Pathologic - The Apiary Opens

*Spoilers*

The Haruspicus didn't show up. But I met him the next day, and he didn't even mention the costume, so I'm not sure what to think. In this and other matters, I wonder, how much the translation is misleading me. Plot particulars are sometimes hazy and inspire a sort of vague understanding.

The Inquisitor is convinced that the source of the infection comes from the ground. I asked Young Vlad, who has a well hidden in his secret house, but he was reluctant to give me the details. If the infection does come from the ground, then it makes sense that they call it "Sand Plague".

Well, I finally got access to the inside of the Apiary. From what I can gather, the infection broke out in the Apiary, and the reason they closed it off was to contain the disease. Obviously, that didn't work. So from then on, I think maybe the Olgimskiys wanted to hide the evidence that that's where the infection spread from, to protect their assets, or their secrets, or whatever. But I think the Hump-man's attack, though foiled (by me - then again, it was my actions that instigated it...), led to the breaking of the seal, if you will. So today Young Vlad asked me to investigate rumors of a group inside the Apiary selling a false Panacea (a false cure for the infection) under my name, supposedly using the technique I "invented" - the one that requires an infected heart specimen.

The inside of the Apiary is kind of creepy, even though there's no real threat to me in there (at the time, at least). It's populated by Butchers and Worms. The Worms are weird-looking creatures, but they have arms and legs, and they can talk. There are dead (?) bodies covered in sheets laying on the ground absolutely everywhere, and you can hear some pretty frightening screams which I presume come from the sick and dying. I also ran into the Haruspicus inside the Apiary. He was working at yet another body. He asked me to examine a blood sample, but he wouldn't tell me where he got that blood from. After I examined it (it looked different from the other blood samples I've examined thus far), the Haruspicus explained that he used that specimen to create a true Panacea, of which he gave me a sample. So I guess he's already got the cure.

Meanwhile, I located the Worm panderers who were allegedly selling false Panacea, and they told me that Young Vlad himself was the one buying up the market on Panacea - and that it wasn't false but real Panacea. Returning to Young Vlad, negotiations began to become strained, but he revealed that he distributed the Panacea to various important townsfolk, including Julia and Lara, and Mark Immortal, the theatre owner (who, by the way, is also one of my adherents).

Back on the dirt front, I talked to Ospina, who is young and bratty, but has a grudge against the Olgimskiys, and she gave me some dirt on them which I used to pry the truth out of Young Vlad. I think. Well, whatever I learned, it leads me to the Abattoir, behind the Apiary, which has something to do with animals, and disposing waste, and has some connection to 'underground', which is why I think it might lead to some evidence for the ground theory of infection.

By the way, the Inquisitor also went on and on to me about 'natural Laws', and suggested to me that the infection is an inevitability, perhaps a sort of divine retribution, resulting from something in the town trying to go against the natural laws. Simon Kain and his immortality, perhaps? The Inquisitor also suggested to me that Eve may have been a human sacrifice for the Kains. George Kain denied it, but he did say he was planning on sacrificing himself to move Simon's soul into the Polyhedron. You know, I came to this town in the first place to see Simon, and he's been invisible this whole time. I'm starting to wonder if he really exists. I know there's more going on behind the scenes than I understand; I wonder if that's just another part of the conspiracy.

Big Vlad's beautiful daughter is apparently infected. There was one of those bird costumed freaks standing outside her door, like the one outside Lara's house yesterday. Actually, that one's still there. The dialogue that this second bird freak gave me was the same as the other one, with the masculine pronouns, so I'm assuming it's just a standard gender-insensitive dialogue. Which means Lara and this girl (I think her name is Kapella, but sometimes, unless I'm confused, she's referred to as Victoria?) are both infected. I wonder what would happen if I let them die. Still, even if they're not my adherents, they could still be of use to me. I guess I just have to give them enough medicine to keep them alive. Pain though it is. I just hope we don't get one more infected important townsfolk each day - I don't think I'd be able to tend to them all...

Speaking of medicines, I'm stocking up a decent supply of cures. I still have one dose of powder. I've also got two vaccines, which were created from my heart experiment. They have 95% protection rate and last for 8 hours. I tried one out (without saving, just to see how it works); it's pretty cool to be able to walk through clouds of infection and whatnot and be impervious to infection. Still, that 5% worries me, and it only lasts for 8 hours after all. Still useful though. And I've also now got one dose of Panacea, which, going by the description, should work just like the powder (full instant cure!) but without damaging health!

Well, tomorrow the Sanitary Army arrives. The days are counting down, I wonder what happens at the end. I've gotta find a way into the Abattoir tonight. Who knows what I'll find.