Chapter 73: Arm & Hammer!

Suddenly shouts were coming out from a room off to the side. From Thadius' memory, he remembered it as the infirmary. Currently, the door was shut tight and sounds of struggling could be heard within.

"Who's screaming like that?" Thadius asked. The agonized cries made him pity the man who would rather die than suffer from his injuries.

"Colonel Vane. He was on his way back from the Central Continent when he and his men were attacked by some strange beast. His men said he was fine at first, just hurt a little. But the beast had some sort of venom in it. We had Beth come to take a look but..." The old man's voice carried a hint of uncertainty. Thadius didn't have to be a genius to know that there probably wasn't a cure for the poison.

"Why are there still men on the Central Continent if there's a war going on?" Thadius asked, trying to change the subject. They moved further down the hall so that the screams were less audible.

"Many of the soldiers we sent were too far inland by time the war started. Most are just now comin' back." Old Man Tony sighed again and stroked his beard. "In times like these we had the elves to look to for help, but after the Shade Wars..."

The Shade Wars. It was a subject that truly piqued Thadius' curiosity. Not for the lore, but because of how at odds Desha and Bannon had been when they first met. They were on amicable terms now after fighting together for the past week, but if they didn't have to interact with each other, they didn't bother.

"What actually happened during the Shade Wars? How did it start? I have an elf and a Shade War veteran in my squad, so a little information could possibly smooth things out a bit faster." Thadius questioned when they reached the cafeteria.

"Finally ready to listen to this old man's stories about the good ole days, huh. Ho ho!" Tony chuckled and walked in to sit down at an empty table. Thadius sat across from him, ignoring the glances from those that could feel his fighting spirit.

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"It's actually a sad story, so most people don't talk about it. Especially those who fought in it. It all started with an epidemic in the Shade Forest, the home of a majority of the elves on this continent. The epidemic only affected elves, and no one knew how it started. But when the elves came to us for help, we couldn't turn a blind eye. The elves had been close friends with us up to that point. And now that I'm thinkin’ back on it, Todos used to be filled with them." Old Man Tony paused and pulled out a canteen from his tunic, taking a couple gulps before putting it back.

"Our alchemists and apothecaries worked as fast as they could to come up with a cure, and eventually they did..." Tony paused again. There was a glint a melancholy in his eyes that could barely be seen under his overgrown eyebrows.

"So why was there a war if the cure was made?" Thadius found it hard for such good relations to deteriorate so quickly.

"Arinon, the elven king, lost his wife and daughter to the illness before we could cure 'em. The elves mourned the loss, and we also gave our support. But Arinon was quiet for too long after that. When he appeared again, he was suddenly attackin' villages at the head of his armies. He had invaded into our lands claimin' that if he had our resources, more of his people could have been saved." Old Man Tony bowed his head over the table. It was clear the memory was an old wound.

"He waged war over the ingredients of the cure?" Thadius could scarcely believe such a thing. They could easily get the recipe and the ingredients since they were allied with Todos, what really took the most time was synthesizing the cure.

"You have to understand, Thadius. Arinon was lost to his grief. He was no longer a man of reason, and many elves followed him in attackin' us. The elves live long, so losin' a friend or a loved one...the pain is too great." Tony lapsed into silence, his own face warped with bitterness. "It was a war that shouldn't have happened. Outside of the Shade Forest, we slaughtered them. But killing our friends wasn't the worst part of it, it was seeing the smiles on their faces when they died. It was the tears of joy they shed as their bodies cooled that haunted us, Thadius. Many of them threw their lives away to be reunited with their families in the Heavens."

Thadius felt his blood chill. War was a part of life. There had been numerous wars on Earth across the centuries, and the body counts were astronomical. But how high would the casualties amount to if the enemy welcomed death with open arms? How high would it be if they actively sought after an end? The image of mountains of dead with peaceful expressions was more disturbing than an ocean of wailing souls in Thadius' mind. He was truly thankful that he didn't have to fight in a war like that, where yesterday's friend would gladly fall on your sword tomorrow.

Thadius couldn't help the grimace on his face. "How did it end?"

Old Man Tony sighed heavily. "We thought it would end when we pushed them back to the forest, but when we did, somethin' strange happened days later. All the sound in the forest stopped, and the sunlight couldn't pass the treetops. It was so strange to see the leaves rustle without a sound, and to see the birds try to sing without their voices. While we were confused, Arinon charged out at the head of thousands with a ferocity that was unlike anythin' we'd ever seen out of the elves.

“Whether it was a forbidden spell or some ritual they cast, we don't know. But the fight that day was a long struggle. When we finally pushed them back into the forest, they didn't have the numbers to fight us anymore, so they retreated deeper into the shadowy, silent forest that they call home."

Thadius leaned back in thought. Bannon and Desha's first meeting couldn't have been friendly. Bannon was a Shade War veteran. He'd likely seen many of his comrades fall to the irrational elves, and he had probably killed many of them in the process, which was also why Desha reacted with hostility after Mavas pointed out the veteran.

'Well, they're able to work together now without going at each other's throats. They must remember that the elves and Todos were allies once. he mused. When he finally looked up, the cafeteria was basically empty. Lunch had already ended by time Old Man Tony finished his story.

Thadius rose from the table. “It’s about time I get out of here Mr.Tony. Now, about that training camp…”

“I think you should go. Even if it’s just to see that old goat North Wind. “ Tony said.

Thadius shook his head. “I don’t want to get drawn into a war, especially with Christina still in training. I joined the city guard so that I could lead the unit that she gets assigned to. I’m already set up with my own unit, so as soon as she becomes a full Priestess, I can add her to my unit. Half the work is done, but truthfully, I have the mind to just take her away once she graduates.”

“Christina is already a full-fledged priestess, and the excursions are on halt ‘til further notice. Even the coliseum is closin’ down for the trainin’ camp.”

“Christina became a Priestess!?” Thadius thought back to when they first came to the city. I hadn’t been long at all, but then he remembered Christina’s prior experiences in Yune.

’She’s worked hard for it already.’ he nodded to himself. Since Christina had already become a Priestess, and the excursions weren’t necessary at the moment, then he could just up and leave after he finished his business here. The only problem was that he didn’t know how long it would take to set up a church for Tegaia.

Thadius put the matter aside, there were more immediate issues to deal with. Getting his hands healed was one of them. “Then I’ll meet this ‘North Wind’ and see what I can learn from him. And while we’re at it, you said Beth had been here, right? That means she’s back from that trip she went on?”

Tony nodded. “She’s been back for a while, but she’s probably resting today. You should go see her tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll see her tomorrow. I’ll see you later Mr.Tony.” Thadius waved goodbye and then turned to leave the compound. On the way out, he passed the infirmary again and heard the agonized cry of the unfortunate officer. He couldn’t help but think of the book he read shortly after entering the game. The Untamed Continent listed many monsters that had lethal poison attacks, most of which were difficult and nigh impossible to cure.

Exiting the compound, Thadius didn’t head straight for the Church of Thena. Instead, he made his way to the blacksmith. His shield was in need of serious repairs, and he had an abundance of materials that could be used to ‘feed’ it. Even though he wasn’t going in as Victor Wolfe-Jagger, he had long since thought up a simple solution he could use before anyone could start asking questions.

It wasn’t long before Thadius found himself walking into Arm & Hammer. The young blacksmith, Tommy, was leaning on the counter, looking bored from the lack of business. He stood up with a start when Thadius walked in.

“Welcome to Arm & Hammer! What can we do for you today?” the young assistant asked.