The Conspiracy to Murder

Link to article: The Conspiracy to Murder.

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• :root {
    --header-title: "The Conspiracy to Murder ";
    --header-subtitle: "The Story of the Love between the Raven and the Crow";
    --lgurl: none;
    --accentColor: #e8abed;
    --headerColor: #be1ee6;
  }
  #page-title {
    display: none;
  }

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• text-align: right; margin-right: 2em; margin-top: -20px;

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• :scp-wiki:theme:ragnarok-theme [info]

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[[include :scp-wiki:theme:ragnarok-theme]]

[[module CSS]]
:root {
  --header-title: "The Conspiracy to Murder ";
  --header-subtitle: "The Story of the Love between the Raven and the Crow";
  --lgurl: none;
  --accentColor: #e8abed;
  --headerColor: #be1ee6;
}
#page-title {
  display: none;
}
[[/module]]
[[>]]
[[module Rate]]
[[/>]]
[[div style="text-align: right; margin-right: 2em; margin-top: -20px;"]]
by [[*user Einer von Rabe]]
and [[*user VapidPoem]]

[[/div]]

[[[scp-2106|She]]] flew over the landscape with two hundred wings. ##c248ac | She## gazed at the silhouettes below ##c248ac |her## with a hundred pairs of eyes. ##c248ac | She## has many consciousnesses, but they all form one spirit - ##c248ac |Her## spirit.

Many of ##c248ac |her## beaks open and emit a cry. A cry for help that becomes a cry of warning. ##c248ac | She## could almost feel the fear of the ground-bound fleeing the swarm. ##c248ac | She## is an omen of doom. ##c248ac | She## does not want to be this, but ##c248ac |she## understands. 

##c248ac | She## does not understand who ##c248ac |she## is now. It was different from when ##c248ac |she## was few. Is this the hereafter? Purgatory? Perhaps a punishment for something?

##c248ac | She## is scared. ##c248ac | She## is not frightened. ##c248acc248ac | She## is lost.

------

[[[scp-049|The doctor]]] gently dabs the wound with cotton wool. ##5e5ef2 |Her## black, ancient-looking face mask has something of a crow about it, which is not entirely at odds with the ##5e5ef2 | doctor's## aura. Like one of the winged scavengers, ##5e5ef2 |she## bends over the half-dead body of one of her patients, a young man with a high fever.

There is a barely perceptible trembling and hesitation in the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor's## movements. ##5e5ef2 |She## wants her research to succeed. They must. Helplessly, ##5e5ef2 |she## suppresses the panic that one false move or too high a dose of ##5e5ef2 |her## tincture would ruin all the effort. Ruin it, as it has done too often.

The eyes of ##5e5ef2 |her## patient's family stab into ##5e5ef2 |her## like rusty needles, as if they want the Doctor to fail. It's all paranoia, but the wariness towards the strange foreign ##5e5ef2 |woman## is real. The Doctor is aware of her ##5e5ef2 |her## eccentricity. Therefore, it must not fail. It **can't** fail.

------

##c248acc248ac | She## is carried high by a wind, almost so high that ##c248ac |she## could be above the clouds. The wind carries her across the wide blue of the Atlantic to the east.

##c248ac | She## feels the chill on thousands of feathers, but it is more like a gentle caress from a friend. ##c248ac | She## notices that she enjoys flying. A hundred wings beating to a song that only ##c248ac |she## perceives.

##c248ac | She## forgets the terror she brought with ##c248ac |her## mass, for up here ##c248ac |she## is alone with her thoughts.

##c248ac | She## thinks about what draws ##c248ac |her## to Europe. It is a feeling that ##c248ac |she## is missing something and that over there is that something. Perhaps it is the answer to what ##c248ac |she## is.

No matter what it is, ##c248ac |she## is filled with an immense anticipation and bliss for which ##c248ac |she## doesn't care what it can be. 

------

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor## limps wheezing down the country road. A road sign welcomes ##5e5ef2 | her## to the town of [*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitche Bitche]. A small cozy settlement along the Franco-German border.

##5e5ef2 | She## shivers from anger and frustration. ##5e5ef2 | She## was so close, so damn close to the solution, a cure.

##5e5ef2 | She## reaches the city boundary and follows the signs to the center. ##5e5ef2 | Her## mask hangs around ##5e5ef2 |her## neck. ##5e5ef2 |Her## outfit draws attention to ##5e5ef2 |her##, as is to be expected. ##5e5ef2 | She## pretends not to notice. Playing it down, as if ##5e5ef2 |she## is on her way to a live-action role-playing Renaissance fair, even though ##5e5ef2 |she## has no idea if there would actually be people like her walking around.

##5e5ef2 | She## maneuvers herself into a street restaurant and sinks into a chair. ##5e5ef2 |She## slides the suitcase between ##5e5ef2 |her## legs and puts ##5e5ef2 |her## skirt over it to conceal it a little.

A young waiter saunters up to ##5e5ef2 |her## and looks at ##5e5ef2 |her## questioningly. The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## taps one of the pictures with the juices, barely paying attention to what ##5e5ef2 |she## ordered.

Mere minutes after ordering the waiter returned with an Orangina Rouge, which made the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## hesitate for a moment, but in the end ##5e5ef2 |she## decides that ##5e5ef2 |she## could try something new. ##5e5ef2 |She## sucked on the straw and pulled a snout. Much too sweet and sour.

------

##c248ac | She## crosses the border from the long and peaceful Atlantic to the coasts of Spain. ##c248ac |She## flies over the land, over the rivers, over the deserts, over the mountains.

As ##c248ac |she## looks down ##c248ac |she## sees the people, once again terrified of ##c248ac |her## mere shadow. ##c248ac | She## sighs as ##c248ac |her## peace over the sea is gone.

The screams start to fade as ##c248ac |she## flies through the land, over the towering Pyrenees toward the voice that seems to sound like what ##c248ac |she## longed for.

As ##c248ac |she## got closer ##c248ac |she## heard the beautiful song. As soon as ##c248ac |she## heard it her mind forgot any stress or panic from those who judged ##c248ac |her##. ##c248ac |She## tried to fly faster, and as the sound got louder ##c248ac |she## knew ##c248ac |she## was getting closer.

------

The sting of failure from ##5e5ef2 |her## earlier patient cuts deep. ##5e5ef2 |She## was only one step away from saving the patient. **One** damn step. ##5e5ef2 |She## is sure of it! 

##5e5ef2 | She## had devoted ##5e5ef2 |her## life to finding a cure for it only to fail patient after patient as ##5e5ef2 |she## roamed through Europe trying to save as many lives as ##5e5ef2 |she## could. 

##5e5ef2 | She## drank deep into the night trying to think of what went wrong. Drinking ##5e5ef2 |her## angers and sorrows away. 

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor## eventually leaves the tavern, leaving a few notes to pay for the sour drink as ##5e5ef2 |she## wandered down the streets of the town 'till ##5e5ef2 |she## finally spotted a hotel. The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## goes in and rents a room for the night, although ##5e5ef2 |she## couldn't get much sleep. It is still bothering her as to what could possibly be wrong with her cure after all of these centuries. 

Early in the morning. ##5e5ef2 |she## departs to wander through the misty streets of the town.

------

As ##c248ac |she## flew through the night ##c248ac |she## couldn't help but feel the calm wash over her as the people below went to sleep and ##c248ac |she## was once again left alone in the sky with nothing but ##c248ac |her## thoughts. 

But as ##c248ac |she## soared through the sky ##c248ac |she## heard a lone cry replacing the wonderful music with the sorrowful crying. ##c248ac |Her## hundreds of wings work in unison to race towards the source and comfort the voice whose pain sounded all too familiar.

As the sun started to rise ##c248ac |she## found the source of the sound was within a small village, though it was covered in a thick mist. ##c248ac |She## began to descend and fly low throughout the town. 

Then ##c248ac |she## saw ##5e5ef2 |her##. They looked much the same but yet so different. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## was walking over the stone paths and ##5e5ef2 | she## could tell that the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## was the source of the pained cries. 

------

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor## had been lost in ##5e5ef2 |her## thoughts a short time ago, but now ##5e5ef2 |she## was examining the ##c248ac |conspiracy of ravens## that had appeared in the sky. ##5e5ef2 |She## had had a very brief encounter with these fascinating birds. When under the cover of night during wars ##5e5ef2 |she## would scavenge the corpses of the deceased from war fields and mass graves. Not exactly an activity ##5e5ef2 |she## was proud of, but one ##5e5ef2 |she## deemed a justifiable evil as it helped ##5e5ef2 |her## in ##5e5ef2 |her## quest.

##5e5ef2 | She## shielded ##5e5ef2 |her## eyes from the mid-morning sun as ##5e5ef2 |she## had taken off ##5e5ef2 |her## hat.

The size of the swarm is unusual and concerning, and as far as ##5e5ef2 |she## can tell, the individual animals are also more bulky. One of the largest almost reached the wingspan of an eagle.

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor## dabbled only peripherally in ornithology, but the ##c248ac |conspiracy's## flight pattern was very noticeably focused. 

##5e5ef2 | She## takes a look around for a possible reason. There is no one to be seen around for miles. No farms, no food laying about, no corpses. Only ##5e5ef2 |her##.

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor## grabs ##5e5ef2 |her## suitcase and clutches ##5e5ef2 |her## hat to ##5e5ef2 |her## head before ##5e5ef2 |she## starts to sprint. The shrieking of the ravens grows louder as the flock descends.


@@ @@

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor's## steps become heavier until ##5e5ef2 |she## has to come to a stop, gasping heavily. ##5e5ef2 |She## is so drained that ##5e5ef2 |her## breath only comes out of ##5e5ef2 |her## mouth in wheezes.

##5e5ef2 |She## had not managed to shake off the ravens, but some distance lay between them.

------

##c248ac | The Raven## saw the poor ##5e5ef2 |Crow## running through the stone brick streets of the small town, struggling to keep ##5e5ef2 |her## suitcase in ##5e5ef2 |her## hands and  ##5e5ef2 |her## hat on ##5e5ef2 |her## head.

##c248ac | She## descended and attempted to come closer to the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## to provide comfort. ##c248ac | She## couldn't afford to let another soul experience the same pain and longing ##c248ac | she## had always felt. Not while being so close to helping them.

After what seemed like an eternity the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## finally slowed until reaching a halt. Though the distance was great the ##c248ac |Raven## easily glided over the path towards the ##5e5ef2 |Crow##.

As ##c248ac | the Raven## moved to the sole ##5e5ef2 |Crow## ##c248ac |she## began to unite ##c248ac |her## form into that of a human. With a tall figure that easily towers over the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## in front of ##c248ac |her##. 

------

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor## realized the ravens were still chasing ##5e5ef2 |her##, and after mere seconds the distance had closed. With a dash, the ##5e5ef2 | Doctor## ran further throughout the town. As the mist cleared the small rays of sun were blocked by clouds, which cried the first tears of rain.

##5e5ef2 | The Doctor## dashed for any cover ##5e5ef2 |she## found that most doors were closed. Likely trying to shun ##5e5ef2 |her## and leave ##5e5ef2 |her## to ##5e5ef2 |her## fate with the ##c248ac |conspiracy##. Eventually ##5e5ef2 | the Doctor## came across a bridge outside the city, hiding under it as ##5e5ef2 |she## tried to seek shelter.

Alas, ##5e5ef2 | the Doctor## tripped over a cobblestone and by then was too exhausted to try to catch  ##5e5ef2 |herself##. ##5e5ef2 | She## almost expects the ravens to swoop down on  ##5e5ef2 |her##.

But ##5e5ef2 | she## didn't feel the hard stone floor.

##5e5ef2 | She## feels ##5e5ef2 |herself## being raised up and a large, warm, black mass enveloped her. Feathers rustled and a soft and gently raspy voice whispered, "Do not fear. ##c248ac |I## have found ##5e5ef2 | you##, Beloved."

------

It had recently started pouring out of buckets, so the ##5e5ef2 | doctor## had to take shelter in a barn. ##5e5ef2 | She## is shivering now in a pile of straw on a higher floor because ##5e5ef2 | she## is completely soaked to the bone.

The strange bird creature takes one last look outside, closes the gate, and rustlingly steps towards ##5e5ef2 |her##. The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## perceives the creature's appearance for the first time. The body is covered in blue-black feathers and is similar to that of a human, although much larger. On its shoulders sits a head with a woman's face framed by brown curls that stand out in a strange way against the black. The little bit of skin that can be seen was tanned.

With one of her hands, the ##c248ac |Raven## caresses ##5e5ef2 |her## forehead. "Oh, you're all icy. Come now, get into new clothes or you'll catch a cold."

The ##c248ac |Raven## notices the doctor's displeasure, and tries to reassure her ##5e5ef2 |her##. "Don't worry, is not going to judge you, Darling.“, ##c248ac |she## teases in broken French.

After coaxing ##c248ac |her## "patient" to change into a beige linen dress they found hanging in the barn, ##c248ac |she## drapes a military wool blanket over the ##5e5ef2 |doctor##, which ##c248ac |she## had found in a crate, and snuggles up to ##5e5ef2 |her## in the straw.

The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## does not dare to fight back, but recognizes that the mysterious ##c248ac |monster## is //more// than affable of ##5e5ef2 |her##. Nevertheless, ##5e5ef2 | she## is embarrassed to lay cuddled up together with ##c248ac |her ## in a stranger's barn trying to get warm.

##5e5ef2 |Her## eyes close and ##5e5ef2 | she## drifts off into a deep sleep.
------

 ##af6efa| They## both awake nearly in unison with each other. By then the sun had started to shift into night. ##af6efa| They## both got dressed and left for the town, although the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## seems annoyed at the ##c248ac|monster's## presence. 

"Why are ##c248ac|you## following ##5e5ef2 |me##?" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## asked the presence behind ##5e5ef2 |her##. Instead of answering, the ##c248ac|monster## simply giggled and continued to walk behind ##5e5ef2 |her##.

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## sighed, and walked into the town, searching for a patient. After hours of searching through the night, she found a tiny house buried deep in the countryside with her patient inside. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## walked into the house finding an elderly man lying on a bed. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## could sense that the man was obviously sick with the ##silver|pestilence##. As the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## tried to work on curing the man, the ##c248ac|monster## periodically arrived with gifts of cloth, candles, and medicine from the town. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## nodded in gratitude and proceeded with the operation to save the poor man from the ##silver|pestilence##.

As the hours ticked by and the night grew darker the ##5e5ef2 |Crow's## work seemed to be coming closer and closer to a final success! The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## came ever so close to finally perfecting ##5e5ef2 |her## cure, only for it to fail at the last second. The patient succumbed to the ##silver|pestilence## right before ##5e5ef2 |her## operation could save him. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## let out a scream in frustration that could be heard across the entire countryside. As the sting of failure washed over ##5e5ef2 |her##. ##5e5ef2 |she## felt a warm ##c248ac|presence## comfort her. A hug from the ##c248ac|monster## behind ##5e5ef2 |her##. As the ##af6efa| two## left the house the sun began to rise. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## and the ##c248ac|Raven## left in somber while going to the city.

------

People discreetly tried to avoid the ##af6efa| pair## as they were walking, not infrequently making signs of the cross. Mothers had already called their children back before ##af6efa|they## even came by.

The ##c248acc248ac |Raven## did not seem to care, as ##c248ac |she## happily kept walking behind the ##5e5ef2 |Crow##, occasionally plucking a flower from a window ledge and placing it in the ##5e5ef2 |Crow##'s hair and ##5e5ef2 |her## hat. By the time they were done a bonnet of flowers decorated ##5e5ef2 |her## hair.

The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor##, on the other hand, has some difficulty in carrying out her activities, such as buying provisions and utensils and concentrating on finding possible victims of the ##silver|pestilence##.

@@ @@

The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## sits down on one of the benches that have been placed on a hill. All the walking had made ##5e5ef2 |her## tired.

The ##c248ac |Raven## hardly seems tired and hums a melody.

"I'm so glad ##5e5ef2 |you're## finally having a rest. All that doctoring around looks very draining," ##c248ac |she## says, "Here, have something to eat. ##5e5ef2 |You## look very pale."

The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## looks at the thing the ##c248ac|monster## is holding out to ##5e5ef2 |her##, which ##c248ac|she## had apparently pulled out of the folds of ##c248ac|her## plumage. It was a round and juicy apple.

"Where did you get it?"

"A child gifted it to me."

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## eyes the ##c248ac |Raven## skeptically, which makes her look sheepish, but ##5e5ef2 |she## accepts the fruit.  ##5e5ef2 |She## retrieves a knife from ##5e5ef2 |her## pocket and cuts the apple into thin slices. ##5e5ef2 |She## hands one half to ##5e5ef2 |her## friend.

"Here, let's ##af6efa|share## it."

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## smiles and so does the ##c248ac |Raven##.

------

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## drags herself along the country road towards the border of the Republic. ##5e5ef2 |She## is worn out and ##5e5ef2 |her## clothes are soaked with sweat and filth from working all day in the battle against the pestilence.

"'Darling. ##5e5ef2 |You## are straining yourself. Let ##c248ac |me## help ##5e5ef2 |you##"

"Help comes too late. All are dead" the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## mumbles, barely audible and delirious. Then ##5e5ef2 |she## slumps down.

The ##c248ac |Raven## takes ##5e5ef2 |her## to the wayside and dabs the sweat from ##c248ac |her## friend's forehead.

"Let me help ##5e5ef2 |you##," ##c248ac |she## repeats, "Climb on my back."

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## is too weak to even put up any resistance. As soon as ##5e5ef2 |she## had found a place on the back, ##5e5ef2 |her## friend said: "Hold on tight now“.

With a cracking and rustling sound, the ##c248ac |Raven## takes on ##c248ac |her## other form and opens ##c248ac |her## wings, now larger and one pair instead of hundreds.

"Wha-wha-what?" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow##  could barely manage to stammer before the ##af6efa| two## of them flew towards the sky.

------

As the ##af6efa| two## soared among the clouds ##af6efa| they## stared at the world beneath them. Seemingly so peaceful, although the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## knew all too well about the dangers the world faced. That is why ##5e5ef2 |she## had to cure the poor suffering souls beneath her.

As ##af6efa| they## descended, the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## was confused to find them at a different location than the farm the two had slept within. "Where have you taken me? What are you doing?" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## asked, but the ##c248ac |Raven## simply giggled and let the two down at a small cafe. "##c248ac |I## am taking ##5e5ef2 |you## on a date. ##5e5ef2 |You## need a break, you have worked too long and too hard without rest." ##c248ac | she## said as ##c248ac | she## orders two coffees for both of them.

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## sheepishly orders a bowl of bread from the waitress for the two to split and sink back against her chair. "Fine. But only for a few minutes, ##5e5ef2 |I## need to focus on the cure." The ##c248ac |Raven## laughs. "##5e5ef2 |You## need to spend at least 30 minutes relaxing. It will work wonders! You are a doctor you should know this!" 

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## grits her teeth and accepts the "date" the ##c248ac |Raven## has decided to take her on. As the waitress comes back with their basket and coffee while she takes out her notebook and a pen and asks, "Anything else I can get you ##af6efa|two##?" The ##c248ac |Raven## speaks up first, "I'll take a French onion soup and a bottle of red wine." The waitress nods and turns to look at the ##5e5ef2 |Crow##. "I'll just have the same soup." The waitress nods and walks back to the kitchen, returning a few moments later with two glasses and a bottle of red wine. The ##c248ac |Raven## pours herself a glass and takes a few sips. 

@@ @@

After 10 minutes the waitress walked out with steaming hot bowls of soup that looked enough to make ##af6efa|their## mouths water. The cheese looked perfectly browned and the scent was almost intoxicating. The ##c248ac |Raven## quickly tried to dig in but realized her mistake all too late as the food almost burnt her tongue. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## giggled and handed her her cup of water to cool it down. "Perhaps it may be smart to wait a few seconds~". The ##c248ac |Raven## laughs at herself, 

"Perhaps."  

After ##af6efa|their## food cools down at least slightly the ##643b94|two## dig in, enjoying every bite. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## notices the ##c248ac |Raven## is getting rather tipsy, and so 
##5e5ef2 |she## tries to set a hand down on ##c248ac |hers##, "Perhaps ##af6efa|we## should go home. It is rather late~" The ##c248ac |Raven## sighs but accepts. "Okaaaaaay..... Buuuuuuuuut you should drink some of this." She held up the bottle, half of the wine still remaining. "We don't want it to go to waste!" the ##c248ac |Raven## drunkenly laughed and put the bottle in ##5e5ef2 |her## hand before leaning against her shoulder. 

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## struggles to keep the ##c248ac |Raven## up but obliges and takes a small sip. She is surprised as her last drink from the town left her with a sour and bitter flavor. But in contrast, the new drink left her with a feeling of warm happiness. As her small tastes turn into more sips the feeling inside her only gets warmer and warmer, until the ##af6efa|two## are frolicking through the streets, In that moment they couldn't care less about what anyone thought or said about them. Not even the waitress yelling at them that silver coins were not a valid currency and they still needed to pay could distract the ##af6efa|two##.

Before ##5e5ef2 |she## knew it, the rest of the bottle was gone and the ##af6efa|two## were drunk on the street in each other's clutches. With it now dark in the night the ##c248ac |Raven## perhaps out of drunkenness begins to extend her hundreds of wings again, scooping up the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## in ##c248ac |her## arms as ##af6efa|they## fly high into the refreshing night air. 

------

"My skull hurts so much …" the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## whines, "What possessed me to get drunk …?"

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"No, ##5e5ef2 |I## can guess. Why don't you have a hangover?"

##5e5ef2 |Her## friend points to a clump of corvids. Some are holding onto branches from a bush while lying on their backs on the ground. Others rolled down a slope. But the majority are lying on top of a big hill.

"'Neat trick'"

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## rummages in ##5e5ef2 |her## bag and takes out an ointment, which ##5e5ef2 |she## smears all over ##5e5ef2 |her## face. The ##c248ac |Raven## watches ##5e5ef2 |her## with wonder. "//Papaver Somniferum// ointment," the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## explained. "Where are we, anyway?"

"An excellent question." The ##c248ac |Raven## replies. "No idea."

------

The odd ##af6efa|couple## had been walking on a mountainside path for about an hour and a half. However stunning the scenery, it doesn't change the fact that ##af6efa|they## are helpless to figure out where ##af6efa|they## found themselves again after a hazy night.

"##5e5ef2 |I'm## never going on a date with ##c248ac |you## again."

"Oh come on, don't be so mean, Darling. ##5e5ef2 |You## clearly enjoyed last night."

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## grumbles something before kneeling down and studying the herbarium. "The plants here are rather astonishing. We are near the Alps, but none of them fit my collection"

The ##c248ac |Raven## crouches down next to ##5e5ef2 |her## and looks over ##5e5ef2 |her## shoulder. "Nice collection. ##5e5ef2 |You## really are a little nerd"

"##5e5ef2 |I'm## a doctor, what did ##c248ac |you## expect?"

"Touché"

The ##c248ac |Raven## gives the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## a shove against the shoulder. "##c248ac |I##  could be wrong, but is that a signpost there?"

"It certainly wasn't there ten minutes ago."

------

The ##af6efa|couple## had followed the path and saw a town in the distance. According to the signpost, ##af6efa|they## seem to be on their way to [*/locations-of-interest#sjhlfels Sjhlfels am Rhein].

The farmhouses that can be seen from the gravel road have an interesting mix of Swiss and Dutch-Belgian architecture, which were not infrequently found on hilltops. The majority of the grazing animals are familiar species such as cows, sheep, and goats, but occasionally there were creatures that neither the ##c248ac |Raven## nor the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## could give a name to.

@@ @@

The city limits are bordered by a dry stone wall on which children of different cultures frolic with their pets. A small tollhouse stands at the gate, but the man inside waves the ##af6efa|two## of them through with a big smile. Perplexing ##af6efa|them## as the guard took no toll.

"That was quick," remarks the ##5e5ef2 |Crow##, "##af6efa|We## must have wandered around for an hour and now ##af6efa|we're## standing in a city."

Then ##5e5ef2 |she## notices how much the ##c248ac |Raven## has fallen into amazement. 

In fact, Sjhlfels has a very peculiar aura: the houses with flats and shops have a style all their own, where you can see the original cultures, not only from Central Europe and ordinary cultures. Next to a terraced brick house, there could be a twisting tower of glass and steel.  There is also no homogeneous clothing culture: linen shirts, hanbok, cowls, silk scarves, and much more were found. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## is sure that some people even wore leather garments with fringes that moved of their own accord. On the streets, Humans, Dwarves, and Albae walked alongside people with visible electronic implants and deformations and animal beings straight out of a fable.

Even the geography is uncommon. Despite the clearly visible Alps, a wind blew sea air from the north through a fine mist. Bridges crossed small channels at regular intervals.

It seemed as if a child, out of sheer enthusiasm, had built a city out of all the favorite sights from the holiday destinations they had visited, mixing reality with legends.

The ##c248ac |Raven## and the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## are now sitting in a café, blown away by it all.
------

The ##af6efa|couple## looked over the menu given to them. Many of the items on it looked familiar enough, such as bread, milk, salads, and cake. But as they looked around much of the food the other restaurant-goers were eating seemed alien. Yellow-skinned fruits with green flesh, purple potatoes and carrots, and mushrooms whose skin seemed to be the same color as that of deep space.

The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## seems less enthusiastic, though the ##c248ac |Raven## seems almost over the moon. "##5e5ef2 |I## take it ##c248ac |you## want to try some local cuisine?" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## asks. "How many chances would ##643b94|we## ever have to eat something like this again?" The ##c248ac |Raven## responds, the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## laughs a bit, "Okay. What do ##c248ac |you## want us to get?" The ##c248ac |Raven## studies the menu and finds something that seems interesting. "How about the seasonal berry bowl?" "That sounds wonderful." The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## smiles, enjoying their second date.

Less than a minute after they order a waiter comes and gives them a massive bowl of assorted berries and fruits. Some are normal, such as blueberries, strawberries, banana slices, and grapes. But others neither have ever even seen before. Such as tiny red berries that made them laugh while eating, small berries that seemed to have constellations within, and what seemed like small lemons though the lemons were sweet instead of tart. 

After their short lunch the two leave to go walking through the town, though interestingly as they walk the town continues to shift around ##af6efa|them## in a near-endless expanse. Whenever ##af6efa|they## went to turn back, the space behind them seemed to transform into a completely different part of town. Despite this, the ##af6efa|two## do not worry as Sjhlfels was so far a wonderful place. Out of nowhere, the ##c248ac |Raven## grabs the ##5e5ef2 |Crow's## hand and runs to a tiny store, giddy to go window shopping in the new town. As the ##af6efa|two## walk inside they see a small selection of trinkets and dresses. After a bit of window shopping the ##c248ac |Raven## heads for the door, though the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## stops for a second to buy a metallic ball as a gift for ##c248ac |her##.

------

As the ##af6efa|couple## stepped outside, the landscape shifted again to being in the middle of a campsite in the woods. As the ##c248ac |Raven## walks ahead the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## tries to catch up while almost tripping in ##5e5ef2 |her## dress. "Hey! Wait up!" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## pants as the ##c248ac |Raven## slows down to let ##5e5ef2 |her## catch up. As the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## catches ##5e5ef2 |her## breath, she holds up the metal sphere. "##5e5ef2 |I##. Got. Something. For. ##c248ac |You.##"  ##5e5ef2 |She## sputters out in between pants. 

The ##c248ac |Raven## grabs the sphere and wraps the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## in a hug. "Awww. Thank you!" The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## blushes until the ##c248ac |Raven## lets go and starts to toy with the ball until finally finding a button on it which she presses. The ball instantly starts to transform and shift into a copper-colored butterfly that flaps its wings. At first, its wings move slowly until the beating shakes the copper automaton. Finally, its wings begin to lift it up as the butterfly hovers off of ##c248ac |her## hands. While the ##af6efa|two## admire the creation, it flies towards the woods and zips across a forest trail. The ##c248ac |Raven## snatches the ##5e5ef2 |Crow's## arm and pursues the butterfly. "Come on! After it!".

The ##af6efa|pair## tries to catch up with the butterfly, but it continues off of the stone path along a strong river with magnificent fish skidding along the surface until they reach a hill that the butterfly flies to the top of. The ##af6efa|two## quickly make chase up the side of the hill, though what seems like a small hill at first quickly transforms into a mountain as ##af6efa|they## can never quite get closer to the peak. When ##af6efa|they## finally reach the platform that the butterfly is on, it beats its wings again and flutters across the sign of the mountain. "Why won't you stay put!?" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## exclaims. "Well, at least it is waiting for us before it goes further." The ##c248ac |Raven## teases with a slight laugh.

After what felt like hours of chasing, the ##af6efa|two## finally manage to find it stuck in a bush. "HAH! Not able to run away now are you?" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## says elatedly. The ##c248ac |Raven## walks up and grabs the butterfly pressing a button nestled betwixt its wings, turning it off. ##af6efa|They## sit down in the shade of the trees overlooking a massive valley needing a break to catch their breath. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## lays down on the ##c248ac |Raven's## lap, taking a short nap while the ##c248ac |Raven## looks and the beautiful valley in front of her. 

When the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## finally wakes, she lets out a yawn before looking around. "How long was ##5e5ef2 |I## out?" she asks. "Only for a few hours." The ##c248ac |Raven## replies, standing up. "You know, the plants here are unlike any others I've ever seen. At least not in any botanical books I have read. I wonder if they could have any medical use." The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## states, placing several samples of the herbs in vials. "Wow. ##5e5ef2 |You## of all people believe in pseudoscience?" the ##c248ac |Raven## teases. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## sighs, "##c248ac |You## do know that many herbs do have accepted medical use? Right?" The ##c248ac |Raven## laughs a bit. "Yeah yeah whatever." ##c248ac |She## stares at the sunset, realizing it is getting rather late. "I think we should start heading back now. Come on.". ##c248ac |She## grabs her butterfly and scoops up the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## in her arms as hundreds of wings emerge from ##c248ac |her## back flying the ##af6efa||two## away from the shifting valley, back into the French countryside.

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The ##af6efa|couple## made their way to a small settlement of a few thousand named Langres in eastern France. With it in the dead of the night, the ##af6efa|two## booked a hotel room to share until morning. The tired clerk stares at them for a second, pondering if a demon made out of hundreds of birds and a woman in medieval cosplay just flew from the sky to book a room. "Hello sir! ##af6efa|We## would like a room for one please." The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## requests. The clerk nods and gives them a room key before guiding them to ##af6efa|their## room.

As ##af6efa|they## dress down and prepare to sleep, the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## sits down at a desk and studies the samples she took from Sjhlfels am Rein. ##5e5ef2 |She## stays awake for several hours analyzing each minute detail of the herbs, until with confidence she mixes them together with other medicine from her suitcase to create a new experimental antibody. In the meanwhile, the ##c248ac |Raven## was sitting on a chair watching TV channels until the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## got up, done with ##5e5ef2 |her## work. "So, what did ##5e5ef2 |you## make?" the ##c248ac |Raven## asks, curious. "##5e5ef2 |I## made a medicine from the herbs. With this, ##5e5ef2 |I## will finally cure the pestilence!" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## stated, determined to make her centuries of work finally pay off. The ##c248ac |Raven## and ##5e5ef2 |Crow## turn off the lights and tuck into their bed, closing their eyes and cuddling next to each other after the long and tiring day. Eventually, ##af6efa|both## falling asleep.

------

The ##af6efa|couple## woke up deep into the morning, both exhausted from the day before. As the ##c248ac |Raven## got up and stretched with a yawn ##c248ac |she## looked over at the little metal butterfly on the nightstand beside her. A little souvenir of the hike the day prior. ##c248ac |She## looked over and saw the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## already awake, in full medical gear. "Did ##5e5ef2 |you## get any sleep last night?" "Why would ##5e5ef2 |I## need sleep when I am so close to finishing ##5e5ef2 |my## life's work?" the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## replies. "Besides, ##5e5ef2 |I## got a few hours. That is all that ##5e5ef2 |I## need for the day."

The ##c248ac |Raven## sighs but does not protest further. ##c248ac |She## knows that ##5e5ef2 |her## best day is mere hours away from happening. ##c248ac |She## gets dressed and packs the few things she had. "Well? Are ##5e5ef2 |you## ready to go out?" the ##c248ac |Raven## inquires, and the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## nods. Walking out the door, going towards the busy streets.

The ##af6efa|pair## venture through the town looking for any patient desperately in need of a cure. Of course, everyone that passed ##af6efa|them## had some extent of the disease, but ##5e5ef2 |she## couldn't risk another person falling to the ##silver|pestilence## within the town as she was curing mostly healthy victims. But alas, ##af6efa|they## couldn't find a patient within the end of the day. As the night overcomes the daylight the ##af6efa|two## began to walk back through the streets which by then had lost much of their business. The ##c248ac |Raven## witnesses an elderly man walking through the streets, coughing. ##c248ac |She## tugs at ##5e5ef2 |her## sleeve and points towards the man. ##5e5ef2 |She## immediately knows that the man is suffering from an advanced case of the ##silver|pestilence## and likely has mere hours left to live. 

##af6efa|Both## of them quickly got the the man's sides and helped carry him to a small abandoned hut along the outskirts of the city. ##af6efa|They## set him down on a table and began to examine him. The ##5e5ef2 |Crow## had to focus all of ##5e5ef2 |her## effort on being a ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## to save the man's life. 

The ##silver|pestilence## is not akin to other diseases such as the flu, the cold, or even cancer as it is instead a connection to a malignant entity that has been plotting a horrific fate for the human race for millennia. The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## had been trying for centuries to find a way to sever this connection to save ##5e5ef2 |her## patients, but alas the entity seemed to cause them to die every single time the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## got close to saving them. But this time would be different. ##5e5ef2 |She## knew it would be. But ##5e5ef2 |she## still hesitated, worried that she might not even be able to cure ##5e5ef2 |her## patient even with the new medicine. Though all doubt stopped when ##5e5ef2 |she## felt a ##c248ac |hand## go on ##5e5ef2 |her## shoulder. "##5e5ef2 |You## got this. ##5e5ef2 |You## can do this!". The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## nodded and began to prepare to save the man.

------

The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## placed a wet towel on the man's head to help with his fever. ##5e5ef2 |She## took off the man's shirt and quickly shaved a small square on the elderly man's chest. As the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## was sanitizing his chest area ##5e5ef2 |she## gave the elderly man a tonic from within ##5e5ef2 |her## suitcase in order to let the man sleep through the surgery and feel no pain. As he went to bed, the ##c248ac |Raven## lit many candles around the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## so she would have plenty of light. ##5e5ef2 |She## smiled and put on ##5e5ef2 |her## mask, in the shape of a medieval plague doctor's outfit. A callback from a bygone era for which ##5e5ef2 |her## quest to cure the ##silver|pestilence## began. ##5e5ef2 |She## gathered ##5e5ef2 |her## breath and lowered her medical tools, preparing to make the first incision.

As the hours tick by the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## gets closer and closer to curing the man. The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## prepares and makes the last necessary incisions before closing the openings and stitching the wounds back together. ##5e5ef2 |She## holds her breath as she gives the man the vial of the herbal mix ##5e5ef2 |she## had gathered from the valley and gently allows him to wake up from the surgery on his own over the next few hours.

As he finally awoke several hours later, the ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## walked up and examined the man. She looked into his eyes for any trace of the evil entity that had possessed oh so much of humanity but couldn't see anything. Even just a few hours after surgery the man was already showing signs of recovery. ##5e5ef2 |She## began to jump up giddily, taking off ##5e5ef2 |her## mask and hugging the ##c248ac |Raven## closely. "##af6efa|We## did it!" The ##5e5ef2 |Doctor## exclaimed. ##5e5ef2 |She## laughed, knowing her cure had been a success after all of these years. As the night progressed into day, the ##643b94|two## helped the elderly man make it back to his family. Finally having been cured of the pestilence. 

##af6efa|They## left the man's house, the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## looking at the ##c248ac |woman## in front of ##5e5ef2 |her##. Perhaps overexcited from finally creating the cure, the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## leans in and gives ##c248ac |her## a kiss on the mouth. For which, ##c248ac |she## responds in kind. After minutes of making out, the ##5e5ef2 |Crow## pauses and stares into ##c248ac |her## eyes. "##c248ac |You## know, ##5e5ef2 |I## used up most of my herbs creating the medicine for the man. Perhaps ##af6efa|we## should go back to the valley to gather more?" "Well... In case you forgot, ##af6efa|we## only found those herbs after getting drunk on a date." the ##c248ac |Raven## stated, looking lovingly at the ##5e5ef2 |Crow##. "Well then. I guess ##af6efa|we## have no choice but to go on another date~ maybe tonight?" The ##c248ac |Raven## giggles at the suggestion. "It's a date."

As the ##af6efa|lovebirds## embrace each other again, ##af6efa|they## walk to a restaurant, having almost everything ##af6efa|they## could want. Ready to save the world from ##silver|pestilence##, ##af6efa|together##.