Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 73 Viruses and Curses

King Norwick's body was taken away, Queen Daisy was kidnapped, the eldest prince betrayed them, the second prince disappeared, and the situation in Doom was even more dire.

There is currently no one in charge of the defense of the main domain.

Fortunately, the throne guards kept the news under wraps, and the events in the throne room did not spread, so the lives of the people remained stable.

The defenders of the main domain suffered a great humiliation.

If the news leaks out, the fierce civilians will feel deeply humiliated, and if they gather some retired veterans, they will dare to attack the City of Truth.

Harlan, his face grim, stood with his arms wrapped around his spear, leaning against the entrance of the medical hall, watching the medical attendants come and go.

He was kicked out of the infirmary and rarely had a moment of peace.

Doom was carried inside for thirty minutes, and the healers tried all their methods, but they couldn't eliminate his poisoning symptoms.

They even used ancient precious relics, a "panacea" that could cure all diseases, but it only stabilized the temporary poisoning, and then the poisoning reaction reappeared.

The potent poison within him seemed to possess a self-awareness, constantly evolving and changing.

This created a prolonged standoff with the vitality constantly surging from his body.

The intervention of external forces will instead be attacked by the body's immune system and toxins, driving them out of the battlefield.

Harlan remained silent with a gloomy face. Doom's bodily functions were gradually weakening due to the tug-of-war between his immune system and the toxins.

Before long, a body whose functions have been exhausted will inevitably lead to death.

With no one in charge of guarding the main domain, the scum of the City of Truth will never let such a golden opportunity slip by.

The King of Norwick and Queen Daisy, who were taken away, will definitely be used to make a big fuss.

Harlan suddenly felt a wave of weariness, and his usually unwavering heart was filled with a rare sense of confusion.

He is an invincible warrior, only needing to fight bravely against the enemy. Now, the things he needs to consider far exceed the duties of a warrior.

How should the Night Guardians be deployed outside? What is the future of guarding the main domain?

Sensing that something was amiss, Harlan looked up abruptly, feeling a slight sense of relief.

A man dressed in a blue civil official's robe, wearing a royal seal ring on his left hand, with fluffy brown hair that was slightly curly, looked like a spirited lion.

Surrounded by the throne guards, the long-lost second prince, Flano Novick, walked anxiously toward the medical hall.

Flano walked in a hurry, leading the procession under the heavy protection of the throne guards.

They had already lost their king and queen, the eldest prince had defected, and the third prince was in grave danger; they dared not allow any further mishap to befall their only remaining member of the royal family.

His blue eyes, inherited from Daisy, reflected Harlan as he leaned against the wind in deep thought. Flano disregarded the formalities between ruler and subject and strode towards his minister.

He had just awakened from the static field, and a vague command was in his mind.

His father gave him a task: to enter a static field and fall asleep until the moment he woke up.

He didn't know exactly when he would wake up before, but now he does.

The moment his father's heart stopped beating, the stasis field automatically dissipated, waking him from his static dormant pod.

Then the throne guards explained to him everything that had happened outside while he was asleep.

Flano understood that his father had put him into a state of time-freezing sleep to prevent the current situation from unfolding.

"Go find the fastest ride."

The second prince was gentle; although he looked anxious, his voice remained warm and gentle in the face of the current situation.

With a simple command, Flano nodded to the champion swordsman, then stepped aside and entered the medical hall with his guards.

Harlan's eyes lit up, and a hint of relief finally appeared on his previously gloomy face.

The presence of instructions indicates the existence of a plan; the royal family has a plethora of methods at their disposal, and perhaps they have a way to stabilize Doom's situation.

The fastest mount?

Without a second thought, the champion swordsman shouldered his spear and headed for the armory, where his good friend Sena had some personal treasures.

In his private armory, there was an anti-gravity motorcycle, a behemoth capable of reaching five times the speed of sound in the turbulent atmosphere below a hundred meters.

Wearing full protective gear, Flano followed the medical attendant into the medical room.

He understood why Harlan was standing at the door instead of waiting nearby.

The entire medical facility is now under complete lockdown to prevent the virus from leaking out.

Regarding the virus in Doom, the healer has rigorously assessed its dangers and is taking strict precautions to prevent any leakage.

Only Doom's powerful physique could withstand it; an ordinary Night Guard would have died the instant they were infected.

This terrifying bio-devouring virus devours all life force in its infected, leaving behind only a pile of worthless inorganic ashes. Designed specifically to combat supernatural life forms, this virus inflicts the agonizing fear of its life being slowly eroded in despair, tormenting the infected until their very last breath.

Flano looked at the makeshift hospital bed, where his brother was breathing heavily, fighting off the phagocytic virus inside his body.

His majestic body often twitched, the blood vessels beneath his skin twisted like snakes, and his skin changed color between bluish-purple and healthy.

Doom kept vomiting out thick, black, asphalt-like substance, and his skin on his limbs kept cracking, expelling ugly, rotten, lumpy growths.

Within the nerve pathways, purple fluorescence continuously glowed, and marks of the curse appeared on the skin's surface.

Even so, there was no pain in those blood-red eyes, only intense hatred and defiance.

"My brother~"

Seeing his brother suffering so much, Flano's voice choked with emotion, and he grasped Doom's large hand with his own, his hand still clad in protective gear, wanting to give him strength.

"Sir, please be careful."

The healer carefully reminded him, "The virus in Lord Doom's flesh and blood will only infect through wounds. You are safe with the protective gear on."

"But the toxins in his nervous system can paralyze the nervous system of infected individuals, and it is unknown whether they are contagious."

"And there's a curse."

The royal psychic master had been summoned to try to lift the curse on Doom, but he shook his head helplessly: "We are powerless to help."

"This powerful curse is weakening the will and body of adults, and has gone beyond the scope of psychic energy. It is almost a concept and a rule."

Doom, lying on the bed, seemed to hear it, and his arm trembled as he shook off Flano's hand.

Flano clenched his fists. He knew his brother could sense his surroundings and was fully conscious, enduring incomprehensible torment.

He did not yield to the pain in the slightest, not even with a soft groan.

“Healer.” Flano’s face was ashen, his voice trembling. “Pack up Doum for easy long-distance transport.”

"But the adult's body is breaking down, and any external factor could cause it to deteriorate further."

Out of professional duty, the healer quickly explained to the prince.

"Can you save him?" Flano didn't say much, looking at him with his blue eyes, and asked the simple, crucial question.

"........."

Without further hesitation, the healer immediately summoned the medical attendant to create a custom coffin for Doom using shaping gel.

As everyone worked together to push Doom out of the Healing Temple, Harlan retrieved his mount and waited outside.

"Champion Swordsman".

The others strapped Doom's coffin to the car. During this break, Flano called Harlan aside and told him something.

Flano gestured to the psionic master to set up a barrier, then solemnly took a sphere from his robe and handed it to Harlan.

A light gray sphere with a jade-like texture and intricate lines carved on its surface.

It has a natural beauty and is completely integrated, without any trace of processing.

Harlan frowned when he saw the sphere; he felt like he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Take it."

Flano handed the sphere to Harlan: "Follow its guidance, and perhaps we can find a way to save Doom."

"what is this?"

Harlan weighed it in his hand; the jade sphere seemed to have no mass, appearing heavy yet quite light.

"I do not know either."

Flano shook his head; he truly didn't know the specific function of the sphere.

The father only instructed that if something happened to Doom, following the guidance of the sphere might be the solution.

"perhaps?"

Harlan muttered to himself, a sense of unease rising within him; even members of the royal family weren't entirely certain.

"Hurry up and get going." Flano had the psionic master remove the barrier and urged Harlan to leave quickly: "Doom's life is in your hands."

With such trust weighing on his shoulders, Harlan nodded solemnly, quickly mounted his motorcycle, and set off on his journey.

"Summon the ministers!"

Watching Harlan leave, Flano's worried gaze turned ruthless: "We need to discuss opening the old armory and waiting for my brother to return for revenge!"

(End of this chapter)