A Land of Lost Dreams

The little town name Ragscothe barely managed to survive the explosion, never mind the aftereffects. The houses were small, and most had holes where mice burrowed through the thin wood, and let in the cold air during the winter. Winter. A word always spoken with fear, and a bit of hatred as well. Who exactly the hatred was directed at was up for discretion: The weather, the king' s advisor, the man who let loose the explosion, the mice and rats, or even the local doctor.

There was a matter of conversation worth the time it took to speak, the doctor. Whether by some odd throw of the dice or by true coincidence, the man had arrived just when this little town had needed him most, Winter. As the cold raged outdoors, the snow fell inside of many homes, and typhoid ravaged the poor town because of the rats. The rats, another thing to curse. They burrowed into everything, spreading disease even as they slowly changed into something more sinister. The townsfolk only hoped that the once-rats wouldn't bother them, and that the doctor could cure them before they all fell ill and died.

A certain young man, by the name of Tobias wandered over to the doctor's stall, praying to whatever gods he believed in before asking the doctor if he had anything for the boys family.

An aroma of herbs and spices filed the shop of the doctor. The pot burning over hot coals in the fire place. Cedric sat down, his long coat hung up, but his mask still covering his face. He sat writing, writing away at his notepad full of his discoveries and facts on the diseases and illnesses that had plagued the land since the explosion.

He turned back to the dead rat on his table that he was dissecting, the smell of rotten flesh one made him feel uneasy but he got used to it after a few weeks.

“The pestilence grows. A pity man might end this way”

The boy hacked into his hand before spitting phlegm onto the street, a look of obvious disgust written all over his face. He turned back to the stall, rubbing his the scar that had rounded his left ear. His golden eyes scanned the stall, searching for anything he might understand before working up the courage to ask the doctor," Sir, might you have something for my family? Or, could you come see my father?" The elf asked as he worried away at a worn stone in his pocket.

Cedric turned to face him. The glare on the glass from his mask blocking his eyes from the elf.

“What ailments does he show?” Cedric grabbed his coat and bag. Attaching buckets and ties to make sure no pestilence could reach him.

“The doctor will see him now”

" Well, he has a bunch of little red dots, a high fever," The boy took a breath trying to remember all the other things his mother had said," He's tired, very weak, and he won't eat." Tobias rattled off as he began to walk towards the woods, hoping that it wouldn't draw suspicion from the doctor.

He grabbed his cane and followed, “It sounds like your father has measles.” He checked his bag, making sure he had all of the correct things with him. It had been a while since he last served a patient. The only thing he had done for some time was study the diseases on rats.

Tobias shrugged,he certainly wasn't going to try to correct the doctor, so if the doctor said it was the measles, then must be it was the measles.He looked at the imposing figure walking beside him, wondering about what could be behind that mask of his before turning right and heading towards the woods." We're elves." He said, as if that explained why they live in the woods.

“Ah, elves” he tapped his cane against the nose of his mask. Elves shouldn’t be able to get sick, they are immune. Cedric now thinks this is a different strain, one of magic rather than pestilence. “This worries me...”