Chapter 168: The Crimson Tide [9]
Alaric sat on the examination table, the leather creaking slightly under his weight.
"Alright," Maren said, pulling a stool closer and sitting down with her notebook and quill. "Tell me what’s been happening."
Alaric explained. The nightmares that felt too vivid to be normal dreams. The dizziness. The headaches. The exhaustion that didn’t go away no matter how much he tried to rest. The gaps in his memory, waking up in places he didn’t remember going to.
Maren listened quietly, her quill moving across the page in quick, efficient strokes. She didn’t interrupt, didn’t react visibly to anything he said. Just wrote it all down.
When he finished, she set the quill down and looked up at him.
"How long has this been happening?"
"Started about a week ago. Got worse in the last few days."
"Any other physical symptoms? Fever? Chills? Nausea?"
"No. Just the headaches and dizziness."
"Chest pain? Difficulty breathing?"
"No."
She made another note. "And hiw long are the memory gaps? Minutes? Hours?"
"Hours. Last time was several hours."
Her eyebrow raised slightly but she didn’t comment. Just wrote it down. "And when you wake up from these gaps, are there any signs of what you did during that time? Injuries, dirt, anything unusual?"
"Blood under my fingernails once. Like I’d been gripping something too hard or scratching at something."
"Your own blood or someone else’s?"
"Mine, I think. From scratching my scalp."
More notes.
She studied his face for a moment, then stood and moved closer. "I’m going to do a physical examination."
"Fine."
Maren began the examination. Pressed her fingers to his wrist, counting his pulse. Moved to check his lymph nodes, feeling along his neck and jaw. Had him open his mouth, looked at his throat.
Pulled out a small crystal that glowed faintly—some kind of diagnostic tool—and passed it slowly in front of his eyes.
"Follow the light," she instructed.
Alaric’s eyes tracked the crystal as it moved left, then right, then up and down.
Maren frowned slightly. Set the crystal aside.
"Breathe in. Deep breath."
He did. She listened to his chest with some kind of instrument pressed against his sternum.
"Again. Slowly."
Another breath.
She moved the instrument to his back. "Once more."
When she finished, she stepped back and returned to her stool. Picked up the notebook again.
"Your vitals are normal. Heart rate slightly elevated but nothing concerning. Breathing is clear. No obvious signs of illness or infection." She paused. "But there’s something unusual about your essence flow."
Alaric’s attention sharpened. "What do you mean?"
"Your essence... it’s moving strangely. Not blocked, not weak, just... erratic. Like it’s responding to something I can’t detect." She tapped the page.
"That could explain the headaches and dizziness. If your essence is fluctuating without control, it would put strain on your body."
"What causes that?"
"Several things. Stress. Trauma. A recent awakening still stabilizing." She looked at him directly. "Or something external affecting your essence that you’re not aware of."
"Like what?"
"That’s what I need to figure out." Maren stood and moved to one of the shelves, pulling down several jars.
"I’m going to mix something that should help stabilize your essence flow. It won’t fix whatever’s causing the problem, but it should reduce the symptoms while we investigate further."
She began measuring out herbs and powders, mixing them in a small mortar with practiced efficiency.
"In the meantime," she continued without looking at him, "avoid using any training methods that requires heavy essence output. Get as much rest as you can, even if sleep is difficult. And." she glanced back at him, "Avoid stressful situations if possible."
She poured the ground mixture into a small vial and corked it. Handed it to him. "Mix this with water. Drink it now, then before bed tonight and tomorrow night. It should help with the headaches at minimum."
Alaric took the vial. "Thank you."
Maren nodded, "Be careful."
Alaric stood and pulled his cloak back on. And left through the front door, the bell chiming softly as it closed behind him.
The sun was almost dipped below the horizon now. The sky had turned deep orange and purple, shadows stretching long across the cobblestones.
His stomach growled.
He sighed and turned, to find somewhere to eat.
Then he found an inn stood at the corner of the next street.
He pushed through the door. The air inside was filled with the smell of roasted meat and fresh bread. A few people sat scattered at tables, eating and drinking. The innkeeper looked up from behind the bar, gave Alaric a brief glance, then went back to wiping down the counter.
Alaric found an empty table in the corner and sat. Ordered stew, bread, and water when the serving girl came by.
The food arrived quickly. Hot. Simple but good. He ate methodically, his body grateful for actual sustenance.
When he finished, he pulled out the vial Maren had given him. Uncorked it and poured the powder into his water glass. The mixture turned the water slightly cloudy. He stirred it, then drank it down.
Bitter. But not unbearable.
He set the empty glass down and leaned back in his chair.
Waited.
After a few minutes, the constant throb in his temples began to ease. The dizziness that had been hovering at the edge of his awareness faded.
Alaric exhaled slowly. "Much better."
His head felt clearer than it had in days. The fog that had been clouding his thoughts lifted slightly.
He stayed there for another few minutes, just breathing, letting the relief settle in.
Then he stood, dropped coins on the table to cover the meal, and headed for the door.
Outside, the sun had fully set. The moon hung in the sky, large, bright, casting silver light across the streets.
He started walking, turned down an alley between two building.
Then suddenly he stopped.
There at the end of the alley, stood a hooded figure.
Four bodies lay on the ground at the figure’s feet. Dark stains spreading beneath them.
As Alaric watched, the figure reached down and grabbed one of the bodies and casually tossed it aside like a sack of grain. It hit the wall with a heavy thud.
Then the figure turned slightly, blade in hand. Moonlight caught the steel. And locked eyes with him.
The hell?