Aliya paced around Rolivish's shop while he prepared some things to slow down the curse. Gene had run to the jeweler's to get a hollow necklace piece so that the old gnome could put the gem inside of it. Apparently, it was the only way the magical mineral could spread its magic which sounded fictitious to the cleric. When she had confronted the shop owner like she seemed like she always did, he merely summoned a magical hand similar to Meowlynn's, grabbed a book from one of his shelves, turned to the page that talked about the gem and its creator, and pointed at an excerpt from it.

The woman who made this magical gem use to be religious and would touch her religious pendant to protect herself. At some point in her life, her religion became corrupted but she still craved its protection. She studied magic to protect against curses and how to increase her mental fortitude to be less scared of things. This led her to create a unique magical item that would only work when placed as a necklace so that the owner would have to follow in her old habits, as she believed it would bring the best effect and luck to the new owner.

While they waited Rolivish strapped Fern down to a table with Blaine's help. The old gnome didn't want any funny business happening while he was performing what was a miniature exorcism. He placed a stick in the druid's mouth and illuminated Fern in a way that people could the curse that was gripping him.

If the curse was a disease it would have started invading his brain, consumed his heart, attacked his lungs, infected his liver and spleen, and started tainting the part Fern cared most about. If it wasn't under such dire circumstances or a chance for her to study something that could hurt the people she cared about, he would have been blushing like wildfire.

The cleric never interacted with men besides her father before leaving Hillfar. She never thought about sex or creating new life but looking at what she assumed to be the most perfect-looking member a man could have, she felt a heat flow through her body. Shaking her head, she had to focus. This was no time for nature to run its course. The fate of Asmir could be at stake and she was fantasizing about making a child. She was very disappointed in herself.

The front door to Rolivish’s shop swung open and Gene entered holding the gaudiest chain the young gnome had ever seen. It was gold but the chain links were far too thick and the part meant to contain the jewel looked like a cage that people use to be placed in as a form of execution. People would be locked in those cages, hoisted somewhere high, starved, and while they grew weak the birds would pick at their flesh, slowly eating them alive.

Even Rolivish looked that the links of metal questionably. “Thanks for going to get it,” said the shop owner almost disappointedly. “I need a few moments to get acquainted with the gem and its magic before we begin.”

Rolivish went to his room in the back and shut the door, leaving the front of his shop to look like a weird sex dungeon or occult ritual since Fern was strapped practically naked on a table surrounded by other people.

Even though the situation was inappropriate, it brought back Aliya’s earlier thoughts about having a child. Of course, she wanted a girl because young girls always loved their mothers dearly and were very obedient. She would watch her child grow under the blessing of the Holy Seven and wondered which god she would choose.

Aliya guessed it would depend on who the father was as a father’s personality drew daughters to the gods most like it. Since Aliya’s biological father was loving and nurturing, Aliya was originally drawn to Fiora, the Goddess of Nature. But after her parents died and she was adopted by Eshon, she grew to follow Kyron, the God of Health. So it made sense that if you mixed nature and health together it will equal life. So it made sense that she ended up following Tyora, the Goddess of Life.

She mentally went through the options if she made a child with one of the men from the Jellybeans. Blaine would definitely raise a kid who followed Lorian, the God of Death. Fern's kid would be either Fiora or Tieron, the God of Weather. As for Gene, she wasn't really sure. Aliya felt he had traits of most of the gods so it would be hard to pinpoint which one it would be.

Aliya kept daydreaming about her non-existent child, and at some point, she actually fell asleep. In her dream, the child was playing with her adopted father in Fiora's garden. A dark cloud passed overhead and her daughter started coughing. Black blood poured from her mouth and eyes.

"Mommy," coughed the girl. "I can't see!"

Eshon tried to do a pray on the daughter but also contracted the plague. The old man started spasming on the ground, his eyes making an audible popping sound followed by his blood-curdling scream. Some black mist came from their bodies, as they both tried to move closer. Eshon's skin started peeling but his bony fingers dragged him closer as he crawled. The little girl's chest cracked open allowing her heart to dangle before it burst open, spraying a foul darkness everywhere.

The cleric kept backing up, the horror was just like her parents but way worse. She had no way to save them. As she was stepping backward, she hit her back against something very cold. A giant raven wing dropped down from in front of her and long silver hair blocked her vision on her left side. "Insects have no right to tamper with a god's plan. You shall die within a year's time, I promise you that."

The voice was soft and stoic, void of almost all emotions besides a tinge of anger. The wing moved from in front of her, Eshon and her nameless child both grabbed her ankles and started gnawing. Aliya screamed with all her might but it was cut short by an odd cold sensation in the middle of her chest. She looked down and saw a long blade had pierced her heart.

"Aliya," yelled Kira. The cleric awoke from her nightmare. "Are you alright?"

Aliya saw that she was touching Fern and the curse's energy was moving towards her hand. Somehow, she walked over to him in her sleep. It was this dark energy that caused her nightmare, that she was certain.

Rolivish walked back into the room as Kira went to comfort her friend. This made Aliya feel guilty because it was her friend that needed the comforting. Kira was already barely standing, bigs under her eyes from not getting enough rest, she was still cold to the touch but somehow still able to care about others instead of herself. If Kira was a man, Aliya would have married her in a heartbeat.

The old gnome stood on his stepladder and began enchanting something while rubbing the gem. He leaned over and touched the gem to Fern's heart. Wood splintering from Fern biting down on the stick was an indicator that the magic was working. The Jellybeans could watch the curse slowly retreat towards his heart although it didn't all go there. A small spider web was formed near his heart from the curse that was trying to flow through his veins but was unable to.

The cleric expected there to be more to the ritual but Rolivish did say that the cleric in the temple of the Shining Dragon specialized in this. It was safe to assume that their next destination would be Cadamem where that temple was located.

"He'll have to stay here overnight," said Rolivish. "If the magic isn't near him for a while the effects will become undone. We have to allow his body to cope with the two magics fighting so that he can make the journey to Cadamem."

"Very well," said Gene. "I leave him in your capable hands."

The Jellybeans walked out and went back to the Leaky Tap, in a few more days the repairs to the Erend Hunt would be complete.

"Kira," whimpered Aliya. "Can sleep with you tonight?"

"Sure," smiled Kira softly. "I don't see why not."

The fact that she would have her friend beside her brought her great comfort. She was afraid to fall asleep again.

"I'm going to go to the church quickly," announced the cleric.

"Okay, I'll leave my door open for you." Kira mustered up as much strength as she could to smile at the worried gnome. Aliya then broke out into a sprint until she reached the church of the Righteous One. She entered and found that her bowl with water was already set for her.

Again, Aliya performed Baron, the God of Wisdom’s most basic ritual. She focused on the nightmare she had and the details within it. There were definitely undead creatures in her dream something that only some people who practiced necromancy could do. Some clerics from her church could do it too with Lorain’s permission. Other than that, the only thing capable of creating an undead force were liches, but there were fables. Something the evil forces used in the Calamity to fight the beings of light.

Then she focused on the black wing and silver hair. She couldn’t recall a god that fit that description in her studies. So maybe this winged god was some kind of god of the undead.

“Stop looking for answers,” whispered a well-mannered and deep voice. “If you continue, he’ll come.”

As instructed, the cleric opened her eyes. Dying was not something she could afford to do especially when she had a plague to defeat. That reminded her of two things about the nightmare. The first being that the plague that killed her parents was present and the other was the feeling of infinite cold as the sword pierced her.

Shaking the feeling, she knew she was on the right track though. She needed to ask for a few more hours in the library so she could research the Isle of Light. Then the group could make its way there after they removed the cursed item from Fern’s chest.

Another odd thing was the pendant didn’t show up when Rolivish illuminated the curse. Did it dissolve inside the Druid’s chest or was it hidden within his heart and that is why it wasn’t visible? The more answers on learned, the more questions they had but Aliya could feel the destruction of the pendant was only a matter of time.

The cleric thanked Cleric Jorne for allowing her to use his church after she did a quick prayer to Tyora. She then donated a few hundred gold and left to go back to the inn to get some sleep.

As weird as it sounded, she wished one of her gods would have been a god of dreams because she felt that she was going to be haunted by nightmares for a while, just like when her parents passed.