Spear of Destiny: Chapter 11

“Plague?” I unconsciously gripped the armrests of my throne. "Just the one?"

"Yes, my lord.” The Mayor bobbed his head. “The Hospitallers are trying to find out if she had contact with anyone other than her family, but with half the city in ruins and many still living in tents as the cleanup continues, it is impossible to know for certain."

Vash rumbled and shook his head. My blood ran cold. I didn't know what Thornlung was, exactly, but I knew from intimate personal experience how terrifyingly fast and deadly disease could be. The HEX virus had torn my world apart in the space of three months. "Was our Patient Zero a refugee in the camps?"

"No, Your Grace. She is a tailor's daughter, who lives and works at the cloth mill in the Riverside District with her family. It was left relatively unscathed by the Demon."

"Is the hospital in Riverside?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

"How is Thornlung spread? Air? Water?"

"I… do not know, in truth." The Mayor shifted from foot to foot. "I am no healer, Your Grace."

“Air,” Vash said. “It spreads from person to person inside of houses and other closed, dank spaces.”

“Great.” I leaned in toward the Mayor. "Okay, Bubek: Here’s what's going to happen. We shut down the entire Riverside District for two weeks. The only things allowed in or out are essential deliveries and wagons carrying medical staff. I want the district gates closed and guards posted on every street, in and out."

"Guards?" The Mayor squeaked.

"Yes. I'll send a couple of platoons to fill out your staff. Their job is to control traffic, stop people trying to enter or leave, and to issue cloth masks to people in the Riverside District and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods. Everyone entering or doing business in the Riverside half of the city MUST wear a mask covering their mouth and nose,” I said. “Man, woman, and child. Do you understand me?"

The Mayor's mouth opened and closed a few times. "Those are... very strict measures for one sick woman, Your Grace. They will be expensive, and will most definitely not lend me popular-"

"Which makes it even more important that the District is closed NOW. Because you know what will make you less popular? Letting our citizens die of Thornlung." I scowled at him. "And one other thing: the miller's entire family, their staff, and the doctors who treated this lady? They're to be confined to their homes for the quarantine period, starting today."

"And... if they protest...?"

"Then they can serve out their two weeks quarantine in jail, and if they do have Thornlung, they get the best medical treatment we can offer. Once they recover, they can dig graves for the people who died because they couldn't be bothered to stay home," I said. "I'm not joking. I've seen what happens when people drag their feet over stuff like this. We crush this outbreak early, and we crush it hard. The Duchy will compensate workers in Riverside who can prove they lost wages due to the lockdown."

"Yes, Your Grace. There is wisdom in what you say. Hard, somewhat brutal wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless." Mayor Bubek bowed uncomfortably. “But if the worst happens, and the plague spreads…?”

“Is it treatable?” I asked Vash.

He nodded. “Yes, if caught early.”

I turned back to Bubek. “Then we set up an early screening system and arrange to have the medicines made and held in reserve.”

“A screening service will be difficult without help from the university,” Mayor Bubek admitted. “The brightest minds of Myszno lived and worked there. Now, it’s full of prowlers and other riff-raff. People swear they’ve seen monsters inside.”

“Believe me, fixing the University is on my Top Five Things to Do when it comes to Myszno. I plan to clear out the university as soon as possible.” I slumped back into my chair. “Can you issue these as quests?”

“Yes, Your Grace. One moment.”

[Alan Bubek would like to issue you two new Kingdom Quests: Supply and Demand and the Vaunted Halls of Karhad University.]

I bought up the HUD to let the system narrator read the quests to me:

New Kingdom Quest: Supply and Demand

As the province of Myszno continues to recover from the invasion of Ashur of Napath, the cracks are starting to show. The capital city of Karhad is running low on food and medical supplies, and even worse, a woman has been isolated with a case of Thornlung, a contagious and often fatal disease. Thornlung is treatable, provided it is caught early and the right medicines are available.

The de-facto Mayor of Karhad has requested that you obtain the following staff and medical supplies for the city:

• Healers [B-Grade or above] x 5
• Green Moss x 1500
• Valerian x 500
• Concentrated Oil of Garlic x 500
• Hyssop x 1000
• Ignanadont Bile Salts x 200

Oof. Some of those ingredients were expensive. Still - I nodded, accepted, and reviewed the second quest:

The Vaunted Halls of Karhad University

Karhad University, one of the oldest institutions of learning in Vlachia, was one of the first targets of the Demon in his hunt for the Dragon Gate of Endless Night. The university was breached, many staff killed or captured, and others tortured for information. Now, it is a ruined blight in the center of the city, walled off with barricades and full of criminals, feral animals, and worse.

Enter the university, clear out the rabble, and salvage what you can. Not only will you restore the heart of Karhad’s economy, you may discover long-lost knowledge that can be used to help your people in the present day.

Reward: 1249 EXP, 25 Build Points, Renown, Artifacts.

Bonus: Rebuild the University (168,000 olbia) to gain more rewards and renown, and unlock special facilities.

Sure. I’ll just rustle up nearly a quarter million olbia out of thin air. Nothing to it. I drew a deep, steadying breath, accepted that quest as well, and put the KMS away. "Alright. Is that all?"

"Well, Your Grace. There is the question of my position," Bubek said. "With the city in the state it's still in, an election is not possible-"

"Right. And you're still acting Mayor until it IS possible," I replied. "Emphasis on 'acting'. You proposed an election, and I'm willing to go ahead with one after things are more stable. But we’ve got to get Karhad back on its feet first. Then we can put a call out, identify who wants to run, and you can compete against them based on merit."

He deflated slightly. "Ah. But-"

"No buts. Handle yourself well and stop that plague from breaking out into the city, and you’re almost guaranteed to win,” I said briskly. "You can expect the herbs you need within the week. Now, sorry to break this off, but I need to wrap up."

“Indeed, Your Grace. Thank you." He swept into another awkward, but genuine bow, and toddled off toward the door. Once he had left, Vash stepped forward again.

"Burna’s balls. Thornlung is the last thing we need." He shook his head. “What a coincidence.”

“Coincidence?” I asked.

“Yes. The first day in fifteen years that I mention the existence of my sister, and Thornlung appears in the city,” he said. “It is a nasty disease. Swift and deadly. Breakouts of it in cities here are rare, but not unheard of.”

“She had it?”

“Yes. We all did.” A flash of something that might have been pain passed behind Vash’s dark grey eyes, and he grimaced. “In any case, you handled that well. Your cheeks are starting to fill out the pants of authority, eh?"

"They sure are," I grunted, standing up. I smoothed my coat down. "He was testing me, wasn’t he? With the ‘why won’t you make me mayor?’ talk?"

"He is. Though in truth, the idea of electing a mayor via popular vote is also a radical change for Myszno, if not all of Vlachia." The Baru jerked his metal thumb toward the dining hall. "What comes now?"

“Now I go and study my map of Myszno and get a handle on the kind of terrain we’ll face in Bas,” I said. “I plan to blitz the place in a single day. Maybe two.”

“Solonovka is named the Fortress City for a reason.” Vash arched his eyebrows. “You think it will be that easy?”

“No.” I straightened the narrow silver band on my brow – the coronet of the Voivode. “But I promise you this. Fortress or not, we’re going to teach Zoltan Gallo the new motto of House Dragozin.”

“And what motto is that?” He asked wryly.

"The same one we used in the 79th." I grinned back. “‘Fuck around and find out’.”