51
“We’re leaving?” Diadra asked as Kenric walked Jill over to the wagon so he could hitch her to it.
“Yes. I’ve only examined one person, and that was two hours ago,” Kenric replied while he hitched Jill to the wagon. Jack is more cooperative when Jill is hitched first. “So, yeah, I think it’s time we get back on the road.”
Diadra nodded, put away his pen and her papers. She hopped down from the wagon and ran over to Jack.
“Come on Jack,” she said to the huge mule. The jackstock hee-hawed at her and allowed himself to be led to the wagon. Kenric laughed. “What?”
“Just watching you leading Jack is funny,” Kenric answered. “The top of your head barely reaches Jack’s withers.”
“That’s not funny,” Diadra said with a pout on her face. “Besides, I’ll get taller.”
“A little bit, yeah,” Kenric said, showing her a gap between two fingers.
“How do you know?”
“That’s a trade secret,” Kenric replied, tapping his temple.
“You’re teasing me!” Diadra claimed.
“Just a little,” Kenric agreed. He smiled and winked at her. She walked over and punched him in the stomach. He laughed.
“Ow!” Diadra exclaimed, cradling her fist.
“Are you alright?” Kenric asked.
“Yeah, it just hurt a little. You don’t need to heal me,” Diadra answered.
“Alright,” Kenric said, casting the diagnostic spell on her anyway.
“Why are you so hard?” Diadra asked. He dismissed the notice after confirming she hadn’t done any damage to herself.
“I was a warrior once upon a time,” Kenric answered as he hitched Jack to the wagon. “And my physical stats are still sort of high.”
“But your oath.”
“I took the healer’s oath long after I stopped being a warrior and if you’re willing to take the hit to your stats and skills, there’s nothing stopping you from changing classes like I did.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you stop being a warrior?” Diadra asked as they walked to the wagon. “Isn’t being a warrior what most men dream of being?”
“That my little fiery kitten, is part of my past,” Kenric said as he picked Diadra up and sat her on the wagon’s little porch. “As far as being a warrior is most men’s dream, I have no idea. I liked swinging a wooden toy sword around as a small child, but that quickly gave way to actual training which wasn’t nearly as fun.”
“Why wasn’t training fun?” Diadra asked. Kenric started to step up the wagon’s wheel. “Don’t forget the new sign.”
“Thank you,” Kenric said, turning and pulling the sign up. He placed it in his inventory for the time being. “Getting beaten by a strong grown man with a wooden sword when you’re five for every little mistake you make is not a good time. It hurts mentally and emotionally as well as physically.”
“Oh,” Diadra said getting up and sitting on the passenger’s seat.
Kenric climbed up and sat in the driver’s seat. He disengaged the brake and got the mules moving with a click of his tongue and snap of the reins. The conversation lapsed until they were almost at the gate.
“My upbringing did not make me a good person,” Kenric said, breaking the silence.
“I think you’re a good person,” Diadra replied. She smiled at him.
“Thanks kitty kat,” Kenric said, reaching over and ruffling her hair.
“Stop!” Diadra squealed, slapping at his hands. She laughed as did Kenric.
“In all seriousness, I’m trying to do better,” Kenric said after their laughter stopped.
“Mender!” a man shouted just as the vardo exited the gate. Kenric and Diadra turned to look around them.
“There!” Diadra said, pointing to the left. Two men were carrying a third.
52
“Whoa!” Kenric said, pulling on the reins. Jack and Jill stopped, and he engaged the brake. Kenric stood, stepped past Diadra and dropped to the ground. He met the men halfway to the wagon. “What happened?”
“Ray, Henry, and I were hunting this morning,” one of the men said.
“And?” Kenric prompted as he cast his diagnostic spell on the man they carried.
“I mistook Ray for a deer and accidentally shot him,” the talker answered. “We tried to pull the arrow out, but the broadhead is stuck, so we just snapped the arrow off as close as we could.”
“Lay him down,” Kenric instructed as he dismissed the results notice. He cast Cleanse on his hands. “Diadra, I need that new knife! It’s beside my spot at the table.”
“I know!” Diadra shouted back. A moment later, she shouted, “Here!”
Kenric turned and caught the sheathed hunting knife the girl tossed at him from the porch. He noticed a crowd had gathered and ignored them.
Thankfully she stayed at the wagon and the arrowhead got stuck between two of his ribs and didn’t puncture a lung. I’m also thankful that he hasn’t lost too much blood, which can be replaced by drinking fluids, and that Ray is unconscious.
Kenric cast Ignis on the blade. I didn’t think I would be using the hunting knife I was given yesterday so soon, if ever either. Henry and the other guy backed off seeing the fire in Kenric’s hand.
“How did you do that?” Henry asked. “Healers cast healing spells.”
“We can also cast utility spells like Ignis, which I just did,” Kenric replied. Once the blade was red hot, he said, “Hold Ray down. I need to cut the arrowhead out.”
“You can’t magic it out?” the unnamed man asked.
“No. Now do as I said,” Kenric answered. Perhaps I could magic it out if I had some form of a telekinesis spell. I’ve only ever read about those kinds of spells. Focus! The two men complied.
Kenric cut the arrowhead out. He dropped it on the ground and stabbed the knife into the ground beside him. Kenric then cast Greater Heal on the wounded man.
“Will Ray live?” Henry asked a few minutes later.
“Yes,” Kenric answered. He cast Greater Heal again and then the diagnostic spell. “In fact, after a healing sleep, it’ll be like he was never wounded.”
“Mender, if you don’t mind waiting about half an hour, I can give you half a deer we took this morning as payment for what you’ve done,” the unnamed man said.
“What’s your name?” Kenric asked the man.
“Kirk Courtney,” the man replied.
“Well, Mr Courtney, make it a fourth of the deer with a few choice cuts and make sure Ray eats and drinks a lot of water or milk when he wakes. He’ll need fluids for the blood loss,” Kenric said. “But no beer or other spirits for at least two days.”
“Are you sure?” Kirk asked.
“I’m sure,” Kenric answered as he cast Somnus on Ray. “He’ll sleep most of the day healing any damage I missed with the other spell.”
“Thank you, mender,” the villagers said. Kenric nodded and cast Cleanse on his hands, clothes, and the hunting knife. He returned to the wagon while putting the knife in his inventory.
“We’re going to be delayed a little bit longer. The hunters want to give us some venison,” Kenric explained to Diadra.
“I’m glad we were still here and that you saved him,” Diadra replied, nodding her head.
“Me too. Now get to working on your letters!”
“Yes sir!” Diadra replied with a big grin on her face. She rushed into the wagon and sat at the table.
Kenric smiled and pulled up his notices. Well, I’ll be.
You have learned Analyze.
Analyze is an advanced form of Medical Diagnostic that costs less mana to cast and can reveal more information. The spell can be cast without touch. The spell will replace the weaker Medical Diagnostic spell on your skill list and cannot be leveled.
You have gained a level.
Greater Heal has gained a level.
Kenric Mender
Class: Healer
Level: 7
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Vitality: 250
Mana: 400
Inventory: 125 pounds
Mental: 40
Physical: 25
Spiritual: 40
Skills(spells):
Analyze
Cleanse
Greater Heal(3)
Greater Ward
Ignis
Somnus
Lesser Healing(10)
Lesser Ward
Mana Sense
53
I wonder why I only got a few stat points with yesterday’s level up, which the system assigned, Kenric thought. He shook his head. Who knows what the system is up to, but at least my inventory expanded for the first time in years. Analyze will be more useful too since it costs less mana to cast and gives a little more information.
“What are you thinking about?” Diadra asked.
He cast Analyze on her. The results notification not only said she was in good health but showed an outline of her body around a skeleton in green. Perhaps if something was wrong, it would show up in a different color. He dismissed the notice and his thoughts.
“Not much little one,” Kenric answered, returning his eyes to the road. A mounted squad of warriors rode past. He nodded respectively, which the warriors ignored. Kenric caught movement out of the corner of his eye.
“I don’t like that nickname,” Diadra proclaimed.
“Sorry Diadra,” Kenric said. “You know, you can call me by my name if you want to.”
“I… was trying to be respectful like I was taught but wasn’t sure how to address you,” Diadra explained. “That’s why I haven’t called you anything. I mean, you’re a healer, a noble, and according to you, my guardian. Should I call you my lord, healer, sir, or Mr Mender?”
“Former noble, though you’re right about the others,” Kenric corrected. “I lost those privileges when my father disowned me. And as I said, you can call me Kenric.”
“Oh. Why would he do that... Kenric?”
Kenric smiled at Diadra’s use of his name. He turned his head and glanced at her before turning back to the road.
“He thought I was a disappointment,” Kenric answered.
“How so?”
“I grew up spoiled and let nearly everyone I ever met know it,” Kenric replied. With very few exceptions. He told her a bit of his teenage years, though he glossed over the wenching. “After I lost my hand, I lost the desire to fight, though I didn’t know that is what happened at the time.”
“Then what happened?” Diadra asked quietly.
“I traveled north wasting silver I had taken from my father’s treasury,” Kenric answered. “When I realized how much money I had thrown away, I ended up working as a mercenary for a few years in Knox’s lands on the other side of the mountains. A few years later and I ended up drunk, diseased, and in the gutter on the verge of death.”
“Oh Kenric,” Diadra whispered, wiping at her eyes. She got up and hugged his side.
“Thanks kitten. I’ve mostly come to terms with my past.” Kenric said. She nodded and sat back on the passenger seat. “Someone took pity on me and paid to have me healed. The clinic’s healers agreed to teach me the healing arts after it was discovered I could sense mana.”
“How did you end up traveling east?”
“The clinic didn’t need seven healers, so when a merchant came along asking for a healer to travel with his caravan, I ended up accepting the job. I had grown bored at the clinic anyway,” Kenric explained. He explained about Wilkesboro and his parting from the caravan. “And you know the rest.”
“You may have been a bad man, but you’re not anymore,” Diadra said with all the certainty one her age could muster.
“Thanks Diadra,” Kenric said, he leaned over without thinking and kissed the top of her head. I’m not sure why I felt like doing that nor why I did it.
“See!” Diadra giggled.
Perhaps that is why. They fell into a companionable silence.
*
“A boy named Rick, that is four or five years older than me and that grew up on a farm outside Roaring River, told me that I was beautiful when he and his dad came to visit Uncle Tobias’ farm,” Diadra said a few minutes later. She had a sad smile on her face. “Rick started visiting the farm after that to see me even though he pretended he was visiting my cousins. When I turned 12 a few months later, he convinced me to sneak into the barn so he could give me a birthday kiss.”
“Diadra, you don’t have to…”
“I want to,” Diadra interrupted. “That was the first time I had been kissed by anyone other than my parents. We started meeting up in the woods between Uncle Tobias’ farm and Roaring River soon after that.”
“That was dangerous.” And that was a dumb thing to say.
“Maybe. There’s a pond near some old temple ruins that the monsters never go near. My cousins fish in the pond a lot,” she replied. “That’s where we would meet.”
“I see.” Too bad the monsters or bandits didn’t get this Rick before he got to this pond.
“Once my body started to change, Rick wasn’t happy with just kissing. He started to touch my chest and backside,” Diadra said in a hoarse voice. Kenric glanced over and saw fresh tears in her eyes. “I didn’t like it but let him do what he wanted since Rick kept telling me he loved me, and that this is what people in love did, and I thought I loved him.”
That conniving little horny bastard! Kenric thought.
“One day Rick convinced me we were ready to truly show our love for each other. We laid in the grass beside the pond, he pushed my dress up, pulled… his pants down, and… and… then there was pain… and he wa… was in… inside me,” Diadra cried. “A few minutes later, he… he… got off me… and said he had to go home. I never saw him again. So… you can see that I’m not a good girl.”
“That doesn’t make you a bad girl, Diadra,” Kenric said. He reached over and touched her shoulder. She shrugged his hand off and fell silent for a few minutes. Diadra was a bit calmer when she next spoke.
“Aunt Jocosa and one of my cousins found me while I was crying because… of… of the blood and sticky stuff between my legs. They took me back to the farm and Aunt Jocosa made me drink some kind of tea after helping me wash. She said the tea would… keep me from having a baby in case Rick’s seed took,” Diadra whispered while crying. “When Uncle Tobias came home that night, she told him what happened. He yel… yelled and scre… screamed at me. He called me a strum… strump... strumpet and other things while… beating me before… locking me in the barn that night.”
“You can stop Diadra,” Kenric said in a soft voice. She shook her head, tears flying.
“After I started running away, they started chain… chaining me up. One night… someone came into the barn,” Diadra got out. Her crying got worse. “I couldn’t see who it was, but they started touch… touching me and ri…rip…ripped my dress. He… he… forced me down into the hay and d…di…did what Rick had done. He was bigger and it hurt worse. He covered my mouth to… to… to keep me from screaming and left me crying alone in the dark.”
“Whoa,” Kenric said, pulling on the reins. The mules stopped and he stood, dropping the reins. Kenric stepped over to her.
“What are you doing?” Diadra asked fearfully. “Don’t put me to sleep!”
“I won’t. I promise I won’t put you to sleep unless it’s necessary to heal you ever again,” Kenric said. He bent down and put his arms around her. Diadra stiffened, then melted into him crying.
“Why me? Why? Why?” Diadra cried into his chest.
“I don’t know kitten. Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” Kenric said as he tightened his arms around her. She did the same to him. They held each other until Diadra calmed down.
“Please don’t get rid of me,” Diadra begged into his chest after her crying lessened sometime later. “I don’t know why, but I feel safe with you.”
“You want to stay with me? The road can be dangerous, and we just met,” Kenric said. He felt her nod and mumble something about not caring that they had just met. I can’t just leave her, can I? No. No, I can’t. She’s been through too much. Besides, is this destiny or heaven ordained? “You can stay with me as long as you want, and I’ll be your surrogate father, uncle, or big brother.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Diadra said.
“You’re welcome sweetie,” Kenric replied. He kissed the top of her head again. I’m not sure where sweetie came from. Perhaps one of the inn keepers or some such.
She pulled back a bit and looked up at him. She smiled. “I like that one.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I like kitten and kitty too.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kenric said, returning the smile. “Why don’t you go inside and rest?”
“Can I stay out here with you instead?” Diadra asked.
“Always, if that’s what you want.”
54
The Shacktown gate was open. It’s just past noon, so it should be. As the they road to the gate, the few people outside the gate cast dark looks their way. They’re all elves and they don’t look happy to see us or maybe just me.
“They don’t look happy,” Diadra said, after sticking her head out of the vardo.
“No, they don’t,” Kenric agreed. The dark looks became looks of surprise at Diadra’s appearance. Then those same looks became hostile as they tracked from her to him and back. “Oh boy.”
“What?” Diadra asked, turning her attention to him. Kenric noticed one of the young men run through the gate. “I don’t think they like seeing us together.”
“Why?”
“Most likely because young girls like yourself are usually bought and sold by flesh peddlers as… how can I phrase this…”
“Oh. Oh!” Diadra exclaimed. She blushed bright red as she plopped onto the floor. “But you wouldn’t…”
“They don’t know that do they?” Kenric asked. And at one point when I was younger, I might have.
“Guess not, unless a mage can read thoughts and they have one.”
“I’ve never heard of one that could thoughts,” Kenric replied as the young man led a group of armed elves to the gate. They stopped just in front of the gate as he pulled on the reins to stop the mules. “Whoa.”
“They really look mad,” Diadra pointed out.
“Really?” Kenric asked sarcastically.
“Yep,” Diadra replied, looking up and grinning at him.
“Smartass,” Kenric muttered as one of the armed men started to walk to walk towards the wagon. He’s staying on the side furthest away from me.
“I don’t like that one,” Diadra said, pouting.
“I apologize,” Kenric replied.
She smiled and said, “Apology accepted.”
“Don’t know you human,” the elven man said. His eyes focused on Diadra after dismissing Kenric with a glance. He smiled. “You on the other hand, sweet child, are welcome to come with me.”
“I…” Diadra started to say as she scooted back a little further.
“Don’t know you either,” Kenric said, speaking over her. Focus on me asshole. “I’m Kenric Mender and I…”
“Don’t matter,” the elf said, staring at Kenric while cutting him off. “Whatever you are human, we don’t want your services or whatever you’re peddling unless it’s her. Her we’ll take and let you leave with your life.”
“Kenric is a healer and my… fa... guardian,” Diadra said barely above a whisper. Kenric could hear the fear in her voice.
“Come with me girl,” the man said, reaching for Diadra.
“Kenric…” Diadra whispered. The man’s hand closed on empty air as Diadra snatched her hand away. The man tried again, making Diadra scream, “No!”
The mules reared while braying. This kept the others back. Kenric cast Somnus on the elf. The man fell to the ground, fast asleep. The other armed elves rushed towards the wagon. Kenric cast Lesser Ward around the mules and then another ward around the wagon, that overlapped with the first in his hurry.
You have learned Overlapping Ward. This defensive spell cannot be leveled. Its strength increases depending on the amount of wards overlapping.
Kenric dismissed the notice and stood in front of Diadra. “You’re safe! I’m here.”
She got up as an arrow bounced off the ward. Diadra screamed again and buried her face in his chest, crying. Kenric wrapped his arms around her and cast another Overlapping Ward over the existing one. He was pleased to see the spells combined. This Overlapping Ward is a happy mistake from a rushed casting that worked out.
“Human, what did you do to Wyatt?” one of the other elves asked. Another one tried to stab the ward with his spear. It bounced back, knocking the man down. “And what in the blue hell is this?”
“It’s alright Diadra,” Kenric told the girl, ignoring the other elves. She shook her head as she sobbed.
“Wyatt is asleep,” a woman said after checking on the man. “This human must be a mage!”
That woman is afraid of me. Perhaps I can get us out of here without any harm done to anyone.
“Diadra, I need to talk to these people,” Kenric whispered to the girl. “Get inside and shut the door.” She shook her head. “I promise I’ll be alright. I learned a new ward and it seems to be quite powerful.”
“Promise?”
“I do,” Kenric said. She nodded and entered the vardo, shutting the door. He turned to the gathering crowd. “Yes, I do know some magic and the man that tried to attack my ward will awaken in a few hours.”
He’ll most likely be the healthiest person in the village too. The crowd muttered amongst themselves.
“The human needs to pay for his attack!” an elf shouted. Others agreed.
“Are you going to try to fight a mage, Herbert?” a different elf asked.
“No,” the first man answered, sullenly as Kenric cast Ignis into his hand. Some of the elves flinched and backed away.
“I’ll turn my vardo around and be on our way,” Kenric stated.
“What about the girl?” a different elf shouted. “She’s one of us!”
Some of the crowd voiced their agreement.
“You saw the way she rushed into the human’s arms. She’s obviously a human lover,” another woman spat. “She can go with her human.”
Even more of the crowd agreed with that statement. The elves backed away, dragging Wyatt with them.
Kenric nodded. He clicked his tongue and got Jack and Jill to turn around while keeping the Ignis spell in his left hand.
“Don’t come back! Ever!” one of the elves shouted.
“Gladly,” Kenric murmured. Thankfully, I won’t even have to knock the dust from your village off my boots either. He kept the spell going until they reached the road again. Kenric dismissed Ignis and knocked on the door. “Diadra, we’re safe now.”
Or at least as safe as possible outside of walls. Diadra opened the door and hugged him from the side.
“Why did they hate us?” Diadra asked into his shoulder.
“Heard all that, huh?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know Kitten,” Kenric replied. “Some people just hate those that are different.”
“That’s stupid!”
“Yes. Yes, it is,” Kenric agreed.