Only Pa and Fah remained in camp when Adam returned. The fire had banked down to coals so Adam used torch twice to light the space in the centre of his camp. The two vermite had left their construction to come and help, each taking a torch and placing them in the ground to stand unaided.

With only a basic first aid knowledge Adam fretted over what to do next. In making the vermite his follower he had a responsibility to care for it. Looking at the now unconscious body of the vermite he did the checks he could remember. The vermite was breathing and had a pulse, though this was weak. The bandages across its chest were soaked in blood but did not seem to be the main problem. It was when Adam looked down the legs that he gasped in shock. The vermite's left leg was severely damaged with deep lacerations into the muscle below the knee.

Adam tried to work out what could be done to help the vermite further. A quick check told him its HP had now dropped to one and the lower leg was still bleeding despite pressure on the wound. Adam sensed the slow drain of life force that the wound was causing. With the link to the vermite his perception was greater than it should have been. As he shut off his awareness of the surrounding area he could feel the vermite's core and the energy within it. The same as Adam's core had different aspects for his health, mana and skill points he could sense the same from the vermite on a lesser level. With this ability to visualise the loss of energy Adam followed the leak to the wound in the vermites leg. He could tell that stopping the bleeding here would save the vermite. Given he had little option, Adam turned to the only thing that might help further. He used his fire mana to try and cauterise the wound.

In doing so he watched the vermite's HP flicker down to zero for a second before returning to one. The bleeding had stopped and with it Adam's sense that the vermite would suddenly die faded. He took a deep breath to calm himself before looking back up to see that Ma had returned to camp.

"Fox." Said Pa as he and Fah looked on. He pointed to the scar on his face knowingly. Fah had turned away as Adam revealed the wounds on the other vermite's leg and was looking queasy even though the bleeding had stopped. Ma rushed past them; ignoring both of them as well as the three vermite who had entered the camp with her. She quickly made her way to Adam's side.

Checking over the vermite once more; she resecured the bandages and gently probed the wound in its leg.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"He is alive?" She looked up in awe of Adam. Adam realised this had been a rhetorical question as she then went on to ignore him and instead direct Fah and Pa to carry the injured vermite into the hut. It was only after the injured vermite was out of sight that he acknowledged the notifications that had appeared.

Profession: Healer

Profession Unlock Criteria Description Skills Healer Heal an ally near death Can help others with injuries and ailments Please select initial skill. [cure]; [bandage]; [diagnose]; [nurse]

Another profession had appeared. [bandage] allowed the creation of bandages that would heal minor injuries out of battle; [cure] gave the user the ability to remove negative effects like poison; [diagnose] allowed the user to work out what was causing an injury to improve the chances of helping and [nurse] meant that the user could improve the chance of injuries healing by monitoring the situation.

Knowing what would help the vermite most he picked [nurse]. At a cost of 1 sp per hour he could use the skill indefinitely. He picked up his chair from next to the firepit; took it into his hut and sat next to Ma who had laid the injured vermite on his cot. Activating the skill he sat and started watching the vermite.

"What are you doing?" asked Ma, noticing the improvement in the injured vermite's breathing as Adam watched.

"The Healer profession lets me help him." Replied Adam, not entirely sure in himself how the skill was working. Ma looked thoughtful at this statement obviously considering something.

"Will he live?" She asked. Gesturing to the vermite.

"Yes, I think so." Said Adam. Noticing Ma's frown at this comment he elaborated. "I mean he should, his HP is stable and this skill will help." Ma did not seem convinced. He could tell through the link that she wanted to do more than just watch.

"Can I be a Healer?" She asked him. Adam could sense the conflict within her as she said this. It was not the best profession for her but she didn't want to risk the vermite's life by not choosing it. The feelings were deeper than that as he probed her decision. She felt guilty for telling him to ignore the burrow where these vermite lived; felt it was her fault that the vermite had been attacked in the first place. He also couldn't lie and say that her being a Healer too wouldn't help this vermite recover quicker or improve the chance of survival.

"No. Trust me, I will save him." Said Adam, his reluctance to make the decision put to one side as he recognised the reason for Ma's choice. She felt a responsibility for the vermite and would not forgive herself if the injury led to death; but it was Adam who was the leader. He was the one responsible in the end. He would shoulder the burden if he failed. To him it was worth the risk Ma would blame him over the slow build up of resentment if she was forced to choose something she was not.

Ma nodded respectfully and left him to his vigil. The discomfort of sitting coated in the vermite's blood helped Adam stay awake watching until his stamina bottomed out and he fell unconscious.