Chapter 72: Analyzing the Creep (2)
It seemed like even this path was a dead end. However, Riku did not want to give up. "Let’s try a different approach."
He gently went to Elara. "Elara, how are you feeling?"
She blinked sleepily. "A little tired. But nothing serious." The earlier feelings of fear had receded after the afternoon’s lighthearted moments, so she was not as distant from Riku as she was a while ago.
Riku held out the vial. "This is the Sunpetal Draught the Church gave us. I want you to take it. Tell me exactly how it makes you feel."
Elara nodded and carefully drank the contents of the vial. She sat quietly for a few moments, her expression thoughtful. Then, a slight flush rose to her cheeks.
"Well?" Lila prompted.
"I... I feel a bit warmer," Elara said slowly. "And... less tired. Like I have a little more energy." She flexed her fingers.
However, she looked at the crimson marks once again. They hadn’t changed. "I don’t feel much different. Maybe the drug will take some more time to show its effect?"
Riku nodded, processing. "A burst of energy, some pain relief, but no direct effect on the blight itself." He paced the small room. "It’s a stimulant, a palliative. It boosts the body’s own reserves, helps it cope with the symptoms, but it’s not attacking the root cause."
He thought back to his own healing spells on the dwellers of the Underbelly. His ’Advanced Heal’ had produced a similar, but much stronger, effect – alleviating pain, restoring energy, making the patients feel significantly better, but the crimson marks, though lightened, had remained.