Chapter 2

With the center of the camp threatening to become a dirt reservoir, I follow a pathway that looks less likely to drag you to a mud-filled grave. It leads me alongside some farm buildings, a short distance away from the main hub of camp activity at the checkpoint or the border.

I pause to peek through a crack in the wooden structure. The buildings appear to have been repurposed as basic living quarters for more of the chairman troops. Tamenglong farmers must either have fled or now reside in the town itself. Ripe scents of hastily dug latrines waft in the damp air.

As I move on to pass between two abandoned tall buildings a figure steps out of the shadows. "You. Give me everything you have."

My would-be assailant had a bad figure. Rainwater runs through thin straggles of hair and drips off a drawn, malnourished face, pimples all over. He wields a stub of a knife and waves it in the general direction of my leather bag .

This is ridiculous. I push past this pathetic thief. I knock the mugger, by hitting directly at his face, he lay low,unconscious . And after a few seconds another armed man appear he is in better shape compared to the first guy.
I shake my head and start walking toward the armed man.
He appears to waver for a moment, then lunges at me with a yell. The knife swipe is unconvincing, and i give the fm attacker a quick move. His shoulder strikes the building wall, and he crumples on the soaking ground with a sad moan.

Casting a glance over my shoulder to make sure he's not attempting to get up and try again. And having a sense of humanity I droped 3 packet of instant maggi,and i head on for the chairman den.

I arrive at chairman Meiriang fancy building and I'm accosted by two guards. Unlike the locals in the lower parts of the camp, these soldiers are well equipped with fine equipment,one is holding a shotgun,and other guy is holding an Akm. I present them with my letter of summons.

"Seems to check out," the man says, turning to his colleague. "Keep an eye on them, I'll tell the chairman"

After a short wait, the first soldier returns and beckons me inside.
Chairman Meiriang leans over a large wooden table, his palms flat against the grain. Graying hair and a curated beard frame a face with pointed features. Scrolls, charts, and a silver tray with the remains of a meal rest on the table's surface.

"Ah, you're here. I do appreciate it when people arrive on command."

I felt that a swift attendance would be the most fruitful."
"In the sense that I do not have cause to discipline me, correct," he says.

Meiriang shuffles some papers around and motions to an empty chair. "Now, sit down and take that damn mask off."

I take the seat as instructed and remove my mask.
Traditionalist, I see," Meiriang says.

I hold my mask in my lap as the chairman continues. "I know you doctors or cleaner or professional have diverting personal connections to those awful facial decorations. So, out of curiosity, how did you come by that? Do keep it brief. Don't make me regret this."

I tell him that,I studied medicine at the University of Dailong, I explain that each teaching department within the university had its own iconography. Medicine was no exception. I wear the crow printed mask in honor of the exceptional training received there.

"As I suspected," chairman Meiriang says, "your blathering is not a patch on the story of how my family obtained this fine coat of arms." He circles a hand in the direction of the huge embroidered cock hovering behind his shoulder.

Requiring no further prompt, he launches into the saga of how the first chairman, then merely a commander of a small unit of cavalry, lifted the siege of chuiluan, with a timely charge. Foes were routed, heroes were toasted, and the Minister awarded MEIRIANG the first, with the title of chairman for his swift actions that day.

I'm sure they'll speak of you in the same way, in time to comes,i said .

"Try to be a bit less obvious with your flattery," he replies. Though his chest seems to have puffed out a little farther nonetheless.

Meiriang clears his throat and jabs his finger at a map of the surrounding area. "Tamenglong is in the grip of an epidemic we cannot explain. Hence the Head, summons for doctors aka the cleaner .

He tells me that the first reports of the disease came from traders passing along Tml central road. As more accounts emerged and the threat of a spreading virus became credible, the Head authorized the mobilization of local peasantry and ordered the town placed under quarantine.

"I've been here since early autumn, keeping the town locked up and kicking my heels while I followed the law and put out a summons. All three of you turned up today, and I'll be sending you in just as soon as we finish this little chat." The chairman smooths down his posture and looks at me. "Anything to add at this juncture?"
I said,
I vow to find a way to stop this virus.

"That's the spirit," the chairmansays.

"What can you tell me about the sickness?" I ask.

"That's supposed to be your job." Meiriang smirks, looking at me down his nose. "I can only relate what I've been told. The virus stops you from sleeping. Those who catch it feel exhausted but can't rest,have difficulty in breathing. Then their memory starts to go. They say the victims start seeing things, hearing things. Eventually they just lie down and never get up again."
After a week organ failure, it first attack the lungs the. Onto kidney and next to the heart. He shakes his head. "I've skipped a day or two of sleep on campaign, but to go without it for weeks…"

A low breeze rustles as I contemplate the chairman's words.

"Tamenglong,sits on the Head ,most accessible road to the the capital and the neighbouring countries," Meiriang continues. "If the town falls to disease, it will be purged and then abandoned. That purge will, I'm afraid, include you and your colleagues. Not something I'm relishing, but be quite assured that I will carry out that order." He starts to pace back and forth behind the table, arms folded behind his back. "I don't know how long I can keep my troops fed on scraps of farmland, and I don't know how much longer the Heads will tolerate the closure of their trade route. So you are advised to work swiftly.

The chairman stops and falls silent, looking at me over his shoulder. I sense he's waiting for me to assert my readiness for the task ahead.
I said with God by my side and my knowledge in medicine ,I wil not failed, even if it's doing the unthinkable.
"For your sake, I hope that is the case," Meiriang says. "You'll be working with a guy who fancies himself a surgeon, and one who thinks she can cure all illness because she's read some books." His chain mail clinks as he places his hands back on the table. "I'm sure you'll make a wonderful team."

"How are you able to uphold the quarantine from this one camp?" I ask.

"By the sheer force of my iron will," says meiriang . He pauses to gauge your reaction.

I blink back.

"No? Very well. There's a second camp, outside the northern gate. This blockade watches the south. The Tamluk River runs down the east, and the western cliffs are steeper than any wall we could put up. I run regular patrols, too, just in case anybody feels like trying to swim or climb their way out. Some have tried." The chairman allows that sentence to hang for a moment. "We fished Tml last physician out of the water about a week ago. Not sure if he was trying to run or if the townsfolk got tired of waiting for a cure. Burning the body was…a challenge."
I said,I'm too magnificent to drown,along with a little giggle .

Meiriang looks , up and down. "You do appear to believe that," he says at last. "One further thing. Sangailiu is the town secretary, She's a firm hand and has the Head blessing. To the best of our knowledge, she's still alive and in power. We'd like her to remain that way. Any more questions?"

I shake my head.

"Merciful relief. Now, as stated on your letter of summons, any insights about this disease are to be turned over to the Head, No exceptions, no excuses. Medical discoveries are imperial property, and refusal to submit said property is theft. You do not yet strike me as a thief." He sorts through some papers on his desk. "It's also my great pleasure to inform you that the college is looking to expand the Fellowship of Royal Physicians. Perform to the satisfaction of the Head , and I will be in a position to recommend you as an appointee. Displease the Head and…well, I'm sure it won't come to that."

The chairman fixes me with a stare as his lips form the last sentence. Then he smiles. I feel little reassurance. "In order to put you forward, I'll need to know your name. What is it?"

"Why aren't they here?" you ask. "The Fellowship."

"Do your job, and you may ask them yourself." Meiriang's brow tightens in frustration. So, unless I hear otherwise, you're all we've got." He taps the paper and he continues,
"Now, your name." I give him my name, Sixvi,
The chairman notes down my name. "There, now we're properly introduced. Just in time for you to leave." He motions for me to stand up.

As he moves to escort me out, one of the guards pokes his head through the entrance. "Sir, we've caught another runaway. She's giving us some trouble."

Chairman makes a sound of resigned irritation, then motions for to accompany him. "Every blasted second of every accursed day taunts me with new problems. Sixvi, come with me, you can make yourself useful."

I put on my improvised surgical mask and follow him outside. The rain has ceased, and the cool air of the evening feels great.

We head towards the commotion area.Chairman and me follow the guard to the outskirts of the encampment, where the main trail winds down a ridge toward Tml.The town dwellings, squeezed between the rapid waters of the Tamluk River and the western cliffs, are just about discernible in the fading light.

But before I can focus too long on the town, my eye is drawn by a standoff at the side of the road. A tall woman, dressed in a simple , is being circled by two uneasy-looking soldiers with bayonet attached to their gun . A third aims a sniper in her direction. On the ground near her feet lie a baggage pack and a crossbow.

"I've told you cowards, I'm not even from this miserable town, As I approach with chairman Meiriang , she shouts over to both of us. "About time. Get your thugs off me, I've done nothing wrong."

"Careful, sir," says the person holding the sniper. "She could be sick. We found her near the southern walls."

"You found me near the forest, idiot!" the woman interrupt. "That's where I was hunting, on account of me being a hunter."

Meiriang turns to me "That may be so. However, if she broke quarantine centre to escape , the punishment is terrible ,even a Death sentence,or chopping off her leg.

I side with the chairman, It's too risky to let this woman go free. And I question whether local deity law would sanction a summary execution,the chairman didn't answer. And I ask for a chance to check her for any sign of infection. If there is she can be killed . I said confidently. Protecting the stranger.

The chairman waves me forward. "Fine, yes. Do impress us all with your medical power.

I move beyond the soldiers with rifles and approach the woman.

She stares at me,my crow printed mask and puts her hands on her hips. Despite her defiant posture, her eyes betray the helplessness of her predicament. "Not worried you'll catch something, then?"
I take out a rubber glove from my leather bag .
I approached the lady and i tell her checking people for infection is a calculated risk of my profession, and ask if i can look her over for any signs of sickness.

"Seems like saying no won't do me much good, so go ahead," she says, her arms loosening. "You may as well know that I'm Tamjanliu

"Sixvi," you reply. That's my name.

Since i have no clear idea what I'm looking for, i perform some basic examinations. I look for any obvious fever, abnormalities in breathing, signs of the rashes, and find nothing of concern.

As i complete the diagnosis, my gaze falls on Tamjanliu pack, which has come partially open where it fell. I think i see some food and what may be spare clothes. It dawns on me that though Tamjanliu carries a cross bow, she appears not to possess any arrows. Something about my expression makes her uneasy.

"Look, I'm not a hunter," she whispered through gritted teeth. "But I'm not sick either, so help me out. Please."

I walk back over to Meiriang and inform him that the woman seems to be free of any sickness.

"Nonetheless," he says, "I don't wish to risk her presence among my men. She's under quarantine,for a week, take her to the centre. I said after necessary test let her go,the soldiers nod.

Meiriang signals to his men, who gesture in turn to Tamjanliu to head down the trail to the town. She angrily gathers up her belongings. Alive, at least.

As she leaves, accompanied by the soldiers, he informs me it's time to meet my colleagues.

As I head back along the road to encampment, i hear the steady sound of a vehicle. In the glow of newly lit bonfires, it's possible to make out a small vehicle heading in my direction.

"Hold for His chairmanship !

The vehicle comes to a halt as it pulls alongside me. I catch some hissed discussion within the ranks.

"What now? Did that petty tyrant forget something—"

Peering into the gloom, i see a figure wearing a fox imprinted mask and another fellow wearing a boar print mask.

"It would appear your new colleagues have come to us," Meiriang says.

The man riding the vehicle get up, speaking rapidly. "Your Lordship left instructions for the supplies to leave at nightfall, so we thought—"

"I know what I instructed," the chairman replies. "Since we're all here, let's have our animal friends meet their accomplice. Step forward. I've already forgotten your names."

The pair step closer and look me over. They both wear the traditional white coat of the profession, along with stylized, printed masks. The boar design appears to have real bone inserted as tusks, it's beautiful it's in 3d art,while the fox mask is decorated with tufts of fur and sports an elongated snout.

And I wait for one of them to make an introduction.
The three of us share some awkward glances.
I cough.
"Oh for—I'm Alicia says the woman in the fox mask, at last. She tips it upward, revealing a young woman with the dark circles of a habitual scholar under her eyes. She is indeed very cute I said to my self "And this…" she points at the person in the boar mask "…is the ever-cheerful Ioco Thaitanglung.

He props his mask up, offering a brief flash of a crudely shaved chin and a time-worn face. His expression suggests slight physical discomfort.

"Sixvi," i reply, lifting my mask in kind.

"Terrific. Truly, I've never seen a tighter bond," says the chairman ,cutting in to our introductions. "These…" he points at the vehicle "…are supplies for Tamenglong. As is customary in a crisis under state law, you have full authority over a portion of these resources. Use them as you see fit. The rest will be under the care of secretary of Tml. Oh, and do make sure that the vehicle comes back. It's the only one we have left." Suitable for any road and conditions.

With that, he departs back toward the line of tents marking the perimeter of the southern camp. I fall in with my new companions and the accompanying soldiers.

.to be continued….

© bamriguipamei