Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 101: The 24-hour purification

While Uri and Visha were preparing the ingredients for the purification mixture. Xeno and Kaelen were on their way to the spring. Kaelen led Xeno through treacherous passes and up cliff faces. Kaelen’s keen eyes could spot the best places for Xeno to move.

Xeno followed, his powerful body moving with grace. His muscular body rippled beneath his striped coat. His claws gripped the jagged rocks, anchoring him safely. The wind tugged at his fur and tail, but he remained focused.

His eyes scanned the drop below and the horizon. His instincts were sharp and he moved with silent confidence.

They arrived at the spring. A hidden grotto where crystal clear water bubbled up from the ground. The entire area was a grave. Massive fossilized skeletons of birds with enormous wingspans.

Kaelen, seeing the skeletons, stepped closer. He placed his hand over his chest and made a deep bow. Xeno watched him as he did, not saying a word. He understood that these skeletons might be related to him in some way.

Kaelen didn’t allow him to ask, "These are the ancestors of my people." He pointed to a symbol carved into a large stone on the mountain. "This has always been a symbol of our people. We believe that when we are about to die, we fly to the highest mountain we can reach. We lay our bodies down to return to the sky."

Xeno hummed in understanding. He gave a small bow as a sign of respect for the fallen eagle people. He filled the water pouch in silence. The only sound to be heard was the bubbling of the spring.

They returned by late afternoon. Uri and Visha were already waiting for them at the riverbank. As were other members of the River Clan. The powered sun orchid, the tangle root pulp, the skyberry juice, and flare crystals were all ready. The only thing they needed was the spring water.

"You’ve got it?" Visha asked, sounding excited.

Xeno held the pouch and gave it to Visha before going to stand with Uri. Kaelen greeted everyone as he went to stand behind the two men.

In a clay bowl, Visha placed the powdered sun orchid. She slowly added the skyberry juice, drop by drop. When it was finished, the mixture became a dough. The pulp from the tangle root was added, turning it into a paste. The spring water was added, making the paste thick and watery enough to stir. When it reached the correct consistence Visha carefully added the flare crystal powder.

This was the most crucial step. Although the flare crystal is in a powdered form, it can still combust. Adding it to water in this form, she was unable to stir; she could only sprinkle it evenly into the mixture. The flare crystals looked like a shimmering layer on top.

She got up carefully with the mixture in her hand and walked closer to the riverbank.

"This mixture cannot be thrown into the river. I need it to be lower from the side a little at a time. Then I need to activate another flare crystal over it. This will activate the sterilization feature of the powdered version in the water."

Xeno stepped forward after she finished speaking. She handed him a flare crystal silently. Both stepped towards the edge of the riverbank. She placed the mouth of the clay bowl into the water. As soon as the mixture touched the water, it started to spread.

As soon as the bowl was empty, she gestured to Xeno to strike the flare crystal. He did so immediately. The difference in the water was noticable. There was a glow in the water the moment he struck.

"The water will soon start to turn clear. At this time tomorrow, the parasites should all have died. Make sure to send them down the river. The fish won’t eat them," Visha stated.

No one moved; they wanted to see whether the water would really clear. After approximately an hour, they could see the water start to change. The silence broke amidst the cheer of the River Clan.

It was getting dark, and Visha and her group noticed the River Clan showed no intention of leaving. They had already started setting up camp by the riverside. She looked around at her companions. She didn’t feel right about leaving them like this. Mainly because she is the person who is curing the river.

Uri was the first to sit down. He understood that they also needed to stay. They had the reed mats that the River Clan offered. This is what they would sleep on tonight.

They offered Visha’s people some dried fish, and they, in turn, offered them some meat jerky.

After eating, at the 4-hour mark, they noticed the glow of the leech become erratic. At times, it would dim; other times, it would pulse or flicker.

"They are starving," Visha said. "The paste finds the parasites and sticks to them. It renders them unable to get nutrients from the fish. They should all be dead by daybreak. You should see them floating on top of the water. They will be white. You only need to take them out of the water or send them downstream."

She watched the water as she continued, "Their waste is being destroyed by the flare crystals, so you don’t have to worry about the toxicity."

The River Clan people were so excited that they didn’t sleep the entire night. Visha fell asleep at some point. She wasn’t sure when. But she woke up to see the River Clan sending white threads down the stream. Some were taken out of the water and placed a distance away from the water.

According to what Kaelen told her, they planned to wait until they were dry before burning them as a sign of purification.

Visha didn’t say anything. She only got up and had some food while waiting for the River Clan people to do what they needed to do.

Mira and the rest of the elders were already there when she woke up. She greeted them before going to watch the river for any abnormalities.

The day continued with different members of the River Clan coming to take a look at the increasingly clear water. The fish were becoming more lively. At the 24-hour mark, the water was completely clear. The fish were splashing around as if cheering for their own survival.

A single fish was taken from the river. It was cleaned and roasted. Each of the elders was given a piece of the fish while the rest of the River Clan watched. Seeing the elders eating the fish and nodding, the rest of the people finally started cheering.

Mira made sure to have Visha’s group stay another night. Visha readily agreed.