Chapter 100: Northern Corruption
The corrupted beastman was finally subdued.
The guards kept him restrained while Anaria crouched beside him and checked his breathing. His body had become weak after the sudden outburst, and the aggression that had taken over him had disappeared for now.
Rylan stood nearby, watching the guards.
"No one was seriously hurt?" he asked.
One of them shook his head. "No, my Lord. We managed to restrain him before he could hurt anyone."
Rylan nodded, but his expression remained tense.
"How did this happen?"
The guards exchanged uncertain looks.
"He was fine earlier," one of them said. "Then he suddenly became aggressive."
"Did anyone notice anything unusual before that?"
"No."
Anaria listened quietly.
She had seen this before. The loss of control, the sudden aggression and the strange change in their bodies were all the same. But the situation in Wolfrine was worse because she had no idea how the corruption had reached the city.
She needed to begin the system’s task. Anaria stood and looked at Rylan "I need to examine the others."
Rylan immediately shook his head "No."
Anaria wasn’t surprised "They need to be checked properly."
"You’ve already been treating them. You don’t need to put yourself in danger."
"Its the same thing from the settlement."
Rylan’s expression changed "But still you can’t put yourself in danger"
"i understand but listen to me." She kept her explanation simple. "I noticed certain symptoms before they became serious. If there is a pattern, I might be able to recognize it here too."
Rylan looked toward the sick beastmen "That doesn’t make it safe."
𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
"I know."
"You could get infected."
"I’ll be careful."
Rylan remained silent.
Anaria stepped closer "You need someone who knows what this condition can do. I’ve treated it before. Let me check them."
She paused before adding, "Trust me."
Rylan looked at her for several seconds.
Finally, he sighed "Fine."
Anaria relaxed slightly.
"But Kenai stays with you," he added. "And I want guards nearby."
Kenai stepped forward. "I’ll stay with her."
Rylan gave him a serious look "Don’t let her wander around alone."
Anaria rolled her eyes "I can hear you."
Kenai smiled "Good."
They began examining the sick beastmen one by one.
Anaria checked their breathing, pulse and reactions while asking simple questions about how they had felt before becoming sick.
Whenever she had enough privacy, she quietly asked the system to scan them.
The results were similar.
The same strange corruption was present.
But the system continued searching.
Anaria moved to another patient and requested another scan.
A moment later, a message appeared.
[Foreign substance detected.]
Anaria’s attention sharpened.
She looked over the beastman’s clothes.
There was a faint dark powder caught along the edge of the fabric.
She carefully removed a small amount and examined it.
It wasn’t ordinary dirt.
She asked the system to identify it.
[Unknown substance but it’s doesn’t seem safe.]
Anaria frowned, that wasn’t enough.
She looked toward Rylan "I found something."
He walked over. "What?"
She held out the piece of cloth "There is a dark powder on this."
Rylan examined it without touching it "Do you know what it is?"
"No." She looked at him.
"Haven’t you seen it before?"
Rylan shook his head."No."
He thought for a moment before looking toward the doorway.
"The older council members might."
Anaria nodded. "Then we should ask one."
Rylan immediately called for a guard. "Find the oldest council member who served here for a long time. Bring him here."
The guard bowed and left.
Anaria looked back at the powder.
For the first time since returning to Wolfrine, she felt that they had found something that might explain how the corruption had reached them.
She only hoped the answer wouldn’t create another problem.
The older council member arrived a short while later.
He entered the room slowly and bowed to Rylan.
"You sent for me, my Lord?"
Rylan held out the piece of cloth.
"Do you recognize this?"
The man stepped closer. At first, he looked confused, then his expression changed.
His eyes remained fixed on the dark residue "Where did you find that?"
"On one of the affected beastmen," Rylan answered.
The council member’s face became pale.
Anaria noticed that immediately"You know what it is."
The man hesitated. "I have seen it before."
Rylan’s expression hardened. "When?"
"Months ago."
The council member looked at the powder again.
"During Lord Zane’s reign, he led an expedition into the northern territory."
Anaria remained silent.
Rylan continued watching him "What happened there?"
The older man took a breath. "The territory had been badly polluted for years. Several beastmen who went there never returned. Those who did came back injured."
"And Zane?"
"He returned with only a few of his men."
Rylan’s expression tightened. "What did he bring back?"
The council member pointed toward the cloth.
"Nothing, but he was badly injured and this substance was on his loincloth."
Anaria looked down at the residue. "What was it?"
"I don’t know."
The man shook his head. "Zane never told us exactly what it was. He only said it was dangerous and ordered everyone who had handled it to stay away from the rest of the settlement."
Rylan frowned. "Then why was it kept?"
"It wasn’t supposed to be."
The council member lowered his voice."Zane ordered that everything brought back from the expedition be destroyed."
Anaria looked at him. "And was it?"
"We believed it was."
"But you don’t know?"
The man shook his head. "No. After Zane returned, he took control of everything related to the expedition. Only a few people were allowed near the materials."
Rylan looked at the powder again. "So something survived."
"It seems so."
The room became quiet.
Anaria looked toward the sick beastmen.
The powder could not be ignored anymore.
She had seen the corruption spread through the settlements, then along the surrounding areas, and now inside Wolfrine.
But she had never known what was carrying it.
Now they had found something.
Not the answer, but a connection.
Rylan turned back to the council member.
"Who else knew about this?"
The man thought carefully.
"There were several soldiers who accompanied Zane. Some died during the expedition. Others left Wolfrine afterward."
"Names."
The council member began listing them.
Rylan listened carefully while Anaria memorized what she could.
When the list ended, Rylan looked toward the guards.
"Find out whether any of them are still in Wolfrine."
The guards bowed and left.
Anaria watched them go.
Rylan turned toward her.
"You think this substance caused the corruption?"
"I don’t know yet."
She kept her voice calm.
"But it was connected to the same place where Zane found whatever he brought back."
Rylan’s face became serious.
"And now it’s appearing on sick people."
"Yes."
He looked toward the affected beastman.
"We need to know how it got here."
Anaria nodded.
She didn’t tell him that the system had already confirmed the substance was connected to the corruption.
There was still too much she didn’t understand.
For now, she only knew that the strange condition wasn’t spreading for no reason.
Anaria looked at the dark residue one more time.
Now she needed to find out where it would lead.