Ball of Nothing

Home sweet home. Camie could hardly believe it. The day she dreamt of for years was finally here! However, unlike the beautiful teary reunion that she dreamt about, the giantess was filled with horror at the sight of the invasion her homeland suffered.

Giant spotted blue-capped mushrooms grew everywhere in the town. Many giants wore masks when they headed out and nobody was there to welcome visitors or watch the gates. The memory of the attack in Camie's mind was still fresh. She looked over to the walls and noticed that the damage to it from the magic blasts and fire had been repaired. However, that didn't stop weird mushrooms from growing into it.

"Let's ask around," Zero suggested and Truen agreed. They turned to look at Camie who was rooted to the spot, unable to accept reality.

The situation didn't surprise Zero as much. It was exactly like what he feared. However, without more information from the locals, there wasn't much he could do as a single doctor. At first glance, Magnus Hilda was in a bad condition with mushrooms growing everywhere. However, the doctor could see that the giants were experienced and were doing their best to fight against the spores, coping with it to the best of their abilities.

The face masks that they wore were one of the more advanced medical techniques to prevent the plague from spreading. Zero didn't know who suggested the idea but he knew that the person who told them to do it must be a very highly educated doctor with superior medical skills. Still, they were no match for Zero's skills. The doctor could only minimise the damage caused but not stop the plague from happening. Zero finally understood how Magnus Hilda was able to hold on for so long. He had to meet this medical expert but first, they needed to send Camie home.

Even after many years, Camie still remembered her way home. Many things have changed since the last time she was here but the giantess knew where she was going. Zero gave Camie and Truen a cloth handkerchief to cover their faces and drew a magic circle on it to act as a filter. He explained that the spores from the mushrooms were harmful but didn't elaborate further. Neither of them questioned Zero's decision and did as he told them.

Camie talked about the places she would visit as a child as they walked past the desolate and mushroom infested streets. When they finally reached Camie's house beside her mother's artisan workshop, the giantess hesitated to enter. With a slight push from Truen, the giantess gathered her courage and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a lady's voice asked from inside.

As the door opened, Truen and Zero took a step back.

"Mom, I'm home!" Camie said in a soft voice.

For a moment, the master artisan didn't believe it. Then, she bent down to take a good look at Camie who undid her transformation. Zero's neck started to hurt when he had to look up at the twelve-metres-tall giantess talk to her three-metres-tall daughter. When he thought that the giant mushrooms were huge at the four and five metres that they grew to, he was sorely mistaken. These giants were the real deal when it came to size. Suddenly, that ten centimetres that Zero tried very hard to attain seemed like a tiny matter in the face of giants. The mother and daughter talked for a long time before the giantess noticed the two small travellers behind her daughter.

"Oh no! My apologies, I didn't see you there earlier. I was too excited over my daughter's return after so many years that I overlooked. Please come in, you must be Camie's friends. Thank you for accompanying my daughter and bringing her home to us. We've been waiting."

Zero and Truen walked into the huge house and had difficulty going anywhere even if the couple had baby furniture made for Camie. The furniture that Camie used were still too large and impractical for the duo. Eventually, it was Camie's father who offered them a lift and placed them on his shoulders to get around.

Zero had never been afraid of heights but standing on the shoulder of a giant was a little bit scary. The couple introduced themselves as Madeline Turner and Joseph Turner and Zero found them to be rather friendly people. Zero detected no lies or ill-intents coming from either of Camie's parents but he was curious when Madeline didn't want to tell Zero too much about the plague going on in their country. She was reluctant to let Zero visit the victims of the plague even when Camie vouched for his medical skills. Something didn't add up.

When Madeline and Camie went to bed, Joseph invited the two elves for a round of drinks. Zero accepted the invitation but declined the drinks and Truen accompanied Zero.

"Forgive my wife," was the first thing Joseph told them. "She's just merely concerned for your well-being. Our King has already fallen to the plague and the queen is anxious. She has been sending the troops to gather the best doctors to Magnus Hilda even if they have to use force but none of the doctors we found has been able to do anything. My wife just doesn't want you to get into trouble. Many missionaries and healers have tried but their magic has no effect on the victims who have fallen into a coma. We fear that this might be the curse of Hyndla."

Zero's eyes indeed. "Why would you think that Hyndla would curse you? She is the founder of Magnus Hilda..."

Joseph looked sad. "We've not been very faithful to our goddess. Many of us neglected to pray to Hyndla for a long time and chose to worship her other family members like Thor and Odin even if she was our founder. Right now, all we can do is to offer prayers every morning and night to Hyndla to ask for forgiveness."

A thoughtful expression came over Zero's face. Truen gave his friend a warning look but Zero ignored it.

"Sir, Camie doesn't know it but I'm not an ordinary healer. Have you not realised that my brother and I are unique elves? Truth be told, we were chased out from the Great Forest of Altear by the other elves because of our gifts. My brother is born an undying body and I have the gift to listen to the voice of wandering gods."

Joseph didn't know how to react to the news and Truen kept a straight face, not wanting to expose Zero's very fabricated lie. It was hard to believe what Zero was saying and even harder to prove it. Still, there was some truth in what Zero spoke. In terms of abilities, Zero had an immortal body that could regenerate and piece itself together no matter what kind of condition it was in. However, he didn't know what Zero was thinking about when he claimed to be able to listen to the voice of wandering gods.

For a moment Joseph didn't react but when he did, Truen knew that Zero messed up. The giant wasn't pleased and told them sternly not to joke. Instead of backing down, Zero increased his acting quality and insisted upon it. He even challenged Joseph and made a bet with him.

"If I can wake a person from their coma, you will help me to arrange a meeting with the queen. The wandering gods never lie, I am here to pass on their message. Magnus Hilda has lost its way a long time ago and today's catastrophe is a result of not listening to the messages they sent over the years."

Joseph couldn't find a logical way to refute Zero's claims and took on the challenge. "Should you fail, I want you and your brother to leave Magnus Hilda and never return again."

Zero didn't hesitate and agreed to it. Joseph then sighed and told them to sleep early. He would lead them to a victim's house tomorrow for Zero to try his treatment. Just before Zero went to bed, he turned to Truen and gave the elf a mischievous look. Truen sighed.

"Why did you have to do such a thing?" the archer whispered and Zero deadpanned.

"Do you think I can reason with these giants who have lost all hope if I don't borrow Freya's name a little?"

Truen shook his head. Zero had a point. "But that was still too excessive. We shouldn't be attracting attention to ourselves like that."

Zero rolled his eyes. "If we did what they did we would be mushroom seedbeds. Haven't you heard? Desperate times call for more desperate measures. I'm just doing what needs to be done. Besides, if we solve this, the queen will reward us greatly. We won't be needing to worry about money for the rest of our travel on Earth for a while."

Truen didn't like to admit it but Zero was right. The doctor was no longer that reckless child who did as he pleased without thinking of consequences. All the things he did earlier had been calculated for and Truen wondered how much the boy had grown in two years. Not only did Zero figure out the cause of the 'plague', but he also knew who to approach and how to benefit the most from the situation. Truen wasn't sure if Freya agreed to let Zero borrow her name for his deeds but he highly doubted the Great Goddess would mind. After all, it was a win-win situation for Zero and Freya if he succeeded.

Exhausted from the excessive worrying he did for Zero today, Truen let his head fall to the pillow. "Go to sleep Zero, we have a long day tomorrow. Also, please tell me what you intend to do in future... it wasn't easy getting caught off guard earlier."

Zero laughed and apologised before tucking in too. "Good night, Truen. Sorry about that."

"It's fine," the archer yawned. "Got to sleep and no more surprises if you can."

Zero pouted. "No promises but I'll try."

After a while, only snores could be heard coming from them.