Myrn stumbled into her favorite local tavern. She had a cup of ale in her hand from...somewhere. Was it the place down the street? No, that wasn't right. She had come from... Well it didn't matter she decided. She was in a safe place now.

  “Beeeeedddaaaaaa!” Myrn slurred at the top of her lungs as she went inside past several startled patrons in the packed common room.

  Beeda was her friend, and an uncle of some kind on her father's side if she remembered right. He also helped her coordinate monster hunts and other work that needed to be done. But the army had come in and work was feast or famine. Their town, once called Old Oak Avenue, had seriously outgrown the name. Now it was called Dentennek on all the maps. Like that was a better name.

  Once this town had been a tiny outpost village that made a tidy profit on the adventurers that came by to try the Old Oak Dungeon. The great tree was a great place for beginners, but was as unforgiving as any dungeon regardless. Many had lost friends, family, or simply retired after seeing some true danger and settled into more mundane jobs in the village or nearby.

  Myrn herself came from a long line of adventurers who had made their start here and moved on elsewhere. With almost every member becoming some kind of ranger for the last one hundred years they really had earned their name of Owlfeather. They were all druids, rangers, and other forms of naturalists. Or had been. Mryn didn't like to think about that though.

  She brought her ale up to her mouth and finished what was in that cup. Then she promptly ran out of reasons to remember she was still carrying the cup. It rattled to the floor as she struck into the bar a little harder than she would like. There was a man in a large cloak she nearly put off his stool, and she spilled his drink besides.

  “Sorry. Sorry. Beeda has towels.” Myrn slurred. “BEEEEDDDAAA!” She screamed over the bar.

  The stranger stood just as Beeda showed himself from back behind the bar. He rushed over and Myrn snatched the towel from him to paw it over the stranger's lap without a care or thought in the world. He made a surprised sound, and backed away from her tipping over the stool.

  “I'll help. It's fine I'll help.” Myrn mumbled, but suddenly the man's hands were holding her up. Her head spun. His hands were like iron! The soft leather of his cloak brushed against her face and something about the smell of it made her smile.

  “Myrn! Where the hell have you been all night?” Beeda growled. Myrn heard him come out from behind the bar using the bar flap near them.

  “I've been out. Stupid. I was...I was out...” She mumbled.

  She couldn't get enough of this cloak! Was it a perfume or something? A magic item perhaps? She looked up at the person's face under the cowl of the cloak, but she could hardly make out his face. He looked familiar though. She might know him from somewhere. He had a good jawline at least. Didn’t need a beard to cover it up. That meant he’d be better for kissing should he shave.

  “You should shave for me.” Myrn told the stranger with drunken belligerence.

  “Myrn you've been gone most of the night, and you've come back more drunk than I've ever seen you. That's enough.” He came forward and the man holding her up gently passed that responsibility to Meeda. Meeda growled something inaudible at Myrn.

  “Silly girl. Look at you. You can barely stand.” He said more clearly. “Forgive her sir. She's my niece. I'll get her out of the way.”

  “It's no trouble.” The man said. His voice was one she wasn't familiar with, but the cloud of her drunken haze she knew she recognized him from somewhere. Before she could think about that however her stomach got to her.

  Even with one max level adept level job and another in the first of the fifteen ranks Myrn didn't have enough constitution built up to completely resist even a basic non-magical poison like alcohol. It would have helped if her combat jobs were more melee oriented, her skills always leaned toward the magical and dexterous ends of the spectrum. So after resisting one attempt by her stomach to void its contents she failed upon the second. And then the third. Pain lanced through her middle. Her stomach and throat suddenly felt like it was on fire.

  Beeda dragged her off upstairs, his daughter's voices ringing in Myrn's ears as she was dragged along. Her head hurt. Something was...something was very wrong. She could feel it as she came in and out of consciousness. Finally her thoughts cleared enough for something to stick and she gained enough focus to realize she had been put up in a room near the back of the Inn. It was one of the small cheap rooms, but the layout was familiar enough.

  Tila, Meeda's youngest daughter was patting at Myrn's face with a wet cloth. There was a small wash basin filled with towels that were stained in vomit, blood, and snot. Myrn's face stung near her eyes and her hands burned.

  “Stay. -Stay put Myrn.” Tila demanded gently, as Mryn lifted her hands.

  Blood. Lots of blood. What in the hells had happened to her? There was a mess staining the floor in front of the door yet to be cleaned up. There was still some down her shirt and over her face though Tila had tried to clean that up. She didn't know what to think or where to start until after a few moments Meeda and his wife Layha came in with the stranger. His nice cloak was still tucked about him and his hood hid his face still. In spite of her condition she couldn't shake that she thought she knew him from somewhere.

  “This happened right after she drank that last flagon she came in with?” The stranger asked. “Did she have anything else?”

  “Not that we saw no.” Meeda said.

  Both of their words rang like bells in Mryn's head.

  “Do you have any idea where she went before this?” The stranger asked.

  “No idea. No.” Meeda answered.

  “She's been gone for hours. I was so afraid she was out looking for trouble.” Layha said, wringing her hands on her flour covered apron. “She's been like this since...since...” Layha's troubled expression cut off into one of pain as she tried and failed to speak.

  Myrn suddenly remembered why she had gone out drinking...again... And suddenly cared a little less about how she was doing. She had gotten sick enough to clear her head and that...that wasn't going to do right now.

  The stranger looked to Layha shifting his dark hooded cloak. Myrn could just see his face in the shadow, but in the state her head was in she couldn't pull the name from her memory. His eyes were red and rough from nights filled with tears. Like so many. Like herself probably. She hadn't seen a mirror or had a proper wash in a few days. Whoever he was, he was handsome enough to make her think twice about how she appeared, and those thoughts just made her feel all the worse.

  Something on the edge of Mryn's perception seemed to lose its edge. The stranger put a single rough hand to her head. He cared nothing for the sweat and filth that must have been covering her, and his blue eyes seemed to shine with a light that tickled Mryn's alcohol drowned mystic senses.

  “Inspect Person.” The stranger said.

  The conjured scroll of a scribe appeared, small, and about the size of one of the Inn's little serving menus. He called it forward to him with one hand while keeping the other on her head. His touch was pleasant against her skin, but anything would be in comparison to the fire spreading through her limbs.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “She's been dosed. One's a narcotic, only slightly magical, it was probably putting her to sleep. There's another here too, but it's reacted with whatever made up the first one. I will have to administer a magical cleansing antidote, but the materials for that is expensive.” The stranger said.

  “Are you an alchemist? Is that how you've been---?” Meeda asked, but his wife shushed him.

  “Not now, dear. We can extend your stay in your room. Free meals. Anything else...well we're all Myrn has now and she's family. We can't lose her. We'll find something. Even if its got to be done over time.” Layha said, standing with her back straight beside her husband.

  Meeda nodded, and made sad eye contact with Myrn. He nodded and the stranger seemed mollified.

  “I'm sorry I have to ask. But you know how things have been. It's hard on everyone. Especially people like us.” He said, his voice cool and almost toneless. Yet his last words struck the married couple. Layha's eyes filled with tears and she turned away to wipe at them.

  “I will go get you more clean warm water. Please do everything you can.” She said, nearly dashing away from the room.

  The stranger turned back to her, and Meeda lingered. After a moment he closed the door and came close. The stranger raised a hand, stalling Meeda for a moment.

  “Administer Antidote.” The stranger chanted.

  Magic surged under his palm. The taste of something bitter and awful slipped over Myrn's tongue and numbed her throat. His hand rested atop her head a little while clearing her neck and throat with one of the new towels.

  She laid there feeling miserable and stupid as the medicine's effect took hold. It must have been good stuff. Maybe he was an Alchemist, and on the route to be a Healer maybe? She tried to remember which of the basic healing jobs gave the Administer Medicine ability. It was like a Farmer's Sow Seeds, which let them cast forth seeds casually from a bag and still properly plant each and everyone. The magic just made it a little easier, faster, and gave the seed a little something extra, usually besides. She tried to smile up at the man, to say something to thank him, but she just coughed and spluttered.

  “Shhh now. Don't upset your stomach by talking. You've got a bad mix in there. We'll get a little water in you soon. Make sure it's just a little warm and not hot.” He said, the last sentence directed to Meeda.

  “Aye. Will do. We'll send Layha for it when she gets back.” Meeda said.

  The stranger smiled. It might have been the taste of the medicine in her mouth, but she gulped. His teeth were almost shiny white, and his canines...she couldn't take her eyes off of them.

  “So you do listen?” The man asked.

  Meeda chuckled nervously.

  “I know what I've heard about you. Still don't know your name, or where you came from, and not anyone really seen your face either, but we know you're doing good by the people.” Meeda responded. He was still nervous. “These days people are very uncertain. It's nice knowing there's at least some people who care.”

  Myrn had a curious thought that tickled on the outside of her mind, but fluttered away like a straw hat in a strong breeze. She tried to chase the thought down, but Layha was coming back.

  “Water please dear. Something just a little warm.” Meeda asked.

  Layha looked in nervously, but then nodded and turned about as Meeda took the clay bowl of steaming water from her. Meeda replaced the bowl with the spoiled toweling and placed down a new one. Tila came with more towels. The stranger pushed up his sleeves and took to cleaning Myrn's face and neck.

  “There's no need for that you've done your part.” Meeda said, but the stranger didn't stop.

  “You've asked for my help. This is the least I can do while we wait and see how my medicine fares against what's in her system. Besides, using my Nursing Skill will increase recovery effects, and I need to train it anyway.” The stranger said.

  His eyes, hidden in the darkness, were giving off faint light again as Myrn's mystical senses overlapped with her vision.

  His hands were rough, but even just wrapped in the warm wet toweling his touch was anything but. Myrn could feel whatever tonic he had given to her working, untying the burning knots that were her guts, and the effects of his skill as he administered care.

  “I met a Shaman once...” Myrn whispered. “Had a job called Medicine Man.”

  The stranger smiled.

  “I'm certainly not a shaman.” The stranger said, his tone light for once. He was smiling too.

  “What are you then?” Myrn asked sleepily.

  Her head was spinning in gentle waves of pleasant sensation. The stranger had cleaned her face and neck to a more than satisfactory level. His rough hand touched her head and the information on his scroll rolled and changed. His blue eyes flashed with the magic it took to inspect her condition once again.

  “A passing traveler with no home. A vagabond. Just doing what I can to help and get by.” He said.

  “Liar.” Myrn mumbled tiredly, but maybe the alcohol still in her system was getting to her because she smiled as she said it.

  She kept looking at his teeth. His canines seemed really sharp. His jawline was good too. He probably had a handsome face. She had certainly seen him before too. She had a feeling that whenever she had met him she had been unafraid and friendly with him. Her mind just couldn't piece together the when and where.

  “Does she know you?” Meeda asked after a moment.

  The stranger turned his head toward Meeda and he took a step back. It might have been from a glare or some aura trick, but Myrn wasn't picking up on anything like that. Just how bad was she poisoned anyway? Shouldn't she be a little more worried? She tried to summon up something more like actual alertness, but the stranger's hand on her head was like a warm lead weight wrapped in a pillow. It was comfy, but there almost seemed like there was no way she could move it without a great deal of effort.

  “Right...Don't ask. Don't tell anyone you've been here or seen you if they ask. Myrn just knew a lot of people. So did her brother, and their Ma and Da. If you're hiding because of...” Meeda glanced at Myrn with a pained expression. “If you're hiding from the Army of Light there's no one here who will turn you in. We understand.”

  The stranger seemed to relax.

  “Maybe you're right Meeda, but for now I think it's best that no one know anything about me. Even my face. I don't want to attract the wrong attention to you and your family besides. Myrn?” The stranger asked.

  Myrn lifted her head. She wiped weakly at one eye that started spilling tears. The stranger gently set her hand aside and cleaned up her face.

  “Forget about me, Myrn. I'll come see your uncle again, but don't bring me up or worry about harming them.” He said. And it was strange. His hand touched her head and suddenly it was all she could think to say:

  “Yes. I can do that.”

  Layha returned soon after that. The stranger sat her up, lifting her with incredible ease. A scribe and medicine man Myrn's left foot this man was strong as...strong as...well she couldn't think of the words for it right now. In fact. She really couldn't think at all. She drank down the slightly warm water. It was nice and washed some of the bitter taste from her mouth.

  “Lay down. Get some rest.” The stranger said, and like her own mother's old lullabies used to Myrn's eyes fell closed.

  “Mmmhhm. Okay...” Myrn heard herself say as she lay back with her eyes closed. Then sleep took her into a warm embrace.

  “I DIDN'T EAT THE MITTENS!” Myrn shouted with a start as she came awake and sat up with a start.

  She blinked around at the room and a few more times for the strange dream she had woken from. Sleep caked her eyes and she scrubbed at them vigorously. Then she put both of her hands to her head as it throbbed painfully. She moaned and laid back down in the bed with her hands over her eyes. Thankfully the shutters and curtains were closed to this room, but enough light still got under them to show the room. There were dark patches from remaining wet spots that had been mopped while she slept, but she sort of remembered most everything.

  She had gotten depressed after failing to gather so much as one monster hunt or similar adventure like thing to take her mind off everything that had been happening. And then, instead of going back to her room and trying again tomorrow she had ordered a drink at the bar. A little night cap to help her sleep that would be all. And then she had another. And another. She groaned again thinking of how much of a fool she made of herself.

  After a very short time of self pity her stomach made its needs known to her through a grinding pain in her gut and a loud rumbling. She groaned for the third time and pulled herself from bed. Someone had tried to get as much of her own vomit off her shirt, but it all had to go. There were stains on everything.

  Myrn tossed her clothes onto the floor and stared at them a while as her mind went to war. She closed her eyes for a little time as chills and phantom sensations ran over her limbs. Her heart began to beat faster as a cold dead black fear crept up from the cracks in her mind. She took several deep breaths to combat them. She pushed down the black thoughts and memories though her hands started shaking and part of her wanted to hide warm in her bed. She didn't want to think about waking up in an alley or somewhere tied to a bed after being drugged.

  Twice. She had been drugged twice!

  Red hot rage slid into place over the fear and she clung to it like a buoy in a storm. The fear sank away, but was quickly replaced by other emotions. Things had all just gone to Hell since Istania died. Myrn had mainly worshiped Rokke, the Elven deity, after seeking a deeper connection with her Spark of Nature. That had turned out well and Myrn had even gained the Druid Job. That on top of being a Ranger that made her a wildlife expert, and an unparalleled scout. She would get even better when she learned to shape-shift into wild animals.

  Her magic and combat skills she had would have saved her from the trouble she got herself into at least. Probably. If she had woken up at all. She closed her eyes again for a time before slowly clearing her mind of thoughts. When she had managed some kind of sterile state of mind she reached for the spare serving maid outfit laid out for her on the nightstand. She doffed what little was left of her own clothes and put on the spares feeling low more than anything specific.

  She had cried a lot at first. Then she had gotten angry. Now she was just sort of numb. And maybe still angry. Definitely angry actually, but what could she do? She was just a more or less junior adventurer. She was a Druid and Ranger yes, but that was hardly more than enough to get her into the Old Oak. She had power, but not enough for that. That would be even harder now with all the Healers gone and so many of her family missing or dead.

  She touched her head and then her throat and stomach. A healer huh? Maybe if she could find that guy he could be the first member to her little party. A little voice in her head chuckled at her smugly as she remembered his handsome jawline and the gentle strength of his hands too. She shook that off and tried to stand up.

  Her head spun and ached and she sat back down quickly. She let out a little whine and held her head in her hands.

  “Why do I do these things to myself?” She asked aloud.

  Tears spilled from her eyes and she fought them down for a little time before trying to get up again. She pulled herself up and used the bedpost as a support until her feet felt steady under her. First the washroom. Then food. Then onto the next thing.