"Don't die on me you son of a bitch! Come on, you can do it. Pull yourself together." Elizabeth shouted this as Ozlo lay on the ground covered in dirt and holding his side.
"And yeah, if you get a gut wound you're probably just dead. My healing abilities only extend to what I can understand and even then I only accelerate the bodies natural healing. At least at level 2. I've been told that at level five I can re-attach lost limbs and even start regenerating them at level 7, but the ability won't be too useful until I max it."
Ozlo brushed himself off and stood up as Boyd called them back to their camp. Andrew insisted that they do a drill and go over what exactly each persons abilities are now that they have a healer. A few moments later found the boys asking various questions about what she could and could not do.
"That's good to know. So even though we have a healer we should take care WHERE we get stabbed." Andrew stated. "Personally, I just think we shouldn't try to get stabbed at all." John proclaimed sagely. The group meandered back to the warm food and the even warmer fire before taking their respective seats.
Over the past few days things had been slowly speeding up. Ozlo received more work in the forge and even managed to make a few shards for himself. Andrew and John found that gathering food for the camp was relatively profitable as well. However Elizabeth saw the most improvement in her situation. Even though her healing abilities were limited, there was no shortage of sprained ankles, splintered fingers, and aching head left over from too much wine. Thankfully nothing beyond a few minor injuries had popped up over the past few days.
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"Welp, that's me." Elizabeth glanced over at a white flag that had been raised in the middle of camp, signaling that she was needed. Though she had only been with their camp a short while, she fit right in with the boys. Although she visually stuck out like a sore thumb with her robes and long hair. Anyone could tell at a glance that she wasn't likely to be a combatant.
Ozlo had mixed feelings on her joining the group. On the one hand she was attractive, witty, and kind. On the other hand, she wasn't exactly coordinated. While he himself wasn't the most agile of men just a few short weeks ago, it was almost painful to watch her struggle with basic tasks. A thought occurred to him, one that shook him to his very core. "Wait. Why is the church sending out orphans so unprepared? Before I left myself I didn't have any useful or marketable skills. In fact, were it not for Master Burgin I would be... Where would I be?"
Ozlo shared his thoughts with Captain Boyd. "Quiet boy. Don't let anyone hear you badmouthing the clergy. Ahem." Boyd gestured for Ozlo to follow him to the corner of the camp, which he promptly did. Speaking in a hushed tone and looking about for signs of people, he responded. "Alright, the church isn't what it once was. Some would speculate that the nobles might have a bit to do with that. So funding gets cut and instead of asking for donations or cutting back on certain luxuries, the church instead decides to cut costs." It's at this point that Boyd gestures to Ozlo. "You boy, YOU are the cost. The church is required to take any and all orphans, that's how they get their tax exemptions. Of course the quality of care for said orphans is well. Let's just call it insufficient."
Boyd quickly walks back over to the camp and acts as though nothing has happened, the smile returning to his face and the twinkle filling his eyes. "Are you hungry boy? Plenty of delicious stew!"