The virus takes a leap; heading straight for Adora's heart. Casta finds the missing passage and explains how to make the antidote.

~

"Adora!" Catra dropped to her knees. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no," She cradled Adora's head softly. Adora lay still, face pale and drawn, barely breathing. "Help!" She screamed. "Help me!" She pushed some hair out of Adora's face, forcing back the tears. Adora stayed limp, face peaceful, probably for the first time in a long while. "Come on, wake up, wake up, Adora," She pleaded, pressing her fingers to Adora's neck.

Her pulse was there. Faint, and barely beating, but there.

Catra glanced around in panic. "Fuck this," She stood, pulling Adora up into her arms, bridal style. She kicked the door open and ran. She ran through the halls, too worried to even care if she was jostling Adora in her unconscious form. The guards shouted commands at her, usually along the lines of:

Stop!
Drop the princess!
What are you doing!?
Stop!

But Catra paid them no heed. Adora was dying, and she needed help. Catra bypassed the infirmary in a haze, bursting into the grand hall. To no shock, Bow was still there. "Wake up!" She barked. Bow turned with a glare. "Catra-" He began to hiss. Catra rushed over to the couch, gently lowering Adora to it. "What the hell did you do to her?" Bow snapped, running over. Catra scoffed. "Yes, like I'd hurt my girlfriend," She rolled her eyes. "Well, ya have!" He argued. Catra hissed. "Just help her, please!" She begged. "I-I just found her like this," She raked her hands through her fur. Bow pressed his fingers to her neck and wrist, counting silently. "What're you doing?" She whispered a moment later. Bow huffed and began counting again.

Catra watched as she picked at her claws.

"Fifty three," He announced, standing up. Catra held her hands out. "What? Princesses? Fifty-three what?" Bow sighed angrily. "If you'd let me finish first," He raised an eyebrow. Catra chuckled darkly. "Oh, arrow bow. I don't have time for this. Adora is dying and you're trying to give me a lecture on patience?" Bow seemed to shrink in on himself. "Fair. Her pulse," He lowered Adora's hand to her stomach. "It's fifty-three beats per minute. It should be at least sixty, if not higher,"

Catra whined lowly. "What do we do? Magic lady isn't here, and I don't know magic first aid!" She exclaimed. Bow narrowed his eyes. "I mean, we could take her to the infirmary... they can give her fluids and something to help, maybe... but for the poison, I think we'll have to wait for Castaspella,"

So they did.
For several long hours.

Catra dozed by Adora's bedside around the fifth hour after she found her unconscious body. Castaspella turned up another four hours after that. Adora remained unconscious, so they held the "meeting" there. "It's going to be hard, incredibly so," Castaspella began, unrolling a scroll. "The ingredients needed are spread all across Etheria... it... the first Ones engineered it do the intruder would be hard pressed to find the cure in time," She warned. Catra felt her claws dig into the wooden tray on her lap. "I don't care. Give me the damn ingredients," She snapped. Castaspella levelled her with a glare. "You may be here on the good graces of Adora and my niece, but do not think I can still have you removed," She said. Glimmer cleared her throat, interrupted Catra's (decidedly not nice) retort. "Uh, auntie? I'm actually Queen now... so... technically I can decide what happens to her,"

Castaspella scoffed. "Wow... you and your mother were just alike,"

Ouch. Even Catra wouldn't have... nah, she totally would've used the dead mom card. She did use the dead mom card.

Glimmer remained composed. "The ingredients?" She asked. Castaspella huffed. "As I was saying. It's going to be hard. It might be better for you to split up and cover three each," She waved her hand, gesturing to a sudden magical map. Catra hated magic. HATED it. She looked at it with as disinterested face as she could muster whilst holding her dying best friends (too) cold hand.

Wait... "Adora's hand is cold," She voiced aloud. Glimmer's face fell. "What do you mean?" She asked. "It's cold, Sparkles. What else do you want me to say?" Catra began to feel for a pulse. "Relax, Sandra. I've put an anti-pain spell on her," Catra hissed. "My name is CATRA," Castaspella waved her hand. "Either way. She's in a coma-like state. It should keep her asleep and pain free until we can administer the cure," She finalised. Catra sighed softly, rubbing Adora's hand between her own.

"There are twenty-three ingredients needed. They are spread out across the seven kingdoms, four First One's buildings, and The Sword of Protection," Castaspella explained. She waved her hand again. The map had several pulsating dots, along with a list at the bottom.

Dryl - 5 pink berries.Bright Moon - 3 balls of siphoned energy from the runestoneCrimson Waste - Ice plant twigSalineas - 1 ball of siphoned energy from the runestoneKingdom of Snows - 1 ball of siphoned energy from the runestonePlumeria - 1 ball of siphoned energy from the runestoneMystacor - Green crystal from the hot springsWhispering Woods - Tree barkKrytis - True magicAlywn - Horn of guardianNorthern Reach - Guardian SpikeCrystal Castle - CrystalSword of Protection - 5 balls of siphoned energy from the runestone.

Catra gaped as she read the list. "How, in the ever-loving fuck, are we supposed to get these!?" She clawed at the mirage. Glimmer hummed in agreement. Castaspella shrugged. "I said it wouldn't be easy. The First One's made this guardian to kill the intruder who tried to destroy the heart. It wasn't designed for the intruder to survive. But they had to create a contingency plan in case one of their own was wounded," Catra sighed loudly. "Ok. I say we split it," She said. "Sparkles, you take the Runestone places," She pointed. "Arrows, you take the villages," Catra nodded to the aunt, which she still had no idea about. "You get whatever it is from magic land," She cracked her knuckles. "And I'll take the woods and the ruins,"

She glanced at Adora. "Great," Bow agreed. "What were the villages again?"

Catra rolled her eyes. They were screwed.

"Oh, did I mention you only have two and half days left?"

Yup... screwed.