Chapter 44

Aisha threw her arms back and laughed as she soared through the air on the back of the pegasi. She had not exactly intended to unlock the Valkyrie subclass when she had healed the mount’s wing. She had, in fact, been a little annoyed with the request.

She’d been forced to play veterinarian before. She had no training in the matter, but in rural Nandi county such things mattered somewhat less. She had been annoyed then to respond to a medical emergency only to find that the patient walked on four legs instead of two. But despite her lack of expertise in bovine or equine patients, she had done her best at the time.

After all, her actual patients depended on those animals for their livelihoods, and while it was not what she’d had in mind when she’d returned to her home country after training in America, there was a chance that birthing a calf would have as much effect on the owner’s family as vaccinating their children. One act would keep those children healthy, and the other would help keep them fed.

That hadn’t kept a small part of her from grumbling that “I’m a doctor, not a vet,” but she had always forced it down in the past.

When Ajax had been brought to her with a broken wing, she’d been less patient with the animal’s handlers than even that. Not only had they allowed the animal to be injured, but they had their own specialists for this sort of thing, did they not?

The man had convinced her to try using her skills to set the injury and her magic to heal it, and after just a little bit of grumbling she had agreed. She had been very surprised when she’d gotten the system notification of her new, second subclass. She was now both a Medico and a Valkyrie. No sooner had she received the subclass than she felt the bond between herself and Ajax click into place.

Now, the winged horse was her own. She had been frustrated, at first, when she’d received that bit of information, expecting that it was one more piece of responsibility being thrust upon her. However, the winged knights continued to see to the mount’s daily upkeep. It was only when she was called upon for a distant medical emergency when she was required to mount Ajax and fly to the rescue.

Or, as was the case right now, when she needed to let off some steam.

She missed home. She missed her family. A small part of her resented Tom and the king for summoning her to this world without asking her permission. She knew that was foolish. She had died on Earth. Her family had mourned her and hopefully moved on with her life. Even should she return, she might not find herself welcome; she might find herself accused of being a nyasye or a jok.

She knew that she was flesh and blood. She was alive. Her heart beat, her lungs breathed, her muscles moved and her brain thought. She was no spirit. This land was real, just as her life on Earth had been. She was in a different body now, but it was not so different from her one on Earth as to be unfamiliar.

Stronger and faster, as she gained levels from her healing. She was level ten now, and she had noticed marked improvements in her body’s performance as she’d leveled up. That, in addition to her level ten skill, which was a convenient spell that put her patients to sleep. Or her enemies, if it came to that, but she still had no intention of taking part in any foolish sort of dungeon delving. That was simply asking for trouble, and her skills were too valuable to waste in such risky activities.

She laughed again, a hundred meters up in the air, thinking of risky activities as she rode atop a pegasus. But that was fine. She had with her a medical kit, and she was making her rounds. The next village came into sight. She and Ajax prepared for a landing.

The free clinic she was building was not restricted to four walls in a brick and mortar location. She did not need a hospital to heal. Wherever she went, she brought healing. She was a walking miracle worker, and Ajax was her wings.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

She landed near the village green and was greeted by the village elders a few moments later. She explained her purpose, and they began listing off those in the village which had various medical conditions which might benefit from her expertise, or her powers.

Including one of the elders himself; with a wave of her magic, she healed his arthritis. Just like that, and the debilitating pain he had been suffering was gone.

She wished she’d had this power when she’d lived in Kenya, but she had no regrets. She had fought hard to make her community a better place all of her life. She had sacrificed so much for so many people. If this was her reward; more sacrifice to help more people, then she would accept that.

These were not her people, but they were people, and they deserved decent medical care. The best that this world had to offer, in fact. And whatever form that took, magic or mundane, she would do her best to provide it to them.

~~~~~~

“Do you have any books on magic?” the girl asked, disturbing Nelz from his review of the library’s finances. He turned and looked down at the girl, who was nine or ten by his estimation, and he smiled.

“We certainly do! What sort of book are you looking for, exactly. If you’re looking for a romance, where a mighty magician rescues a princess, then I’d recommend -”

“No, I want a practical book,” the girl explained. “Something that will teach me more spells than I already know. I know how to make lightning, although I don’t have enough mana to make it deadly yet. For that matter, I could use a book about how Mages grow into their power when they awaken young. Oh, and some books on general magic theory and ritual magic.”

Nelz frowned as the girl’s list went on. He looked over his shoulder, then back at the girl. “We have a few books on those topics, but they’re not the sort of books I can pass out to just anyone. Oh I could give you a book on apprentice cantrips, but the more advanced topics are heavy reading, and I’m not certain anyone but a Mage would understand them.”

“I am a mage,” the girl insisted.

“If that is the case, may I see your Status?” Nelz asked, his voice as reasonable as he could make it.

The girl pouted, but brought up her status for him to confirm her class.

“I apologize, young mistress,” he said. “But you must understand that it’s not very common to have juvenile mages in this part of the kingdom. Are you journeying with your master, or--”

“I just awakened to my class,” she admitted. “I’m from Tilluth Valley, and I guess I can’t blame you for being surprised because it was a surprise to me and everyone else too. But Mr. and Mrs. Weaver are helping to set me up with an apprenticeship in Profons.”

Nelz’s heart skipped a beat. “Weaver, you say? Would that be the parents of Tom Weaver?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” the girl, Vella, admitted. “I used to have a crush on him but I’m over it now.”

“I see,” Nelz said. “Well, since you are a Mage, I do have four books which I can give you, but unfortunately since you do not live in the city you’ll have to buy them from the library.”

“That’s okay. As long as it costs less than five marks I’ll take them,” she agreed.

“Ah, well, I can give you three of them for five, but one of the books is rather rare and I can’t part with it for less than ten, just for that book itself.”

“Oh,” Vella sounded disappointed. “Well, I’ll take the other ones if that’s alright.”

She produced the five sovereign marks, and Nelz disappeared into the library stacks, emerging several moments later with the promised books.

“Thanks mister,” Vella said, curtsying properly and dashing off after putting her new books into a satchel.

Nelz waited a moment, then followed her.

He followed her outside the gates of Tuksan, the young girl never once looking back and noticing him. When she hopped onto a wagon and took out one of her books, Nelz spent a few minutes talking with one of the nearby guards.

Once he’d gotten the information he’d come from, he wandered over to the teahouse for another glass of sweet tea. And once more he left with his pockets full of silver.