Sphere

The situation unravelling within Gria reached a peak during the 8th day of its so-called 'plague' ravaging the city streets. When it had been firmly established and was known to all that magic had no effect on the sickness, widespread panic began to spread, and pressure was applied to King Granda IV to present a solution to the problem. The emotional shock of seeing their loved ones returned from battle only to succumb to an incurable ailment plummeted the city's morale and productivity. Those who relied on their enlisted family members for financial support quickly found themselves struggling to make ends meet. Fresh produce from the markets was thrown out in the belief that it would spread the disease, exacerbating the problem of supply.

Of course, the truth that was known only by King Granda and a handful of his most trusted advisors was far more sinister. The wilting touch of Mu'un--a weapon employed by Demonkind, was responsible for the epidemic. Moreover, it didn't appear to be as infectious as Queen Larion insisted it would be, meaning that the mass hysteria and destruction of vital supplies had been unnecessary. Revealing such information to the public would no doubt trigger outrage, but suspicions had already developed among the citizens that the truth was being withheld from them. More than anything else, King Branda wished for a cure to be developed for those who continued to struggle through the destructive symptoms, and so ordered Sir Lotte to depart for the nearby battlefield in an attempt to decipher just what had occurred during the conflict.

Bringing with him Lady Yula, who was far more proficient in the ways of medicine and health, the two of them proceeded to the rotting pile of corpses upon the nearby plain. With the stench of decay lingering in the air, they began examining the still-intact Demon corpses which had been kept in one piece after the magical barrage.

"Unbelievable. They're even more monstrous up close…" Lotte muttered, "How can such creatures manifest a force that causes illness in those who are exposed to it for only a matter of seconds?"

"I've spent many a restless evening this past week or so at the beds of those afflicted with Mu'un." Yula replied, "I've attempted every healing incantation I could think of, with and without magic circles. Not one of them had even the slightest effect."

"But what does that mean? Is Mu'un closer to a poison than an illness?"

"Purifying spells are similarly useless." She answered, "My theory is that Mu'un is not an illness at all. Rather, it's more akin to a weapon that causes damage to the body based on the 'dose' of Mu'un received. For instance, the rearguard soldiers during the battle comprise most of the survivors, whereas those on the frontlines were killed within a matter of hours."

"A weapon…" Lotte considered, "How can light be used as a weapon?"

"The symptoms of those affected tend to vary, even if they were exposed to similar concentrations of Mu'un." Yula continued, "Strangely, rather than 'illness', it would be more correct to refer to the effects of Mu'un as 'injuries' for the sake of treatment. Organ damage, skin inflammation--even haemorrhaging and lesions in especially severe cases. Moreover, exposure to Mu'un seems to most commonly result in the general 'weakening' of the afflicted, making them more susceptible to traditional illnesses."

"Is there any reason why magic isn't effective in treating it?"

"This is just a theory…" She prefaced, "-But it may be that the damage caused by Mu'un occurs on such a miniscule scale that magical particles are incapable of mending the issue. In the past, it was believed that 'bad air' or miasma, was responsible for causing illness, but it's agreed upon nowadays that small 'creatures' invisible to the naked eye are responsible. Amorphous, primeval beings who overcome the body's natural resistances and weaken the afflicted as they reproduce."

"-And they can be transferred from one person to another by physical contact, or blown along the wind by being sneezed out." Lotte finished, "How is it that magic can eradicate those, but not Mu'un?"

"Magical particles cure diseases by isolating such 'animalcules' using their… hands, I suppose you could call them. As you know, magical particles are metallic in nature. The Maz-Emiri microscope in the Lunar Dominion confirmed that they bear a resemblance to mechanical caterpillars, or some similar kind of insect."

"Then… whatever Mu'un is…"

"It's much smaller. It would have to be. And, the injuries left behind by whatever Mu'un is can't be healed by magical particles either. The damage is permanent."

"His Majesty won't be happy to hear that."

"That's why I haven't told him." She crossed her arms, "We need to accept this for what it is--a defeat, and move swiftly on. What matters most at the moment is finding out how Demons were able to emit those kinds of microscopic particles in the first place."

"The blue hemisphere appeared from the centre of the group, didn't it?"

"Right. Let's try to catalogue as many Demons as we can. It may be that a new type has emerged."

As confirmed by the Elven archives, the majority of a Demonic attack force was usually composed of Hounds and Barrel Demons. The former acted as morale-crushing shock troops while the disintegrating beams of the latter guaranteed that long-range assaults, such as those from bowmen, would be rendered ineffective. Mixed in with each group were generally a number of specialised Demons--Ropers were capable of ensnaring combatants in their entangling grip, dragging them inward to be dissolved by a solution of acidic chemicals coating their exposed organs. Monstrosities stood upon gangly legs and swept at soldiers with their razor-like arms from above, giving them an advantage in range. Behemoths used the sheer weight of their bodies to break through barricades and walls, and were particularly durable even by Demon standards.

What little could be identified of those remains fit staunchly into recognisable categories. Lotte allowed his eyes to glaze over the corpses of countless Hounds, maws poised as if to clamp down on anyone foolish enough to approach. Then, as he brought his torch over to the centre of the battlefield, a strange sight caught his eyes. At first, he was reminded of the fruiting bodies of a mushroom native to the mainland--a kind of latticed 'cage' which sat as if deflated, except what he saw was no mushroom, but a hellish creature separate from the Goddess in its ugliness.

Its limbs were like those of a tree; thin and brittle, only a coating of bristling hairs seemed to sprout from every inch of the twiggy carcass. It was very unlike a Demon with how fragile it appeared, as if a stiff breeze could knock it over. While its arms and legs were deformed to unbelievable proportions, the head was where true bizarreness began. It did not have eyes or ears or any of the features one might expect from a head. Indeed, there was no space for such things to belong, as the holes leading deep into its mind were circled by flimsy straps of flesh which seemed liable to snap if they were pulled at.

Inside--within its skull, was something different. Not fleshy or pulsing or organic in the slightest, but metallic. The dull glint of iron reflected from Lotte's torch as he moved closer to inspect, revealing a perfect sphere of metal suspended by sinewy strings of muscle within the creature's head. As he looked closer, it appeared to be perforated throughout, with finger-sized holes poked in an even pattern around its circumference.

"Yula! Come take a look at this!" He shouted.

His sorcerous companion grimaced while wading through the tide of flesh towards his position, but was stricken with a similar confoundment upon examining the creature.

"It has… a piece of metal in its head?" She wondered aloud.

"I've been spending most of my evenings recently poring over copies of the Elven archives that were brought here from Aelf'ahlnohma." He replied, "-But never before have I seen a Demon like this described in their extensive documentation of the species as a whole."

"Fancy giving it a touch?"

"If this was responsible for killing well over 15,000 men, then I'd rather stay as far away from it as possible, thank you very much." Lotte joked, "...That said, it is strange. Even if it is what we're looking for, how does it work? It just looks like a sphere."

"Should I order some men to have it returned to the castle?"

"No. I wouldn't want another catastrophe unfolding." Standing up, he turned towards Yula, "I'll tell you what--have the court sorcerers prepare a pocket dimension. We'll be able to study it without risk that way."

"Not a bad idea. Who gets the job of cutting it out, though?"

"Considering it's a Demon, we'll need magic to slice through those tendons keeping the sphere in place. If you go now, I'll have it free by the time you return."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to object. Only promise me that you don't end up getting yourself killed trying to do so." Turning away, Yula began wandering back to the capital, "I'll send a scout with a bucket or something like that to transport it in."