As Kerii walked back to the guild hall from her encounter with Inspector Nilan, she couldn't help but think about the poor animals. She had knocked them out, so as not to disappoint the owners. Besides, if the scientists did end up investigating the animals, she was sure that they would provide more information alive than dead. The infection, virus, or whatever it was would doubtlessly be more active if it had live tissue to grow off of, rather than some that was decaying. She had never seen anything like this before, and based on the reactions from Inspector Nilan and the scientists she met with that one day, neither had they. Suffice it to say, they likely already looked at past medical records and historical documentation for evidence of such an anomaly. Just as Kerii took her time to do some research on nature magic though, she cropped up with nothing.

The elf went back to the guild hall and sat at the bar. "An Irish coffee please," she requested. She needed to take her mind off of all these absurd events, though she wasn't quite sure that was the best idea. One part of her brain told her to continue to research until she found some sort of answer, and the other told her that it was useless, and that she should just wait for the real biologists and disease specialists to come up with something.

Kerii honestly wished that she could have been of more help. When she had amnesia and stayed with her father in Crocus, she took the time to study medicine and anatomy up until she regained enough of her memories to safely continue on with her duties as a mage with a strong cognitive grasp on most things. If it was humans being affected, than perhaps she could be of service, but for now they just wanted her to do the task that any other mage could do. Chop down a beanstalk. Gather samples of toxic plants. Rescue farmers from their rabid animals. It frustrated her so much that she couldn't chip in. Had the elf known Ëala would give her nature based magic, then Kerii would have researched plants in a heartbeat. If her passion had been with helping animals rather than with healing humans, then she would have been an even greater asset and maybe, just maybe, some more progress on this case would have been made -- but no. None of that applied, and Kerii was stuck where she was.

She didn't end up doing any more research. She finished her drink and returned to her room in the dormitories and took that time to unwind. As much as she tried though, she just couldn't get her mind off of this mystery. The animals looked so deathly ill. They were ghostly pale, as if the algae growing on their hide was sucking the life out of them. Nothing in her repertoire prepared her for this. Confused and frustrated, she eventually fell asleep. She would get to the bottom of this.

WC: 510/2000

The next day, Kerii awoke to yet another knock at the door. She groggily opened her eyes and waited for her vision to become more focused. Just like the time before, there was no other sound. Curious, she got out of bed and walked over to her door. There was, yet another letter on the ground at the edge of her door. She picked it up and it was written in the same sloppy, rushed script. It read:

Dear Kerii,

I did not expect to need your assistance so soon. I would have rather waited for the scientists to come up with more answers, but there is another pressing issue that I believe may potentially be related to these incidents. There have been reports of a hooded figure roaming through the town. Some people have claimed to get an odd feeling around this person. It could be due to magic. This may just be another wizard, but whoever this hooded figure is seems to be acting oddly suspicious. Even if he is not related to these strange plants, it is still worth checking out. Come meet my at my office on Acacia Road for more information.

Sincerely,
Inspector Nilan

The elf set the paper aside and continued to get ready. This letter seemed to be less rushed than the others, so she did not feel as pressed for time, but she would still get ready quicker than usual. This resulted in a slightly less neat and clean look, but it was sufficient for the work that she would be doing. Besides, Inspector Nilan didn't need her to look her absolute best. He just cared about if she managed to find out what was happening, and that was what Kerii cared about as well. She needed to solve this mystery before Orchidia's plants and animals got even more poisoned.

Kerii made her way over towards Inspector Nilan's office and walked inside. He was sitting at a desk, and upon hearing the door open, he looked up. An expression of relief replaced his concerned look and he stood up to greet the elf. "You said there were rumors about a hooded figure?" She wanted to skip the formalities and cut to the chase. If there was something going on, they needed to act fast. It didn't matter if the person wearing a hood was the perpetrator or not. They were, according to eyewitnesses, acting suspicious, which almost never meant anything good.

"Yes. He's been most frequently seen along Alder Street walking towards the forest. I want you to follow him and capture him alive." Inspector Nilan walked over to his desk and pulled open a drawer. From that, he furnished a pair of handcuffs. "They dampen magic," he explained. "Should you catch the person, put these on him. We don't want him using his magic to make an escape." The elf nodded her head and put them in her pocket. Now that she had received her mission from Inspector Nilan, it was time for her to leave. Exiting his office, she began her search for the hooded figure.

WC: 510+516=1026/2000