The Story of an Almost Perfect Illness
The excitement of returning to Creatures 1 carried with it a wave of momentum, yet I was about to journey through a precarious chapter. Pathun was the first to sense that something was off in Albia: He peered through the telescope in the direction of the garden, while announcing his intentions like the smart guy he was. The telescope wasn’t actually functional, yet it was a little more than sheer coincidence! A lot of situations in the Creatures games can be put down to chance, yet not everything springs up out of nowhere without a purpose. I followed Pathun’s gaze, eager to find out just what was catching his attention on the horizon.
Naturally, Krathlaysi was the center of attention! She was the star of many recent updates, and it looked like she was poised to take center stage again. Only her very unusual pose was not due to vanity, but from something far more sinister: A sneeze. The garden was home to some of Albia’s weeds, though those carried mild side effects. It looked like Krathlaysi had been silly again, trying out something she wasn’t supposed to! Yet when her sneeze persisted on and on, I knew there was trouble beneath the surface. This was a typical Norn illness, and the sneezing symptom meant it was contagious. My first step was to ensure that there was no one nearby.
As it so happened, Krathlaysi had taken in young Preetar as a sort of adopted child. They were practically inseparable, eating carrots together and being mesmerized by the ball. Preetar was far enough away at the time that Krathlaysi became ill to be safe, yet he was still well within striking distance. Infectious illnesses in Albia can be very unpredictable, with vast differences in the time and distance to infect. I did my best to steer the healthy guy to safety before I started caring for Krathlaysi. The only way that Preetar would be in grave danger was if this illness contained antigen 2, owing to his unusual genetic mutation. With eight total antigens, the chances were slim.
Oh, how Albia just loves to throw in irony! I stared in dismay at the presence of antigen 2. Oddly enough, many Creatures 1 illnesses contain a concoction of all sort of toxins. This one was extremely targeted, almost specifically so that it would reach Preetar. Krathlaysi was very slow to build up her antibody, making it even more likely that she would infect her best friend. It was extremely good luck that Preetar ran off on his own for a short time when the illness first awoke. Otherwise, he would already have been doomed. What made this illness in Krathlaysi the most dangerous was the presence of histamine A. Infectious and potentially fatal to Preetar, it was one of the worst things that could have happened. Fate certainly has an interesting sense of humor in my world! Only I was on guard and ready, this time. I urged Preetar to run far away!
With a bit of luck, I managed to get Preetar to focus on something else outside of the garden. There was the option of using the teleporter to bring Krathlaysi to the learning computer area, yet that would bring her closer to him and potentially backfire. That teleporter button was an emergency escape if Preetar decided to venture into the garden, and I wasn’t about to cut off that route. My ill patient, Krathlaysi, was actually doing quite a good job of taking care of herself! She ate up the nearby carrots at a reasonable rate, and tried to rest. It was difficult when she was constantly sneezing, yet she earned herself a gold star!
Preetar came close to entering the garden on several occasions, but he must have sensed the danger. While I tended to Krathlaysi and ensured she was as comfortable as she could be, the youngest Norn went even further away. I found him in the treetops, playing with a toy, and sporting his adult appearance! Antigen 2 might have had its sights set on him, but it had failed. Preetar was completely immersed, and I could relax a little bit. My priority could return to caring for Krathlaysi, whose health actually took a turn for the worse.
Just as I was trying to slow Krathlaysi’s life force from falling, the strangest thing happened. I looked up, and there was Preetar, in the garden! High above the illness, he floated by in the cable car. It was a somewhat funny moment, but panic set in when I wondered whether Krathlaysi’s sneezes could travel that high. There was the distinct possibility that Preetar had made the worst decision of his life, all in the name of adventure. I waited nervously, hoping that the Observation Kit would continue to label him as healthy. After a few minutes, Preetar was officially safe! My joy was tempered by the fact that Krathlaysi was headed downhill quickly. This illness was like a bad cold, yet it was costing all her energy just to fight it off. The incessant sneezing meant it was very difficult for her to eat, not to mention sleep. Suddenly it looked like antigen 2 was going to claim an unintended victim, but a victim nonetheless.
Take that! Finally, Krathlaysi’s immune system broke the willpower of the illness and put it to rest. Her life force bottomed out at about 35%, but as soon as the sneezing fits ended, she was right back to wolfing down carrots! It was a very tense situation, but one that was almost eerily perfect. This was the exact sort of illness that could have killed Preetar, and it showed up shortly after his birth. Perhaps it struck where it thought Preetar would have been, only it infected Krathlaysi instead. Without even knowing it, she had probably saved Preetar’s life, or at least let him live longer than he would have. I couldn’t help but wonder if she knew… Krathlaysi was a very intelligent Norn, even with her unusual ideas. Of course it was likely just one big coincidence, but I believed there was more to it. Thank you, Krathlaysi, for saving a life.
