Chapter 8: Restoration and Rejuvenation

Most injuries and ailments can be treated with both mundane medicine and magical remedies. The trick, however, is having a deep understanding of which method is more effective, and why.

Most minor ailments such as headaches and indigestion are effectively treated with potions, herbs, or pills.

Everyday cuts and scrapes are best treated by first cleaning the wound, then determining the practicality of bandaging versus healing magics or potions. One must never overlook the initial cleaning, or you run the risk of infection in the days afterward.

More grievous injuries and certain poisonings are best treated immediately with healing skills, sometimes requiring later follow-up with splints and/or bandaging.

- excerpt from Where Magic & Mending Meet

EMI

As Emi had suspected, Zed was a complete neophyte with a blade. He possessed neither form nor technique, but she had to admit that she was momentarily taken aback when there were suddenly not one, but two Zeds charging toward her. It would work on a lesser foe such as the hare-brained harpy, but would be totally ineffective against an intelligent race, such as the noble Azure Elf. The second Zed was dispatched immediately when the first Zed hit the dirt.

It was a shame she had to put him down, but it was a lesson that needed to be learned. Better to receive a friendly bump on the head now than receive a crippling injury at the hands of a foe later. Also, he had demolished the Fire Affinity Stone; that particular transgression wouldn't go unpunished.

As Edall wills it, so shall it be.

Of course, the copy had been a magical skill of some sort, though not one she'd ever seen before. Truly, if he were willing to continue with his swordsmanship training after receiving such a harsh lesson, that skill of his would have immense potential to be integrated into a powerful offensive style.

He could call it the Wandering Shadow Style!

She gazed dispassionately at the fellows gathered around the combat area. Most of them were murmuring softly to one another while a couple looked away from the display entirely. Yes, this so-called 'lesson' had gone too far. Zed was still lying motionless in the dirt at her feet.

She had made a mistake when she engaged Zed fully. His mind was prepared for the task at hand; his body, however, was not. Fortunately, the newfound connection they shared was intact; Emi could feel his abundant life force within him thrumming steadily.

Still, I overdid it.

A cold emptiness rose within her, filling her from the pit of her stomach and rising up the back of her throat. Yet her cheeks burned, two hot flames. Her ears drooped and for a moment she couldn't bring herself to raise her head or make eye contact with anyone in the crowd.

Finally, she drew a deep breath, cleared her throat, and looked up to address the crowd.

“Return to your routines.”

Silently, the crowd dispersed. She was alone.

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Emi sighed, knelt beside Zed's prone body, and gently probed the back of his skull. There was a sizeable swelling where the wooden sword had struck him, but the skin was not broken. There was no bleeding. That was good. However, he still did not stir. That was... not so good. She gently rolled him over and gasped.

Zed's normally perfectly fine and pointed features were now marred with multiple scrapes and cuts from sliding face-first across the combat area. His thin, pale face was lurid with bright red blood and grit. Some of the cuts still oozed crimson. She lightly dabbed at a particularly nasty bleeder on his cheekbone with the edge of her sleeve.

He's still devastatingly handsome.

Unfortunately, Emi hadn't quite the skill for most healing magic outside of Dark Mending. The cuts were mostly shallow but filthy. Performing any sort of healing magic in this situation would only cause the wounds to fester from the inside without proper cleaning. She bit her lip and blinked back tears.

He needs a proper healer. Some companion I'm turning out to be.

Emi scooped Zed up softly and cradled his unconscious body against her chest for a few moments before straightening and carrying him off to the infirmary located within the main temple. He was heavy, sure, but nothing she couldn't handle. After all, she had hundreds of years of rigorous training under her belt. Chloe would be more than capable of properly cleaning and dressing his wounds there, she decided.

Emi strode into the infirmary with Zed's senseless body in tow. The door banged shut behind them, loudly announcing their presence in the cavernous room. The infirmary was currently empty of patients; the oil lamps were dimmed, and the bed linens were turned down. Oddly enough, even Chloe herself seemed to be conspicuously absent from the ward.

“Chloe would never leave the infirmary unchecked,” Emi muttered to herself, scanning the room. “That would be a dereliction of duty. That's not in her nature at all.”

The room itself was flawlessly clean. The hanging privacy curtains had very recently been beaten outdoors. Sunbeams shone through dazzling floor-to-ceiling windows and reflected off the well-polished floorboards. There wasn't a speck of dust in sight. While this would ordinarily be desirable for an infirmary, this level of cleanliness was deeply concerning to Emi.

No, Chloe's definitely here. Wherever she is, she's stress-cleaning.

She knew Chloe to become slightly neurotic in her cleaning habits when she was under duress. Clearly, she wasn't handling her earlier abduction well. She proceeded further into the room, searching for signs of life. Emi's ears pricked slightly upon hearing a soft tinkling of glass potion bottles from the adjacent supply room.

Aha. Found you.

She stooped and softly laid Zed out on the bed closest to the supply room door. She called out.

“Chloe?”

The tinkling in the other room abruptly ceased and, after a few moments, the door opened and the petite, mousy brown-haired junior priestess entered the ward. She was cradling her own precious cargo, an armful of delicate multicolored potion bottles.

The door didn't even creak. So, this is serious.

“Chloe.” Emi smiled warmly. “It's so good to see you back in your element. Doing a bit of tidying up?”

“Hmm, just a bit of reorganizing, I suppose. How may I – oh.” Her eyes fell upon Zed's battered body, and she pulled a face.

“I'm afraid our first swordsmanship lesson ended a bit poorly...” She deflated a little in her junior's presence. “Would you be so kind?”

Chloe sighed and deposited the collection of potions next to Zed's bed. She bent over him and proceeded with her initial examination. Emi sank into the rigid wooden chair next to the bed and waited for the verdict, trying very hard not to think.

After a few minutes, Chloe straightened and turned back to Emi.

“He'll live. You knew that, of course.” She folded her hands together and stretched, cracking her knuckles. “A little holy water to clean the cuts, then some healing balm. The worst couple may take a few days to heal completely, but I expect no scarring.”

Emi nodded glumly.

“The bump I'm less certain of... he should have regained consciousness by now, but he is stable. I intend to keep him overnight for further observation. Return tomorrow morning. We may know more at that time.”

“I understand.”

She turned away and withdrew to the supply room. While Emi was her superior, the infirmary was Chloe's domain. She was dismissed; her continued presence in the ward would only interfere with Chloe's work. She resolved to attend to the Fire Affinity Stone. The repair would take some time, and it would keep her hands busy while she waited.

As Emi stood to leave, she attempted to stuff her hand into the single front pocket of her training pants and bemused, found it was already occupied by the long-forgotten, slightly bruised Earth Apple. She looked back to Zed's inert form and, with a rueful smile, shined the apple on her pant leg and set it on his bedside table.

I'm sorry, Zed. We'll do better tomorrow.

She slipped out the door as quietly as possible and left Chloe to do her work.