The sun rose slowly and lit the room while they practiced and soon it was time to wake as the boys came to, driving Kilniara back out to the common room. She moaned, rising, and Joe grew a bit more concerned over the day. The boys woke, but also revealed a deep soreness that had them both stiff on the bed for some time before both were able to very poorly push themselves to their feet. Joe noticed and grew a bit concerned. I thought… I’d kept it light enough. Is the system messing things up? Or are they that… out of shape? Maybe … Not sure… The boys dressed slowly with many complaints and groans, more anger from Zilnek than just pain, before joining Joe when they walked down into the common area. The two boys saw Kilniara, and all three seemed to moan in unison, acknowledging each other’s pain.

“Sore?”

“I think even my scales are sore,” Kilniara replied.

“Don’t have scales, but I swear they’re sore too,” Garnedell offered.

That tickled Zilnek in a special way and he immediately guffawed out, laughing loudly before suddenly bending over and dropping his head to the table, “Ow… Ow!! Ow! Don’t make me… OW! Don’t make me lau… OW! OW… that… OW! That hurts…”

That set off Kilniara and Garnedell, Kilniara’s giggles interjected with exclamations of pain just as much as Garnedell’s rougher laughter was interrupted with winces and moans rather than the sharper cries of pain of the other two. Right… this isn’t… good… or normal… weirdness… got it.

“So… you guys look… sore.”

Garnedell huffed, “What gave it away?”

That set of Zilnek again, laughter pealing outward interjected with cries of pain and curses at Garnedell, “I … ow! I will kill.. Garnedell! You… ow! OW! That… you suck… ow!”

Zilnek’s antics set his sister off and Joe struggled to keep his own laughter in, both relieved to see Zilnek seemingly calmed as well as just the general laughter. If they could laugh, it wasn’t as bad as it looked. It still concerned him and he frowned.

“So… you aren’t going to be able to go to the dungeon like this.”

Zilnek moaned, “Not a chance!”

Kilniara shifted which caused her to moan as well, “This… hurts a lot!”

“Well… we can skip the dungeon today. The baths will really help you a lot. You’ll feel a lot better there, especially in the hot water. A massage also would really help if…”

“Joe?”

Joe paused and glanced towards Garnedell, “Yeah?”

“We could… get a healer?”

Joe paused at that, blinking in surprise, speaking softly to himself, “Huh… that… gotta … work on that paradigm shift a bit… didn’t even enter my mind.”

Garnedell grinned up at him at that and Joe responded with his own grin, “Then… that… sounds good!”

Garnedell nodded and sighed with some relief, “It would be better than laying in water in pain.”

Joe paused at that, remembering how much a hot bath actually helped him and realized that they might not feel the same, especially if an immediate erasure of pain was an option. Huh… guess… that kinda makes sense… still like a hot bath, though!

“Then… Oh… I know where to go. Wait here… I’ll be right back.”

Joe raced back up the stairs to the room, pulling out his coin pouch before heading back out of the inn. He normally practiced in the inn yard without taking his pack, although when he wanted to practice his weapons, he would do so.

It was still quite early in the morning and he raced back towards the temple plaza before plunging into the back streets towards where the day laborers congregated. He arrived to find it absolutely packed with people and then frowned. Hope… they are still willing to listen to me… well.. can make it obvious!

“Need a healer… NOT a dungeon, just at an inn!”

The healers had initially turned towards him, recognized him, then turned away. His explanation, however, soon had them all facing towards him, and several of the younger ones racing towards him. They lined up before him eagerly calling out to him. Some attempted to catch his attention, while others shouted out they were superior. Several of the smarter ones stated their digits or skills to convince him while others offered examples of their work in their shouts. Joe listened on for a time before growing a bit overwhelmed and decided he would simply state what he needed. Might help narrow things down?

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“I need someone to heal soreness of the body; the whole body.”

That brought up some of the younger ones, frowning and turning away. One of the older gentleman nodded at that and called out to him, cutting through the shouts for attention.

“How many?”

“Three…” Joe paused at that, thoughtful, then grinned, “Four, actually.”

Several more turned away, frowning, while some of the older ones stepped forward with some excitement, one of the obviously greedier ones looked up.

“For a core, correct?”

Joe grimaced as he looked at the woman even as several of the others scoffed at her, one even seeming to take affront at her comment. Huh… keep an eye on that one.

“That was to go into the dungeon with us. If you can show me that an inn is as dangerous as a dungeon…”

The woman had the decency to at least seem embarrassed and she slipped away. Joe sighed and looked at that rest.

“So. How do we do this?”

“You may choose who you will, sir.”

“Hmm… really? No line… just my choice?”

“Yes,” another replied quickly.

Joe glanced between them all before nodding and pointing to the one who’d gotten annoyed at the greedy woman, “Right. Then how much would something like this be.”

The man considered, “Is the soreness terminal?”

“As in to the death?”

“Yes.”

“No. Not at all. They will be recovered in a day or two.”

The healer grew skeptical, “You are certain of this?”

Joe paused at that, “For the base, yes. Is… are Acokzau different when pressed to physical exhaustion?”

The healer’s skepticism immediately vanished as he nodded, “No. If it is so simple, then twenty… thirty nickel for each is more than enough.”

“Excellent. Are you willing to come with me?”

The healer nodded, “Certainly.”

Joe turned to lead back to the inn, and attempted to open up a conversation with the man, but he proved to be remarkably reticent, so fell silent and simply led the way back in silence. As they drew closer to the inn, further from the temple plaza and the early crowd there, the streets grew quieter and sparser as the people thinned out, the early morning keeping the pedestrians away.

The last turn onto the inn’s street had Joe walking ahead of the man and he turned to point out the inn and Joe came to a halt. The man had held back and was looking around, seemingly concerned. Joe frowned, turning to glance around as well but found the street mostly empty of any people and completely empty of any threat.

“Everything alright?” Joe asked as he waited for the man.

The man stared at Joe for a bit, glancing around the street a few more times then back to Joe, “Where are we going?”

Joe turned and waved at the inn, “That inn over there.”

The healer considered for a bit before nodding, “Then lead on.”

Joe looked at him for a bit, considering asking if the man was fine before leaving it at that and turning away, leading him to the inn but now acutely aware of having his open back to the man. He came to the inn and stepped inside, but left the door open to calm the man. Really skittish… wonder what’s wrong…

Joe came in to see the other three lolling on the same table, sometimes groaning in pain, sometimes laughing, and sometimes simply laying there in silence. All three looked up when Joe walked in, and Joe sat into a seat at the same table, although making sure to face the door, the healer’s squirrely behavior concerning him.

The healer came into the room very cautiously before relaxing when he saw Joe sitting with the others. Joe nodded and waved at the three.

“I believe you said four?”

“Yes. If you are willing to wait, I will ask for healing after I exercise.”

The man frowned at that, “How long?”

“Possibly a half an hour… maybe an hour?”

Joe noticed the man’s unhappy look and Joe added quickly, “Toss in breakfast for you as well?”

The man looked up at Joe with that, then chuckled and shook his head before nodding, “That… actually sounds wonderful for today. You will do the same each day?”

“No. You can heal everyone at once from now on. Today, they are… hurting badly.”

“Then… let us begin.”

Joe grinned, “Great. Then these three first, if you are willing.”

The healer nodded and came up to stand next to Zilnek first, resting a hand on the top of his head. The man stood quietly behind Zilnek for a time before the mana stirred around him and Joe watched in fascination as mana began swirling round the man’s hand, taking on an odd shape and form Joe wasn’t quite able to catch before seeming to rapidly swell and flowing down into Zilnek. It first went to his head, surrounding it, but Zilnek didn’t really respond until the bubble seemed to slip from his head down to the chest. Zilnek sighed softly, relaxing, the moaned even louder in relief when it slipped lower to his belly. It rested there for quite a bit longer than with the others, then zipped to his arms then legs. It stayed on the thighs the longest, and Zilnek’s appreciative groans only grew until he finally collapsed back into his seat with obvious relief. The healer didn’t stop, moving his healing bubble down onto Zilnek’s calves and feet as well, but it hardly stayed there very long at all.

Joe watched all this with avid fascination, his grin growing even as he watched. The healer moved on to Kilniara and Garnedell next, with similar results, although Garnedell seemed to prove more robust as the healer finished with him much more quickly.

When he was done, the healer almost collapsed into a seat at the table, “I will need … some rest.”

Joe nodded, “I’ll not need it for a good half an hour, so you have plenty of time to rest.”

“Much thanks, then.”

“Want to eat your breakfast now?”

The man looked up at Joe then grinned, “Certainly.”

Joe chuckled and turned to the inn keeper who was now once again washing the same spot he always did every day, “Five breakfasts, although could you hold four until a half an hour later?”

The innkeeper grunted and turned away, heading back into the kitchen and Joe took that as agreement. Joe then turned to look at the healer and considered carefully.

“How many more times could you do this?”

The healer smiled, “Mostly likely I will struggle to do the last one… I might be able to do two.”

Joe nodded, “Then… for today, only me. But would you be willing to heal all four of us every day? In the morning? Same as today?”

The healer paused at that, eyebrows rising, “Daily?”

Joe nodded, “Daily… same time and here.”

The healer considered, “Same price?”

Joe frowned, “A daily guarantee… seems I should receive some discount?”

The healer grinned at that before nodding, “Seems fair. Ten nickel each?”

Joe considered that and realized he’d gotten a discount of almost two thirds and quickly nodded, “Deal.”

“Then I will see you tomorrow.”

“Well… after one more heal today.”

The healer grinned at that, “Of course.”

Joe then waved at the other three, “Well… looks like you three didn’t get to escape morning exercises. Let’s go!”