Chapter 95 - 095: Build 11
Anaria remained beside the young man, watching him carefully.
His breathing had become steadier, but something about his condition still bothered her. She checked his temperature again and examined the marks on his skin. Nothing looked different from earlier, yet his body was reacting differently to the treatment.
She waited until Kenai and Kai moved farther away before speaking silently to the system.
[Examine the patient.]
A moment later, the system responded.
[Scanning.]
Anaria remained still while the young man rested.
[Condition detected. The patient’s symptoms are connected to the corruption previously encountered. However, the corruption has progressed. The affected energy is behaving differently within the body.]
A cold knot formed in her stomach "Is he in danger?"
[His current condition is unstable but not immediately life-threatening.]
That was enough to make her relax slightly.
She looked toward the entrance of the shelter. Kenai was helping move another piece of wood while Kai was speaking with some of the settlement’s people.
Neither of them had noticed anything unusual.
Anaria turned back to the young man.
She couldn’t explain what the system had told her without revealing something she had kept hidden from them.
So she simply told Kenai that the man needed more rest and that she wanted to keep watching him.
Kenai nodded without questioning her.
The young man eventually settled down again after some minutes later
His breathing became normal, and the trembling stopped.
Anaria stayed nearby for some time before returning to the other patients and examined them properly just to make sure everything was alright
Outside, construction continued.
The main shelter was almost complete, and the settlement had become more active than it had been earlier in the day. People carried materials back and forth while others worked on finishing the walls.
Anaria noticed that some of those who had been too weak to help were now sitting outside and watching the work.
The change was small, but it was there.
The settlement no longer felt as tense as it had when they first arrived.
Anaria continued treating those who needed her attention.
She checked the young man once more before moving to another patient.
He was still resting.
Everything appeared normal.
Then a sound came from the other side of the shelter.
Anaria turned.
A woman had dropped the piece of wood she was carrying.
She stood completely still for a moment.
One of the nearby people reached for her. "Are you alright?"
The woman didn’t answer.
Her breathing suddenly became heavier.
Anaria immediately moved toward her.
The woman gripped the other person’s arm.
Her fingers tightened.
Anaria stopped.
It was the same reaction.
The same unfocused look and same sudden change in breathing.
This was no longer an isolated case.
She quietly called for Kenai and Kai while keeping her eyes on the woman.
Something was spreading through the settlement.
And now Anaria knew she had to find out how far it had already gone.
Back in Wolfrine, Rylan was discovering that becoming Lord was much easier than actually being one.
Since the challenge, everyone seemed to have a reason to come looking for him.
Some wanted decisions made.
Others wanted instructions.
Even simple movements through the settlement had become uncomfortable because people now stopped to greet him or lower their heads as he passed.
Rylan still hadn’t gotten used to it.
He entered the main hall and found several council members waiting for him.
He looked at them before taking his seat.
"What is it this time?"
One of them placed several records on the table.
"These are reports from the settlements."
Rylan picked up the first one.
He read through it slowly.
There were shortages of food in some areas, damaged shelters in others, and several complaints about the lack of support from Wolfrine.
Rylan looked up "How long has this been happening?"
"Some of these problems began before Zane took control," the council member explained. "Others became worse during his rule."
Rylan placed the report down.
"And no one did anything?"
The council member hesitated.
"Zane was more concerned with keeping control of Wolfrine."
Rylan leaned back.
That answer didn’t surprise him.
He picked up another report.
"This settlement hasn’t received supplies in months."
"They survived with what they had."
"That isn’t the point."
Rylan looked through the remaining records.
The more he read, the more problems he found.
Wolfrine itself was functioning, but several of the settlements under its control had been left to manage their own problems.
Rylan rubbed his forehead.
"I’ve been Lord for barely a day."
No one answered.
He looked at them.
"And you’re already giving me all of this?"
The older council member gave a small nod.
"These matters were waiting for the rightful Lord to return."
Rylan sighed.
He wasn’t sure whether that made him feel responsible or trapped.
His thoughts eventually turned toward Anaria.
"Where is she now?"
"She travelled to one of the affected settlements."
Rylan nodded.
He remembered why she had gone.
"She took Kenai and Kai with her?"
"Yes."
"And Ana?"
The council member nodded.
Rylan looked down at the reports again.
He knew Anaria well enough to understand that she wouldn’t simply stay somewhere and watch people struggle if she believed she could help.
He hoped she wasn’t taking on more than she could handle.
Before he could ask anything else, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.
A messenger entered and immediately bowed.
"My Lord."
Rylan looked up.
"What happened?"
The messenger caught his breath before answering.
"We received another report from one of the southern settlements."
Rylan’s expression changed.
"What kind of report?"
The messenger looked uneasy.
"People are becoming sick."
Rylan stood.
"More sickness?"
"Yes, but this is different."
The room became quiet.
The messenger continued.
"Some of them became violent without warning. Others lost control of themselves completely."
Rylan stared at him.
"Did anyone know what caused it?"
"No."
The messenger shook his head.
"But the settlement leader believes it may be spreading."
Rylan’s eyes narrowed.
He thought about the reports he had just been reading.
Then he remembered Anaria’s journey and the strange things she had mentioned before returning to Wolfrine.
"Which settlement?"
The messenger gave him the name.
Rylan immediately looked toward the council.
"Prepare someone to take me there."
The council members exchanged glances.
"You intend to go yourself?"
Rylan nodded.
"If this is spreading across the settlements, I need to see what is happening."
He gathered the reports from the table.
For the first time since becoming Lord, he had found something that needed his attention immediately and he needs to find the solution fast and quick