Morning eventually came, and those sleeping in the back of the carriages were slowly waking up to first light. Stretching and yawning, they stared at each other, confused as to why they had stopped and where they were exactly. Zephyr and his entire group riding in the wagon behind them were nowhere to be seen, and even their own coachwoman, Glyea, was gone.

"Why have we stopped?" Raising that question, Rudy got up.

The others followed suit, and before you knew it, everyone was walking out. Stranded in what appeared to be a small settlement of mud and huts, the carriages were sitting in the middle of the path. Noticing Glyea first, the hero honed in his eyes and saw a few dark-skinned men and women trying to set up a pair of large tents.

Drawn by curiosity, the group approached the knight. But before they could say a word, she noticed their presence and turned to greet them with a spent look.

"I'll explain, just don't bother me with questions…" Too tired from setting everything up, she wanted to sleep the day off, but couldn't. Unlike Zephyr and his companions, even the Capra, the knight had no resistance towards drowsiness, given that she was, like many others, just another human.

Explaining what had happened, still, she let out a yawn and placed a hand on Rudy's shoulder. Barely keeping her eyes open, she heaved a sigh and started walking towards the wagon.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get a wink." Leaving the group with many questions, she kept on walking. The girls asked her questions, but she heard nothing. Glyea's mind had already shut off, and the moment she reached the wagon, her body went limp, and she fell asleep on the hard deck itself.

The group flinched at her fall, but then came the sound of her deep snoring.

"What the hell is going on?" A bit perturbed by the fact that Aura had demanded a girl to become her master's servant, Freya chased the thought and looked around to find any traces of the man with whom she was slowly falling in love.

"We shouldn't even have stopped here." Folding her hands, Charlotte studied everyone's face to learn what they made of the situation. "I still vote for us to keep moving, this cure–whatever it is–isn't going to be quick, not with the amount of people around her."

Sensing more and more people as time passed, thanks to her predator instincts, Charlotte twisted her ears and tried to pinpoint Cecilia or Custer to keep them moving. To her surprise, however, she didn't hear anything. For as quiet as an owl's flight, the fiend's presence was feathered with magic.

"Surprising that Glyea agreed to stop. She was so eager to get to the capital." Still staring at the path the knight had taken, Roxanne blinked her eyes with a dazed look. Yawing with her mouth covered, she slowly turned back to the others. "Anyway, what do we do now?"

"You'll be helping with the treatment," Aura's voice cut through the healer's doubts. "I will need some of you gals to help minister the medicine to the men and children in one of these tents. Custer and I will be handling the women, as there are other complications to consider with them."

Following the voice with their eyes, everyone glanced over to the first from within which the succubus had emerged, a basketful of collected herbs in hand. Zephyr was still missing, but at least now there was someone who could answer a few questions.

"And how would we even help?" Audrey asked with a slightly swollen face.

Eyeing the fox-girl, Aura hummed to herself, wondering what had happened.

"Got stung by a bee or something, sweetheart? Want me to get you something to help with that?"

Scoffing away from the offer, Audrey stared to the side. Ignoring her, Aura brought her attention back to the rest.

"For the most part, you need to check if they have any symptoms of bloodroot. If so, you give them something extra. Otherwise, only the regular medicine needs to be inhaled through vapor."

"And what's the extra?" Roxanne asked.

"Custer is still gathering the required ingredients for it. I'll need some time to make it once he returns, and then you can see for yourself." Somehow, the girls felt as if they were being lied to. That this cure wasn't exactly as simple as the slave had explained, but with no basis for their doubts, all they could do was just take her word for it.

'She did cure the old man's grandson.' Thinking back on the day she'd accompanied Aura to buy the now 'Devil Away', Freya was more inclined than the rest to believe her, and so, with her eyes turned back to the sick tribesmen, she decided to help them set up the tents as well.

"Rudy, Charlotte, help me, these guys are struggling." Rolling up her sleeves, she shot the two a quick, commanding glance. "We get this done, and then I have a few things to clear up with Cecilia."

"You can ask now," Aura teased, smirking.

Rolling her eyes at the suggestion, Freya retorted.

"If I talk to you first, I doubt I will have any energy left to help around." Squeezing her folded arms, Freya pushed her chest slightly upwards. "Besides, I'd rather do something with my time than sit here all day watching you poke everyone with your snarky comments."

"When have I been snarky?" Puffing her cheeks, Aura leaned forward with her arms hanging.

Not a word of retort came from Freya; her unamused glaring was enough of an answer. Retracting her statement with a wide grin, Aura stood upright and waved her hand in front of her face.

"Fine~ Fine~. Have at it, I'll go grind the herbs in the chieftain's hut." And that was that, although Zephyr was still missing. Gathering herbs was his excuse for being away, when in truth, the fiend was simply twisting the properties of the flora around him. Refining them with his magic, he was reshaping them the same way Elicia had reshaped herself into a succubus.

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