Chapter 97 - 097: Something is definitely wrong...
Anaria was still completing on what to do when the woman, she treated before started act weird.
Her breathing was uneven, and her fingers kept twitching against the ground. Anaria crouched in front of her and carefully checked her condition.
A few people had gathered nearby, but Kenai quickly moved them back "Give her some space."
Kai stayed beside him, watching the woman carefully.
"She was fine a moment ago," he said.
"I know," Anaria replied.
The woman suddenly lifted her head.
Her eyes were unfocused.
Anaria noticed the change immediately, before she could react, the woman pushed herself up and grabbed a piece of wood lying beside her.
"Move!" Anaria warned.
The woman swung the wood toward the nearest person.
Kenai stepped forward and caught her arm before she could strike.
She struggled violently.
Kai moved in to help him hold her back.
"She’s stronger than she looks," Kai said.
"Don’t hurt her," Anaria warned.
The woman continued fighting against them, making low sounds as she tried to break free. Her face had changed completely from the calm woman Anaria had spoken to earlier.
Anaria watched her carefully.
The behavior was familiar. She remembered the three corrupted beastmen they had found before reaching Wolfrine. They had behaved in almost the same way when the corruption took control of them.
Anaria’s expression tightened. This wasn’t just an ordinary illness.
"Hold her until she calms down," she said.
Kenai and Kai managed to keep the woman restrained without seriously hurting her. After several moments, her strength suddenly disappeared.
Her body went limp.
Kai lowered her carefully "She stopped."
The woman was now unconscious.
Anaria had moved her into the newly completed shelter and laid her on a clean bed of cloth near the far wall. The other sick settlers kept their distance, watching with wary eyes.
Kenai stood near the entrance, arms folded. Kai remained close to Anaria, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade.
"She was fine a moment ago," Kenai said quietly.
"I know," Anaria replied.
She crouched beside the woman and checked her condition again. Her breathing was steady now. Her pulse was slow but strong. Nothing about her body suggested she had just tried to attack someone with a piece of wood.
A notification appeared in front of Anaria.
[Abnormal reaction confirmed. Condition is connected to previously detected corruption.]
She kept her expression neutral.
[Multiple abnormal energy signatures detected in the surrounding area.]
A cold knot formed in her stomach.
There were more.
She looked toward the people resting inside the shelter. Most were quiet. A few were recovering well enough to sit up. None of them looked as though they were about to lose control.
But that did not mean they were safe.
[Warning: Corruption is spreading.]
Anaria dismissed the message before Kenai or Kai could notice anything strange.
Kenai looked at her. "Can you help her?"
"I can keep her stable," Anaria said. "But I need to watch her."
Kenai nodded. He trusted her enough not to ask more.
Anaria remained beside the woman for several minutes.
Eventually, her breathing became normal again. The tension in her body disappeared.
Then the woman’s eyes opened.
Anaria leaned closer. "Can you hear me?"
The woman blinked slowly. Her gaze drifted around the shelter before settling on Anaria’s face. For a moment, there was nothing but confusion.
Then her lips moved "What happened" she whispered.
Anaria looked at her with a worried expression "Don’t stress yourself, just rest up"
The woman’s eyes fluttered closed again. Her breathing slowed. She was asleep before Anaria could ask anything else.
Kenai stepped closer. "What did she say?"
Anaria stayed crouched beside the woman, her mind racing.
"Nothing," she said quietly. "She’s just tired
."
The shelter was complete. The people had begun moving the sick inside, carrying bedding and supplies through the entrance. Some of the villagers stood nearby, watching the building with quiet satisfaction.
Anaria stepped outside and looked at the structure.
It was not large or beautiful, but it was strong enough to keep the sick separated from the rest of the settlement and protect them from the weather.
It was exactly what they had needed.
The rest of the afternoon passed without another major incident.
Anaria continued checking the sick while Kenai and Kai helped with the final work on the shelter.
The people had become more comfortable around them.
Those who had been suspicious earlier now approached Anaria whenever they needed help. Some brought injured children to her, while others simply asked whether their relatives were recovering properly.
Anaria answered them patiently.
She did not mention what she had discovered.
There was still too much she didn’t understand.
The strange reaction could be connected to the corruption, but she didn’t yet know how the corruption spread or what caused it to become active in certain people.
Until she knew more, there was no reason to frighten the settlement.
The shelter was almost complete when a young boy approached her "My mother wants to see you."
Anaria followed him to one of the nearby homes.
The woman’s condition had improved considerably since Anaria first treated her.
"She can sit now," the boy said proudly.
Anaria smiled faintly "That is good."
The woman thanked her quietly.
Anaria checked her condition before leaving.
For the moment, she was stable. That gave Anaria some relief.
The woman who had first supported Anaria’s idea approached her.
"Thank you," she said. "We wouldn’t have managed this without you."
Anaria shook her head. "You built it."
"But you showed us how."
Others gathered around, offering quiet thanks. Anaria accepted them without making much of it. Her attention remained on the people inside the shelter.
The building had solved one problem. It had not solved the strange sickness.
Before she could return inside, a distant voice called from the edge of the settlement.
A messenger was approaching. He looked exhausted.
Several people turned to watch him as he crossed the settlement.
He stopped when he reached Anaria. "I was told to find the woman who came from Wolfrine."
Anaria stepped forward "That’s me."
The messenger looked relieved "I have a message for you."
"From whom?"
"Wolfrine."
Anaria’s expression changed. The messenger caught his breath before continuing.
"Several settlements have reported strange incidents."
Anaria remained silent. "What kind of incidents?"
"People becoming sick without warning. Some recover, but others suddenly become aggressive."
Her suspicion was confirmed.
The messenger continued. "It isn’t happening in only one place. There are reports from different settlements."
Anaria looked toward the shelter. "How many?"
"So far, we know of several."
She was quiet for a moment. The problem was much larger than this settlement.
Anaria asked the messenger a few more questions, but the information he carried was limited. The reports had come from different settlements, and no one had been able to identify the cause.
"Does Rylan know?" she asked.
The messenger nodded "The reports were sent to Wolfrine. Lord Rylan has been informed."
Anaria lowered her eyes briefly. At least he knew something was happening.
She looked back at the messenger. "Tell him this settlement is stable for now."
The messenger waited.
Anaria hesitated before continuing. "Tell him I’m still investigating the situation."
She deliberately left out the corruption.
She didn’t have enough information yet, and she didn’t want to send a conclusion that could turn out to be wrong.
The messenger nodded "I’ll tell him."
He left shortly afterward.
Anaria watched him disappear down the path.
Kenai came to stand beside her. "What did he say?"
"There are similar incidents in other settlements."
Kai joined them. "So it’s spreading?"
Anaria looked at him. "Something is."
She didn’t say anything more.
Both men noticed that she was holding something back, but neither pushed her.
They had learned by now that Anaria would speak when she had something important to say.
The people soon returned to their work.
The completed shelter stood behind them, and for the first time that day, the settlement had somewhere proper for the sick to stay.
Some of the villagers began bringing bedding inside.
Others carried food and water, while some were crafting new stuff for the new home, the little beast children were running up and down, playing with one another without no care of what’s happening.
Then the woman who had helped Anaria earlier approached her again. "Thank you."
Anaria looked at her. "You don’t need to keep thanking me, it’s tiresome at some point"
The woman smiled. "We will anyway."
Anaria gave a small smile in return. She looked toward the shelter.
The people were using it already.
At least that part of her work was finished.
But her thoughts remained on the woman who had suddenly become aggressive.
She looked toward the place where the messenger had disappeared.
If the same thing was happening elsewhere, then whatever caused it was not confined to this settlement.
That night, when Kenai, Kai and Ana had settled down, Anaria stepped outside for a moment.
She allowed the system to appear.
[Task Update recheck]
She waited.
[Final settlement construction requirement completed.]
[Healing and recovery support requirement completed.]
Anaria nodded slightly.
Then another message appeared.
[Reminder of task: Primary objective updated.]
[New Task: Investigate the spreading corruption.]
Anaria’s expression became serious.
[Objective: Identify the source of the corruption and determine how it is spreading.]
[Reward: 1000 spirit fangs, 50× healing boost, 20× Enhancement on beauty appearance, Supply of baby’s kit]
[Penalty: Rapid spread of the corruption]
She stared at the message, still wondering whether to be happy about the reward or to be worried about what will happen if she fails the task.
Anaria dismissed the window for now, and decides to finish up with what she has here then she has start the new task.
She looked back toward the settlement. The people were finally resting inside the new shelter.
The building was complete and safe but her work here was not done
Whatever was affecting these people had already reached more than one settlement, and Anaria now had to find out why before it spread any further.