“You… do?” I tried to pay more attention to my body to see what he was talking about. My legs were a little sore, my feet were still throbbing, I had a headache centered right over my forehead… then there were my normal gut pangs. They were like a burning, stabbing pain that came and went like waves. At the moment, they were about average. Background.

“Trust me,” Father Koril said. “I know pain. You may have gotten used to it, but I can assure you it is quite bad.”

“Well, it started in my pancreas, but by now I guess I’ve got little tumors growing all over my insides, so that’s probably what you’re feeling,” I said. “I was on a small dose of pain killers back home. Just enough to take the edge off. These last few days, I guess I’ve gotten used to going without them.”

“I have seen others dying of diseases similar to the one that afflicts you,” Father Koril said. “The pain you have grown used to will only increase before the end.” He reached into his robes and pulled out a small metal device, which he clutched with his overly long sleeves as he offered it to me. The object formed a large polished disc, maybe three inches across, with a diamond mounted in the center. The way he was holding it with the cloth of his sleeves made me wonder if it was dangerous.

“Why are you holding it like that?” I asked, studying the strange device carefully.

“I had this artifact custom made and its effects on the body are permanent. I don’t offer it to anyone that is not already dying.”

“Permanent?” I asked. “And it helps with pain?”

The priest gave me a small, weak smile. “Yes. While pain is a natural part of life, there are some people, like yourself, that I believe have endured enough to last a lifetime. This artifact… it will permanently deaden the experience of pain anywhere that comes in contact with it for more than a minute. For someone like yourself that feels a lot of internal pain, I recommend holding it on the back of your neck. If you do that, the effect will spread over the whole of your body.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked. “Like what if I accidentally roll into a fire while I’m sleeping, or don’t notice a festering wound that’s gotten infected?”

“No, it does not work like that,” Father Koril assured me. “You can still feel with as much sensitivity as ever. It is just that your sensation of pain will be the tiniest fraction of what you are capable of feeling now.”

I narrowed my eyes. It was a bold claim, but possibly not outside the realm of possibility for the kinds of magic I’d seen. That didn’t mean I wasn’t suspicious. “What are the side effects?”

“Side effects?” Father Koril cocked his head back curiously. He considered the question for a few seconds, then struck the tuning fork again before answering. “I’m afraid that concept does not exist in my language. An effect that is put to the side? Do you mean a secondary enchantment? There is none.”

“No, I mean, like, negative consequences because of using it. Where I come from, all pain killers have side effects. They might make you nauseous or constipated or something like that.”

Father Koril’s face lit up with understanding. Almost proudly, he said, “Oh, I see. No, you won’t have to worry about anything like that.”

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“Then why aren’t you touching the thing? If it’s really all benefits with no downside, it seems like you’d use it on yourself.”

“No. I could never. Marketh teaches that lessening the burdens of life unnecessarily is a sin that weighs down your soul.”

Oh. A religious thing. “But that doesn’t apply to people that are dying?”

“And those suffering from enduring illnesses.” He held it out right in front of my face. “I won’t force you to take it, but you should know that many people take lengthy journeys to the city of Haemir every year to ask to hold the Pain Taker. I refuse most of them.”

That was enough for me. Nothing about Father Koril’s demeanor at all suggested dishonesty or deceit to me. I took the disc from him. As soon as I did, the diamond mounted in the center of it glimmered with light. It felt cold to the touch. Beneath that cold I could feel little pinpricks, almost like I was getting stabbed by tiny needles, but before I could even complain about it, the numbness he had promised me replaced those pinpricks.

“If I may,” Father Koril prompted. He reached for the Pain Taker with his hands covered by his sleeves and repositioned it to the back of my neck. “Hold it right there for a few minutes and the sensation will spread to your whole body.”

He was right. As soon as the device touched my neck, I felt that coldness shoot up and down my spine. Then the pinpricks, then the numbness. “Is that really all it takes?” I asked. “It seems so simple.”

The priest smiled. “That is because it is. The Pain Taker is a gift from Marketh that was made from the Skill of a former congregant of this church. This is the only copy outside Vinima. I wouldn’t dream of giving it up. It’s worth it for the look on the faces of the people that really need it.” He smiled, pointing to my face. “Like that one there.”

“Did I make a face?” I asked.

“No, I just saw the stress lines around your eyes and forehead lessen.”

I brought a hand up to my face. I hadn’t noticed a change, but I was still holding the Pain Taker on the back of my neck and my entire body felt numb. My gut ache was just background information. I was still aware it was there, but it didn’t bother me. I noticed my abdominal muscles unclenching. “Wow,” I said. “Is it really going to stay like this?” It seemed too good to be true, and I’d learned to grow weary of believing in anything good.

Father Koril set a hand on my shoulder, which I was realizing was just something he liked to do. “Yes. Your pain will never return. You have my solemn promise. When I was a young man, Marketh gave me my Skill so that I could help identify those in need of help. It is my Charge to help relieve suffering in Marketh’s children. As The Three-Pointed Star says: ‘Give to me your sorrow, your worries, and your pain. To you they are burdens, but to me they are a gift’.”

“Well, I’m sure with good people like you serving Marketh, her children are in excellent hands,” I said, trying to sound both grateful and respectful. “Now… I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I really want to ask about something and I’m not sure if you’ll take offense.”

“Why would I take offense?”

“Are you allowed to tell me about things outside your church?”

“I may,” Father Koril answered, “though you must understand that I have dedicated my life to the Church of Marketh, so I am not very knowledgeable about things in the outside world.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “Maybe you could just point me in the right direction then. I just want to find out if there is some other option out there to cure my cancer that doesn’t involve giving up the rest of my life.”

“Being called to serve Marketh is not giving up—”

“Just the same,” I interrupted. “I don’t want to become a monk. Do you understand that? I have a family back home. In a different world. If I stay here, I’ll never see them again.”

Father Koril bowed his head. “I understand.”

“So, is the church really the only option? Because Ferrith mentioned the Brokers. He said they give out Brands to people with money. It seems to me like they would be the next place to look. They might have a Brand that can cure me.” It was a calculated statement. I was betting that Father Koril wouldn’t hold it against me to mention the Brokers, even though Ferrith had said the church doesn’t like Brands. If there was another option beyond Brands, I was sure that mentioning my willingness to look in that direction would motivate the priest to give me a real alternative.

The priest reached up to clutch the gold medallion hanging from his neck. “I strongly advise you not to seek answers with the Brokers. They will not have what you need.”