their tent before resuming their march. With no surprises to halt them, the heroes would reach Ranalitta in a matter of a few days. Keyaruga wouldn't doubt it, because every hour seemed to empower his charming attendant. On their way, the healer shared with Freia the stories of the Six Primordials, their war with Deimos and his fellow pantheon, whose laws now reigned in the world; of Faran the Fake God; of her magic and how to call upon it with divine language. The mentioned language, by the way, with no native speakers, grew contorted, but as long as words were powered by the will of the speaker, the wrong grammar and vocabulary weren't that much of an issue. Either way, the man planned to use his companion to the fullest. With her twenty-fifth level, the girl could easily be put against any monster.
"Freia, can you see this basilisk?" — the healer asked his attendant, gazing at a huge black snake with his jade eye.
"No, my lord, I'm sorry." For better or worse, at this point, Keyaruga was just too used to his gift. His pet caster, on the other hand, was limited by simple human vision.
"Later, we'll have to do something about it. Now follow me." The man drew his curved bulat blade and focused on protecting his companion. The reptile was sleeping in a tree a hundred and fifty meters away, but barely had the duo approached it, the snake had rushed straight towards them.
"Leave your backpack and brace for a fight. Just do as I taught you!" The healer engaged in a fight. While his dodges were swift, the saber sharp and his mind focused, he could've easily put the monster down with a dozen or so cuts. But it wasn't about him taking the initiative this time.
"I… I will try!" "The Hero of Magic! Ventus Gladius!" With just a couple of words, the Hero of Magic summoned a wind blade. While Keyaru easily backflipped from its trajectory, the spell hit and made a shallow cut in the basilisk's scales.
"Don't try it, Freia! It's all about your resolve!" — the man screamed, as the reptile braced itself for a new strike. This time, however, it targeted the sorceress. The man attempted to pin down its tail, but the abomination just spat out its venom on the hero and engaged the magician. Fortunately, she was ready to strike just in time.
"Ignis bombacio!" This time, her voice was stern, and although her stance could use some work, it didn't prevent a large fireball from appearing right between the monster's teeth. The next moment, it burst into flames. The reptile was no more; only a small part of a massive tail remained intact. Keyaruga took it and got closer to his now dangerous toy.
"Good, I knew you could handle it. Are you okay?" — the Hero of Healing asked, looking at a crimson sphere. Well, the magic shield itself was orange and covered in basic incantations, but the flowing blood painted it red. It seems like the magician made it at the last moment, which spared her both from the explosion and the bloody bath. Fortunately, all the moisture and burned insides quickly fell to the ground before the ball was dispelled.
"Heh-heh! My lord, it felt so-o good!" And she didn't even have a staff to amplify her power. What a monster in human flesh!
"You did good, my cute attendant." The man petted Freia on the head, already imagining how much damage she could do against her own kingdom, if given a proper chance. "I never doubted you." This was true. After all, he knew just how much of a treat to the world this girl could become. "Although you lack finesse. We'll have to do something about your stance and moves."
"As you wish, Lord Keyaruga," — she replied cheerfully. Now Keyaruga understood — she wasn't a pawn, but a queen on his chessboard. Not only was she useful in bedsheets, but she was also a killer, capable of killing thousands if necessary.
Later, the tail would give the duo three points of magical defense. And it wasn't the only fortunate thing, for it took only two days and one night with their improved pace to reach Ranalitta. To the man's surprise, the city's entrance lacked any sort of guard. Not only that, but the healer had to snatch his companion from the way of a mad carriage. That happens here every day. Nobody would even pay attention if your horse stomped on someone or if that someone killed you instead.
And this is exactly what happened when a carriage was literally cut in half in a matter of seconds. A strange man with bare feet clad in a baggy robe pulled out his curved blade and slashed the carriage's wagon with a wave of blue lightning. Somehow, his magic left the carriage's goods — six demi-human slaves alive and well, even though the cages had now melted in the middle, so their damage was only emotional. Unlike five slavers and two horses turned into ash. Keyaruga was dumbfounded, and Freia got curious instead. The swordsman, who was now leading a column of ex-slaves, mainly poor girls with animal ears and tails, and now fugitives, turned to the heroes.
"Oh hey, do you also fight for justice?" Quite a strange way of greeting for Keyaruga's taste. His right hand got closer to the hilt, while his left covered his companion.
"Y-yes! Yes, we do!" But the girl just bloomed with enthusiasm, believing in their mission to save the world a little too much.
"Freia, don't!" The healer got irritated, barely believing anyone, especially when they wielded such immense power.
"Good. That's good. Because you won't find any here. Now, let me get you somewhere safe." The man's last words were addressed to the slaves, as he ripped their chains with his bare hands. Although, it wasn't his physical strength, but rather his lightning that did all the work. And then… "Don't bother with your right eye. Name's Takemikazuchi." Whatever he was, the warrior clearly knew about the jade eye, and it made Keyaruga even more uneasy.
"Are you a god?" — boldly asked the Hero of Healing, expecting a duel. This name belonged to a deity Cryleths worshiped, after all. But…
"No, just a traveling swordsman." The lightning blade got back into the scabbard. "Now, good luck and welcome to Ranalitta!" In the end, the stranger rubbed his small mustache and made his way outside of the city's gates. Nobody dared to stop him or the slaves who were now being led by him to their freedom. After all, power reigned here, and those who had it were bound only by its limits.
"I liked him." Freia spoke, waving at the savior of the weak.
"Well, I didn't." On the other hand, Keyaruga got worried about his power. He was unable to claim the world until he was at least equal to the titans like Takemikazuchi.
Ranalitta was the polar opposite to Capital. Instead of accurate roads and monolithic architecture, the city brimmed with chaotically placed buildings: from shacks to literal palaces, and in its background, all that could be heard were yells and swearing in breaks between fights. Anyone from this dreadful list could have been found here: paupers, sick, robbers, slavers, whores, thieves, and assassins. Ranalitta had many names: City of Shadows, for dirty deeds and gang fights were part of daily life here. The laws only protected the ruler and his confidants. It was a land that valued the law of strength, for Keyaruga himself saw the proof of it. As long as you could hold your ground, nobody would ever mind your deeds. The name "Capital of Gold" was also appropriate, because beneath its filthy exterior lay an entire hidden, convoluted empire through which the majority of dirty money had flowed. Every day, someone becomes wealthy, only for someone else to lose everything through gambling or at the mercy of the Thieves Guild. A fair name for an unfair town. But here, where the Hero of Healing has ventured to, the prices were low enough and plenty of jobs could have been found for everyone. Anyone could obtain their place here. But more often than giving you a stable source of income, Ranalitta would rather strip you of all you've got, so the choice was simple. Either you are a predator or a prey. And Keyaruga was the latter for far too long.
But, before performing his great deeds, the healer required lodging and a slave to serve as their meat shield. After all, the healer was much better at murder than protecting his pet magician. And while the man looked for a nice inn, he and Freia could watch all the people coming to that place. Adventurers, criminals who fled the law, struggling peasants looking for an extra job, merchants wishing to sell their goods, alive or not — Ranalitta had something to offer for all of them. There were all kinds of inns for every taste and budget. And even though Keyaruga wished to avoid unnecessary expenses, picking up something too cheap was akin to hanging a sign that said "Rob me, please" on your forehead. Which local thieves did with pleasure, sometimes with the help of the innkeepers themselves.
Ranalitta was divided into three parts. The first is the lower city, which is overrun with human garbage. Second — the middle city for the middle class: people who had at least somewhat stable jobs. And last but not least — the higher city, which looked like one big palace. Keyaruga settled on the middle one. That place could offer tasty food, clean beds without fleas, and at least a semblance of security.
"M-m, I'm so happy we're finally going to sleep in warm and soft beds, my lord! My body is all stiff after sleeping outdoors."
"I can relate. After all, sleeping practically on grass can get troublesome." Despite spending his last month and a half on cold and harsh stones, without counting four years of an erased future, Keyaruga was more than comfortable with lying in the wild. Freia, though, was not. Thanks to her struggles and love, she slept well, even with a screaming man right next to her. She'd get used to it too eventually, but now they wanted something to eat. Thanks to a few coins Keyaruga made with his alchemy, they not only rented a room but also ordered two bowls of chowder, some bread with butter, and a pot of water for their well-deserved dinner. After all, nobody here cared if money was genuinely minted by the crown or not, let alone its source; only gold itself mattered.
"So, how do you like it here?"
"It's good, but your monsters are better."
"Heh, well, thanks."
Keyaruga poured some water for himself, but barely did he take a sip before the man realized something was wrong. With the power of the jade eye, he quickly found out that it was poisoned. This is when an image of a coughing man from the streets came to Keyaru's eyes. And he didn't even need one for proof, since a few other guests here had suffered from the same symptoms.
"Don't drink that water, Freia!"
"What? Why?"
"My right eye is special. It can see poisons. I think someone polluted the local wells with a monster's corpse."
"Oh… Doesn't that mean the soup is also dangerous?" Great, now her appetite was ruined.
"No, I presume not. The toxins' concentration is low enough to just boil it out. And after the body is rotten whole, the disease will stop." Not that Keyaruga actually cared about the poison, for he still had his acquired immunity.
"Isn't it good news?"
"But of course. Depending on how many pathogens you drank, the symptoms would be different, but I consider this order: cough, fever, strains, pain in the whole body, and then death. Or not. Your body just needs to be strong enough to defeat this plague on its own."
"No, this isn't good news at all." And the sorceress got upset as well.
"Look, Freia." The healer pointed to the sick in that very hall. "In just ten days, there will be an epidemic here." — the lad spoke, grinning slightly.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of something evil, my lord."
"Oh no, quite the opposite. I will gladly save this accursed city. Hey, waitress! Bring me and my girl here the best wine you have!" Keyaruga called a local worker and ordered her some alcohol. It was not really the best thing to drink, especially when one is immune to its cheering effect, but the man had his reasons. After all, booze was not poisoned. At least not by monsters.
After a good dinner, the heroes spent the rest of the day in a rented room. It wasn't flashy in any way, but at least it was tidy. It wasn't the only thing the hero paid for in the inn. Right near the table he had an entire crate of empty glass bottles, some of which he had already turned into alchemical tools. Although crude, Keyaruga considered them more than enough to do the job without spending too much on genuine ones. Walchida's magic could change the nature of elements, but its real worth revealed itself only in a calcinator, retort, and an alembic. A mortar and pestle would also come in handy with this one. Now the only thing he needed was some poisoned water, a pot of which Keyaruga brought with him.
So, while Freia settled down in a new place, Keyaru took some of the osmanthus leaves and wolfberries and ground them to the state of powder. After that, the man put them inside a retort that was being heated by a simple candle, and poured inside some of the distillate water of his own making. With an intake valve closed, all that was left was to wait for residue to slowly drip by an alembic's tube. And during that process, the hero decided to commit the unthinkable. He drank the toxic water.
"What are you doing?! Didn't you say it was poisonous?" — Freia got scared for her master. How cute.
"Stop worrying, I'm doing it for the medicine here." The hero had nothing to be afraid of. Even without his resistance, he could control every little bit of his body's processes, including the red and white blood cells' activity. By multiplying it, the lad could make an impenetrable shield against the plague. But first he had to extract the mentioned cells, so he cut his own finger. A drop of blood fell in a flat cup, where it killed all the pathogens.
"You're so selfless, my lord!" Freia now had nothing but respect and awe for the healer. The girl believed her master was like that swordsman, making life better by helping others. That, however, couldn't be further from the truth.
After combining all of the ingredients, the hero obtained approximately a half liter of the medicine. One drop of it could turn an entire bottle of water into a healing elixir for the plague, and Keyaruga's immunity that carried on with his blood made the wolfberries that he used harmless for other people. They were there only for color and taste. But should you remove the main ingredient….
In the end, the Hero of Healing had made thirty doses while also enchanting them to make the recipient glow green as an extra effect. No pricy goods could go without looking fancy like this. Keyaruga also thought about buying a box or two for his phials, but for now, with a day over, the man grabbed Freia for a long and passionate kiss...