Not long after Daryll was on his feet, he was groggily sent back on his horse, and the scowling man went to fetch a carriage for Nikolai. Although he could probably have stood, Milani explained that it would take at least an hour to walk — and that was if you were uninjured.

  Nikolai therefore accepted the horrifying reality of waiting with her and Mathew. That not only meant pleasant company but also a packed lunch. Oh, the horror.

  Nikolai was given Daryll’s lunch, which pleased him to no end. Propped against a large stone, he ate his fill. Letting essence nourish him was all well and good, but nothing replaced real food.

  Mathew was extremely quiet during their meal, barely saying a word. He would glance at Nikolai from time to time but never speak. Milani, on the other hand, was a regular chatterbox, and now that Nikolai seemed out of danger, she had calmed down and begun asking questions.

  His name, his job — or rather, lack thereof — and so on. She even tried asking about his mentors and training, but Nikolai politely refused to answer. She accepted that rather easily, in his opinion, and instead began talking about the surrounding area.

  The forest Nikolai had come from was apparently called Dunklewood, usually visited only by adventurers, hunters, and the occasional soldier. Nikolai had likely only reached the outskirts, because Milani spoke of huge monstrous beasts deep within, of goblin clans and worse — and he had seen none of that.

  More interestingly, she spoke of the city they had come from. They were hired at the Adventurers’ Guild in Saxhaven, which would also be where they were headed once Daryll returned. Nikolai was shocked when she told him that almost half a million people lived there — and not only humans.

  He was excited to see a real city — a living, breathing medieval city, or at least something close. There was obviously magic around, so perhaps it would be even more interesting than he imagined.

  The whole area was part of a large province sharing the city’s name, which in turn belonged to a vast continent-spanning empire. That was where he lost interest; right now it didn’t really matter. He could look at a map later if it became relevant.

  Daryll returned not long after lunch was packed away, scowling as he dismounted. He gestured at the carriage.

  “Here’s the carriage for his lordship. Happy!?” he snapped at Milani.

  She nodded. “I am. Time to go then. Mathew, please help Mr. Travelion into the carriage, would you?”

  Mathew nodded submissively and picked Nikolai up like a toddler. He was gentle, but the ease with which he did it left no doubt in Nikolai’s mind that the man could probably wrestle a bear.

  He was set down on a cushioned seat and told to lie back. As it happened, Milani’s lap was quite comfortable, and Nikolai couldn’t help but wonder why she was being so… personal with him.

  A glance out the still-open door showed Daryll looking more than a little angry, and Milani’s smug smile made Nikolai suspicious. Yeah, she was definitely using him to make the man jealous.

  She had been kind to him — Daryll hadn’t — so it didn’t bother him much. He was getting a soft thigh pillow out of it, after all. So yeah, screw Daryll.

  Soon they were off, and after a few minutes he heard Daryll shouting in outrage:

  “She gave him my lunch!? Milani, you bitch, I’m going to—!”

  The carriage left Mathew and Daryll behind, and his angry voice faded into the distance while Milani chuckled merrily.

  As they traveled, Nikolai couldn’t help but wonder why he was so calm about everything. He had been dumped in a forest full of monsters, left to fend for himself without a weapon, nearly died a few hours ago — and now he was getting a thigh pillow from a strange woman.

  He wasn’t sure what was going on with him. He still felt fear, anxiety, and pain — oh, he definitely felt those — but they didn’t seem to affect him much. Had Moulin done something in secret? Perhaps the runes were influencing him somehow? He had so many questions, and no idea who, if anyone, he could ask.

  Nikolai wasn’t able to see the city right away, but Milani told him they’d soon be going through inspection. He had no idea what that entailed, but since she seemed calm, he figured there was no reason to worry.

  Through the window, he finally caught sight of the walls — and they were enormous. He’d expected something like Goodrich Castle in Herefordshire: tall walls, sturdy towers. But this was on another scale entirely.

  The walls seemed to reach into the sky. As they passed through the gate, he gauged the thickness to be at least five meters.

  “What the hell…” he muttered.

  Milani smiled. “First time to a walled city?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. We haven’t even entered yet, but the walls alone are pretty shocking.”

  “You know,” she said teasingly, “I’d love to hear your story sometime. You must’ve been in a pretty rural place if you’ve never seen a walled city. Are you training to be a priest in some desolate area, perhaps?”

  Nikolai chuckled. “Not a priest, no — but the part about being far from everything is pretty accurate.”

  She pursed her lips. “Not a priest? Hmm. You’re a healer though, at least you have a rune for it… An adventurer then?”

  “Sounds interesting, but also no,” he said, deliberately keeping vague.

  She didn’t seem annoyed — if anything, she looked even more intrigued.

  Before she could continue, a knock sounded on the carriage door. She sighed, called for them to enter, and the door swung open. A heavily armored man stood outside, wearing full plate and a closed helmet, with a tabard of orange and green.

  It was hard to tell, but Nikolai felt the guard’s gaze linger on him before addressing Milani. “Inspection, miss. We’ll try to be brief.”

  Milani nodded. “Of course. This is a rented carriage, though, so please try not to damage anything.”

  The guard bowed slightly. “Of course, miss.”

  To Nikolai’s surprise, he simply stayed there in the doorway, hand resting casually on his sword hilt. He heard rummaging at the back of the carriage, then the opposite door opened.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  A man in an orange and green robe bowed. “Allow me a brief scan, miss.”

  He held a carved stick in one hand — a wand, Nikolai realized, suppressing a grin.

  It glowed softly, and Nikolai felt something like a warm breeze sweep across his skin. The man nodded. “All good. You should get your man to the Hospitarium, though. He’s stable for now but still has some light internal bleeding.”

  Milani smiled and nodded, and the doors closed. The carriage began to roll smoothly over stone. She looked down at him, frowning. “Why didn’t you heal yourself if you’re still that hurt?”

  “Couldn’t,” he said. “I’m still recovering my mana. The damage was pretty severe, and I’m ashamed to admit I’m still pretty damn weak.”

  She sighed. “Shouldn’t have let Daryll use the whole potion. The prick deserved what he got… Anyway, I’ll get you to a healer. You’ll probably need to rest a few days.”

  Nikolai nodded, but he was too distracted by the glimpses of the city outside. The buildings seemed almost modern — brick walls in varying colors, tall windows, most standing four stories high and built close together.

  He imagined shopfronts at the bottom, but could only make out a few signs as they passed. One appeared to be a tailor’s shop, and he made a mental note to return later — he definitely needed new clothes.

  He had a rucksack full of monster parts but no idea what they’d fetch. Best to be conservative with his spending for now.

  The Hospitarium loomed ahead — a grand, cathedral-like building. Through the open carriage door, he saw wide stone steps leading up to towering double doors.

  Two white-robed men descended to meet them, bowing to Milani.

  “Welcome to St. Alar’s Hospitarium. How can we be of service?”

  Milani bowed deeply in return. “I am Milani, adventurer. There was an incident that left my companion here injured. We beg the mercy of the clergy.”

  Nikolai thought the formality was a bit much, but one of the men peeked into the carriage, saw him, and nodded. “Of course. Please, allow us to assist you.”

  Nikolai glanced at Milani, then nodded to the man. “Thanks, I’d… appreciate the help,” he said, trying to match their tone.

  He was carried up the stairs with insulting ease — the two men lifting him like he weighed nothing — and brought into a white-walled treatment room.

  Milani was told to wait outside while Nikolai was left lying in a soft bed with white linens. The bare room felt like a medieval hospital, but he had little time to take it in before the door opened and a short, stout man entered.

  He had a long grey beard, a mostly bald head, and the largest nose Nikolai had ever seen. A grin spread across Nikolai’s face.

  The man frowned. “Not too injured to smile, eh? You sure you should be here?”

  Nikolai tried to suppress his grin and failed. “Sorry, but I have to ask — are you a dwarf?”

  The man looked offended. “Of course I’m a dwarf! What else would I be? Did you hit your head?”

  Nikolai shook his head, paused, then shrugged. “Maybe a bit. I don’t mean to offend you, but I’ve read a lot of stories about elves and dwarfs, and you’re the first I’ve actually met.”

  The dwarf grunted. “Surprising, but not unheard of. You a bit closeted, lad?”

  “You have no idea,” Nikolai said, still smiling.

  The dwarf cleared his throat. “Be that as it may, let’s get on with it. My name’s Lazgrim, head priest of this Hospitarium. May I inspect you, lad?”

  Nikolai nodded, the pain flaring again now that he was reminded of it. “Sure. I tried healing myself and fixed some of it, but something inside me seems to resist the healing.”

  Lazgrim raised an eyebrow. “Ah, a fledgling healer, eh? Let’s see, then.”

  He placed a thick-fingered hand on Nikolai’s bare arm, and a soft glow spread from it. After a few moments he nodded. “Ah, not too bad. Good thing you came here though. You’ve got a few broken ribs and some internal bleeding. Tell me — what spell did you use?”

  “Minor Heal,” Nikolai admitted.

  Lazgrim nodded. “Aye, not enough for this kind of injury. That all you’ve got?”

  “Uh, no. I’ve also got Soothe and Minor Cleanse.” Nikolai decided there was no harm in mentioning his light runes — though revealing his shadow ones didn’t seem wise.

  “Hmm. Rudimentary, but a good start. Didn’t know your runes’ limits, eh? You were obviously given those runes, so why didn’t your teacher explain the basics?” Lazgrim asked, sounding more annoyed.

  Nikolai shrugged. “My master prefers the learning-by-doing approach. I only just got the runes, truth be told, so I haven’t done much… doing.”

  Lazgrim sighed. “Gods below, some teachers… Well, let’s get you mended first, then we’ll see about some proper training, eh?”

  The offer surprised Nikolai, but he wasn’t against it. Learning from what seemed at least a nicer teacher, that might turn out to be a real boon. “So if Minor Heal isn’t enough, what spell will you use?”

  “I’ll use Greater Heal, lad — the better version of your spell. It’ll fix all but the most grievous injuries. There are others like Rejuvenate or Greater Mend, but those aren’t of the Light affinity.”

  The glow from Lazgrim’s hand intensified, warmth spreading through Nikolai’s body. Then things began to move. He felt his ribs shift back into place — not painful, just unsettling. The spell knitted the tissue faster than pain could set in, and within minutes he felt completely fine. He was frankly shocked at the speed, completely different from his own attempts.

  He marveled again at what magic could do — what would’ve taken weeks or months on Earth was fixed in minutes. It felt almost unfair.

  He touched his now-painless torso and smiled. “Thank you so much… I don’t have anything to pay you with, though.”

  Lazgrim scoffed. “I need no payment for helping people, lad. That’s not our way. Now, as for you — you’re clearly inexperienced and uninstructed, so why don’t you stay here a while?”

  Nikolai hesitated. “You want to teach me? What would I be signing up for?”

  “Don’t be suspicious, lad. I won’t make you sign anything. You really know nothing of our church, do you?” Lazgrim said, exasperated.

  Nikolai shook his head, and Lazgrim explained. “Our mission is to heal, lad — nothing else. We help others, and they help us in turn. I’ll teach you, let you gain experience, and you’ll use that to help others. You need to advance your runes from the minor versions as soon as possible — that should be your first goal.”

  “Advance them?” Nikolai asked. “As in, level them up?”

  Lazgrim nodded. “Aye. Runes grow as you use them — same as people. You gain experience and evolve, and so do your runes. No telling how long it takes: gifted students manage it in days, others in years. The important thing is to start walking the path.”

  Nikolai nodded slowly. Once again the mention of a path, and he filed it away for later. “Makes sense. So, you’d put me to work healing the injured and so on?”

  “I would. You need the practice don’t you? You’ll be paid, have your own room, and as much food as you can eat. You’re free to come and go as you please.”

  It sounded almost too good to be true. “What’s the catch?”

  Lazgrim sighed, his mustache puffing out. “No catch, lad. You help the patients, and we’ll make sure you’re fed and clothed.”

  Nikolai considered the offer seriously. It made a lot of sense — he could learn more about magic, advance his runes, and have a place to stay.

  He had no idea what Vitzer and Moulin’s plans were for him, but since they hadn’t called him back or explained anything, he was effectively on his own. So, why the hell not?

  After a moment, he nodded. “Alright, Lazgrim. I’ll accept your offer.”

  Lazgrim looked pleased, and soon Nikolai found himself in a pristine white robe. Milani had already left but had left a note explaining where to find her.

  He’d visit her later, probably — he still had to sell all the stuff in his bag too somehow.

  Looking around his small private room, a smile crept onto his face. The dark wizard Travelion, now healer of St. Alar’s Hospitarium…