Damned Healer

"Hm? That's useless stuff. After every battle, everything gets completely destroyed with inscriptions. That's because anything from the Risen has the power to corrupt the living. Some people just drop dead within seconds of getting infected, but others turn into one of them and lose their sanity," Niara said calmly.

"Seriously? Everything just gets wiped out after every battle?" Darian was shocked at such waste.

She remembered something. "... there's the black market. Some people sneak into battlefields and steal Risen weapons. With a lot of effort, they seal and stash them away."

After a painful sigh, she added, "No one really knows when or where the Risen will attack. Most of the time, people have to fight alone until the Celestia Academy sends reinforcements. But usually, by the time help arrives, everything and everyone is already wiped out."

"That's why these weapons end up being suicide tools for the weak to defend themselves. Like I said, some people don't die right away and become Risen. That process isn't fast, but there's no turning back. During the corruption phase, people get a power boost and still keep a bit of their sanity. So they use that to sacrifice themselves and buy time to save their families."

Darian let out a heavy sigh. He thought life on Earth was tough, but at least there, you could survive if you were smart enough. Here, death could just come out of nowhere at any moment.

"Can we find those things being sold here?" he asked.

Niara nodded. That made him light up, which confused her a lot.

"Perfect. Let's try to find one. I need to confirm something."

***

The commercial city stretched as far as the eye could see, covering an entire continent.