"Violent healing?" Brando carried an armload of wood back to the wagon. "That's like saying, 'A soft kick in the plums,' or 'A loving stab in the chest.' What does it do?"

Fin explained the sensation he had when he used the ability and then lifted the bottom of his more healed foot towards Brando.

Brando set his branches down and gawked. "It's almost completely healed! I didn't want to tell you this, but I was convinced that they were going to have to cut your legs off. I just didn't have the heart to tell you."

"Cut my legs off because of a couple of scratches?" Fin shook his head, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"It wasn't just a couple of scratches; your feet looked like they were a few days from getting the smirch," Brando picked up the wood and began filling his arms again. "I've been keeping my eye out for lungweed or any fruits to make vinegar with, I just don't know where lungweed grows, and I don't think the vinegar would be ready to clean your wound in time. That's also why I've wanted to get to a city so fast."

"I would have been fine. It didn't even hurt," Fin tried to shrug off the seriousness of Brando's voice.

"That's the worst part!" Brando raised his voice in frustration. "Any normal person wouldn't be able to walk because of the pain, which is a good thing. It makes it so their wounds can begin to heal. But you," he pointed an accusing finger from underneath his woodpile, "get the worst case of shredded feet I've ever seen and then go skipping around like it's your birthday!"

Fin laughed and slapped Brando on the back, dislodging one of his sticks. "You're so dramatic. Anyway, what are we going to do about Heidle's directions? We seem to be off track."

"According to his directions, if we continue North, we might hit Lokardale. If not, there's always the chance that we'll find a village that specializes in apple pies…" Brando cut off as a massive patch of dead grass came into view. A crumbling tree sat dead center in the circle of decay like a throne in the palace of death. "You weren't kidding. I see what makes it so violent. Do you think it would do this to other people if you pointed it at them?"

Fin knew exactly what Brando was thinking, having already had the same thought himself. He sighed deeply, "The only people that should benefit from those two's death are their future victims. I don't feel like it would be right to be in a position of justice and also the position to benefit from it."

"So, it might work on people?" Brando stopped walking and regarded Fin. "I guess we should talk about this then. By the way things went today, we both know we can't take them with us, but we can't set them free either."

"It's a judgment I'm willing to make," Fin looked Brando in the eyes. "Not out of revenge, not out of hate, but because there are other people out there who might not be as lucky as we were if we set those two loose. I'll make it quick and painless."

"We will make it quick and painless," Brando corrected, putting an emphasis on the word, 'we.' He took one last glance at a dead and broken tree destined to become a burning pillar of justice. Its duty to destroy that which traps free will and to usher the disdainfully deceased into the afterlife was fast approaching. The pyre was ready, and the setting sun was already turning its back on what it was meant for.

Fin and Brando rode together in silence the next morning and throughout the day. Each on horseback, and each having their own share of thoughts to sort through. The words they spared were to discuss which direction to take at a fork, what to do about their dwindling food supply, and where to set up camp for the night.

When they came across a stream, they let their horses drink and graze by the water while they walked further down for a good spot to wade in. When they found a calm break in the water, they divested their clothes and washed the troubles of their journey from their souls and skin.

Brando tested their new bow but opted for the sturdier crossbow to hunt with. When no animals appeared, they finished their dwindling food supply and tucked in for the night. The silence persisted the next morning, but it was held by a weaker force than the day before. Upon meeting travelers on the road, that force that held the silence dissolved, lifting away like the embers from a burning slave carriage.

"Greetings," a man riding a carriage smiled at the two. "Beautiful day to be outside."

"That it is," Fin smiled back. "Can you tell us how far this road goes before it reaches any sort of civilization?"

"Not too much longer, and you'll reach a village with a nice little inn," the man replied, pointing directly behind him.

"We're looking for a city called Lokardale," Brando added. "Do you know where that might be?"

"Lokardale, you say? And it's big enough to be considered a city?" The man tipped his hat further up his forehead. "The only cities I know of around here are Clive Rae and Brax Fort. If you go forward a few hours and hang a left at the fork, Clive Rae is about a day's journey to the West. Brax Fort is at least ten days east of the village ahead, but I'm not familiar with anywhere called Lokardale."

"Thank you for your time," Brando nodded at the man. "If we had any coin, we would be in a better position to thank you properly."

"Oh, it's no problem," the man held his reins at the ready. "I'm happy to help."

The pair moved off the road to allow the old man to pass. When he was gone, Brando was giddy with excitement. "Well, come on then. Food and warm beds await!"

The excitement proved contagious, and soon they laughed and argued about who would take the longest bath. In spite of their high spirits, the short journey seemed to stretch on forever. When rooftops and a small wooden bridge came into view, they both let out a cheer.

"I just had a thought," Fin said. "If those men we met are from here, we should probably hide the bow and sword we got from them. If anybody recognizes it, we might find ourselves in trouble. Again."

"Good thinking." Brando removed the sword from his belt and paired it with his unstrung bow. After rifling through his saddleback, he pulled out a pair of pants and a crusty shirt and began concealing the weapons. After several attempts to make the bundle look natural, he lashed it to his horse. "Now, let's go get a pint!"

They had to ask several villagers before they found the inn. The fact that there wasn't a sign on the front made the place difficult to find. Fresh lumber mingled with withering wood to give the place a mismatched look. Brando felt that the place couldn't have looked more pleasing. They tied the horses to a support beam and went inside.

The door opened up into a thin haze of smoke that hung around rugged tables and the base of a staircase. Colorful sheets of cloth hung in front of the windows casting rectangular shapes through the milky air.

"Hello?" a quiet voice fought its way to where Fin and Brando were standing. It wasn't the welcoming greeting they were expecting, but more like the reaction to an unexpected guest.

"Hi, we were told this is an inn?" Brando explained, feeling uncomfortable. "There's no sign out front, so we weren't sure if everyone was just having a laugh by pointing us here."

A man no older than Fin stepped out into the lobby with a pipe in his mouth. "Oh, yes, come in. I've been meaning to fix the sign since my dah left me this place. There's just so much to do. Well, you know. How can I help you?"

"You're the innkeeper?" Brando addressed the man, unconvinced. "We would like a couple of rooms, a bath, some food, pretty much everything."

"Okay, great!" The man waved them over to the bar area. "Do you want me to run over and see what the butcher has now, or would you like to see your rooms?"

Disappointed that there wasn't already food cooking, Brando's words attempted to come out but failed to find a purchase.

"That sounds good," Fin jumped in. "There's one thing. We don't have the coin per se, but we can still pay you. It might be less conventional than what you're used to." He held up a defensive hand and continued. "We are miners, and all we have are the gems that we've gathered on our most recent expedition."

The innkeeper thought about it and then gave a nod. "I don't really know anything about gems, but I know someone who might. I'll go find him now."

Brando stopped the innkeeper before he ran off. "We could use a couple of pints while we wait, if you don't mind?"

The innkeeper hesitated but then picked up two mugs and filled them from a tap. "If I'm gone long, you can refill yourself here. Just tell me how many you've had when I come back."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Brando set down an empty mug at about the same time the innkeeper left. "You know, that's not a bad cider. You want another one?"

Fin looked at his half-empty mug and declined. "I think it would be better if we waited to see if he'll accept the gems first."

"I respectfully disagree." Brando refilled his mug and recited some words from memory, "The trick to a tap that is leaking is a mug in your hand while you're drinking. The more the tap leaks, the more mugs the tap needs until you're too drunk to know that it's empty."

"I don't think that applies to this situation," Fin held up his mug. "But I'll take another if you're offering."

"That's the spirit!" Brando swept the mug off the counter and held it under the tap. "Wait, I have an idea." Brando rushed out of the door and then came back a minute later, holding two handfuls of dirt. "Guess what we're about to try."

"You know, I've been thinking about it, and I don't really think I need to eat dirt," Fin produced his favorite rock from his pocket and held it up. "I feel like I'm getting somewhere with this. I can just feel it."

"Nonsense," Brando carefully set the dirt next to Fin's mug. "You have one more quest to complete before you get the Earth affinity. If your rock was going to give you anything, it would have done so by now. The cider will help the dirt go down."

Fin hesitantly reached forward and took a pinch of dirt between his thumb and forefinger. "I actually had another thought. What if I'm supposed to sharpen my nails on a rock or something?" Fin tried stalling for time. "Dragons, you know? They have to sharpen their talons on something. I think we should put off eating dirt until we've tried just about everything else."

"Just eat the dirt," Brando said in exasperation. "Think about all the cool skills you could unlock. Now that you have double infinity, you pretty much need to hurry this earth one up."

"Dual Affinity," Fin corrected, placing the pinch of dirt in his mouth and quickly washing it down with cider.

"Anything?" Brando asked.

"I don't think so."

"To be safe, you should probably just eat all of it," Brando shrugged. "I'm getting another one. Do you want?"

When the innkeeper walked into the lobby, he saw Fin pouring dirt into his mouth while Brando laughed and refilled his mug from the tap. Unsure about the kind of people he would be hosting, he cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt." He led a man towards them. "I found someone who knows something about gems."

"Hello, I am Eugal, this town's mercer," A tall and rotund man smiled easily with the predatory look, staple of professional traders.

"I'm Brando."

Fin had a mouthful of cider-flavored mud in his mouth. He held up a finger and swished more cider around before speaking. After the third swish and swallow, he felt he was in a good enough position to give his name. "I'm Fin."

"I understand you have gems you are looking to sell. May I see them?" Eugal asked, inviting them to sit at the counter with them.

"Cider?" Brando offered. When the cider was declined, he walked around to the tap and poured himself another.

When the attention was on Brando, Fin pulled out his pouch and slipped out two of the gems inside. He then unstowed a third gem, the smaller of what Brando had mined, and set all three on the table.

Attempting to be as aloof as possible, the mercer took one of the gems at random and held it up for a closer look. "Obviously, raw gems aren't as valuable as the cut ones; you understand that, right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," Fin wiped the mud from his mouth and tried to envision how his father dealt with opportunist customers. "There is still a strong market for uncut gems, but you know that already or you wouldn't be talking to us."

"Oh, yes, quite right," the mercer smiled. "I hope you don't mind If I run a quick test on the gem. What did you say it was again?"

"Topaz," Brando managed to say without slurring, "and go ahead."

Eugal took out a glass marble from his pocket, put it in his hand with the gem, and abruptly threw them both at the ground.

Fin and Brando stood in post-shock as the man searched the ground for the gem and shards of the marble he broke. When he found them, he simply said, "It appears to be real."

Fin quickly tucked away his other gems before this insane person tried to break them on the ground as well.

"It's just a routine test," Eugal explained. "Most gems are harder than glass. Usually, it takes more than throwing them on the ground to break them."

"Usually?" Brando asked, incredulous.

"Yes, well, from time to time, there's always a chance of," Eugal smoothly shifted topics. "Well, anyway, I would be willing to take these three gems off your hands for the price of, let's say, your food and lodgings here for three nights?"

Fin saw Brando was about to protest and held a hand up to stop him. "How much do you charge for food and lodgings a day? Uh, I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"Felix," the innkeeper replied. "It's seven a day per person. With dinner, it comes to thirteen."

"How much does that come to providing the food, baths, and a stable for our horses?"

Felix quickly counted in his head and replied, "It comes to seventy-eight, or one silver and twelve copper pieces for the three days."

Fin pointed at the gem Eugal was holding. "Do you know how much those normally go for?"

"Maybe if you were in the city, you would be able to sell it for more," the mercer said. "Out here, you have to take what I offer you."

"I will sell you the gem you're holding for a silver and twenty."

"You're hardly in a position to negotiate," the mercer said in a matter-of-fact tone. "If you don't have the coin to pay for your stay, let alone the ciders you've already had, then I'm in a position to offer you whatever I want to offer, which stands at twenty-six each."

"I will sell you the gem you are holding and one more for sixty," Fin cut off the mercer's next words with a sharp gesture. "But you have to pay for our first night's stay. That includes all the ciders we've had and will have since we got here and all the food we can eat."

"How many ciders have you had already?" Eugal asked suspiciously.

"Five or six," Brando answered as honestly as he could.

Fin held up two fingers, indicating how many ciders he had.

"Forty for two gems, and I'll cover your costs for one night," Eugal said with finality and then held up his hand to shake on it. "Take it or leave it. If you don't like getting a low price, you can always go to the city for a better deal."

Brando just shook his head, so Fin held his hand out. "As much as we can eat."

Eugal shook Fin's hand and then peeled off forty copper coins with a satisfied smile. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Why don't you join us for dinner, Eugal?" Fin set down six copper coins in front of Felix. "On me." He gave the rest of the money to Brando.

"I couldn't possibly say no to a free meal," Eugal accepted the invitation.

"Great," Fin smiled and directed his attention at the innkeeper. "Can you draw us four baths and prepare a meal for twenty people?"

"And my cider's empty," Brando added with a belch before walking around the counter to the tap. "This is six or seven. I hope you're keeping tabs."

"I said I would pay for the meals you ate," Eugal conceded, "but I'm not paying for dinner for a quarter of this town."

"Make that thirty." Fin finished his cider and then handed his mug to Brando for a refill. "I'll pay for all the food we don't eat, and Eugal will be here to witness what he'll have to pay. Either way, you'll get paid for feeding thirty people." Fin handed Felix a gem, "Hold onto this until after dinner."

"There's no way you can eat thirty meals. The portions here aren't the same as whatever backwoods village you came from," Eugal protested. After working out the prices, a serene look came over the pudgy man's face. "You know what, that's fine. If you agree to pay for everything you don't eat, that's better for me anyway. I was trying to help you before, but seeing how you want to play games, the price of your gems just went down to twenty copper pieces for each. Don't think that you'll be able to get away without paying, either. I recommend figuring out how you plan on eating thirty meals."

"The question should be, what are we doing with four baths?" Brando replied from the innkeeper's position behind the counter. "The answer to that question is, we're both pretty filthy."