‘What’s wrong with this woman? Why is she curled up in an alley in the middle of the night? Are there other patients like her in White Water Town?’
Too many questions surfaced in everyone’s minds, causing even the earlier unpleasantness between Patton and Finn to dissipate.
“We should go,” Finn whispered urgently. “We’ve already seen something we shouldn’t have. If we’re discovered, we’ll be in big trouble!”
“I agree,” Patton said, his breathing also growing heavier.
Villanelle asked softly, “What about this woman? Do we just leave her?”
“Exactly, we go directly,” Laila said, stepping back while keeping a wary eye on the figure that now held little vitality, as if guarding against a sudden pounce.
They couldn’t afford to get involved. A single misstep could drag them down too.
“Let’s go.”
Laila extinguished the lamp, and they all turned and hurried out of the alley like thieves.
Behind them, the woman’s agonized wails continued.
Finn paused for a moment, silently pulling a small packet of dried rations and a water skin from his coat pocket. He tossed them into the snow beside the woman before catching up with his teammates.
The journey back was spent in heavy silence.
—
“I’ve sent people to confirm it. The road from White Water Town to the Old Logging Camp to the south is littered with insect corpses.”
The next morning, Captain Blake came to find them, speaking calmly, the previous gloom gone from his face.
However, having witnessed the woman’s miserable state last night, everyone’s spirits were low. Even Finn, who loved to defy Blake the most, was uncharacteristically silent.
“White Water Town thanks you for your service. This is yesterday’s payment.” He pulled a small cloth pouch from his pocket and handed it to Patton. “There are four gold coins inside. Divide them amongst yourselves. Now, I have a new task for you.”
The members of the Sixth Squad exchanged glances.
It seemed they wanted to appease this squad that still had combat capability.
During last night’s fierce battle, aside from Patton suffering some minor superficial wounds, everyone else was unharmed.
“Look here.”
Captain Blake pulled out a map tucked under his arm, unfolded it on the wooden table inside the shed, smoothed it flat, and pointed to an area outside White Water Town.
“The Insect Swarm has retreated for now, but we need to know what they plan to do next. Go to the Serpentine Stone Mine and check for any new insect nests or signs of large-scale insect movement. Also…
The town’s ‘Master Viper’ needs a plant that grows there for his research. It’s called ‘Infant Vine,’ easy to recognize—it looks like an infant. If you find any, collect a few. Make sure to get the roots. He’ll pay an extra five gold coins to each of you. You can take the map.”
Patton stared at the map thoughtfully, then looked at his teammates. Finn’s eyes lit up at the mention of the reward, his gloom vanishing. Laila carefully examined other marked areas on the map.
Villanelle, sitting on a chair, looked down at Ignis lying on her lap and asked softly, “What do you think?”
She no longer made Ignis hide. Previously keeping him in the backpack was to reduce attention and avoid unnecessary trouble. Now that he was exposed, there was no need for secrecy.
Ignis nodded.
After gaining experience dealing with a large-scale insect horde, even if yesterday’s attack repeated, he was confident he could protect everyone and ensure a safe retreat.
Besides, this time he didn’t need to hide; he could provide early warning from the air.
Though, even if he wanted to hide now, he couldn’t. The backpack hadn’t been brought out of the outpost, sharing the same fate as Emily’s equipment lost in the Frostwhisper Forest.
“Then it’s settled,” Patton said, seeing no clear objections from his teammates, and rolled up the map to store it.
He moved his left shoulder, feeling a faint sting under the bandage. It was a burn from the corrosive blast wave when he blocked acid aimed at Villanelle last night.
“We accept the mission. But, Captain Blake, if the situation at the mine is like last night’s at the outpost, we will withdraw immediately. We won’t fight to the death.”
Captain Blake twitched the corner of his mouth, as if trying to force a reassuring smile, but ultimately just nodded.
“Of course, safety first. You’re going to be our eyes, not our shields. And please take the collection of the Infant Vine seriously. Master Viper… places great importance on it.”
“Speaking of which, who is Master Viper?” Villanelle turned her head, asking curiously.
The name sounded strange.
“He’s our town’s most famous alchemist. ‘Viper’ is his nickname. His real name is Gordon.” Captain Blake’s expression instantly filled with admiration. “Master Viper has researched no fewer than thirty types of alchemical potions alone. His talent and ability are unquestionable.
Hmm… right, I almost forgot something.”
Captain Blake hesitated for a moment, then carefully took out four small bottles of dark red potion from the inner pocket of his coat. His movements were gentle, as if handling rare treasures.
“What’s this?” Finn asked, surprised.
“The Infant Vine… when stimulated, releases a toxic gas. It’s colorless and odorless,” Captain Blake explained slowly. “This is a potion Master Viper concocted. It will protect you from being affected.”
“Thank you,” Patton said politely, accepting the potions.
After explaining the mission, Captain Blake hurriedly left the camp.
Patton poured the gold coins onto the table. Four Saint Tiriel Gold Coins gleamed enticingly in the morning light.
“Here, one each.”
After distributing them, his gaze fell on someone who couldn’t take his eyes off the coins.
“I must remind you, Finn. Don’t lose your head over the extra reward of five gold coins. That mine is clearly marked as a danger zone on the map. Our primary mission is still reconnaissance. The Infant Vine is secondary.”
“I know, big guy. I’ve got it under control,” Finn said with a playful grin, putting away his coin, but the desire for the extra reward in his eyes didn’t diminish in the slightest.
Laila studied the map carefully, her slender finger tracing the route from White Water Town to the Serpentine Stone Mine.
“The straight-line distance isn’t far, but the path isn’t easy. We have to pass through a small forest. If all goes well, we should arrive by noon. We must withdraw before evening. That’s no place to spend the night.”
“I agree,” Patton said, starting to check his shield and weapon. “Miss Vila, your dragon… how is his condition?”
Villanelle looked down at Ignis, who sent a simple thought: ‘Fine. Can help with vigilance, but can’t breathe as much fire as yesterday.’
“He’s alright,” she replied, looking up.
Villanelle felt unsettled, unsure if it was the shock from the Insect Swarm, the sight of last night’s woman, or perhaps both.
“Good. Let’s prepare and set off then… Finn, you studied herbology. Have you seen Infant Vine before?” Patton asked.
“Haven’t seen it, but my master talked about it,” Finn said, deliberately lowering his voice. “He said the thing is very sinister. It grows specifically in places with heavy death energy, like graveyards. It looks like a malnourished infant. For Master Viper to want this for research, tsk tsk…
But, that colorless, odorless poison gas he mentioned… why haven’t I heard of that?”
“Let’s hurry. We depart in half an hour,” Patton urged.
Everyone prepared in silence.
Patton carefully removed his bandage and applied new medicine to the wound. The injury had mostly healed, with only some redness and swelling on the surrounding skin—likely a normal reaction to the acid corrosion.
Half an hour later, the Sixth Squad stepped out of White Water Town once more, embarking on their new mission.
This time, a faint shadow of gloom settled over each of their hearts.