Vitmori POV

A job? Now that I wasn't expecting... While I don't have any intentions of being tied down during this expedition, I can't say I'm in a place where I could turn down the chance to make even more money. "I'm only in town for the next two days, so I'm not doing anything long-term... But what are you thinking? And how much are you offering?" I ask, making it clear that I'm willing to listen as I move to sit back on the couch again and act as if I'm relaxing.

The fact that I was leaving so soon did take the winds out of the Tilzim's sails a bit, but he picked himself back up quickly enough. "Thre- No, four gold pieces." He said as he first held up three then four fingers. I tilted my head a little, showing that I was still inclined to listen as I watched the dwarf intently. He gulped a little as I could feel him gathering his thoughts. "Our Crucible Master has been ill for the last few weeks and we've fallen behind on orders for a certain kind of metal..." He explained.

He was clearly doing his best to set the scene for me, though I was perhaps a little impatient as I interrupted his explanation. "Do you want me to heal him, then?"

That stopped him in his tracks as he looked up at me, wide-eyed with surprise. He stopped talking, looking extremely thoughtful as he picked up his glass of everblack and swirled it around before sipping at it. He then looked up at me once more, and I got the feeling he was trying to get a bead on me, not daring himself to hope for the best. "So... You're a healer too, as well as a fire mage?" He asked curiously, nursing his drink a little more.

I'm not really either... But I suppose I can heal in a way. "I'll need to look at him... But I can certainly try." I offer as I sit forward again, resting my elbows on my knees.

The dwarven man nodded intently before downing the rest of the everblack, setting the crystal glass down before wiping his lips. "Please... Follow me." He said as he gestured for me to come along before making his way out of the waiting room.

He led us down the hall at first, going into what looked to be his office as he approached a painting on the wall. Instead of going for the painting, he pressed his hand against the wall below it and ran his mana through it when a click sounded out from the other side of his office. He then made his way over to a different panel in the wall, opening it and revealing a safe of some kind. He opened that using his mana as well before reaching in and grabbing a pouch among other things. He locked everything up once more before walking up and placing two gold coins in my hand. "Here... For the iron." He said before offering a bit of a smile. "Now that our first deal is done, we can move on to other matters, if you'll let me take more of your time?" He explained as he offered his hand.

I couldn't help but smile before meeting his hand and giving an appropriate squeeze in response. "Sure, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

Though with that, I curiously looked over the gold coins before stashing them away in my storage. Looking back to Tilzim as he went around his office; he grabbed a dagger from a drawer and strapped it to his hip, he then walked up to a coat rack, grabbing what looked remarkably like a gray trench coat that's been sized down to his proportions before also pulling on a brown cloak over that.

All those layers suddenly reminded me that we're in a part of the world that gets colder than the rest. Most people I've seen didn't wear all that many layers, though it could just be a matter of tolerance or even preference.

"So... What can you tell me about his symptoms?" I ask as he fastens the clip of his cloak.

Tilzim looked thoughtful as he considered his words before looking back up at me as he led me out of the office. "It's the foul growth." He said as if that would have given me the whole answer.

It might have for others, but so far that name is not ringing any bells in the memories I've absorbed. While statistically unlikely, I suppose that none of the people who have died to me or my beasts have encountered this 'foul growth' disease. I don't want to make it obvious that I don't know what he's talking about as a supposed healer, so I'll just play it off. "That doesn't answer my question... What are the symptoms?"

Tilzim seemed reluctant to answer, and I could sense him remembering his last visit to this Crucible Master of his. It wasn't a pleasant memory as far as I could tell, which was understandable. As we walked out through the foyer and exited the guild hall, we were greeted by a rather brisk night, the sun having now fully set by now. The streets were rather thoroughly illuminated by an array of enchanted crystal streetlights, as we walked past a few people here and there. I decided to give Tilzim an out for now since we'll see the guy soon enough anyway. "What were you originally going to ask me to do?"

At that, Tilzim was more willing to speak as he glanced back up and ran his fingers through his beard. "Well... I was hoping you'd be willing to take the Crucible Master's place for a short while. It'll take a while to train a replacement who could manage to replicate his skills and capabilities, and we're already very behind on orders for refined wolfram. We just don't have the people who could possibly match the heat of the flames he was able to maintain and withstand." He explained with a heavy sigh before leading us out past the gates.

The guards at the gate watched us curiously but made no attempts to really stop or approach us.

Making our way through the city outside the walls, Tilzim pulled the hood of his cloak up and I followed suit just in case. In regards to his offer of work, I suppose I could help out with that. It would be something to keep busy tomorrow night at least. "I'll think about it... First, let's tend to this Crucible Master of yours." I offered as I flashed Tilzim a small smile.

At merely offering to think about helping, I could sense a little ball of stress within Tilzim starting to unwind and relax. Before long we stepped away from the main street, taking a path made with cobblestone rather than the smooth pavement we were walking on earlier. Even outside of the walls, the state of the outer town that was close to the walls looked significantly better than the buildings I first saw on the outskirts of the frontier town. General security was pretty decent too as we walked past a pair of guards who were patrolling the neighborhood; once more they regarded us with vague curiosity, but upon recognizing the Guildmaster they simply moved on without a word.

"You must have a lot of influence... The guards recognize you on sight and don't question you whatsoever." I mention it offhandedly while looking him over.

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Tilzim just chuckled softly as he shook his head. "That's just how things work around here... I am a rank three Elite after all." He mused as he tapped at an innocuous little badge that was on his coat collar. Now that he had mentioned it, I've seen a few of those badges here and there, even on the trio, but it didn't stand out to me before now.

"Forgive my ignorance, but what does that mean?" I asked curiously as I watched him. I don't remember learning about these from either Rita or Dhalia's memories; though I think I have a good idea of what this might entail based on what Cecil told me earlier today.

Tilzim looked vaguely surprised by the question, but then he remembered that I'm a traveler and just smiled a bit. "Ah, so you haven't been to this country before... Right." He said as he began to consider his words. "The only things that matter in this nation are might, merit, and money. How strong you are, how influential you are, and how much money you're able to field." He explained, counting the three 'M's on his fingers as we walked. "Rank five's are the most common types of Elites, they're merchants who are wealthy enough to own and maintain their own stores, or adventurers who managed to reach the rank of steel. They're granted a measure of trust and are allowed to more easily traverse the nation with little hassle. Being an Elite opens doors and generally shows that you are someone who can be relied upon to get things done one way or another."

"I see... And do Elites abuse this power?" This is starting to sound like some sort of caste system, and I can't help but wonder about the people who aren't even considered Elites.

As we rounded a corner, Tilzim looked thoughtful before bobbing his head once. "There are people who let the term 'Elite' get to their heads and abuse the positions of power they earned... But with that in mind, there are just as many if not more people who take the roles they've earned rather seriously. It's not uncommon for an abusive or corrupt Elite to be slaughtered by another Elite for their transgressions. Again, might is very important here. If they were unable to protect their lives despite their actions, then they certainly weren't worthy enough to keep their rank or their lives." He then looked thoughtful once more before looking up at me. "Though once you get to those in rank two, you'll find people who manage larger territories of land, basically the equivalent to mayors and governors... Even then, if you met one rank two, you've only met one rank two; they're the highest rank most people can obtain and maintain, even with money and might being passed down."

"So what about Rank One?" I prompted as we rounded another corner.

Tilzim bobbed his head as he regarded me again. "They are the ones who stand above all the Elites. There are five of them who hold counsel, all of whom come from founding families. Said families have consistently maintained their might, merit, and money since the start of it all supposedly with little shifting in the overall power dynamic. There are only five official rank ones. A single representative from each family is chosen to represent their house and guide the nation." We rounded yet another corner, before approaching a rather nice-looking two-story home with an iron fence and a yard. "If you want to know more, it'll have to wait, we're here." He mentioned, gesturing to the house before pushing a button by the gate as a buzzing ring sounded out.

After a few moments, a young lizardkin woman in her late teens peeked out through a curtain before stepping out through the door with a small smile on her face as she crossed the yard. She looked more human than lizard to me, she had chestnut brown hair and vibrant red scales decorating her tan face in patches that reminded me of vitiligo. I felt she looked rather beautiful despite the odd blend of mammalian and reptilian genetics. "Telzim! What brings you by? And..." She starts to say while looking at me, for a moment, I sense she felt intimidated when she met my gaze before quickly regaining her composure. "Who is this?" She asks as she looks back at Telzim.

As Telzim went to speak, I decided to interrupt; there was just something about completely obscuring my identity not sitting quite right with me now that I'm here to actually help someone instead of trying to make a sale. "My name is Vito; Telzim has asked me to take a look at his guild's Crucible Master." I explain as gently as I can manage.

At that, her eyes went wide as she looked at Telzim, Telzim returned her surprised look with a smile. "May we come in?" He asked kindly.

"O-oh of course! Please, do come in." She said as she stepped out of the way while opening the gate the rest of the way. After she shuts the gate behind us, she takes the lead again and opens the door to her home.

Stepping inside, I could feel a cozy warmth coaxing through the air. The smell of food tickles my nose and I can tell they just finished having dinner. While Telzim and I pulled our hoods back, more people started coming over to see who was at the door. Before long, two young men are standing before me, hugging and shaking hands with Tilzim while giving me curious looks. Of the two, the youngest who was in his early teens had more lizard-like features than his siblings, with sharper teeth, animalistic eyes, and even a tail. The eldest, who was possibly in his twenties, shared similar looking features with his sister, patches of scales along his arms and face, though he too had reptilian eyes.

Finally, a human woman came over, she looked to be in her late thirties with chestnut brown hair and vibrant blue eyes, though they admittedly appeared dulled with exhaustion. Yet she managed a smile as she saw Tilzim. "Guildmaster Tilzim, so nice of you to pay a visit... To what do I owe the honor?" She asked pleasantly before regarding me curiously.

Tilzim lowered his head politely before looking up to the matriarch of the household. "I apologize for coming unannounced, however, I've brought someone who is willing to look over your husband's condition, he is a rather powerful mage and a skilled healer." He explained while regarding me.

The woman looked me over, and I could sense a seed of hope in her heart, yet she also looked very tired. She didn't dare to let that seed blossom after seeing her husband deteriorate so much. "You look young... But I suppose it wouldn't hurt. All the other healers we've brought have tried and failed to heal him. If you can do anything to at least alleviate his pain, I'd be forever in your debt." She said as she lowered her head.

Alleviate his pain eh? Damn, she's not even hoping for healing anymore... "I shall do my utmost... Now then, can you please take me to him?" I ask as I shrug my cloak over to one shoulder while absently adjusting my gloves to make sure they are on securely enough.

Tilzim stayed behind, conversing with the children while the matriarch led me upstairs. We walked down a hall before going up to a door and stepping inside. Immediately I'm hit with the scent of herbal incense, a thin layer of smoke filling the room as the door is shut behind me. The matriarch walks over to the bed and settles on a chair beside it, and it is there that I see the Crucible Master.

I step closer, gingerly pulling the covers back as I look over the lizardkin man. What was once shiny and vibrant red and orange scales were now dull and faded, his scales clung to his body tightly as he appeared distinctly gaunt. "Does he eat often?" I ask, glancing over to the Matriarch before continuing to look at the man. Despite how emaciated he was, his stomach looked unnaturally swollen around his right side.

The woman just shook her head slowly. "Not often, no... And when he does eat, it is very little..."

I bob my head intently and continue my examination, despite touching and slowly moving the man's limbs around as I need him to, he doesn't wake or stir.

"He was awake earlier, talked with our children, and managed to eat some soup... It must have worn him out." She mentioned as she stood and lovingly cradled her husband's scaled cheek, her thumb caressing his jawline.

"I see..." I say softly. With these symptoms, it could really be any number of diseases... Yet they called it foul growth. Could it be? There's nothing left for me to look at on the surface, so I decided to peer in closer.

Pressing my hand down on his stomach, I close my eyes and start slowly running my mana through him to examine him as thoroughly as I could manage… And… It's not good... His mana heart is like a flickering candle and the two mana rings he has look like they're close to unraveling with how expended and weak they now are. His body is riddled with tumors and his liver is the worst off. Foul growth is what they call cancer here... With all the magic in this world, how are they still dealing with cancer?!

Maybe they don't know how? But how wouldn't they know? I know they have an understanding of surgical practices but... Well, maybe it's only limited to repairing physical damage... Damn, how should I handle this?

While he's in worse shape than Zasutir when I rebuilt him... I know for a fact that I can probably heal this guy if I brute force this... But I can't keep doing that. I need to treat this guy to the best of my ability without overwhelming force, I need to find a way that seems plausible for other mages and healers to use and develop... Well, maybe I can worry about the specifics later… For now, I could feel the matriarch’s eyes steadily drilling into the side of my head as she watched me work.

“Well… What do you think?” She asked in a low voice as if to not wake her husband.

I glance over at her before looking over the Crucible Master once again… “I can treat him… But, I’ve never worked on someone this far along… It’ll take time and… I’ll need a bowl.” I explain as I meet her gaze.

She looked equal parts confused yet hopeful as she quirks a brow at me, and I can tell I really threw her off as she took a minute to consider what I just said. “A… A bowl?”