they walked for over several minutes in the Spell district of lower dowtonwn as they now truly began to escape the rather safe enclosing of the bustling shopping street the real downtown was began to appear gradually firstly it was maybe the number of workers walking on the street increased and the noble clothings was seen less and less the silk linen and fur began to change their places to normal clothes, at first it was with patchworks here and there it was really not much, struggling people trying to regain their positions in the "perfect" society of ours but as the time the rags people wear, messy hairs and dirty nails they have increased the makeshift acomodations that no human would ever want to live began to appear
"AAnd welcome to my district"Taara proclaimed as she opened her hands wide and turned to face Nazar
"ooh Is it payback time for my endless teasings now you have the home advantage?" he asked smilling
"You better get ready to Cry and beg for me to stop and only then I could not mess with you"boasted Taara as she tossed her hair
"only tears i will be crying is tears of cringe for your jokes devoid of any wits"replied with a tired deadpan face "
Nazar was changing faces like it was natural as breathing air and throwing Taara of guard left and right
*CRACK*
"AACK MY KNEES!"shouted Nazar as he rolled on the ground
"YOU fucking emotionally unstable insensitive bastard"he complained as she gritted her teeth"
"hehe"
they had passed the mighty outer walls of the city it wasnt as big as the inner palace walls but it still towered to the heavens above their heads.some of the guards there inspecting travelers didnt mind them as their jobs was to inspect the visitors,they wouldnt beg them for not to leave...
this wasnt the main gate but even so city still didnt allowed anyone to settle there directly so they strayed from the road after a few minutes of walk they saw the embodiement of misery.the streets were too narrow at some places they had to walk in line,every now and the there were sounds of fights coming from makeshifthouses that full of holes womans begging and crying,infants that too weak to even do that they learnt the moment they came to this world there isnt any justice only jungle law prevails...
as they passed the streets full of rubble trash and sewer rats scurring away,after a several turns they came to an large temple like proper building that didnt fit in this place
"oh you didnt seem like a saint to me"
"I was never"
"so is that the place"
"yes..."
"you seem itching to ask me about something just say it,its bad to hold it up"
"you didnt even asked about the payment,do you perhaps have some ulterior motives for me??"she asked while raising her eyebrow
"yes im gonna make you my sidechick sidekick sidemedic,uh what too rhymes with them aha! sidedick ah but it doesnt make sen-"
*BAAM*
"I am starting to think you are a masochist and likes to get beaten up"
"It would be a win win situation isnt it"
as they were quarelling they ascended the stairs of the temple and come to the entrance
"by the way I thought you would explain things while we were walking seeing you not talking for a minute was weird"
"ahh I was doing some face yoga soo,you know to keep my handsomeness"
"I-Is that so,but you... nevermind " replied Taara as she stared blankly at him while opening the door"
"and to add another,It is always better to show not tell so let us began our investigation my dear Friend taara" he remarked as he imitated a detective troupe as he began stuffing his pipe with some black weed
"I trust you less and less with the each passing minute"sighed taara as she pushed the door inside.
it was a spacious building not the kinds of nazar was used to there were several sections that people ate a soup kitchen,there were even a bulletboard for people to get some jobs,as they walked a certain kind of ugly stench was in the air
"our job in here,infirmary"explained Taara as she guided her through a door curtain
a normal peoples nose could fell of from the stench but two of them didnt even flinch,the room was filled with patients all over the beds wasnt enough for all of them so some were lying on the floor it was really a mess there,currently there wasnt any nurses or doctor at the moment
"Oh?,It is a surprise you" could stand the smell"
"Yeah I got Used to it,you were smelling like hell since morning"
"WHAT,what, do i really "she shouted reflexively but then lowered his voice not to disturb the patients she flustered and smelled her clothes
"joking joking, oh by the way let us see some corpses after this one too if possible starting with the oldest one"
"ahh I am letting that stupid joke earlier slide count yourself lucky"she replied as she angrly pouted
she grabbed some medical instruments tossed one to Nazar too
"I think it is contaminable It varies heavily doesnt have any stable rates though that was one of the anomalies"she explained as she talked behind some kind of a gas mask
nazar took the mask rummaged through his pockets finding a little fire containing
"you really are a addict"
"...yes."
they walked between the patients groaning, writhing in pain and crying begging for their life for the various gods some unconcious ones were more severe they were like half dead,well the other half even more dead,they stopped by at one of them
his situation was really grim there were several limbs missing, all of his fingers were cut off from their hands all his body had severe burn marks all over it his skin was bulging and bleeding at various other places his eyes and nose were like lumps of meats just hanging there,his face was dsymorphed to a some degree...
Nazar took a deep breath from his improvised air filter pipe his eyes blackened more his mind hazed he saw the mana in his body fluttering faintly
"!!"
"What was that,what are you seeing mr so called detective"
"I dont think these are burns"
"hmm ,these are clearly looking like burns,but its strange i felt that too but couldnt make any base to my suspicions"
she has good instincts nazar thought
"there isnt any fire mana.more like there isnt any mana at all this isnt a curse,a magic,a bad charm or anything like that,this is totally a X factor"
"..."
"hmm,we have to go to the mines for a visit "
"huh? how did you know he was working there"
"his hand and feet were callused from work between his nails there were bits and parts of dirt"
"but of course these wouldnt be enough to make deduction as all the people here couldnt really have the luxury to care about basic hygiene"
"most certainly but I saw the traces of unoxidized Carbon aka unburned coal ı wouldnt be surprised if there were some coal mine workers here in slums,and another thing to note is that, among the other people in here although he came rather late than them his condition is worse than theirs or it would be more accurate to say their conditions; considering the ones laying in the second and eight beds as they are miners too"
"Oh?,that was beffiting of our detective nazar.haha"she commented as she was truly impressed
"oh that was nothing my dear sidekick watson,and dont be impressed to early,I also deducted that our problem X here could be contaminated with touch or it would be better to say X factors contactment with skin,as miners tend to not wear a thing in the hottest deeps they were more vulnarable to our unknown disease and,I think our little X is hiding even beneath the mining zone as their feets were their most damaged parts..."
"hmm,that could be a problem,I heard the mines owners was doing some shady busines here"she added with a bitter face
"Ahh your smell would make them faint anyways lets just goo..."
"youuuu!"
...