Aftermath

A battle of auras exploded within my body. The red aura within my body couldn't abide green aura much less a foreign entity to remain unopposed. My lungs burned with unrestrained red aura. Hungrier that a swarm of locusts it assaulted my lungs and fed upon the growths.

Bloody coughs wracked my chest as I struggled against the pain. No matter how much the red aura fed I wouldn't let it dig down into my lungs. It was too much like a swarm of locusts. Even if I let it dig down deep it wouldn't devour the roots.

Within the milliseconds of my infections the battle line between the spores and my red aura was drawn. The spores infested my lungs and threatened spread further if not for the hungry red aura. The cycle repeated itself a dozen times while I shook and coughed up blood.

The pain was a battle line drawn in my body so long as I burned the fungus to ash, it couldn't gain a further foothold. I struggled to my feet. A fungus managed to trap me, and I needed winter aura to beat it. The forest fire didn't burn to the roots, but the cold can make it dormant.

Ping!

Quest: Obtain Winter Aura

Reward: Dormant Cordyceps +25 LUK

Sid spat heavily on the ground. "You just had to go for the kill when we knew they weren't normal undead." Priest Margos said.

Lewis spat out a wad of green flem. "Its spreading too fast to bicker like old hens. There are two places that can save us. The General Hospital on the Southern Shore is months away. But that isn't a problem with Gendry Town only a couple days ride. I'm sure if we hurry, those ancient vampire physicians can cure some of us." Lewis said.

Janus carefully approached with his nose and mouth covered. "Lord inquisitor what just happened?" Janus asked.

A groan escaped my lips before I could properly form words. "Lewis suspects the vampires may have let something dangerous roam around, so they could save any traveler who comes to them for aide." I said.

Above red eyes too intelligent to be possessed by animals stared down. Since starting this path we have been monitored.

The priest matched my gaze and nodded. "I suspect rooms in their ancient hospital are being prepared for our arrival." Priest Margos said.

I looked around to see some men stand up while most remained collapsed on the ground. Most of the horses were prone while a few struggled to pull themselves from their ties. One man took a silver knife from his shirt and stabbed between his own ribs.

"I'm going to check on my monsters and wife. It looks like the carriage might have saved her." I said.

Lewis picked up his cracked pipe. "At least there is some good news there. But Jacob, if your monsters are infected it would be best to put them down now. I doubt the hospital in Gendry will treat them. Vampires don't like other monsters especially if their blood isn't red." The Inquisitor said.

Then there was Gwen and Doppel my companions who could see the future but didn't share their foresight. Yes, I knew I was being manipulated the bear skin was for this purpose. If so, what purpose did killing Mahina serve. It wasn't mine and that concerned me.

Were they still my ally? Was this setback ultimately for my benefit or could they see as far ahead as they claimed? There are a billion ways to cross a river but how many are successful? They were protected, Star's nature protected her, and my own red aura defended me.

At the time I chose to trust them. It could have been their manipulation, or I just didn't care. If there are multiple forces with precognition in the world how set could the future be.

With an old brush I combed through Oathkeepers coat the get the remaining spores out. They were blackened and dead from Oath's winter nature. He stared at me with something like concern. I tapped his flank. Don't worry I'll be alright.

I tossed up the bear skin to see Gwen huddled under the skin. Real fear filled her large black eyes. "You have to believe me I didn't know."

My aura sense flew through her at an intimate level. She let me in to see her aura myself. Regardless of her reasons my search was thorough. The bear pelt managed to protect Gwen fully. I turned to Doppel, she seemed more preserved than Gwen. I pushed my aura sense into her searching for even a particle of the spores. Once both were determined to be whole of body and aura, I let myself relax.

The pain wouldn't let me forget about it. A foreign invader burrowed into my lungs. I needed to add winter aura to myself.

I rubbed my fingers between Gwen's tentacled hair and let myself relax. Doppel lowered herself to me and wrapped her arms around the both of us.

"Am I forgiven for Mahina?" Doppel asked.

I felt my ire raise. The pain didn't help my mood. Still, I missed Doppel's wide green rear and that tantalizing opening between her legs. These two promised to fuck me silly. Now I was infected, that would have to wait a little longer.

"You pissed her off. But it was probably for the best. Now that the inquisitor believes she's dead she can infect someone useful." I said.

Doppel's eyes widened she looked over to Gwen. Both Mind Flayers shared a look. That told me a lot. Precognition wasn't all powerful. It could gain tunnel vision.

"You must destroy her. Nothing good can come of the magos." Doppel said.

"What are you afraid of? My bindings are firm. Are you scared she'll take me away from you?" I asked.

"Stop teasing me. I'm confident in my ability to please you. Once you have me, you'll never want another hole. We will Spawn many young." Doppel declared.

"I'll be sure to feed you a mage college beforehand. I don't think our definition of being fucked silly is the same." I said.

Gwen sighed. "Doppel has a black window kink. I prefer being stuffed myself pun intended. We aren't after your big juicy brain. Surviving only on grey matter isn't sustainable." I raised an eyebrow.

"There are many alchemists who tried to make a substitute for our cravings. None were completely successful. By cultivating we can extend the time between feedings to decades. With a mix of both substitutes and cultivation a Mind Flayer may only need one brain a century. Few choose that. Its painful to put off the hunger for too long." Gwen said.

"I don't have a black widow fetish. A little bit of danger just spices things up." She blinked her large green eyes. "Feeding is an issue. We ate a cave of goblins, but we'll need to feed again in a week. The quantity of brains doesn't matter." Doppel said.

So, they needed to feed possibly in town. Vampires didn't like other monsters feeding in their territory. Even if it��s a human settlement, so I needed a way to get food for them reliably. Farming gremlins was a great idea. We didn't have any of those. I needed to find a way to farm sentient creatures for them to live from. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before a knightly order came barreling down on us.

Their hunger could sit for a week. The fungus in my lungs needed attention now.