"Jiggz, let's go help the injured, come on!"
Mira, who had seemed tired earlier, now ran ahead while holding her new creature.
Fay smiled at the sight and joined her.
They were already tending to a patient they had tried to cure before but couldn't finish due to running out of aether.
That patient was now being watched over by another catfolk—one of those who had been saved earlier.
After being healed the first time, many of them developed an immunity to the plague, allowing them to stay and assist the others.
Fortunately, those early patients had included several medics and healers who were the first to come in contact with the infected.
They had been among the most difficult for Mira to treat, as that wave of patients came in dozens.
Now, however, just like Mira, they had creatures that could mildly assist them—though none were as effective as Mira and Jiggz.
Fay stood off to the side, watching his sister work on another patient.
She was hardly professional—twirling in place as if the act itself would help Jiggz produce healing magic.
Oddly enough, the slime had adopted her behavior, wobbling in rhythm with her spins.
But in the end, it worked.
And no one—not even the patients—complained. After all, how could they, when a small child was the one treating them?
Besides, if anyone did get too fussy, a large hyena could be called over to "correct" their attitude.
Fay sighed, thinking about the next few days and wondering where he would end up.
He hoped things would settle down enough that he could go out and fight again.
He missed hunting—especially now that he had gained so many new skills and a broad repertoire of spells.
The boy truly longed for action, tired of sitting around as an assistant.
Everything was going well—until someone entered carrying a girl.
It was Chief Nahrin, and in his arms was Horin, groaning in pain.
Her skin was blistered—those were the first signs of the plague.
Fay, who had been leaning against a wall lost in thought, straightened instantly and stepped forward.
Without hesitation, he gave the chief instructions on where to place her and rushed into overdrive, gathering everything he needed to begin treatment.
It was mostly towels, water, and a few vials produced by the Eluwyn as healing agents.
Some of them needed to be taken seriously, especially the ones used to reduce fever.
Those had to be administered first.
Fay brought over the red, clear liquid to the girl, who was caught in the throes of a high fever.
"Here, give her this, Chief. And I brought one for you as well. It won't be long before you feel it too—and the earlier you take it, the less you'll suffer."
The large sabertooth took the vial seriously.
He sipped his own as if testing the taste, then gently lifted his daughter's head and helped her drink.
Fay stood tense beside them.
He wanted to do more, but Mira was still busy healing others.
So instead, he looked around and spotted another healer approaching quickly—one who had heard the chief's daughter was in need.
She was a well-known friend of the catgirl.
"Chief, I'll need to tend to her," the woman said. "We have to change her out of those wet clothes and clean her properly, or the blisters will keep spreading. You two, take her to the women's tent. Fay, once Mira's done with her current patients, bring her over. I'll do my best in the meantime."
Her name was Zahri, and Fay didn't question her authority.
While the chief carried his daughter, Fay grabbed the needed supplies and medication.
They gently laid Horin down on one of the cots used for female patients.
Afterward, the two stepped out, leaving Zahri to her work.
Fay glanced up at the mighty sabertooth warrior, who now looked utterly defeated.
"Fay… please help her," Nahrin said quietly. "If this disease takes root in me too, I won't be able to be with her. So do what I cannot. I'll try to fight it off… as long as I can."
Fay nodded and led him to a rest area—one meant for early-stage patients who still had strength left. There, the sick were made to eat foul but nutritious food to aid recovery.
The boy sighed. Seeing the proud chief reduced to this state hurt more than he expected.
But there was no time to dwell on it—Mira would need his help again soon.
He rushed back to her side just as she finished tending to another patient, an Eluwyn suffering a renewed fever.
The woman looked flushed, and in cases like that, more nurses were needed to manage the symptoms.
"How are you doing, Mira? Need more aether?"
Even though she wasn't the one doing the healing directly, her creature Jiggz was feeding off her aether.
She was the battery behind it all.
"Need more power, Fayfay… please," she mumbled, her face pale but focused.
Her words, heavy with exhaustion, filled Fay with a flicker of anxiety—but he was there, and he still had plenty of aether to spare… at least for now.
"Alright, heal her first. Because after this, we need to help someone important for you. Horin is sick—she needs your help, okay?"
He saw her eyes widen with worry and fear, but he gently placed a hand on her back to reassure her.
"You'll be able to do it. I know you will. So relax and take it slow, Mira. We'll help them all, alright?"
Fay pressed his palm gently against her back and began the process of filtering his aether into her.
It was still slow, but it was what he could manage, at least for now.
Each time, it got a little easier. It felt like he was opening the faucet a bit more with every try.
He took it as a form of training, quietly hoping it would improve his aether control in the long run.