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1.6
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“She conscripted you?”
“Yes? Is that unusual?”
Hemlock’s conversation with Ghoti started the same as always. With a profound feeling of confusion as the man in armor regaled him with another tale of his unlikely exploits and the effect they had in the predictable, orderly world that the elf had come to known over the course of his life.
“Unorthodox, perhaps. The Guards never conscript anyone, its often that troublemakers or restless youths are sent to them rather than the Captain going out of her way to recruit people forcefully.”
It didn’t make sense for them.
Elves treated all functions and careers as hobbies, trying to force one upon a fellow elf was only asking for a substandard result for no benefit to the community. As such, those sent to the Guards were usually people Captain Aspen was used to scare into behaving, or teach younger folks how to defend themselves.
Obviously, Ghoti didn’t fit into either category.
Though he was an acquired taste, the human’s company was pleasant enough and downright invigorating in Hemlock’s opinion, though he was sure that others might not think the same way. They just needed to spend more time around the human to grow accustomed to his presence.
The void in Hemlock’s awareness was still the same as ever, but he chose to see it as the difference between day and night. You didn’t need to see the moon during the day to know it was there. And just as the sun set beyond the horizon, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t rise again the next day.
“And you are not… bothered by her choice?”
Being told to do work one had no affinity for was a quick way to put an elf in a bad mood. Hemlock would have very sour thoughts about the Captain had she attempted to induct him forcefully.
“Eh, it’s not all that different from the way things work back home.”
Hemlock sighed.
“Your homeland sounds like a dangerous place to live, my friend. However did you manage?”
“Well, when winter comes and the beasties come out, not everyone can do the jobs they’re used to. City garrisons need recruits, Heroes need apprentices. In times of need, its not unusual to just get picked up by someone like that, specially if you’re a farmer hiding inside a city with nothing to do.”
Sitting across from each other inside Hemlock’s tent, the duo decided to catch up while the Captain organized her men outside. Apparently, with the outpost set up,the patrol groups ready to move out, and no sign of the Mana Beast there wasn’t any more need for the bulk of the village’s Guard to stay.
More than half of the guard was absent as it was.
It did give them some more time to talk. And Hemlock wasn’t resisting the call of his curiosity nearly as much as he had before.
“Is that how you learnt to fight?”
It was an innocent question. Completely understandable given the ordeal they had to go through.
He wasn’t being nosy.
“Somewhat? I had some training before me and my folks had to move to one of the cities for the winter. Wasn’t exactly good at it, but it let me survive the winter. I’m pretty crap at fighting though.”
The elf blinked owlishly.
He couldn’t be serious.
“What?” The human looked at him askance.
“You’re not good at fighting? You?”
Hemlock had a hard time believing it.
The human noticed his disbelieving look, waving him off with a snort.
“Hey, hey. Don’t go mixing things up. I’m not saying I’m bad or anything but I’m not one of those talented folks who can go off and fight Elementals. I’m like… middle of the pack. Decent.”
“Decapitating that thing is decent?”
His human friend sighed.
Doing the jesting for once sure felt good, even if he was pretty serious in his estimations of his friend’s skills.
“Look, when it comes to Vita what matters isn’t how strong you are but how many times you can do it.”
Vita?
The word felt unfamiliar in his lips.
“Is that what your people call mana?” It wouldn’t be the first time different people had different words for mana.
To his surprise, the armored man shook his head.
“I told you my folks don’t do well with mana. Unlike those monsters and you guys, we can’t really do anything with it, not without risk anyway. What we use is something called ‘Vita’. I guess to you guys it might translate to ‘life’. It’s our only tool when it comes to fighting back home.”
Hemlock wasn’t sure he understood.
Humans fought not with mana, but with their lives? He couldn’t begin to understand how that translated to the feets of supernatural strength he’d seen. Never mind the fact that it could, somehow affect the Mana Beast’s ability to control mana. There had to be some kind of connection he was missing.
More importantly.
“Is that why you took so long to recover?”
It had been almost two days since their fight with the Mana Beast, but the human had only been declared healthy the morning of the same day, mere hours back. Contrary to Hemlock, who needed only a day to move comfortably.
“Vita is life. The energy you’d spend just living, used in the short span of a few seconds. I can only use it three times before I faint, three times is barely above what a foot soldier can do. Not nearly long enough to fight by myself.”
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And he wasn’t fighting alone.
Hemlock was there, supporting him, using what little spells he could remember to even the odds. Even so, he could still remember the human’s powerful strikes. Limited as he might have been, to imagine someone who could do that better, and do it more often… yes, he was starting to understand why the man in armor felt he was subpar.
But it did give him ideas.
“Say, Mr. Ghoti… when we arrive at the village would you try something with me?”
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“And you are absolutely certain of your findings?”
It wasn’t Aspen’s nature to doubt the skills of her brethren. She, in fact, respected those dedicated to their craft. But there were times when one’s trust had to be put aside for the sake of settling ones doubts. Having even an inkling of suspicion meant hesitation. And hesitation on the battlefield meant death.
“Quite so, there was not a sliver of mana in his body.”
For once, the physician didn’t sound bored. Quite the opposite, while her face remained impassive, her hands leafed through a small bundle of parchment, lines of ink etching themselves into the material with staggering speed.
Diagrams.
Calculations.
Anatomic drawings.
The physician was working at a breakneck pace, eyes flitting back and forth as she somehow maintained the conversation while taking down even more notes. Aspen did not begrudge her. She was amongst the most pragmatic members of the village, even if her eccentric nature meant very few could handle her company.
The reveal regarding her new recruit was staggering to say the least.
“What would that mean, from your perspective as a medical professional?”
Her hand stopped.
“Unknown. All medical knowledge dictates that living beings possess a natural unchanging amount of mana within their bodies, which is refilled by the limitless amounts of mana residing in our surroundings. These pockets of mana cannot be increased in size, and are impossible to repair without assistance if injured.”
Aspen sighed.
“The point, if you please. I am familiar with the terminology.” Everyone had a phase where they bit the bullet and picked up medical studies. Very few actually remembered all the jargon involved after a decade or two.
“From a medical point of view, the man known as Ghoti is an existence which challenges our definition of ‘living organism’. The lack of mana presence in his body means that he should by all rights, dead.”
She let the statement hang in the air.
Elves needed mana in their bodies to survive. All living beings needed it, but the Wood Clan in particular possessed a higher than average mana requirement to sustain their bodies. Just one of the reasons why they lived deep in the Greenhold as opposed to areas near the frontier, where the presence of Mana Beasts made it scarcer.
Lack of mana made just about anything poisonous to them.
“He is alive, however.”
The captain gave her physician an inquiring look.
“He had a pulse, a heartbeat, he bled when cut and all notable bodily functions aside from those related to mana were within acceptable parameters. Rather, it could be said that his body outright rejects it.”
“How did you check that?”
“I searched for the areas where mana points were more likely to surface. Notably, his armor’s gaps seemed to coincide with the exact areas…”
“Does that have any meaning?”
“Not at present, it might simply be a coincidence.”
All this information within the span of a few days. It would be impressive if it didn’t paint such a disturbing picture. Usually having a different body wasn’t grounds for suspicion, most Clans had widely different looks and characteristics, but they all had the common thread of requiring mana to survive.
It didn’t make any sense.
“A very suspicious coincidence.”
The physician looked at her.
“I believe it was you who said his actions proved his good intentions?”
Aspen did not appreciate having her own words used against her. Nor did she expected the morbid physician to care all that much about the man she’d pestered for a deadly ailment just a few days ago.
“I’m being cautious. We’ll be returning to the village soon. I would rather do so with the confidence that nothing will go wrong.” And that there wouldn’t be any overreactions on the part of the villagers. If her men’s reactions had been anything to go by there was a not insignificant possibility that those not prepared would suffer unpredictable side effects.
“Have you compiled a list of symptoms regarding those exposed to the… human?”
A distressingly eager glint seemed to appear in the other elf’s eye. Her interest piqued.
“Lost of balance. Nausea. Fight or flight response. Possible fainting. Also, sudden temperature drop.”
She didn’t know about that last one.
“Temperature drop?”
Rubbing her hands together, the physician winced.
“He is cold to the touch. A side effect of my tactile mana sense, I believe.” The physician’s hands were covered by thick soggy bandages, light puffs of steam wafted from them along with the smell of herbs.
“Cold burns? Those are far worse than a ‘temperature drop’!”
The physician shrugged.
“It was my choice to examine his body. It is a fascinating study subject.”
Of course she didn’t care about her own body. In fact, she probably liked having to bandage herself and study the after effects on her own body.
“There are also cases of uncontrollable sneezing.”
Aspen’s face was a mask of polite aloofness.
“Is that so?”
“Of course, and on that note, is the medicine I prepared for your allergy effective. We wouldn’t want you to have another… fit. My patient was quite worried for you last time.”
Her eyebrow twitched.
She was making fun of her.
“Thank you for your report, Lady Physician. But if there’s nothing else I’d like to go back to the preparations for our return trip. We’ll be leaving shortly so you should put whatever business you have left in order within the hour.”
If Zinnia noticed the curt dismissal, she didn’t care to show it. Choosing to turn around and retrieve her papers.
“By your leave, Captain.”
Aspen’s hand fell on her shoulder.
“Yes?”
The captain stopped for a moment, before coming to a decision.
“Consider this a personal favor, but I would like you to keep all information regarding our human companion until such a time we may… tactfully report them to the Governor. In the interest of accuracy, of course.”
The Physician stopped, looking at her impassively.
Before nodding.
“Very well, I shall withhold my findings for now.”
She waited until the older elf left, before letting out a sigh of relief. This issue was becoming more complicated by the hour. Mana Beasts, a mysterious stranger from an unknown Clan. There was a lot she needed to do, and she didn’t need to have the villagers rioting or anyone from higher up the food chain getting involved.
One problem at a time.