The Strangers

Amicia is forced to engage the armored Conrad Malfort

## Trophies

*It's yer damn music what brought them out, eh? Those dirty vermin that invaded our church! That filth what attacked our children in their beds and gave 'em the black thing! But now you've found Conrad Malfort... An' I'm tellin' you... this is the last village you'll infect.*
Conrad accuses the siblings of the plague

"**The Strangers**" is the second chapter of *A Plague Tale: Innocence*. It explores more of the story and introduces the first instance of combat as well as a semi-boss fight.

## Plot

### Synopsis

> Amicia and her brother, Hugo, lost their entire family during an attack by the Inquisition. Amicia barely knows Hugo, who grew up cut off from the world because of a mysterious illness. She must now take him to see Laurentius, the doctor treating him since a young age.
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### Summary

Having escaped the Inquisition for now, Amicia de Rune and her young brother Hugo wash up on the banks of the river near a small dock, indicating the presence of a village nearby and hopefully someone who can help them find Laurentius, Hugo's doctor. Homeless, overwhelmed, and with no protection or guidance, Amicia begins to despair. Despite this, she determines to not tell Hugo of their mother Béatrice's death in order to keep his spirits up.

Entering the village outskirts, Amicia becomes uneasy to see no one in sight, but smoke in the distance convinces her that the people are gathered in the center. What few villagers they spot as they walk refuse to talk or help, instead immediately hiding in their homes, shuttering their windows and locking their doors. They do overhear a couple arguing over whether to leave the village. Then the children start to see houses with white X's painted on the doors. Amicia realizes there is a plague in town. As they approach the smoke, the smell of burnt meat becomes apparent and they arrive to see several of the townspeople being put to the torch by an angry mob and their leader, Conrad Malfort, who accuses the children of bringing the plague to town and vowing to kill them. The two are chased through the town, eventually running out of places to hide, but they encounter their first stroke of luck: a kindly old lady named Clervie offers them shelter, asserting that the brute squad would never dare to come near all the infected houses, which proves true.

Clervie gives the children dry, clean clothes that belonged to her grandchildren and the use of her small worktable to upgrade Amicia's sling, allowing it to throw stones hard enough to kill. While talking to the old lady, Amicia learns that Laurentius was spotted working at the hospice. She also advised them to talk with the monks at the church, although warning that "*no one goes near there anymore.*" She also makes mention of the outbreak and says people have already died which is why the villagers have begun to panic and try to eradicate the problem.

At this point, Hugo begins to act up, making noise and shouting his wish to see his mother, at which point Amicia snaps and breaks to the truth to him. Thinking that she is lying, this only angers the boy more and he takes off into the streets with Amicia in pursuit. After being forced to kill a hostile villager, Amicia runs into Conrad again in the church courtyard holding Hugo hostage. He attacks the girl, now armed with a crude mace and clad in a set of rusty armor with a helmet that deflects her sling attacks. However, his armor and brutish fighting style make the man slow, so she is able to evade his clumsy attacks and remove his armor by hitting the buckles, eventually exposing his head and killing Conrad with a blow to his skull. The angry crowd outside, enraged by the loss of their leader, forces Amicia and Hugo to take cover in the church as the scene fades to black.

## Trivia

* This chapter marks the first instance of Amicia using her sling to kill; whereas before she had only stunned a wild pig she had to take down not one, but two men.

Navigation

* I – The de Rune Legacy
* II – **The Strangers**
* III – Retribution
* IV – The Apprentice
* V – The Ravens' Spoils
* VI – Damaged Goods
* VII – The Path Before Us
* VIII – Our Home
* IX – In the Shadow of Ramparts
* X – The Way of Roses
* XI – Alive
* XII – All That Remains
* XIII – Penance
* XIV – Blood Ties
* XV – Remembrance
* XVI – Coronation
* XVII – For Each Other