<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Palaugrim - Kaiser Outpost</span></span><br/><br/><br/>"How is he?" a pensive Knight Commander Heinrich asked the cleric treating the Fierce Sword of Kaiser Outpost.<br/><br/>"He's a tough one." the cleric replied whilst expertly bandaging the wounds of the unconscious Knight Commander. "Given ample rest, he should be back up to his feet in a few days."<br/><br/>"That's good to hear." a relieved sigh escaped Heinrich's lips at the news. "How about your other wounded?"<br/><br/>"Treatment is still in progress given the amount of knights injured in that last skirmish. Also, the lack of medical supplies isn't helping so we had to resort to old methods of treatment using whatever herbs we could gather." the cleric helpfully supplied as he finished patching up Sigfried. "Had it not been for your timely intervention we would have—"<br/><br/>"Don't. I merely did what I deemed prudent." Heinrich interrupted the cleric's train of thought. "Knight Commander Sigfried isn't made of glass that he would be broken so easily. For now, let us focus our efforts into getting back as much as we can of Kaiser Outpost's fighting capacity."<br/><br/>"O-of course sir." The cleric bowed in acknowledgment. "Well then, I'll be doing what I can in the ward. Feel free to call for me when and if you need further assistance."<br/><br/>Heinrich nodded quietly and watched the cleric silently leave Sigfried's room.  His eyes then slowly moved towards the form of the recuperating Knight Commander; it was not everyday that such a great fighter would find themselves in such a state.  Whoever Sigfried crossed swords with, Heinrich could only surmise that they knew him well, well enough to take advantage of Sigfried's fighting habits and use them against him.  While he may not have had the chance to intimately know Sigfried's opponent with the use of his own sword, Heinrich knew well enough to know that whoever he was, he clearly had knowledge about the way of Pristine Knights.  It was alarming above all else to know that the enemy had someone like that in their ranks, and even more worrisome that they now chose to take action.<br/><br/>Heinrich's attention shifted over to the doors of Sigfried's room when they suddenly creaked open.<br/><br/>"Sir Heinrich." greeted Sigfried's temporary Vice Commander.  "Reports about Kaiser Outpost's sustained structural damage and current supply inventory." he said as he handed over a thin stack of papers for the other to peruse. "I've also included a list of knights still capable for duty as well as a list of supplies we're either short of or out of."<br/><br/>"Outstanding work." Heinrich said while skimming over the reports he acquired. "Any news from the sweeper squads?"<br/><br/>"The immediate vicinity of Kaiser Outpost has been cleared of any threats. We're currently not in any immediate danger sir."<br/><br/>Heinrich hummed thoughtfully at the information.  It would appear that he was right with his initial assumption of the enemy's goals.  That first attack was simply a test of strength; having hurt Kaiser Outpost's Knight Commander in the process was just an added bonus. "They will strike again." Heinrich concluded with certainty. "This time when they do, there will be no quarter."<br/><br/>"W-what should we do then?" there was slight panic in the Vice Commander's voice as he spoke.<br/><br/>"What<span style="font-style: italic">we</span>can of course." Heinrich replied calmly. "While I do not have jurisdiction over Kaiser Outpost, it is clear that we can't count on your Knight Commander during the next set of events to follow. Therefore, I shall assume command over what's left of your men and proceed with preparations against another attack. Of course just until Sigfried here is back on his feet, or until we have dealt with the impending threat against this outpost. Whichever comes first."<br/><br/>"I'm relieved that you're going so far for us Sir Heinrich but... what of Hiribah?"<br/><br/>Heinrich simply eyed the curious vice commander. "If you must know, Hiribah can stand on its own even without me commanding my men. My town is in good hands." he placated the other. "Now then, let us leave Sigfried in peace and continue this discussion elsewhere."<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Gless - Grand Cathedral</span></span><br/><br/><br/>A surprised Guilford and Joaquim was what Cora found inside squad eight's quarters when she opened (nearly kicked down) the doors. "Gil!" she vocally demanded attention, face flushed and cheeks puffed like she was ready to hit someone should they come close. "We need to talk." she insisted, closing the doors behind her as she continued in.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Okay... Normally I would say that was rude of you but judging from your tone and body language, I'm assuming this is a matter I can't ignore, am I right so far?"</span><br/><br/>A squint and a pout was all Guilford got in response, prompting the male Seraph to hastily conclude his discussion with Joaquim and turn his full attention to the fuming cleric.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Have a seat."</span>he gestured for Cora to take a spot in the couch where Joaquim was already seated. The other grudgingly obliged taking the spot directly in front of Guilford.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Now then, what's gotten you so upset?"</span><br/><br/>"Where are the medical supplies that we requested for expedition?" she went straight on point. "A few days ago, I made an appeal to Councilor Livius about the situation in Lindela. Have you been made aware?" Cora inquired, hazel eyes pinning their gaze unto the Seraph.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Yes I have. When I first heard of this, I had Joaquim look into it and he and I were discussing his findings earlier before you gracefully walked in on us."</span>a bit of sarcasm as he informed her.<br/><br/>"And what of it? Where are my supplies? The Sanctuary has been getting a lot of requests for additional supplies to be dispatched as well as more clerics to get on site. Do you have any idea about how much manpower the Sanctuary has already sent there? Any more and there won't be anyone left here in Gless! If things keep going at this rate, even I will have to get on site if we don't do something soon!"<br/><br/>Guilford resisted the urge to sigh.<span style="color: #0080FF">"Calm down Cora. These are tough times and we all know it. A possible epidemic just isn't what we need right now but all I can say is that we're doing our best.  The pharmacies here in Gless have been trying to ramp up their production but we just recently found out that they too are having trouble with shortage in processed material."</span><br/><br/>"What?! Why?!" the young cleric gasped in horror.<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"Cora, I'm sure you're aware that majority of our pharmacies depend on processed material coming from Lindela to make medicine. The recent attack halted the shipment of said processed material and given the sudden spike in medical consumption, our stocks here in Gless have been emptied long before we could think that we still have them. Not just that but Palaugrim too is feeling the effects of this medicinal shortage."</span><br/><br/>"It can't be..." she was at a loss for words.<br/><br/>"Adding more to that, Lindela's material processing structures have also taken a good beating." Joaquim added. "Without them functional, we can't process raw material into something our pharmacies could use. Not to worry though, we have Fiona and Natalia prioritize getting them back up and operational as we speak."<br/><br/>"How long would that take?! More and more clerics are complaining about fatigue for having to rely on magic treatment instead of having medicine to give for simple illnesses! We need something immediate!"<br/><br/><span style="color: #0080FF">"I know. I'm aware of that Cora and that's why I'm going to ask you to have Lady Heidie instruct all of her clerics to resort to traditional treatment methods."</span><br/><br/>"Traditional treatment? You mean like using the mortar and pestle to grind herbs?" Cora had to ask to be sure.<br/><br/>Guilford nodded.<span style="color: #0080FF">"I'm sorry Cora, but at the moment this is the best I can offer. At least until we can get the pharmacies producing again. I'll assign knight squads into gathering raw material instead and have them shipped over to Lindela for your clerics to use. Just send me a list of herbs you'll definitely be needing."</span><br/><br/>Cora let out a heavy sigh. "Alright fine, I'll get you your list and let Lady Heidie know of your plan."<br/><br/>She had not expected things to turn out the way they did but she had no reason to doubt Gil's and Joaquim's findings regarding the matter of this medical supply shortage. She could only hope that whatever they were doing was enough to actually contain the epidemic and not have it spread over to Gless. She was just about to open her mouth and suggest a quarantine but decided against it. Taking one last look at both men with her, Cora bowed in apology for her earlier behavior and quietly left the room.<br/><br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Lindela - District 5</span></span><br/><br/><br/>"Yes of course, this should do it." Fiona skimmed over the reconstruction plan presented by the head carpenter. "If we could work on this as fast as possible, it would be greatly appreciated." she handed over the plan and turned her gaze over to the ruined structure, a defeated sigh escaped her lips.  There was nothing to repair for the structure itself had been utterly devastated.<br/><br/>"Sorry Fiona. We tried to protect this structure but district five was one of those districts who took a massive hit." Lance tried to explain the current state of the crumbled building in front of them.<br/><br/>"It's fine Lance. None of us have to explain ourselves." she smiled at him faintly. "If it was me, I'd trade this structure for civilian lives in a heartbeat anytime."<br/><br/>"But isn't this a vital structure? For the pharmacies if I'm not mistaken?" Yulia inquired.<br/><br/>"That's right. That's why the Captain wanted this up and operational at the soonest." Fiona crossed her arms above her chest. "Apparently, this was a raw material processing facility. Without this, our pharmacies can't make medicine, or so I've been told."<br/><br/>Lance contemplated on Fiona's words. "...and given the amount of people getting sick by the day..." he thought out loud. "Have you heard anything about the cause of that spreading illness yet?" he asked Yulia.<br/><br/>The blonde shook her head sideways. "The clerics were unable to give me a definitive answer during my inquiries. They didn't even give me their best guess! They said they didn't want to start a panic with baseless assumptions."<br/><br/>"It's the right thing to do." Fiona chimed in. "Times like these, the best you could do is to keep the people calm." she added.<br/><br/>"I agree but still... what do you think caused this?" Lance scratched his head.<br/><br/>"Hyuga said it's too early for the bodies of the dead to start a plague, but he had been working on that matter just to be on the safe side. He also said that whatever disease was spreading, the most vulnerable were children and the elderly; it had something to do with our immune systems or so he theorized."<br/><br/>"Does that mean adults are least likely to contract the illness?" Yulia asked, a tad bit worried for her own health.<br/><br/>Fiona frowned. "It's hard to say. Hyuga said as far as he knows, everyone on this island could already be infected and that it might be for the best interest of everyone to have Lindela quarantined."<br/><br/>Lance was surprised by what he just heard. "Whoa now! Isn't that taking it a bit too far? I mean, Lindela on quarantine? Now of all times? If you ask me, if we did that, we might as well just ask the people to revolt."<br/><br/>"My thoughts exactly. The people here have been through enough. Let's not give them a reason to hate us but instead a reason to stay strong. This is why we need these structures functional at the soonest, to give people hope." Fiona turned to look at both Lance and Yulia. "As much as I'd like to stay and oversee its construction personally, I'm afraid this isn't the only facility of the same nature on this island. I have to go see the state of the others as well and see to it that they are brought to full functionality as soon as possible."<br/><br/>"Sounds like a tedious job. Do you need more people to help you with that? I can lend you Yulia here." Lance offered.<br/><br/>Fiona respectfully declined with a gentle smile. "I appreciate it Lance but from what I heard, District Five lost its Knight Commander and that you are currently filling that spot."<br/><br/>"Uhh... well... yeah... sort of." Lance looked away with a sheepish grin.<br/><br/>"Lions are born leaders Lance," Fiona extended her hand towards the orange-haired captain, the other doing the same for a handshake. "but a lion was a cub first that needed guidance before it can lead. Yulia served under a knight commander, she can show you the ropes. Besides, I have Nat, Vlad and Alfrei for help. There's that guy named Dietrich too, Joaquim's friend, helping out as well so I think I got that covered. You can help me by being the one to personally oversee its construction though."<br/><br/>"Lance winked in approval. "You got it. I'll have this facility up as soon as possible."