Monica left through the door, and that was the cue for Strax to approach the unconscious woman and check her breathing. It was quite irregular and began to echo in the silent room, which, well... was a guest room.
'Could she be a special physique? A frail body like this shouldn't be able to withstand such a massive load of poison,' he murmured, analyzing the woman's arm. Her arm was in a deplorable state, with marks and bruises that seemed to pulse with a dark energy.
He sat on the edge of the bed, observing her face. She was a young woman, with delicate features that contrasted with the evident pain in her body. Her lips were dry, and sweat covered her forehead.
Strax sighed; he needed to understand what was happening, especially when it involved spiders, but her condition made communication almost impossible.
"Please, wake up," he murmured, a silent plea that only left his lips; he wasn't very good at dealing with people on the brink of death. "What happened to you? Were there giant spiders?"
'The system has been reacting little these past few weeks, and now... it activated because of this woman... I'm getting anxious...' Strax murmured.
The silence in the room seemed to intensify, and Strax began to lose himself in his thoughts. Whatever was behind this situation could be a real threat, and he needed to prepare for what was to come. His father's plans, the mission to be accomplished, everything seemed to be intertwining in a web of uncertainties.
'So many coincidences, huh... is this my destiny?' he thought.
After a few minutes, he stood up and began to pace back and forth while listening to her ragged breathing and seeing how the girl was reacting, with a pained expression on her face and her body slightly sweating, her chest rising and falling rhythmically with her breath.
His eyes landed on a small table next to the bed, where some of the woman's belongings were scattered: a broken bottle, a bloodied piece of fabric, and a small dagger.
Strax picked up the dagger, feeling the weight of the metal in his hand. It wasn't just an ordinary weapon; it was clearly adorned with runes, something uncommon on this side of the continent.
He wasn't an expert in magic, but he knew that runes often had special properties. What could have led this woman to use something like this? Curiosity was increasingly planted within him; well... she was a pretty face, despite being badly hurt, and Strax was... a determined man.
As he examined the dagger, a slight movement in the bed caught his attention. He looked at the woman and saw that her eyes were slowly opening. Strax approached, placing the dagger back on the table.
"Hey, take it easy," he said softly, moving closer to her. "You're safe. Can you hear me? Do you understand me?"
She turned slowly, her eyes filled with fear and confusion meeting Strax's. "Where... where am I?" her voice came out in a whisper, almost inaudible. "Ugh... it hurts," she said, feeling her arm burn with pain.
"For now... wait for him to return and get her to hydrate and eat a bit," Strax said.
Monica nodded and quickly headed to the kitchen. "I'll make something simple for her; Beatrice should arrive soon, as well as Samira and Rogue. Stay with Sylvia. I'll prepare everything, and as soon as I'm done, I'll take it up."
Strax went back to the room, where Sylvia was struggling to sit up. He helped her, gently supporting her. "Don't worry. I'm here with you."
She took a deep breath, her eyes still full of fear. "The spiders... they were huge, with glowing eyes and sharp fangs. I couldn't escape them. They devoured my friends. They... they screamed," her voice trembled, and tears began to slip down her face.
"Shhh, Sylvia. It's okay. You're safe here. No one will hurt you again," Strax said, trying to calm her. He wanted to be an anchor in the storm that was about to hit them.
She looked at him, and Strax saw the pain and fear reflected in her eyes. "I... I don't know if I can handle this. They were there, and I couldn't save them. It was so dark... I didn't know where to go."
"I know it's hard, but you're not alone. I'm here, and I'll do everything I can to help. We'll take care of your arm, and then we can see what we can do together. You're stronger than you think," Strax encouraged, feeling the urgency to stabilize her mind before the situation became more complicated.
She closed her eyes, and for a moment, Strax thought she had fainted again, but that wasn't the case. Sylvia was battling her memories, trying to find a way back to sanity. He sat beside her, a comforting silence enveloping them.
Monica returned quickly, bringing Roderick with her. The healer Strax had requested was still on the way, but Monica already had some potions and herbs that could help.
"I brought some herbs that may help with the pain and inflammation," Monica said, placing the vials on the table. "And some porridge, as I promised. We'll do this together."
Roderick approached, observing Sylvia with a worried expression. "She seems to be in terrible condition. We need to act quickly to prevent the poison from spreading further."
"Exactly. She mentioned that her friends were devoured. That means there could be something else out there, something we haven't seen yet," Strax replied as Monica began preparing the potions.
"Do you feel able to drink some porridge, Sylvia?" Monica asked gently, looking into the woman's eyes. "It will help you regain a bit of strength."
Sylvia hesitated but finally nodded. "I... I can do it," she replied, her voice still trembling.
Monica helped the woman sit up a bit more, while Strax held the bowl of porridge in his hands. "Here, take it slowly. It's just a little, but it will help you," he said, leaning slightly so she could eat.
As he helped her eat... a message from the system appeared.