Chapter 65: Treating the sick
"Then, Master Riku, I must beg you. Please come and take a look at our people..."
He led them through the dim, winding passages of the Underbelly to a larger cavern. This area was sectioned off with thin, tattered sheets of canvas hanging from ropes, creating makeshift sick wards. The air here was heavy with the smell of sickness, sweat, and despair.
On crude cots of straw and old blankets lay nearly twenty figures – many Dwarves, and a few humans. Most were moaning softly, and their skin was marred by the crimson rashes that pulsed faintly in the dim lamplight.
Near one cot, Korgin sat.. He was patiently trying to coax a small piece of the matcha bun into the mouth of a young female Dwarf. Her face was pale and drawn, her breathing shallow, and the crimson marks on her arms were dark and pronounced, looking almost like burns.
"Little Brina," Borin said softly, his voice filled with affection as he approached the cot. "This is Master Riku. He... he wishes to help."
Korgin looked up, and his eyes lit up when he saw Riku.
"Master Riku! My sister... she hasn’t eaten anything all day. But she ate a little of your bun and really liked it. She said it was the first thing that made her want to eat more."
Brina coughed weakly, her eyes fluttering open. They were dull with pain, but she managed a faint smile when she saw Riku. "You.. are the one who gave Koirgin the bun? It is very nice.. cough cough" she whispered, her voice still raspy due to the weakness.
Riku knelt beside her. "Brina, I’m Riku. I’m going to try and make you feel a little better, okay?"
"Okay," Brina smiled, though not very convinced.
"And what d’you think you’re doing, surfacer?"