Unholy War XV: Took away my shame.

[Faith Augustin]

8th Ymiden, 719

Unholy War
From the start of life
To my dying day
In the dark of night
And the burning light of day
It's a Bloody Fight
]But I can't walk away
I'm prime, for the front line
Unholy war. Unholy War.
I'll try. I'll fight until I die
It's an unholy war
I see, I know, you'll always be.
I see your burning fuse
From a mile away
I took your cruel abuse
Took Away My Shame

Carter had met her in Zuudaria and brought her here. Faith didn't like it, didn't want it and truthfully, she didn't quite believe it. Yet everything had pointed towards it. Ellasin had procured these 'Venora resources' - a fleet of fifteen ships, troops, and resources in terms of wealth and equipment - and she had done it for the safe return of a member of the house. But more than anything, Faith believed that Ellasin had other plans, other thoughts. "I can feel it. She knows that fifteen ships isn't going to do it. Not in terms of this war," she said and Carter looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Those fifteen will add to another fifteen and become thirty, Faith," he reminded her and Faith turned to look at him.

"They will, " she said, softly, "But that isn't her goal here. I can feel it. She's spreading the plague. I bet you, they're all immune, but carriers." Faith looked at Carter and she raised an eyebrow. "Or something. It's something, I know it is." Carter had grown to trust the young woman, but she seemed to be making something of a logical leap here; Faith, however, was in full receipt of the facts and she knew - without doubt - that she was right. They needed to go to them, find the commander of the troops and what their orders were. Faith knew that she had to get to them. So, she and Carter had gone to the Eastern Territories and, from there, they were liaising with the first mate of one of the ships. Someone who owed Carter a favour, by all accounts. Faith didn't ask, she felt that she was probably better off not doing so.

But, they got to the meeting place - a nice and open area just on the outskirts of a small, but busy, village, and Faith stood next to Carter with a concerned expression on her face. "You're sure?" she asked, looked at him as she fretted. Carter smiled. "I know Jimmy," he said and his voice betrayed his fondness for the man in question. "He'll be here," Carter said. Faith nodded and kept her eyes open.

She didn't have long to wait as the man in question approached. Judging by his swagger and the way that - as he got closer - he surveyed them both, and the area, led Faith to a simple and inescapable conclusion. This man they were meeting was an arrogant one; beyond self-assured and tipping right in to arrogance with a cheery demeanour. He walked up to them and Faith could not help but give herself an internal, unseen shake at the thought that she wished he wasn't quite that tall.

Yes, she thought, as she looked at the man they were here to meet. The man with the swaggering gait and the self-confident smile as his eyes roamed over her from head to toe. She was quite prepared to dislike this fellow.

[Faith Augustin]

It was rare that Faith used her fame - or infamy, she supposed - in order to impress. She was still mostly perplexed as to how or why anyone had heard of her. But she also knew that she was - basically, famous. So, Faith smiled slightly and didn't say anything as Carter introduced her to Jimmy. The man in question did the slow appraisal of her, his eyes lingering on her far too long for anyone except his liking. Faith's gaze was unconcerned, though - if Padraig was here he'd be punching Jimmy in the face, she rather thought, but they needed this man. "Carter tells me you want us to disobey orders, follow you and go against what we've been trained to do?"

Faith looked at him and she gave a slight, just a slight, sigh. Damnit, but just standing here with him, she had his type clear. He was a womanizer, he was arrogant and her was very sure of himself. But, she reckoned, he had a level of morality. That was useful but she had been quite looking forward to disliking him, she thought with a smile. "On the contrary, I want you to follow the vows you've made to House Venora, and more than that, I want you to follow your training and he demands of your role." Jimmy looked at Faith and a broad grin spread across his face. He ignored her, turning to look at Carter.

"She's feisty, I like her. Shorter than I thought she'd be."

Faith raised one eyebrow and said nothing. Carter, too, did not speak and so there was a moment of silence between them. That was fine with Faith, silence was her preference and she got the feeling that Jimmy would be less keen on it. True enough, after less than half a bit, he spoke. "So, Faith Augustin. Healer, charity worker, chef too. My understanding is that you're a fanatic and a philanthropist, that right?" Faith smiled and nodded.

"Guilty as charged," she said. "to all of them. But that isn't all of me. You've heard the tales that I used to be a slave?" Jimmy nodded and just by his expression he obviously didn't believe those rumours. More than that, he expected her to tell him of their false nature, but he looked more than a little surprised when she continued to speak. "They're true. I was the slave of Tristan Venora, now the Duke of Oakleigh. He chose to set me free for the services I had given to the house. I was there when House Venora was fundamental in overthrowing the Qe'dreki rebellion. Tristan chose to send me as a sign of good faith to Elyna Burhan, as her slave. I smuggled in weapons and we got out. I was there when Tristan's play was attended by the king and there was an attack."

Jimmy frowned. He'd heard of all these things, all these happenings. This did not fit in to his view of the world, not at all. Faith continued, aware that she had him on the back foot. That was a good place for him to be, as far as she was concerned. "I need you to understand that what you've been told, about what's happening, is a lie. And it's one told to the detriment of House Venora. Francis - the housekeeper in Sabaissant?" Yes, Faith thought, Jimmy knew Francis. "He beat me because I spilled water. I did it on purpose, because I knew he'd also assign me to the night shift, and I needed to speak to my owner. Believe me, I have - and would - sacrifice for that particular Venora." Jimmy nodded his head. She was obviously not messing around and he looked at Carter. Whatever sort of unspoken communication passed between them, it seemed positive and so Jimmy made a gesture, opening his hands in front of him.

"Alright, then, Faith Augustin. Former slave and bundle of strong-headed. What are you saying, and what are you proposing?"

Faith grinned. "I'm going to go fast, Jimmy. I hope you can keep up."

Behind her, Carter chuckled.

[Faith Augustin]

"You're a bloody mad woman!"

Faith looked at Jimmy with a calm, almost serene expression on her face. She said nothing, just allowed him to vent. And in fairness, he did that rather splendidly. "I mean," he said, "for the majority of them, it'll make no difference, but for me? Are you serious?" Faith nodded her head. She was serious, yes. Very much so. "And you're actually capable of doing this?" Again, Faith nodded. "You're a scary witch, you are." There was no argument from her and Jimmy sighed. "You're not trying to talk sense into her?" That last one was directed to Carter, of course.

"Nope," Carter replied. "As a matter of fact, I think it's a good idea."

Faith looked between the two of them and she smiled. "I understand that you're having to put a lot of trust in me. In us. But the enemy we are facing, we need to be sneaky and clever." Carter put a hand on her shoulder in a brief gesture of support. "I know that you don't know me, Jimmy, but I really do have the best interests of Venora at heart." He nodded his head. He didn't want to believe her, that much was obvious, but he still did.

"Alright, then, Faith. Tell me what you want from me." Faith smiled at him and began to speak. He listened, carefully and he nodded. "I won't be able to remember any of this?"

Faith shook her head. "It's vital that you don't," she explained. He knew this, but she knew that he needed to hear it, too. "If you succeed, then you mustn't remember anything of why. You just need to have the seeds, and not be carriers of the plague." Jimmy nodded. "But, first, I need to check your blood." As he held his arm out, Faith could not help but smile at his low-volume grumbling. She liked him, it had to be said, and she knew that what she was asking him to do was more than a little bit dangerous. But, they both knew what they were facing. She examined his blood and she sighed. "You're carriers. I'm going to work on a more specific cure. CUrrently, the cure causes some side effects which I'm not happy with. So, I'm going to fix it."

Jimmy looked at her and nodded. "I should wait here?" Faith nodded.

"I'm going to try it now - I've done the initial testing and so on, and I know that time is of the essence. Don't worry, Jimmy. We'll look after you and your crew. I promise."

Faith had put together a tincture of Zapnip, ready to go. She had tested, and re-tested it, and she had just the consistency and amount she needed in proportion to the actual cure. It would bring about a wave of dizziness, she knew, but that meant only that it was working. She and Jess had both taken the cure - not that either of them were infected - but they were more able to deal with the effects. the way that she had it, the zapnip should, effectively, disable the connection which developed between the two people - almost like shocking it from them - and ironically it was her four-tailed electrified cat which had given her the idea. So now, while Carter and Jimmy talked through intelligence, exchanging rumours and information, Faith gave them both the tincture she had created.

If it was successful, it should work quickly. So, she waited to see.

!

Message from: Pig Boy

1. The tincture has the intended effect on the cure samples, at the cost of slight amnesia. Usually this is a short term attention span lapse in the milder cases of the plague sufferers. Those more far gone in the infection may suffer long-term retrograde amnesia, where they will often lose memories of relationships. It's unknown if the retrograde amnesia sufferers will recover their memories, but they seem to be able to retain most mental functions and operational memories that they had before falling ill. 2. However, everyone to whom the cure is administered will suffer a few days with diarrhea as the infected plague material is healed and purged from their system. Roughly 75% of sufferers who survive this process are found to possess immunity to the strain of plague that had previously infected them.

[Maltruism]

Come and get your Loot!

(There's plenty more where that came from)

FAITH AUGUSTIN:

XP Rewards: 10

These points can NOT be used for magic.

Skill-Knowledges:

• Persuasion: Reminding someone of their vows.
• Resistance: Sometimes, you need a cure to the side effects of the cure.
• Resistance: Being around plague carriers.
• Resistance: Giving yourself a cure you don't need to test it.
• Resistance: Zapnip
• Tactics: Ensure that you consider what someone might be up to.

Loot:

Nah, not a real loot-grab kind of thread

Loss/Injuries:

Nothing to speak of

Renown: 10

This will trickle down, for sure.
But most folks probably won't believe it at first.

Comments:

I like Jimmy. He may be a pig, but he's willing to stick his neck out with on nothing more than the word of am infamously "feisty" woman.
Uh oh, I wonder if these long-term sufferers will be extra vulnerable to unscrupulous Empaths convincing them of what are and are not their real memories.