“I think I’m starting to get what you mean about reflexive healing.” After they’d managed to pry Flint off of— and in some cases out of— Cael, there had been another round of healing.

“I genuinely don’t think you’d believe the amount of wounds I see every day. You’d think they would get better, but I think my healing might be enabling their recklessness. I just don’t know what to do anymore.” Vana sat in the grass beside him, pinching at a bloodied hole in Cael’s shirt.

“It’s alright. Sometimes you can do your best and nothing changes. That doesn’t make you any less capable or good at what you do.” A tail found its way into his mouth again.

‘You can leave it there. I think telling her the world might be out to get her is the opposite of helpful.’

Well, he wasn’t about to use those exact words, but it was close enough. Cael was glad Tar was keeping him in check here. Vana seemed like a really nice lady and he didn’t want to upset her.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about an old woman like me. Go play with Flint, I need to discuss some things with Enken.” She waved him off and got to her feet.

It was only at this point that Cael noticed that Vana was treating him like a child. Maybe overestimating him a bit too. Play with Flint? He’d probably die.

Despite this, Cael obediently got to his feet and trudged over to the ecstatic baixan. He took his time though. Cael had just stopped being in pain and wasn’t looking forward to being in more.

“I’m so glad you’re alive,” Flint spoke before Cael could.

‘I hardly knew this kid.’

‘You’re younger than he is.’

‘The point still stands. Why is he so happy to see me?’

“I’m also glad to still be alive.” Tar finally allowed Cael to say.

Flint seemed to take this as an invitation to start talking. And talking. It was a very one-sided conversation, but Cael managed to catch the main points.

Flint was happy to see Cael because he was:

1. Grateful Cael had tried to get him to a shelter.

2. Absolved of his guilt over Cael’s unfortunate demise.

3. Glad Cael had been the one attacked instead of himself. (Which Cael thought was probably better left unsaid, but whatever.)

4. And most of all, he was happy because Cael hadn’t ratted him out to the Constabulary for being a criminal.

Cael also realized the reason all the orphans had rugged clothes, was because baixan seemed to enjoy wrestling with each other. Obviously, this was not good for any kind of clothing, so even though the city funded the orphanage quite generously, it couldn’t quite seem to keep up with the constant demand for clothes.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Flint then went on to gossip about— Cael had to check with Tar to make sure he got this right— his friend’s girlfriend’s mother being arrested recently for selling black market monster parts to a drug lord.

Apparently, most monster parts could be revitalized with the right application of life or death magic. That meant they could farm the venom of the ‘Deeplight Squid’ to create a myriad of hallucinogens without needing to keep the actual monster alive. Flint also confided in him a few curated recipes for hard drugs and hallucinogenics.

Cael hadn’t thought he would be learning about drugs when he had left the Constabulary’s house that morning. Honestly, he wouldn’t even remember any of this in a couple of days. Though from the emotions he was picking up from Tar, the elemental was listening raptly.

Of course, there was also Flint’s ability (a natural talent, not System given) to stretch a ten-minute conversation into a lecture that lasted for hours. In the time Cael spent pretending to listen while Tar actually listened, Vana had served them lunch as the artificial sun array on the cavern roof had faded to sunset.

When all was said and done (mostly said), Cael gave Flint the most careful hug he could and wished him farewell. He truly wished the little criminal the best of luck in his illegal endeavors. He gave Vana a hug too because she seemed majorly stressed, and he needed her auto-heal after a day spent with the touchy spike ball that was Flint.

The walk back to the Constabulary’s house was much less eventful than the journey to get to the orphanage. A lot less painful, too. And by the time Cael walked back inside— the door opened by Enken, of course, since that's what the drake seemed to like doing— he was pretty satisfied with his day.

For one, it was the longest he had spent conscious in his whole life. Best of two, but that was neither here nor there. He’d still been attacked all three days, if you count Rocaren’s threats and the collaring, but he felt the most satisfied with today’s assault.

‘I said sorry.’

‘It was yesterday. I promise I’ll get over it soon.’ Cael was mostly over the whole disemboweling/disarming (dislegging?) thing already. It was just fresh on his mind.

‘I still think you’re too forgiving.’

Cael didn’t respond to the cat, instead greeting the women of assorted species in the living room. Namely Macera and Trista. Mercy was probably running around saving the world, or whatever they did in their free time.

“Hey guys, I got kidnapped today! That wasn’t exactly the best, but I guess I had fun anyway.” There was also the speech-compelling drug in his system (lowercase ‘s’) that he’d forgotten to address when rating his day.

Regardless, a statement like that was immediately met with half a dozen questions and a handful of comments about Enken’s negligence.

“That’s not fair. Enken was… doing something. I actually forgot to ask what he was doing, but I think it involved catching criminals. Speaking of criminals-” Tar barely managed to shut Cael up before he could rat Flint out to the cops. In all fairness, the topic of conversation had reminded him of the fact that he’d never told the Constabulary that Flint liked stealing and mugging people.

Cael wasn’t a snitch.

“This just proves my point.” Trista addressed the room, Cael had a feeling this was about him and not Enken’s questionable awareness. “This world is too high a level for Cael to be safe for as long as he remains here.” Uh oh. That sounded suspiciously like the start of a new adventure.

“I agree.” Oh, Mercy was back. She’d been downstairs in the practice room, not doing detective work or stopping burglaries and supervillains as Cael had expected.

‘That sounds stupid, but she does kind of give off that vibe.’ See? Even the cat agreed. Mercy had some energy about her that made her just feel like a hero. Maybe it was the fact that she literally stood for truth and justice.

Of course, that meant the most influential voice in the room had cast their vote, and it read in favor of that new adventure.