[Melas] Chapter 138: Felix - The Plague Doctor (Patreon)

“The Plague Doctor is in Elios.”

The news spread quickly through the country, faster than any plague out there. Even the Noxeus couldn’t match the speed at which word-of-mouth traveled. Everyone was now talking about him.

“He’s an Alchemist with a fount of knowledge in disease.”

“I hear that after his wife died to the Noxeus, he dedicated his life to saving those who were afflicted by it.”

But questions popped up as quickly as the rumor diffused through Elios. The Plague Doctor. Who was he? Apparently—

“So, if he has a cure, then why doesn’t he share it with us?”

“Because, apparently, he’s being hunted down by the Church.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Didn’t you hear? The Church was the one that created the Noxeus.”

“What?”

“Seriously?”

“Why would they do that?”

“They’re trying to take over Vitae. Why do you think the Noxeus doesn’t exist in Soli—”

Whatever the case was, the rumors boiled down to one thing. The Plague Doctor was such a kind soul. He had such a tragic backstory. It was all such… utter bullshit.

Felix couldn’t help but laugh at these rumors. He slammed his windows shut, cutting off any noise and light from seeping into the room from the outside.

“Ridiculous,” he chuckled as he settled into a seat. “These stories are all so stupid.”

Before him lay a woman. Her eyes were closed as she was coiled up in his bed. He’d found her nearly-dead at the side of a road, ignored by every passerby who saw her. After all, she’d been infected by the Noxeus. And the reason why he took her in was simple: to cure her.

“But I don’t use potions.” He shook his head as he tugged his right hand glove out. Felix gently placed it next to his mask— the mask of a bird. “If I had some formula to cure this plague, I’d have told the world about it. What I use is far less… accessible. ”

Placing a hand on the forehead of the woman, it felt no different from sticking a hand into a fireplace. Felix knew this woman would die soon. Not if someone saved her. And that was his job.

He was the Plague Doctor, after all.

“At the end of the day, curing the Noxeus is simple, really. Just… not something anyone can do. Which, I guess, makes it a bit more complicated than not. But this—”

Felix closed his eyes as a glow overcame his hand. Luminescent green lines wove their way over his skin. An intricate pattern of symbols and haphazard intersections formed from these lines. It touched the woman, connecting him with her soul.

And what he did was simple. He cleansed her of the magical impurities that came with the Noxeus. With that, she was healed.

All the wounds and bumps that scarred her skin vanished. The black and red blotches vanished, like a drop of ink in the ocean. The woman was slowly being restored to how she should’ve been before she caught the Noxeus. More than that, she’d never be infected by it ever again.

But how? How could he do this?

Felix drew his hands back, a smile spreading across his face. He knew the question would be asked— nay, demanded— of him once the woman awoke. Fixing his mask onto his face, he let the lines vanish and turned towards the window. He wanted to fling them open and shout to the world, telling them exactly what he did. But he couldn’t.

Because while many of the rumors that were espoused about him were plain false. Some held a modicum of truth in them. One in particular was how the Church was hunting him. At least, they would hunt him down if they knew about his cure. Not because they were the ones who created the Noxeus— Felix didn’t know or care if that was true.

Yet, he still feared the Church. After all, what he was doing here was something they had a monopoly on. Something that only Saints or Saintesses could do.

What he did was a miracle.

“Thank you so much,” Coralie said as tears streamed down her face. She was the woman he saved. She stood right by the doorway, head bowed deeply. “What could I ever do to repay you?”

“Hm…” Felix tilted his head back. His mask’s beak faced the sky as the tinted glass goggles blocked the sunlight from blinding him. “Well,” he said, “if you insist, I take payment of 500 gold coins.”

Coralie blinked. Then she paled and took a nervous step back. “I-I… don’t have…”

“I’m joking.” The Plague Doctor waved a hand off. He patted the woman on the shoulder. “Just take care of yourself and your friends, alright? That’s all I’ll ask of you.”

“I…” She eyed him, tears welling up once more. “Thank you.”

Felix smiled from beneath his mask. This was one of the main reasons why he did what he did. Even if he put his life in danger. Helping others and seeing their gratitude was worth more than his life. There were, of course, other reasons.

His eyes flickered as a memory flashed through his mind.

A young man held the hand of his dying friend—

But those were less rewarding than seeing others smile.

With a tap of his cane, the Plague Doctor departed the scene. He continued down the city’s streets. Tali was not a small city, yet its roads were almost devoid of people. After all, everyone was trying to avoid catching the Noxeus. So, they stayed indoors and to themselves. Only a few brave and foolish souls dare travel out.

Felix strutted by an alleyway, stuffed with corpses— rotting bodies of those killed by the Noxeus. Not all of Elios had been this badly afflicted with the magical plague. In fact, Tali was an outlier. It literally existed at the edge of Elios— a border city to the Free Lands, which was now overwhelmed with the Noxeus. Which resulted in this epidemic.

Or was it a pandemic? Felix never knew the proper terms for it. He just knew that it was a plague, and he, as the Plague Doctor, had a duty to cure those suffering from it.

He took a step down a junction, casting his gaze around the different directions, unsure of where to go, when a car screeched to a halt by him. A rather rich-looking man tumbled out of it, looking up at Felix with wide eyes.

“You— you’re the Plague Doctor, right?” His voice was high-pitched and squeaky. He staggered to his knees, grabbing Felix by his boots. “Please… you need to help me…”

Felix quirked a brow. What’s this about?

An hour later, Felix found himself sitting on a very expensive sofa, surrounded by gilded walls with paintings and decorations adorned on them. A butler handed him a cup of tea, and he accepted it gratefully.

“Thank you.” He didn’t drink it.

The rich man took a seat as he wiped a handkerchief at his forehead. “Sorry,” he said with an apprehensive smile. “I was a bit of a mess earlier. But I couldn’t let this chance pass.”

“Hm. And what chance are you talking about, exactly?” Felix lowered the glass back onto its saucer.

“You’re the Plague Doctor, aren’t you?” the rich man asked as he leaned forward.

“And who’s asking?” Felix leant back into the sofa. “I never actually got your name.”

“O-oh…” The rich man blinked. He quickly sputtered, “I’m Hamlin Russ. Owner of the Russ Brewery.” He stood up, proffering Felix his hand.

Felix just stared at it. “So, what exactly do you need of me, Mr Hamlin Russ?”

Hamlin quickly sat back down, clearing his throat. “R-right. So, Mr Plague Doctor, I requested your presence because I need your aid.”

“They typically do,” Felix snorted. “What is it? A sick wife? A sick son? Tell me what it is, Mr Hamlin Russ. Don’t beat around the bush. For if you waste more time with such…” The Plague Doctor gestured at the cup of tea and the sofa. “...these unnecessary pleasantries, then a life could be lost.”

“O-of course.” Hamlin took a deep breath. “And, yes, it is actually my daughter. You see, she’s been afflicted by the… Noxious…”

“Yes, that seems to be getting around lately.” Felix probably shouldn’t have been as snappy as he was being right now. But he was mostly annoyed by how much time the rich man wasted. Standing up, he started for the hallway. “Now, show me to your daughter before the Noxeus takes her.”

Hamlin didn’t budge. He sat on the sofa, scratching his cheeks nervously. “Unfortunately, Mr Plague Doctor, that’s the problem.”

Felix frowned, even though Hamlin couldn’t see it. “What is it?” he asked hastily.

The rich man gulped, slowly meeting Felix’s gaze. The beak mouth was intimidating, even if it was not meant to be.

“I… don't know where my daughter, Melinda, is,” Hamlin finally said.

The Plague Doctor paused. He stared at the rich man, not moving, like an eagle stalking its prey. Then he let out a heavy sigh.

“That’s not the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, but it’s pretty high up on the list.”

“Please— you can’t blame me. It’s not my fault. She… she… she ran away when she caught the Noxeus. Or, she’s been trying to. She said she didn’t want us to suffer from her fate. But my guards managed to keep her in her room until last night. Somehow, she slipped away after threatening to give them the Noxeus.”

Felix nodded, placing a hand on his chin. “An ostensible selfless act. One that, unfortunately, proved itself to be more harmful than otherwise. I’ve heard about many of these during my travels.”

“I truly apologize for the bother,” Hamlin said, bowing his head. “I know you’re a busy man. I know there are other cities and towns and countries that have been ravaged by this plague that needs you.But if you could just wait in this city until we retrieve her, then I’d reward you handsomely.”

“Do you at least know where she went?” Felix crossed his arms, ignoring everything Hamlin said.

“I, uh— yes.” The rich man quickly turned to one of his servants. They whispered an answer into his ears, and he parroted it. “She ran off into the Bredon Forest. Some of my men tried to follow her— to bring her back— but they haven’t returned just yet. I’m sure they’ll return soon—”

“Leave it,” the Plague Doctor said, shaking his head. “If they’re not back yet, they’re probably dead. The Bredon Forest is full of Monsters, is it not? I hear that even the Hunters of Tali dare not venture deep beneath its canopies.”

“Right. But you have to understand, Melinda is my daughter. I can’t just abandon her.” Hamlin clenched his fist.

Honestly, Felix couldn’t help but feel bad for the rich man. Even if Hamlin seemed to be a bumbling fool, he didn’t deserve to lose his daughter. No one did. So, Felix continued.

“I didn’t say to abandon her. I’m saying that those men you can't out are, alas, dead.” The Plague Doctor lowered his head, whispering softly, “May their souls return to the Goddess.” With a deep breath, he patted Hamlin on the shoulder as he walked past him. “But your daughter, Melinda, is probably fine. Because, fortunately and unfortunately, the Noxeus is something even Monsters fear and avoid. So, they will likely leave her alone.”

Hamlin blinked. “I-I see… wait, where are you going?”

“To find your daughter, of course,” Felix said simply.

“W-what?” Hamlin stared at the Plague Doctor, mouth gaping open. “But… but it’s dangerous! I can’t possibly repay you for this!”

The Plague Doctor came to a halt. He spun around and met the rich man’s gaze. “Of course you can’t. No one can. My acts— my deeds. They are worth more than all the gold in the world.”

Again, the same memory flashed in his mind.

Felix wept as Sulla lay, dying in his hands. Sulla raised a finger to Felix’s lips and spoke his dying breath.

“Promise me—”

“And because it is priceless, I bestow its gift to the world. For a promise. For a friend.”

With that, the Plague Doctor set out to find his next patient. Unfortunately, finding Melinda was going to be a little more complicated than approaching a dying woman in the streets.

Author's Note:

And a month later, a new Melas chapter. I'd love this to return being a regular occurrence, but unfortunately, I've been busier than ever these days. Both with IRL stuff and with writing. So, sorry. I'll try to get another chap out next week though! 

One more Plague Doctor chap, then back to Melas!