Merciferus standing next to me all of a sudden is not filling me with awe and respect. It’s filling me with worry and nervousness. I’m pretty sure that attacking her is the wrong move, and I did get my ass thoroughly kicked in the dream world. There’s a chance that her strength was just tied to being in control of that world, but that seems like a risky gamble.

Merciferus was impressive in the dream world, but watching her expansive feathery wings gently move in the wind almost feels unreal. I feel like she was taller, but now she’s only about a head taller than Lauren. A human head, not my head. And looking at her equipment, she looks ready for combat with her breastplate and leg plates on top of what looks like quilted armor and leather pants. The whole thing seems to be inscribed with runes that smell powerful, and-

“Stop sniffing me and step back, dragon.”

Geez, she does not like to be smelled, which I guess is fair, we don’t really know each other, and that makes it a little creepy. As I abandon the thoughts of how good Merciferus’ equipment smells, I hear Raya snickering, no doubt about me being told to step back. She’s definitely asking for licks of vengeance.

As I step back, Merciferus walks up to Lauren and kneels next to her, and with obvious care, she places a hand on Lauren’s cheek. A gentle and comforting light flows from Merciferus’ hand, and Lauren’s wounds fade away, leaving no signs of the brutal procedure she’s still enduring. It seems Merciferus’ healing doesn’t care about my venom, so that’s good.

What’s less good is how the goddess is looking at me. There’s a gleam of wickedness in those eyes of hers as she gets up and glares right at me with a smile.

“Dragon, you wish to help my champion, do you not?”

Of course I do, but it very much feels like a trap and I don’t like it one bit. Given my mild teasing and playful banter, I suspect Merciferus has some sort of plan that I’m not gonna like. Judging by how Joras and Raya keep working, I’m not expecting much help from them and I’m getting a little nervous as the goddess steps closer, reaching a hand out toward me.

“Do stand still, dragon. I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”

I’m sure she knows what she’s doing and whatever her plan is will end up helping Lauren, but I have no doubt that she’s gonna hurt me in some way, even if she says she wouldn’t want to. In fact, I’m just gonna run away. Turning to leave, I spread my wings and take to the sky.

“You think the skies are safe from me, dragon?!”

Obviously, I don’t, but what choice do I have if I want to get away from her? She doesn’t seem to care about my plight as she spreads her wings and takes off after me, closing the distance in very little time. Focusing my magic, I fly even faster, making sure to leverage the size of my wings to try to ascend faster as well, but she keeps catching up so dang easily! And it doesn’t get any better when she starts laughing at me. That just makes me even more nervous!

I can’t just fly in a line, so bracing my wings, I halt and flip myself to catch the goddess, and as she slams into me, I grab hold of her as we plummet toward the ground. She’s small enough for me to hold between my claws, but she’s so dang strong. Stopping our descent with a few beats of my wings, she grabs hold of one of my fingers and starts twisting it as if it’s the most normal thing in the world to overpower a dragon with raw strength. I can’t even hold her, so I’m pretty sure she’s just as strong in the real world as she was in the dream world, and that means I’m about to have a less-than-ideal day.

“Why do you flee, little Kira? Did you not wish for a physical battle to punctuate the verbal battle you instigated?”

That sounds an awful lot like the consequences of my own actions, and I don’t like that! I don’t know what to do here. I don’t want to hurt her, but I also don’t know how much I can fight before hurting her. I’m pretty sure Lauren would be quite upset if I returned her goddess as a charred lump, not that I have any idea whether she could withstand my flames or not. I’m getting the impression that she wouldn’t care at all, but I don’t want to risk it.

Geez, she’s really got a grip on my finger and she’s twisting it, how is she strong enough to just twist my finger like that?! It’s pretty obvious that I have to shake her off, so stretching my arm, I shake it as vigorously as I can, but she just keeps sticking to me and laughing! She’s a maniac!

Instead of getting shaken off, she wraps her legs around my wrist and holds on even tighter. How am I going to get rid of her now?!

Grabbing hold of her with my other hand, I try simply pulling her off, but the weirdo is stronger than me. This is no way for some big-shot dignified person to behave! I don’t know how to get rid of her without attacking and since she is helping Lauren now, I don’t want to attack her in case I hurt her... I need help...

Oh! I have an idea! A most devious idea of cruelty! A most evil, cruel, and devious idea!

It’s time to land and do something even I consider monstrous. Flying low, I make sure not to snag her wings as I land on three legs.

She looks up at me with a smug smile, but it fades when I look back down at her with a smile of my own. Grabbing hold of her with the hand she’s holding onto to prevent her escape, I use the bend of my claw to tickle her! And it works! She’s ticklish!

“Stop this at once, dragon!”

Oh, she does not like that, but that’s too bad! She struggles and squirms to get me to stop, but I’m unstoppable!

“Stop! I command you!”

As if that has ever worked with me! Of course, I’m gonna continue my assault!

“Stop, or you will face the consequences!”

No, these are the consequences she must face! Continuing my assault, she screams as she laughs, struggling to hold onto my arm, but I’ve got her, so she won’t escape!

The ongoing tickle assault stops abruptly as she squirms and flexes too hard, causing my wrist to snap! She freakin’ broke my wrist! Fuck, that hurts! Dang it... That means my parents were right, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt... And one thing is obvious now: she’s so freakin’ strong and I’m happy that I didn’t attack her, geez. Point to past Kira, that’s for sure.

She lets go of my arm and falls to the ground, still laughing as I look at my broken wrist. I’m gonna lie down for a moment and rest my head on top of her, she deserves to be smushed.

She seems to disagree as she just lifts up my head and tries to toss it aside. I have no idea how such a small body can have that much power. At least I have a big and strong body for it to make sense, but in terms of strength, I’m easily dwarfed. Lucky for me, though, my head did land on one of her wings and those are some comfortable feathers...

“Laughter like that is rare for someone in my position...”

Geez, and just like that, she turned this whole thing sad. Looking at the sky, it’s closing in on evening, and I think we should get back to the group and see how well they’re doing. Lifting my head up off Merciferus’ wing, she takes a moment to just stare into the sky before getting up, and I’m getting the impression that she’s lonely. She deserves a nudge. I do have an opportunity here, and I’m gonna use it to ask a question.

“Merciferus, why don’t goblins get a blessing? Raya is just as good a person as Lauren is, so why do you god-things think Lauren is worth helping, but Raya isn’t?”

She doesn’t seem to pay me any mind as she dusts herself off, cleaning the dirt and grass off her clothes, finishing her little ritual with a stretch.

“The goblinkin do carry a blessing, Kira, mine. And for them, it is stronger than most, but I cannot give power as Terragaraem, Irathmar, Ziakass, or Mairleark do. Even the Abomination is capable of that in a way I cannot. So all I can do is provide them with improved health and resistance to those microbes you brought up. And judging by that little creature you’ve created, even you are capable of bestowing power in a way I cannot. Now, give me your hand.”

Doing as she tells me, she takes hold of my wrist and that comforting light flows out from Merciferus again, and a moment later, my wrist is fine, not a scale out of place or any remnants of pain.

“Does this mean you won’t punish me for teasing you?”

“No, your punishment will be exacted once my champion recovers.”

Dang it...

“Will it hurt?”

“Tremendously.”

Dang it... I don’t like how she is saying that with such an absolute tone.

“But you will recover, and you might find the momentary suffering worth the end result. And, though I know the action was led by another, I am grateful that you did not kill my champion as was your right. That will not be forgotten.”

That sounds like a lot of nice words right after basically telling me I’m going on the torture rack... I can’t dwell on that, though. I have a follow-up question! It seems pretty obvious that these gods have enough power to keep people safe and happy, so why wouldn’t they do what I’m trying to do with Tuiran? If Merciferus decided to say ‘this continent is under my protection,’ few would try to upset her, I’d imagine. I ask her as much, but she frowns and takes a moment before answering.

“Our power is our weakness. The Pantheon was created to rein in our influence on the world, as squabbles between Gods wrought untold destruction on the world. Consider your tantrum and what it did to Plainshold, and then imagine someone of equal power trying to stop you. We tried it eons ago, but the results were always the same: destruction and death as battles escalated. So we founded the Pantheon, and now we limit when and how we can interfere with mortals.”

So first of all, I’m a little offended she called my siege of Plainshold a ‘tantrum,’ but it’s also a little scary to think of someone as strong as me showing up to fight me. Even more so if it was someone as strong as her, geez.

I am curious about these limitations, though, so of course I throw a question her way about those. She takes a moment to think, so I take a moment to nudge, to which she responds by pushing my head away. A little rude, if you ask me.

“The limitations still allow for me to answer and act in response to the prayers of my champion, but we cannot change their fate if they court death as a result of their own actions. We are also allowed to engage in a few deals for the sake of our faithful or soon-to-be faithful, such as when a particularly frustrating dragon offers to be quiet in exchange for helping my champion.”

I’m getting the impression that we might have to be careful around this god, she might be sneakier than Lauren gives her credit for...

“And the most important clause, we are allowed to punish those who dishonor us, a skill with which you seem particularly proficient.”

She’s smiling, but I’m getting the distinct impression that she wants to punch me...

“A warning regarding the matter of blasphemy and dishonor: do not treat the other gods as you treat me. They are far less tolerant of such things and would not hesitate to strike you down. Now, the time has come for us to return to my champion and see what progress has been made.”

I do want to go back, so I spread my wings and with a flap of her wings, she jumps onto my head. I did not consent to being ridden by her! Shaking my head just makes her laugh as she holds onto my horns... Dang it, looks like I’m a mount again.

“Oh, I’ve always wanted to try riding a dragon, Thaegon and Deannon’Tathir made it look so fun, but most dragons are not as receptive as you. And my champion has told me so much about the joys of riding a dragon. You wouldn’t deny me this experience, would you, Kira?”

I have no idea who those two people are, but I’m definitely gonna leverage this to reduce my sentence. It’s quite nice to hear that Lauren is having enough fun with me to talk about it with Merciferus. Still, though, I’m gonna grumble my displeasure at this blackmail-adjacent treatment while asking who those two are. She starts talking as we take off toward Tuiran.

“Thaegon was the first dragon rider and Deannon’Tathir was the Emerald Dragon of Haven, one of the most honorable beings I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Should you ever meet the dragon, do ask him if he would like a few cows.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

That sounds like a trap, especially considering that she’s chuckling at the prospect of me bringing up cows around him. For obvious reasons, I demand more information on the matter, I’m not about to accidentally step on a social landmine here.

“Making demands of a god? Perhaps you are becoming too comfortable in my presence.”

To emphasize her point, she moves my head by grabbing my horns and I’m powerless to stop it, but I’m getting the impression that she’s just teasing me.

“I forget how long ago they met, but Thaegon was dying and, as a professional buffoon, he had the clever idea that if he stood at Death’s door, it would not matter whether he died in his bed or the belly of a beast. Having heard of a dragon nesting in the near mountain ridge, he sold his possessions and bought cattle to appease the beast. Over the course of several weeks, Thaegon would bind the cattle to a tree outside of Deannon’s nest and call for the dragon to give him a ride through the skies in exchange for the animal. It was, of course, declined.-"

“-This went on until Thaegon was without worldly possessions, and with naught but the wish for the skies, he strode up to Deannon’s cave, demanding the dragon keep his part of the agreement. Thaegon argued that Deannon, having happily consumed the cattle, had agreed to the terms. As Thaegon tells it, they argued for half a day before Deannon gave in, leading to Thaegon becoming the first dragon rider. Deannon tells it differently, though, arguing that his honor would not permit him to abandon such an utter fool to waste away on the mountain, always finishing his retelling with ‘so really, it was my magnanimous nature saving the idiot.’”

Listening to Merciferus happily retelling the story of old friends, even mimicking voices, is quite fun and I kinda wanna hear more about these two, but one thing is for sure, the dang fine print got him, too. I’ll have to be careful around any suspiciously tied-up snacks.

“Merciferus, how come you’re so friendly toward me? I didn’t have the impression that you particularly liked me.”

“Perhaps I wouldn’t be a few centuries ago, but as you’ve experienced, getting humbled by someone stronger is a quick way to gain perspective... So now I find that I’m not quite as cantankerous as most of the Pantheon. And of course, listening to my champion talk about you in her prayers gives me some insight as well.”

Now I’m curious what other things Lauren has been sharing about us. But it’s nice to hear that she’s happy enough to want to talk about it with her goddess. She deserves a nudge and a lick of appreciation.

“It is quite a group of misfits she finds herself in for disobeying me. To think she’d meet a mutating goblin, a banished Crimson Lord, and a twin-aspected dragon. What a marvelously chaotic group you are, and I can imagine no better gathering to ruin the meticulous schemes of my enemies working in the shadows. Do let me know should you find a fifth group member, I find myself quite curious what sort of creature it might be.”

“You didn’t know about this twin-aspected situation before telling Lauren to stay away from Tuiran?”

“I’m not omniscient, Kira. I knew of the Crimson Lord and a dragon being present in the town, I did not know the dragon’s temperament or personality traits. And I knew a traveler had been born in the region, but not as what or where. I felt it safest to steer her away from Tuiran at that time, and rightfully so. Had it not been for my own intervention and The Absolute, she would have died. To learn that the traveler and the dragon were one and the same was quite a surprise.”

“Since you’re here, you might as well tell me about all this walking darkness, waking cataclysm, and finding me business. It’s odd and annoyingly cryptic, so clear it up for me!”

I feel a hand on my head and my vision goes blank for a moment before returning, but I don’t feel any different. I’m gonna ask her what the heck that was, but as I do, I just feel the thump of her breastplate hitting my head as she lies down with her arms spread out, tapping the sides of my skull with her fingers. Yeah, she’s definitely lonely.

“I cannot tell you, as that is for my champion to explore, but please stay by her side, she will need the help of you and yours. She’s been through so much that you don’t know about... Please take care of her...”

I want to ask about that, but as she finishes her sentence, she falls asleep. I’m just gonna let her sleep, I’m sure she’s been worried about Lauren’s condition and whether or not this idea of mine would work.

I’m not sure how she’s keeping her wings under control while asleep, but I’m not feeling any increase in drag as I speed up a bit. I want to get back to the others before darkness falls entirely. We flew quite fast when I tried to escape Merciferus, so I’ll have to fly quite fast to get back as well. I hope I don’t drop her, I’m not sure she’d like that.

I can see the light of Tuiran and we’re almost there, so aiming for the north side, I pace myself so I don’t overshoot it. I’m curious to see how far they’ve gotten with Lauren, and I’m a little worried that they’ve encountered problems, but I’m reasonably sure that Merciferus wouldn’t have left Lauren behind if there were a risk to her health.

I can see them now and they’re in the same area we left them in, and Lauren is sitting up now, which is great news! The dendritic structure of evil sitting nearby is less good news. I hope it isn’t giving off that dust I inhaled in the ruins of Plainshold, I really don’t want to experience that again.

I land a small distance from the group to not kick up any dust and walk over to them. Lauren looks quite exhausted and Raya and Joras just stare at me with open mouths as if I’ve got something weird stuck to me... Joras decides to ask me a question instead of just staring at me.

“How did you defeat her, Kira? How are you powerful enough to defeat a God?”

... What?... Oh!

“She’s asleep. She’s been so worried about Lauren, and now she finally has a moment to calm down, so she just fell asleep.”

That’s my guess, anyway. I’m fairly confident I’m right, but who knows how gods work. I’m not sure what to do about her now, though. Oh, but I should tell Raya about that blessing thing!

“Raya, get this! Merciferus told me that goblins get a stronger version of her blessing! She makes sure that you goblins live longer and healthier, isn’t that great?”

“Eh, I like your blessing more, I get claws, fangs, and magic.”

I can’t argue with that, those are some pretty great benefits. Lauren doesn’t seem too pleased with the casual dismissal of her goddess, as she smacks Raya in the back of the head. The two start bickering about blessings and blasphemy, but I’m not gonna intervene to stop them.

Instead, I’ll focus on the most reasonable person here, Joras!

“So, Joras, how did the procedure go? Exactly as planned?”

“For the most part, yes. Though Lauren will still need time to recover from the ordeal. Unfortunately, I suspect her magic capacity has been permanently damaged, and I doubt she can overcome that. We tried having her pull on your magic, but she struggled with that as well, but she’s alive, and that is what matters.”

“Yeah, that’s true. So, what is a Crimson Lord?”

The moment I mention Crimson Lord, Joras goes pale and looks away, as if trying to hide his presence from me. I’m getting the distinct impression that he doesn’t want to talk about it, which of course makes me far more curious about it.

“I fear it may affect your view of me if I tell you, so can we talk about it another time? I’d rather hear about your excursion with Merciferus. It felt volatile when the two of you departed.”

“Sure, I don’t want to pressure you, but you should know that Merciferus doesn’t seem to consider you a threat, so I’m sure this Crimson Lord business is fine. As for what we did, I tried to get away, failed miserably, she caught me, I caught her, I tickled her into submission, and she broke my wrist. And then she told me that whatever punishment she has lined up for me will be tremendously painful. So... any tips?"

“Don’t piss off the Gods.”

“Little late for that, Joras...”

He responds with a chuckle and promises to reassemble me once Merciferus is done with me, which isn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. It’s nice that he wants to be there for me, but really, phrase it differently...

We do need to get moving, though, and I don’t want Lauren to walk all the way back to town since she’s exhausted, which means getting rid of my current passenger.

Dear Merciferus, wake up!

I can tell that she woke up by the sensation of choking slightly as she jerks awake and kicks me in the throat, grumbling something or other about a dragon asking for divine judgment. That dragon is in trouble!

Lauren and Raya’s bickering seems to die down as they focus on Merciferus dismounting me. Raya struts up to the Goddess, eyeing her with a gleam of trouble in her own little goblin eyes.

“She doesn’t look so tough. I could take her.”

The air of amusement coming off Merciferus seems to imply that she’s up for the challenge, and I’m pretty sure Raya just made a mistake. An opinion seconded by the wicked smile on Lauren’s face. I take a few steps to the side to make room for the two to get rambunctious, and Lauren and Joras are quick to join me.

Getting ready for combat, Raya pulls her knife and crouches to lunge at the much taller Goddess. Merciferus takes a combat stance, clearly intent on amusing herself as Raya takes off toward her. With a leap, Raya flies toward Merciferus’ face, but instead of blocking the oncoming goblin with her arms, she simply knocks Raya out of the way with a wing. I should take notes.

Raya slams into the ground, eating dirt, and as she gets up again, she spits a few times before launching herself at the goddess again. This time, she’s going for a lower strike, aiming for Merciferus’ legs. Claws at the ready, she charges and lashes out at the plated legs in front of her, while Merciferus barely moves.

The goddess sidesteps the goblin and as Raya passes by, she thrusts a hand into the ground and pivots, following it up with another charge, creating her own version of my old tail swipe attack. That’s clever! She appears to go for another claw attack, but just as Merciferus sidesteps again, Raya launches a fire bolt at the goddess, which hits Merciferus in the stomach, much to my surprise, and judging by the fear coming off Lauren, to her surprise as well.

Aside from a light scorch mark on her breastplate, she’s unaffected by the attack and quickly retaliates by grabbing Raya’s leg and throwing the tiny goblin away. Raya manages to pivot mid-air and land on her feet as she uses her claws to slow down before sprinting towards Merciferus again, firing a volley of fire bolts, which are no match for the barrier that is Merciferus’ wings.

Lauren seems very worried about this whole thing, but Merciferus is smiling and I bet she’s having fun. It’s pretty obvious that Raya doesn’t stand a chance, but as far as playing around goes, she’s doing a great job of entertaining our guest.

“Kira, just how powerful have you made Raya?”

Joras throws me a fairly good question, but I don’t want any responsibility for this. All we did was ask each other to be friends, and then this happened, so that’s not on us.

From the looks of it, Raya has been wounded a bit by the throw, as she has a minor limp, but when she closes in on Merciferus, she launches another clawing attack, which the goddess easily catches, following it up with that comforting light again. How trivial must a fight be to have time to heal your opponent like that?

Raya seems to have been convinced that she can’t take Merciferus in a fight, and with a glare, she stands down and asks who fought better, me or her.

“Of course you were the better opponent, little Raya.”

Well, that’s a little rude, I’m a great opponent! And Raya sticking her tongue out at me isn’t helping, dang it!

“Why didn’t you beat up Kira? Lauren says that she’s been very rude to you.”

“Her punishment will arrive, but it’s important to remember how valuable people are. I wish for you, Joras, and Kira to help Lauren, and how would I go about convincing you to do so if I broke her before getting started?”

“Not even a little?”

Dang it, Raya! Don’t convince the goddess to beat me up!

“Maybe a little.”

Raya seems satisfied with that as she nods a few times, earning her a pat on the head from Merciferus. The adorable image of Raya beaming with pride at the head pats is quickly ruined for me by Merciferus turning her attention to me, and all of a sudden, I want to run away again.

One thing I’m quickly learning is that when the second most powerful god looks at you after promising you tremendous pain, you start to build up a little worry, sort of like I am right now. Everyone is just staring at my face instead of helping me, and I don’t like that. Joras clears his throat before speaking, no doubt to help me with his wisdom.

“Nobody tell her.”

That’s neither helpful nor wise, dang it! Nobody tell me what?! They’re all out to get me! As I worry about what’s going to happen, Merciferus places a hand on my nose and tells me to calm down, but how am I supposed to calm down with all these threats and secrets?!

“Kira, do not worry so much. I wish to pluck some of your scales to fashion armor for my champion, but I cannot do it without causing you pain. Quite some pain, in fact, but it will be protection worthy of a dragon’s ally and the champion of a Goddess.”

Why didn’t she just tell me that? Of course I’d be on board to help Lauren like that, especially if we can add Raya to the list of recipients of Kirarmor. Witnessing my frustration seems to amuse her quite a bit for some reason. I think it’s entirely uncalled for.

“Perhaps you are not the only one with a mischievous streak, Kira.”

Letting her know that I’ll agree to it if Raya gets a set too, she nods, and Raya is quick to suggest all sorts of equipment she wants. As far as I can tell, Raya has completely forgotten that the material has to be extracted from me, painfully, as she lists a full armory's worth of stuff she wants.

It doesn’t even stop at Kirarmor, she starts rambling about a dagger carved from one of my teeth all of a sudden, the little ghoul! At least Lauren and Joras seem a lot more reluctant to wear parts of me. Although Joras is wearing his thinking brow of making me worry... As I glare at him, he decides to speak up.

“Don’t look at me like that, Kira. You’ll need to heal your damaged scales, and I can collect a few of those to use for bracelets and talismans, and Lily can carve glyphs and runes into them.”

Okay, so he doesn’t want to pluck them from my body, but he isn’t opposed to using my body parts. Why is that an improvement?! But then I guess he was the first to want some of my body... Ugh, I don’t think I can escape some punishment for having teased Merciferus, and if it helps keep my friends safe, then even better. But I’m not consenting to Raya getting an entire armory's worth of Kirarmor, that’s for sure.

As I lie down, Merciferus steps up and puts a hand on the side of my body before asking about a very forgotten topic.

“Kira, how come you have dirt stored in your chest cavity?”

Great, now everyone’s staring at me like I’m some sort of weirdo. I don’t eat dirt, people! Instead of letting them guess what’s going on, I explain what happened with the dirt mage and how I got the needles, emphasizing that not only did I let the mage go, but I brought him to a safe place!

Lauren is quick to praise me, but Raya seems to be more in the ‘if he attacked you, then you can kill him’ camp. Well, I got praised, so I’ll take it. I’m so caught up in receiving praise that I don’t notice what Merciferus is doing until she jabs a hand into my stomach. A little warning next time! Geez, that hurts...

She’s just casually scooping out dirt from my belly, and I’m getting the impression that this weirdo doesn’t know what normal is. Neither does Raya, since she joins Merciferus in the task of clearing out my dirt storage.

It feels so weird to have arms moving around inside me, and I want it to stop, but this was sort of what I had planned already, so I guess it works out, but geez, I was gonna keep putting it off.

“You should bring this earth to your farmers and have them spread it. It’s saturated with magic and will be a great growth booster.”

“So we should fill Kira with dirt to get more food?”

No, we should not, Raya. That’s a terrible idea. They’re quick to finish pulling out the dirt and there’s a small mound of it bigger than Raya. Geez, I really got impaled.

“My champion, please heal Kira’s wounds as you would any other.”

The sudden focus causes Lauren to flinch, and I think it might be related to the whole magic capacity loss, but I’m no expert on that. She steps up to my side and puts a hand on the hole that I definitely want patched, I’d rather my insides don’t become outsides.

I can feel her magic building, but it fades away before the spell takes hold, leaving Lauren quite frustrated, so I give her a helpful nudge.

“Take some of my magic, and you’ll be fine. I believe in you, Lauren.”

She pats me a few times and I feel the telltale sensation of my magic being taken away as she focuses again, this time she manages to cast the spell, forcing my wound to close. It seems to have exhausted her, though, as she falls to her knees, panting.

Merciferus kneels beside her and places a hand on her shoulder before pulling her into a hug.

“Well done, my champion. I knew I had chosen wisely.”