Mission:
People have been getting sick from leeches! Nobody has ever heard of this
happening before, and crew members are starting to die slowly and painfully!
Is it really the leeches, or is it something else? Nobody has any idea of
what could cure it! It is looking worrisome, and Emperor Ublaz doesn't want
to have to delay any more quests because of this mysterious sickness!(Starting)
The fine afternoon of Sampetra loomed in depression and fear. Beast are dying, and no one knows what is making them die. Rumor has it that there is a new species of poisonous leech that will make a creature die so slowly that they welcome death. Emperor Ublaz sat pondering this situation. What was he to do? Everyday at least 10 beast die, and no one knows the truth of it. Sagitar the chief trident rat stood at attention and watched her master pace up and down, racking his brain with so many possibilities and answers to this question; Why were his beast dying?
Finally after over an hour of doing this he sad down on this throne, then looked at Sagitar with his hypnotic stare. "Find me a healer! Only a healer could possibly know anything about leeches. Go now, and don't be long!" he watched the rat scurry to his bidding.
He watched with little interest as a small, lean pine marten walked through the door and bowed to him. "Ah be sent to help ya out with somethang my lord?" She mumbled. He looked her up and down. She had the smell of herbs and healing. "Yes, I want you to find out why the leeches are poisoning my men! How can this be? And how we can get rid of these pest before I lose my vast army!" She looked up, but avoided his hypnotic stare. "My lord, leeches canna make beasties sick, ah know from using dem dat dey only help a wound." She avoided a drinking cup aimed at her. "Don't tell me what you think! Tell me what you find. My hordes are dying, and I want you to get rid of the leeches!" She bowed quickly and ran out of the room to hurry on her mission.
The sunlight beamed down on her as she walked over the vast island. She knew that where there were leeches, there was water. She made it to the little stream that supplied the water for the island. The stream started from a spring where the water came up from the rocks. After a search, she had found that spring and took a sample of water. Tasting and smelling it told her that it was clean and of no poison or other substance. Maybe the leeches did poison the water, but some beast would have to eat the leeches to get enough poison to kill them. She decided to go further downstream. She waded in the water and quickly picked up a leech from the shallows. Avoiding there suction she looked it up and down, and sniffed it. No smell of poison. She rubbed part of it with her claw and licked it. No taste, nor burning to her lips. She let the leech go and went further downstream.
The stream went from one side of the great island across to the other side and the sea. She pondered if maybe one part of the stream had bad water, maybe the leeches there ate something bad? She knew the reason she wasn't hurt or dead was because she was immune to poisons. Something she thought all beast should do. Making her way down the creek she tested another leech and was baffled that they where clean and not a single bit of poison near them. At noon time, she decided to take a break and eat lunch.
She climbed a tree and ate scones and drank some elderberry wine. Her mind was racing with thoughts of how only a few beast are getting sick, and how leeches could have poison. Somehow poison was in the water, but not constant. Every beast drinks from that water and not every beast was dead yet. Suddenly her ears perked up and she came to attention that there were 3 beast below and down the stream slightly. She hopped down and hid in the brush listening to them.
It was 2 foxes and a weasel. They stood there, right at the waterside dumping something into the stream. "This should worry old mad eyes some more!" The hug male fox said. The female sniggered. "Who would have guessed that Foxglove could kill a beast!" The weasel yawned and put the bag away. "We better get going now, who knows when a beast could be out and getting drinking water. They laughed and thought of beast drinking the water and slowly dying. Then decided to go and eat lunch up toward the cliffs.
Gillas held her breath. She would have never guessed that they were using foxglove (a k a digitalis) to poison beast. But now it all came to her. This poison was natural, and what it did to any beast stupid enough to digest it was make their heart race faster and faster. Then suddenly kill the heart all together. It all made perfect sense now! The 3 would dump power in the water, and the beast mistaking it for muddy water would drink it. But only the beast who drink the water at the time the herbs are floating in it. This way it was only a few at a time. The slow death would be the beast hearts racing and pain through the body. It wasn't even the leeches at all. It was 3 very crafty beast. But know Gillas had a problem; How was she to stop them?
Taking her dart gun she had only one thought, she was alone, and now she had to use poison to stop the beast. She was too far away to drag them back to the base and have Emperor Ublaz deal with them. She took out her pipe and darts and quickly dipped in a poison to enable them to not move, It was a paralyzing poison. She then took off running toward the direction they took to get to the cliffs.
She watched then eating roasted fish and bird, laughing about the misfortune that the other beast were having. Suddenly they all 3 dropped and closed there eyes half asleep, not able to move there limbs. Gillas now got up and made sure they where well drugged up. Now she can run back to the fort and get help to drag these beast back to base for their death. That evening she stood, watching the jetty and seeing the 3 heads transfixed onto tridents. The beast who dared to go against the mighty Ublaz had learned their lesson. She smiled grimly and walked back to a tavern. Hoping that Ublaz was satisfied and happy that this threat was over. Again it bugged her that there where crafty beast walking around and poisoning the only drinking water around. She closed her eyes and sighed as the wind blew around her. A pine martens job was never done. She made it back to the tavern to enjoy her favorite drink; Elderberry wine. Relaxing after a hard day.