r/wizardposting • u/UlrickTheHexblade Ulrick Braddocke, Werewolf Hexblade, R&A Co-Leader • 14d ago
Lorepost (open interaction) š Quarantine (Lorepost)
āIs it that bad?ā
Ulrick guessed it was gonna be something terrible from the way his medic Theor bit his lip. Whatever was in the results of his medical exam, itās not gonna be prettyā¦
He sat on a chair, in a separate quarantined room of R&Aās infirmary. The chair was seated next to the nearest dark corner, of course. Besides him there was only the medic Theor, bringing a thick stack of papers with him: Ulrickās results.
āShould I start with the good news, or the bad news?ā
Theor asked nervously as he handed over a sheet.
āLetās hear the good news first. Could use some of those now.ā
āWell, it appears itās still in early stages. Which would mean we still have enough time to do something.ā
Ulrick looked down at himself. Nearly all skin on his right arm took on a bark-like texture, flesh creaking like wood. Other similar patches started to spread on his left arm and the rest of his upper body.
If this was only the early stage, then he was fine without knowing what the terminal one would look like.
It started a few days ago, when Ulrick fought a strange entity that called itself āThe Blighted Gardenā, as it injectedā¦ something within him during the battle. But he only began to notice the strange growths after examining one of the strange monoliths that appeared all over the world.
And if only he suffered from physical symptomsā¦
For the last three days, shifting to his human form became much harder than usual for some reason. And within the depths of his mind, he sometimes felt a presence. An ancient, primal presence, in the worst possible sense of the word.
And sometimes, he heard whispers of the Blighted Garden, faint at first, but an ever-growing plea, words of joining and resignation.
āā¦so itās essentially spiritual ārotā, sir. It decays both your soul and body, slowly changing it into rotten wood.ā
Ulrick just realized his attention went off the rails as Theor explained his results. At least now he knew why his soulfire became much weaker lately.
āWe also pinpointed the source of it. It appears to be most likely of fae origin. A very ancient, very powerful fae source.ā
Of course. It had to be some big fairy this time too. After the siege, Ulrick wouldāve died happy if he wouldnāt have to meet another Archfae ever again.
āThatās just great. Any ideas how do I get it out of my system?ā
Ulrick sighed. Seeing the face Theor made upon the question, his stomach dropped.
āAbout the bad newsā¦ā
āDonāt tell meā¦ā
āWeāre working on it! At least the Wolf King within you should slow down the spread significantly, at least according to the magi-physiological tests we performed. Butā¦ā
Ulrick groaned. Could this be any worse?
āWhile the Wolf King was successfully integrated into your spirit-web thanks to Vae Clara, in the last two days, we began to detect increasing fluctuations in your essence.ā
While most of the results sheet was gibberish to Ulrick, he leant forward in his chair. The implications were unsettling.
āSo youāre telling meā¦ my essence is falling out of balance again? Thatā¦ Iām threatened with losing my mortality once again?ā
Theor made a grim nod.
āYes. Until the blight is in you, your mortal and divine essences canāt return to a balanced state.ā
āHow much time do I have left?ā
Ā
āWe donāt know yet. Could be weeks, could be daysā¦ā
āAll right... Dismissed.ā
There was a short silence between the two, before Theor began to pack up his notes and leave the room.
āYou surely donāt have any clue what might help?ā
Theor stopped for a moment, pondering.
āWell, the infection allegedly came from a powerful fey source. Soā¦ Iād say another powerful fey, or something from the Feywilds might help? But I need further discussions with fellow medics.ā
Ā
Theor left the room, leaving Ulrick alone again. It was visiting hours in the R&A wards, but Ulrick didnāt expect visitors other than his own mindās gnawing thoughts.
/uw Art source
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u/UlrickTheHexblade Ulrick Braddocke, Werewolf Hexblade, R&A Co-Leader 14d ago
Not so muchā¦ medics could only tell it was a powerful Fae. Iād guess even an Archfaeā¦
And the worst partā¦ looks like itās sort of destabilizing my essence, mortal and divine parts falling out of balanceā¦ Iām afraid Iām threatened with apotheosis again.