Chapter 69: The Verminus Plant

Kanan waited in the dungeons for Telah to finish her walkthrough of the village, taking a seat on a conveniently placed stool while Elder Hal remained standing.

It was only ten minutes later when Telah returned, her expression not as on guard as it once was.

"Warrior Telah!"

"You’re okay?!"

"Did those Nemean bastards do anything to you?!"

It was nice to see their camaraderie, even though Kanan had nothing positive to say about the Typhon Tribe.

"No, I’m fine." Telah spoke softly. She was a bit taken aback by the truth in Kanan’s words. Of course, it could still be a trick, but after getting cursed out by the Nemean Tribe, she knew that their anger couldn’t be falsified.

"He speaks the truth. While I was ridiculed, I wasn’t punished or attacked. I-I was even able to get something to eat, though the woman who served me made sure my food was cold."

"Pfft."

Everyone turned to Kanan, who had cleared his throat to hide his laughter.

"So, do you believe me now?"

Telah stared at Kanan for a while before turning back to her people. Her brain was working hard in real time, but in the end, she sighed and faced Kanan once more.

"Yeah, I believe you." She sat down on the floor and began explaining to Kanan why they attacked.

"It all started around twelve years ago. That was when we noticed the first case of the Verminus plague."

"Verminus Plague?"

She nodded. "That’s right, a horrible sickness. At the time, we thought that it was just like any other sickness, so we treated it accordingly, but we quickly realized how dangerous it was."

Telah went on to further explain how contagious the plague was and that it didn’t matter how clean you were or how careful a person was. Once a person came down with the plague, they had mere weeks to live, if that.

The Typhon Tribe had controlled the sickness at first, separating those who were infected and those who weren’t. It was thanks to their power of the spirits that they even lasted as long as they did, but the plague somehow managed to adapt and feed off their spirit energy.

That was when they became desperate.

"And that was when we attacked your tribe for the first time in a long time. We poisoned you to make things easier, but as expected, your tribe is strong."

’I see. So this is when my family died.’ Kanan clenched his fists, but he kept his calm.

"It was getting harder to hunt, to feed our people, harder to survive. Your tribe lives in the safety of the mountain range, river, and vast forest. You aren’t too exposed to the outside world."

"There’s a hole in the mountain where monsters constantly attack us." Kanan explained

"And that’s all you have to worry about. Our Tribe was situated on the very edge of the mountain range. We were attacked every waking hour, were exposed to the dangers that exist beyond the mountain, and had to change our way of life to survive. Even recently, we had to live beyond the mountain because our old home is contaminated."

That caught Kanan’s attention. He didn’t know what danger the village would face in the future, but hearing that the Typhon Tribe had to migrate because their old village was contaminated rang the alarm bells in his head.

"Tell me about this contamination."

"Hmph, it’s related to the Verminus plague. Turns out, it wasn’t a plague, but a parasitic plant. It’s a type of living monster that feeds on living beings. First, it was our livestock. We didn’t notice until we ourselves were infected. Then, as the plant took the life out of whatever it was inside, it planted itself into the earth, stripping the soil of its life as well."

Elder Hal perked up after hearing that Telah had to say. "Hold on, Kanan, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?"

"Yes, it does. We’ve actually come across something similar a few months ago. One of our warriors died from a plant that sounds exactly like what you’re describing. I was meant to study it, but I never got around to doing so."

"Study it?!" Telah was as confused as she was shocked. "Are you out of your mind? That plant is the reason why our Tribe had to resort to such drastic measures to survive, and you’re telling me that you wish to study it?"

"How else will we learn how to counteract its effects? Or has your tribe managed to do so?"

"Yeah, we kill those who are infected."

Kanan didn’t like that solution, and Telah could tell by his darkened expression.

"I won’t kill my people simply because they are infected."

"Then we have no wish to stay in a place where history will repeat itself."

He chuckled. "Do not be so simple-minded. I’m not a fool to study such a dangerous creature inside our home. A research hut will be built outside of the village, far away from the people. It will also be closely monitored in case people are infected."

"And if the workers get infected?" Telah wondered.

"They know the dangers. It is the innocent who do not."

"Fine. We accept your proposal to stay in your village. But there are still a few hundred more of us who are currently waiting for our return."

"That’s fine. Accommodations will be made for all of you. Tell me, do you know if any of you are infected?"

She shook her head. "No, we made sure of that before we moved. There was a purge, and it brought many to tears."

"I don’t doubt that." The pain of losing one you love would never go away, no matter how much time passed. "Any warriors or people who can hunt?"

"Yes. We didn’t take everyone with us. We still needed those who could protect the village. So we only took the older generation or extremely talented individuals on this mission. Though more than half of us were wiped out."

"Okay. Then this is what’s going to happen. Telah, choose two people to accompany me to your village. You will tell them what has happened and the current state of your people. The rest will help our workers build your own homes. You will be fed, clothed, and properly taken care of."

"Okay, that sounds good."

"Then let’s go right now."