Just as quickly as it had began the war between Astorea and Falderen had ended and as a result Terrasphere's world was able to reclaim its sense of normalcy. Kind of. Of course the conflict didn't pass without leaving behind consequences. Aside from the countless lives that had been lost during the invasion, whole villages had been overran or simply just burned to ground by the invaders. For these people life’s hardships couldn't be avoided by logging out and that was all the reason Alric needed to help out. One settlement had been hit particularly hard; this was where the knight had spent the most of his time following the invasion. Rebuilding had taken less time than he had originally expected, but there was still much to be done before the settlement was back running at full speed. To make matters even worse a mysterious illness had spread to the citizens… Causing the infected to go insane and attack any healthy person in sight. --- “Hold him down!” The scream pierced the otherwise peaceful air that surrounded the village. It came from a man in the square who with the help of a fee other people managed to restrain another victim of the disease. As a crowd formed Alric was among the onlookers; simply watching the scene unfold as if it had become just another part of his life’s routine. When would this madness end? He wasn't sure, but there had to be something he could do to help speed up the process. @Oikawa Seijuro
"Hold him down!" The outcry caused golden eyes to quickly dart from the dusty path they had been watching. Shifting from his shadowy perch, Oikawa's gaze narrowed on the scene below. Another victim perhaps? he mused. Maybe the fabled plague has returned. If so, discovering its cause could lead to unlocking new ways to make use of Malefimancy... I wonder..? Jumping down, he quickly gathered himself and begin moving towards the crowd. As he neared, he took note of those engaging in holding the man down. The one who called for help and three stooge like characters helped him. Among the on-lookers, none seemed out of place. Mostly townsfolk startled by the commotion. That is, except for one. "You've seen this before I presume?" he asked the man dressed in black. Despite the color, his appearance gave off the vibe of a priest, but given the many options and gear player's can partake in using, the brunette wasn't all too sure on the claim. He awaited a response as the others continued to hold the infected down. @Alric Stalwart
The question had caught him off guard as the scene unfolded. It was only natural to be on edge now when the world was on the verge of tearing itself apart. Even so, Alric did his best not to wince as he turned toward this new voice. “This is actually the fourth case this week. That I've seen, anyway.” It was easy for an illness to spread like wildfire in a small village. The situation was only going to keep getting worse if the disease wasn't purged soon, that much was clear. Infected would only be a fraction of the problem as neighbors begin turning on each other out of fear. “I'm guessing you haven't seen it until now?” The question came with a slight incline of his head back toward the writhing villager at the bottom of the piled men. “It’s almost like the disease robs you of your sanity. You can tell who has it because their eyes become bloodshot… And more obviously, they'll try to kill you on sight. Oddly enough they won't attack each other though and I haven't seen any adventurers contract it yet either.”
Hands struggled to contain the vile contortions the infected man produced. Grunts of agony muffled beneath their crude attempts of holding him down. The writhing only continued as the priest-like man explained that this case had not been the first, or did it seem likely it'd be the last. Judging from the look on Oikawa's face, the figure before him guessed, correctly, that this had been his first sighting of said sickness. "You'd be correct," the noirette responded. His crimson gaze flickered from the scene before them back to the priest. His dropped in a sigh before he looked up again. "Where are my manners? Oikawa Seijuro," he offered. Glancing to the man, he continued. "You mentioned this isn't the first case you've seen. With regards to how MMOs work, you think this could possibly be a hidden quest?" He hadn't played Terrasphere for long, but he had dabbled with MMOs for quite sometime. He was no stranger to event quests or hidden quests and this one had all the makings to be one. Reverting his attention back to the eyes of the bloodshot, he noted that it was indeed strange how this infection only affected NPCs, but how it spread in itself was still a mystery seeing as how none of the locals holding the man down seemed to be affected currently. Pushing the notion aside, Oikawa looked to the priest. "What do you think?"
