Noa usually hated his work as much as a student hated their homework, but today, it was a strangely pleasant distraction from his breakfast with his betrothed. With each shovelful of manure, he was convinced that if he did in fact gain a title higher than a baron, he could easily get out of his arranged marriage. Another alternative was to run away completely, but... Damn, he’d grown to really like Eliaz the way that Thor liked Loki. Or Loki liked Thor? A sort of brotherly bond that was mildly strained, only this one had the promise that with time, they’d be more good for each other than bad.
Only so many shovelfuls were required to reinforce that plan, pushing the more pressing problem at hand━Noa had to make this strike happen, and carefully. Zahur, fortunately, volunteered to join Noa’s “shitboy” duty, which kept Waroc working with the apple harvesters instead. Waroc was apparently happy to not be Noa’s “warden” anymore too.
“Now explain this plan of yours to me again,” Black Panther said, having been tearing the plan apart for the last few hours.
Noa sighed, stuck his shovel in the earth, and rested an aching arm on it. “Find the lock, prove my innocence, and start the strike. That should definitely show that some of us were wrongly punished if I can provide proof of it,” he said. “We make conditions. Yana doesn’t get her workers back until all of the indentured servants receive proper legal protocols, such as an investigation and a court.” However courts here work. “If they are deemed innocent and redeemed from their punishment, then they get to choose where to go, and Yana’s welcome to offer paying jobs instead.”
“And who will run this court? You?” Zahur asked.
“No, I don’t know the laws here. Lila would be a better fit for that. She’s already working on bringing a justice system here, but something about the capital being lazy.”
Zahur nodded, continuing to shovel. Grr! He made it look so easy! Noa picked his shovel up, getting back to it. “What of workers who were coerced, like Enora and her brother?” he asked.
“I’m hoping that we can shine a light on Yana’s and Waroc’s crimes. Otherwise, we’ll help them. They start working for pay somewhere, and we’ll do... something,” Noa said. It was hard to say that he’d help them make money to support their family when he couldn’t do that for himself yet, and he didn’t even know the full scope of the situation either. “What if we built a community? One that ensures this never happens to people again? We can continue to meet in the church.”
“I like that idea. One step at a time then,” he nodded again. “And if you do not find the lock you speak of, I will do what I can to protect you, as━what is it you say? The ‘kingpin’ of the strike?”
Noa chuckled. “Yeah, the kingpin,” he said. “I got close to it, Zahur. I know where it is, I just need more time to retrieve it.”
“Where was it?”
“In the farmhouse where Waroc and Yana live. I’m not a very sneaky person, unfortunately.”
“You should ask Conagan to help you. He has chosen the path of an espionage class.”
Noa raised his brow. “Espionage?” he asked. So cool!
“He says it was a happenstance as a street urchin. Naturally picked up the spells in his first base class, and went with it. I think it is a class tree that works well for you shorties,” Zahur teased, shooting Noa a large smile.
Noa deadpanned the man.
“You are not comfortable with your height?” Black Panther guessed.
“It’s been complicated lately,” Noa said. “But yeah, I’ll talk━” he stopped abruptly when he heard a shrill scream, whipping his head around to see where it came from. Before he even caught sight of it, Zahur was already barreling past him at a full run.
Towards the center of the farm, Waroc had gotten into a kerfuffle with someone, who was now laying on the ground. This can’t be good, Noa thought, running after Black Panther. While Noa dropped his shovel, Zahur held onto his. His strides were so large that for once, Noa couldn’t keep up with someone.
He lagged behind, seeing that the person on the ground was Enora, and she was frantically pushing herself away from her much bigger threat. Waroc raised a fist as he closed the distance between them.
“Tin, no!” Enora screeched as a boy jumped directly in front of the blow.
Zahur bellowed, and Noa gasped as tin flew some ten yards from taking the punch to his skull. Hell’s bells!
“You monster!” Enora yelled out, her face reddening as she scrambled to her feet. The moment she turned away to move to her brother, the brute snatched her by the back of her dress.
“Curse you, bastard!” Zahur yelled, and there was a satisfying GONG as his shovel made contact with the back of Waroc’s head.
“Hell yeah, man!” Noa couldn’t help it, watching as Waroc faceplanted. Oh, that felt so good, even if he wasn’t swinging that damn shovel himself!
Focus! Injuries! he told himself, and ran towards the boy, Enora scrambling out from under Waroc’s limp form to do the same. He grimaced at the sight. Half the boy’s face was red and swollen, and the skin on his cheek was split, and beyond it, the cheekbone had collapsed.
Fortunately, he was conscious, and Noa hated to admit that the wails the boy released felt like a good thing. Had he taken the punch any higher... Noa shivered at that thought, and knelt beside Enora’s brother while she came to the other side, practically collapsing next to him.
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“Tin!” she cried, heavy tears streaking down her face. “Why! It should have been me!”
“Enora,” Noa said quickly, pulling Tin’s arms down from where he tried to hold his face. “Go fetch me some aether stones. Quick!”
“Yes, yes!” Enora picked up her skirt, and dashed away. Noa was glad she could come out of her hysterics so quickly. Honestly, he didn’t think he’d manage to do the same.
A second person, Conagan, ran after her. Hopefully to help, and... probably to steal aether stones. Noa tried not to think about that right now.
Instead, he cast [Mend] on the boy, and... the spell failed. What? He’d shaped the aether, designated it, and nothing. The aether was lost, and the spell had no effect. It was like... I can’t set a cheekbone, Noa realized, then jumped when he heard another gong!
He looked at Zahur, eyes widening. Waroc had gotten up on his feet, incredibly functioning despite the blow he took to the head. The shovel had been tossed aside, sitting at the base of a tree, while Waroc and Zahur traded blows.
Damnit! Focus! Noa told himself, having a hard time holding the boy still as he thrashed. “Hold still. I need to focus to heal you,” he said. But... how? he thought.
He casted [Lesser Examination], hoping for a clue to the problem. The injury was not superficial. For heaven’s sake, do something! he internally screamed at the useless spell. Then he felt a new impression, something... something that told him he needed to encourage the body to heal in a specific way. Guess that spell wasn’t so useless after all.
Creasing his brow and pulling his lips into a thin line, Noa pulled out an aether strand. How to do this...? He shaped the aether over the face, and almost like it was natural, it slipped right into the shape that felt right, the shape the mangled face should be. It turned red as it designated the aether.
System [Lesser Appeal] acquired.
System [Lesser Appeal] level 1.
System Direct [Lesser Mend]?
Yes or no?
Yes, Noa thought, and watched as the face slowly gained shape again while a continuous strand of aether fed the already existing aether. A continuous use spell? he wondered, raising his brow.
System Aether depleted.
Like usual when his aether was gone, the world dimmed, though darker than he anticipated, but by now, Noa didn’t give the change much attention. Instead, he turned to look at how Black Panther was faring. A grimace stretched across his face at the dark bruises already forming over Zahur’s jaw and arms.
“Where’s...” the boy spoke, and Noa looked back at him. The boy looked around with his one good eye, the other still swollen shut. At least he wasn’t thrashing anymore.
“Enora is━” Noa started, looking up. Come on, come on! he thought, hoping to see her returning with those aether stones. Someone stepped up beside him, and pushed an aether stone towards him.
It was an older gentleman. “It’s my only one. Use it,” he said, and Noa recognized him as one of the men he healed back at the church.
“Thanks,” Noa said, and took the aether stone. He absorbed as much of the power as he could, then casted [Lesser Appeal] again, this particular spell feeling easy compared to others by the way the aether seemed to just conform to the subject’s body.
System [Lesser Appeal] level 1 → 2.
System Direct [Lesser Mend]?
Yes or no?
Again, Noa fed the mending spell aether, and as he did, he absorbed the rest of the aether in the stone simultaneously. During it, he gradually gained notifications.
System [Lesser Mend] level 32 → 33.
System [Lesser Mend] level 33 → 34.
System [Lesser Mend] level 34 → 35.
System Aether depleted.
The face was nearly back to normal. At least, it seemed that the bones were healed, or close to it, but the swelling was still active, though not nearly as bad.
Nearby, the crowd that had gathered gasped, and Noa looked back at the brawl. Zahur was on the ground with Waroc over him, taking blow after blow.
“Get up, Black Panther!” Noa yelled, and the old man that’d offered an aether stone earlier rushed in, and pulled on Waroc’s arm to stop him.
Waroc reeled around, and punched him directly between the eyes. The old man also flew away, and smacked right into a tree. His skinny form crumpled to the ground. That had Black Panther bellowing, pushing himself back up, despite his bruised face. The brawl continued, and Noa didn’t dare look, rushing to the old man.
“No, no, no!” he yelled, pushing him over. The old man twitched, his face completely crushed in. I’m all out of aether, Noa lamented. “Come on, man, stay with me!” Blood poured from the back of his head where it hit the tree, and Noa just stared, helpless. Shaking himself from the shock, he looked up, his face scanning across worried faces. “Does no one have aether?!”
No one. Nothing. Noa looked back at the man, and while he didn’t know him, he felt for the guy. Moments before, he’d offered the last of his aether, and Noa used it on an injury that he wasn’t entirely sure was life threatening, and now this man’s own life was in the balance. His form twitched further, until it fell limp.
He was dead. Gone. Noa had the power to help, and yet not the resource. This was... this was real. He knew that before, but he’d never considered the danger as real as it was now. Healing, even with a limited resource, made him feel invincible in a way, and now...
Get it together, Noa thought. He looked back towards the brawl, and as he did, his eyes briefly scanned over Enora and Conagan returning with piles of aether stones. Enora nearly dropped hers at the new sight, but Noa got up, rushing to her. He took the pile, and looked towards the brawl.
“Your brother will be fine, I’ve healed the majority of the wound. I need to help Zahur end this fight,” he said.
Enora nodded wordlessly, eyes still glued to the old man, and Noa didn’t want to imagine what she could have been thinking.
He turned, a pile of aether stones hanging in his shirt, and looked at Zahur. He’d never healed someone while they were actively fighting, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Black Panther down!