Lucas didn't sleep all that well that night. He woke up the following morning groggy and sore beyond anything. He'd managed to bathe himself before heading to bed, so he wasn't bloody and covered in sand, but that was only a small mercy next to the headache that assailed him the moment he first opened his eyes.

[*ding [Rapid Regeneration] has reached level 24-25!]

"Urghhh..." he rolled over and held himself. When it occurred to him, he pulsed [Arclight Renewal] using a small amount of mana and felt the piercing pain fade away a small amount. Lucas followed that up by throwing as much mana as he could at the pain, but he wasn't relieved any more.

"Ok, I'm up. I'm up."

Considering his healing magic couldn't fully deal with his current issue, Lucas could guess it was probably related to the multitude of times he exhausted his mana while training with Eugene yesterday. He would just have to ride it out.

Lucas made his way into the kitchen, where the light shining through the window told him it was some time mid-morning--later than he usually got up, but it had been a late night so he didn't really care. His mom wasn't up quite yet so he started going through his morning chores, only to encounter the remaining traces the night's patients had left behind.

When that guard patrol came into his mom's clinic, they had truly been a mess--covered in gore, be it from the goblins they'd slain or their own wounds. After the last of them had roused, given his mom their profuse thanks, and left, the remaining traces of that mess hadn't just been allowed to sit there. The last order of business for the two [Healer]s before heading to bed was too clean up as best they could.

Still, as Lucas surveyed the front room, he spotted a number of red stains dotting the smooth wood of the floor and lower walls. He counted himself lucky that none of the furniture sported any new dyes as well as he retrieved a bucket, rag, and the strongest cleaning solution in the house--one so concentrated that he couldn't honestly group it in with the soap he would use for his hands. Then he got to scrubbing.

Eugene is probably still out there right now...

The man hadn't returned at any point in the night. There was a possibility that he had retuned to the house he shared with his parents, exhausted from running around the forest all night long, but Lucas knew it was more likely that he was still out there. Eugene would have wanted to at least stop by and let them know he was ok, if he'd already gotten back.

There wasn't exactly a reliable amount of time that a goblin hunt would take, however. Just because Eugene had yet to return did not mean something bad had happened. Lucas knew that was simply his anxiety speaking to him. Eugene would be just fine, and there was no reason to worry. The [Warrior] was very strong and held a high level, and he was in the company of the guards' commander, the highest leveled [Warrior] they had.

Cleaning up the clinic took some time, but when Lucas finished, dumped the bucket of now-filthy water, and returned to the kitchen, he found that his mother still wasn't up. I'll just let her sleep and have food ready for when she is up, Lucas thought. She'd likely had an even later night than himself, so he wasn't going to barge into her room to rouse her. Instead, he started up a fire and prepared everything he needed for a nice porridge.

Lucas was just putting the final touches on the pot when he was disturbed by the sound of someone knocking. He looked around, but it wasn't his mother announcing herself as she left her room--it came from the front door.

knock knock knock

It sounded again. Lucas put down the mitt he was using to handle the pot and moved through the house, into the clinic, and swung the door open just as the person on the other side was about to knock once more.

"Oh, hey! I thought you were still sleeping," Quinn said, his closed fist still hanging in the air before the house's threshold.

"What are you doing here so early?" Lucas asked. "You don't need a [Healer], do you?"

Quinn shook his head. "No, my mom let me go early this morning and Mr. Eugene isn't able to do any training right now. Can I come in?"

Lucas hesitated for a moment before shrugging and moving to the side. Quinn quickly entered the house and Lucas shut the door behind him.

"I guess you have good timing," Lucas said, "I was just about to finish making breakfast."

Quinn stopped looking around the front room and turned to Lucas, a slightly excited look upon his face, and wasted no time in changing the subject. "Do you know why Mr. Eugene isn't around?"

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"Yeah," Lucas walked past the younger boy and into the kitchen, "a full patrol came by the clinic last night. Goblins."

"It's so cool!" Quinn exclaimed, earning himself a sharp look from Lucas as he shushed him. "Sorry. I mean, it's just exciting. Like an adventure Elder Fiora tells stories of."

Except it's real, and the Elder's stories aren't ever so gory, Lucas thought, but he didn't voice any of that. Quinn was right, it was exciting. The guards were out hunting down goblins that threatened the village. Lucas was just worried for those guards as well. Probably would be more exciting if I was the one out there.

"Do you want some porridge?" Lucas asked.

"Um, sure," Quinn peaked at it before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Lucas smiled and ladled out a couple bowls. He handed one, along with a spoon and a jar of honey to Quinn, then took the seat opposite him. Lucas took a bite, and was immediately satisfied with his efforts.

[*ding [Cooking] has reached level 23!]

They mostly ate in silence, and Lucas was gratified to watch Quinn scarf down his own bowl of porridge, though with a healthy spoonful of honey mixed in. Lucas didn't think it needed any more sweetening, but to each their own.

"So," he addressed Quinn, "what is you plan?"

Quinn paused mid-bite. "My plan?"

Lucas nodded. "Your mom let you go and you came over here. You don't have something planned for the day?"

"Oh, well," Quinn set his spoon down, the food momentarily forgotten, "since Mr. Eugene isn't around, do you want to train together on our own?"

He probably could have guessed that's what the younger boy wished to do, he was a bit single-minded. It didn't sound like th worst way Lucas could spend his day, but unfortunately he was not able to give a straight answer just yet.

"I don't know," he said, "it might be better if I stayed around here. More guards could show up at any time needing healing."

"I'm glad you're being so responsible," a small laugh interrupted them, and the two boys turned to see Mary leaning in her bedroom's doorway. "But I don't think you need to worry about that. I'm sure they have everything well in hand out there."

Lucas stood and gave his mom a hug. "Good morning. Are you hungry?" He started preparing another bowl of porridge before he even got her answer.

"Sure! Thank you, Lu," Mary smiled and took the remaining seat at the table. "How is your mom, Quinn?"

"Fine," the boy spouted. "She let me go early today."

"I see that," she nodded as she accepted the bowl from Lucas.

He and Quinn finished up their own food, and Lucas took care of their dishes, letting her eat in peace for a moment. Lucas's mom looked tired, and it was clear she had gotten even less restful sleep than him, despite getting up later.

"Alright," Mary pushed her now-empty bowl away and leaned back in her chair, "so you just want to go work on what Eugene has been teaching you two?"

"Yes, ma'am," Quinn nodded.

"I don't have any issue with that, so long as you both stay safe," she looked pointedly at Lucas, "and don't leave the walls."

"What if someone comes by, needing healing?" Lucas asked.

She reached over to him and tousled his hair. "I think I can handle whatever shows up. The clinic got by just fine before your unlock, little hero."

Lucas's face heated up with a confusing mixture of pride and embarrassment. Of course she could handle it, she was a much higher level than him and a pure [Healer] to boot, not at all like the patchwork that was his Class. Lucas was definitely satisfied with [Aspirant], but it was only to be expected that specialized Classes would outperform him at times.

"Oh, that reminds me! I got a new Skill after training last night," he diverted the conversation by sharing the description of [Adaptation] with the two of them. In all the excitement of the last twelve or so hours, he had nearly forgotten about it. But if he was about to head off for the day, he just had to share it.

After Lucas finished reading it out, his mom gave him a beaming smile. But it was Quinn that spoke first.

"No fair! Gah, I need to hurry up and turn ten--you're getting all the cool Skills!"

He looked so disgruntled, so annoyed at the long months he had yet to wait, that the only thing Lucas and Mary could do was laugh. It was just the most harmless thing to be hung up on after the night they'd had. Their laughter only annoyed Quinn more, causing him to scowl.

"What's so funny?" Quinn grumpily asked.

"Don't worry so much," Mary shoved down her laughter and gave him a kind smile, "the Skills, Classs and everything will be there when you're ready. You remind me of Lucas, before his unlock."

Lucas gaped at that comparison. He had not been so impatient--in fact, he was a paragon of patience! He was about to say so, too, when he caught his mom glancing at him and warning him off slightly. He looked back to Quinn and realized what she was doing.

Her words significantly calmed the boy, and though he still looked slightly dissatisfied, he also appeared full of resolve.

"Why don't you boys get going, if you're still planning on practicing today. You can meet me over at Belinda's for lunch, and I'll let your mom know as well, Quinn." Mary stood and brought her bowl over to be washed. On the way, she gave Lucas a crushing side-hug. "I'll probably be around there for a while, so don't worry so much if you lose track of time."

Lucas nodded, then looked to Quinn to confirm that he still wanted to go. The boy's annoyance had already been forgotten, it seemed, and he nodded to Lucas as he stood and moved toward the door. "Thank you, Miss Mary. We'll see you later!"

"Bye mom!" Lucas followed him out, just catching his mom's own goodbye.

Outside, the son was shining and it was a pleasant, if frigid day. Quinn stood by, waiting for him.

"So, where are we doing this? Also, neither of us has a training spear," Lucas pointed out.

"Yeah," Quinn scratched his head, "the guards probably won't let us grab one on our own. Want to just go unarmed?"

Lucas shrugged. "Sure."

"Great, you can heal any bruises we get after! Follow me."

With that, he started running off, down the path to the east. Lucas wondered where exactly he was planning for them to practice, but he wasn't left to wonder for long. Quinn led the two of them as far to the east side of the village that they could go without hitting the wall, and to a very familiar abandoned house.

"There? That's where you want to practice!?"