Dave stared at Terri, feeling that his heart stopped, feeling like someone kicked the floor out from under him, like he was plummeting in freefall.

“Abyss eternal,” Terri choked. “You really are her best friend. H-holy Arx… I would have never… it’s no wonder.”

“No wonder what?” Dave demanded, trying to locate mental solid ground, trying to push away the rising pain in his chest.

“Magic grows in power over centuries long after we’re gone, David,” Terri pulled Dave into the Kitlix Chapel. “Don’t you get it?”

“What am I supposed to get?”

“You’re walking where she walked centuries ago,” the elkgirl said. “Saint Saria is the reason why I met you, the reason why our paths crossed, the reason why Dumpich won’t shut up about you.”

“Meaning?” Dave distantly recalled the words of Cedez about Saint Saria.

“By all rights, you’re supposed to be dead!” Terri waved her hands. “Level Six adventurers don’t just survive deadly assassins from Undertown, nor do they conquer Void dungeons. But… It's like Saint Saria is helping you!”

Dave squinted at the healer.

“Archmage power can linger, influencing the world long after the caster is gone. It's like... like ripples in a pond, spreading outward through time, echoing off the shore… but instead of dissipating, magic waves of the long dead constantly amplify themselves and grow in power.”

“You know, that kind of puts a damper on my accomplishments,” Dave murmured.

Terri, sensing his unease, placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Hey, this doesn't diminish what you've done personally."

Dave shook his head. "Doesn't it though? If I'm only surviving because of some lingering magic belonging to my long dead friend, then what have I really done on my own?"

"Listen, David. Magic, even powerful Archmage magic, isn't some all-controlling force. It's more like... a lantern cutting through the darkness as you descend into the maw of a dungeon. Unless you have family or friends, wealth or connections, Shandria would absolutely chew you up and spit you out as a slave bound for life or… worse.”

"A light that keeps me from dying, huh?" Dave raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"That helps you see the path ahead and helps others find you, yes. Think about it–how many times have you made choices that resulted in life-threatening danger?"

Dave thought back to hunting metal bugs, entering the Void dungeon, confronting Stellaris. "Fair point," he conceded.

"Exactly," Terri nodded emphatically. "Saint Saria's magic might be giving you a bit of a safety net, but you're the one choosing to walk the tightrope with the churning spiral of the abyss right beneath you. You could easily make a fatal mistake, fall and drown. If you continue to be an adventurer, your demise or collaring is simply an inevitable statistic. Arx wants you dead.”

“Arx wants me dead?” Dave huffed. “You also believe that this entire inverted world is a stomach or something?”

“Arx wants everyone dead,” Terri said. “It’s just how things are. Dumpich hides the pain of losing his entire dungeon delving party with cheerful jibber jabber. God-Emperors and Voidstorms are growing stronger with each year, summoning bigger armies and spawning more dangerous monsters. Every adventurer that dies horribly out in the wilds creates a new dungeon which wants to murder everyone who comes near it. Leviathan Nightingale and her flock grow stronger, hungrier with each night. You’ve got a single pinprick of hope in the ocean darkness that wishes to swallow you, a single light in the Abyss. Be glad for it, David. I…”

The back door to the Kitlix Chapel swung open, interrupting their conversation. Gaius Flintosh, the senior Kitlix Bonding Specialist, stepped out, his eyes widening in recognition as they landed on Dave.

"You!" Gaius exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Dave. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?"

Dave tensed. "I can explain—"

"Explain?" Gaius interrupted, his face reddening. "You disappear without a trace and you think you can just waltz back in here and explain?"

Terri stepped forward, placing herself between Dave and the agitated handler. "Mr. Flintosh, please. There's been a misunderstanding."

Gaius's eyes darted between Dave and Terri. "Apprentice Terri? What are you doing with this... this troublemaker?"

"He's my friend," Terri stated firmly. "And he's here to buy his green back.”

“I didn’t mean to run off so suddenly,” Dave said. “I just had a Quest to finish, that’s all. I was going to come back for her. He reached into the bowl of Kitlix, switching thirty four of his soul-shards to Vitality, leaving the rest in Charisma.

With a loud chime, one of many Kitlix wiggling within the bowl pushed the others aside, climbing onto Dave’s hand. It joined Terri’s Kitlix atop of Dave’s head, igniting with green sparks and casting a green corona over his head.

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Gaius frowned.

“Wow,” Terri uttered, staring at Dave with wide, emerald eyes. “By Saint Saria… you’re really her Champion… I would have never guessed!”

“What are you talking about, apprentice?” Gaius demanded.

“Charge me for this Vitalix Kitlix, and register her as David’s familiar,” Terri’s green eyes struck the handler.

“Is this man coercing you into this somehow?” Gaius squinted at the elkgirl.

“No, he is not,” Terri said sharply. “He’s Level Six, how could he coerce a Level Forty Four healer like me into anything? Don’t be ridiculous, Gaius!”

“How could a Level Six adventurer bond with a Level Thirty Four Vitalix?” Gaius demanded. “Truth Seeker Jimirr chewed me out all evening because of this!”

“You understand nothing! He’s Saint Saria’s chosen!” Terri waved a hand at Dave.

“Who’s Saint Saria?” Gaius arched an eyebrow.

“Only one of the greatest Archmage Healers from two centuries ago,” Terri waved her hands. “By her Shadow, Gaius, haven’t you studied the history of Shandria?”

“Two centuries ago?” Gaius blinked. “What preposterous nonsense are you talking about? I thought that you were a serious girl, apprentice Terri, but I guess Dumpich rubbed off on you too much or something. Next, you'll be telling me he rode here on a golden snail or something!”

“A wyvern, actually,” Terri said. “He rode into Shandria on a wyvern.”

“I'd be suspicious too if I were in your position, Sir Gaius,” Dave said. “But the truth is that Healy and I are already bonded. You saw it yourself the first time I was here. And now she's clearly healing my injuries. She's already my familiar, all you have to do is fill out some paperwork, right?”

Gaius frowned, his fingers drumming against the Kitlix bowl as he considered Dave's words. "Even if what you say is true - and I'm not saying I believe it - there are protocols to follow. Fees to be paid."

"Fees which I'm prepared to handle," Terri interjected, offering Gaius her wrist with the banking bracelet on it. “Bill me. I’m vouching for him. If it wasn’t his Kitlix, it would not respond to him, and would not glow green on his head. Isn’t that enough, Gaius?”

“I should really notify the Watch about this,” Gaius glared at Terri from behind his glasses.

“Oh?” Terri leaned towards the handler, her antlers pointed at his head. “Do you really wish to separate a Kitlix familiar from her Master? The Shadows don’t take kindly to people who hurt Kitlix.”

“I… erm.” The man's round face grew pale. “No… it’s just… I…”

“I didn’t know that you were suicidal Gaius,” Terri said cooly. “People vanish from their beds at night, the red runes above them flickering out. Some say people who purposefully separate Kitlix from their owners… never get to wake up.”

“Fffffine,” Gaius gritted his teeth. “Fine. If Jimirr asks me, I'll send him straight to you to deal with!”

“Perfectly alright with me,” Terri smiled.

“Bill Apprentice Healer Terri Gootali three hundred and forty silver for Vitalix Kitlix purchase,” Gaius ordered with an exhale. A Burnix Kitlix jumped out of its alcove and spun a circle around Terri’s bracelet.

“Confirm purchase,” Terri said.

“Now you,” Gaius addressed Dave. “Token please.”

Dave offered his hand to the Burnix.

The Kitlix spun around his adventurer’s ID token. A new line flashed into existence on it.

[Familiar: Vitalix Kitlix Healy]

“Thank you,” Terri smiled at the breeder and pulled Dave out of the Kitlix Chapel, heading down the stairwell with him.

“Damn,” Dave said. “That was some impressive Gaius-wrangling. Thanks.”

“Didn’t want to deal all night with his paperwork bullshit, that’s all,” Terri shrugged. “You’ve got a place to stay, yeah? The Night bells should start ringing pretty soon. Healers Hall charges patients and guests a hefty sum for overnight stay.”

“The Adventurers Guild,” Dave shrugged as they stepped out into the back garden.

“That’s fine,” Terri said. “How about we all meet up tomorrow morning for breakfast at the Cathedral then?”

“Sounds good,” Dave smiled.

“See you tomorrow then, David,” Terri offered Dave a quick, tight hug. Before Dave could say anything else, Tori jumped off his head onto Terri’s shoulder and she rushed back inside and shut the door of the Healers Hall behind herself.

David stared for a few seconds at the imposing white gothic stone arch of Healers Hall building.

Only his parents and then Lari called him David whenever she wanted him to listen to her. After his mother succumbed to hoarding, he tried to get away from this old, longer name, became just Dave in Serv0tek and even that eventually became shortened to just a single D. It was strange to hear his name from the lips of another girl, especially one that had antlers with glowing, green moss growing all over them.

He reached the side door of the white grand cathedral just as the night bells began to ring their wailing symphony outside, darkness engulfing the town.

“Need a room?” The guard in attendance asked. The man recognized Dave and then his eyes went wide when he spotted Healy sitting atop of Dave’s ginger head.

“Yeah,” Dave nodded. “Not the pits though, I’d like something with an actual bed please. I’ve an adventuring party to meet up with tomorrow morning.”

"By her Shadow," the guard muttered. "That’s a level thirty-something Vitalix judging by its size unless I’ve gone blind. How did you...?" He trailed off, clearly struggling to reconcile Dave's Kitlix and level.

Dave offered a sheepish smile. "I’m a Healer in training," he muttered with a yawn, not wanting to get into the details. "I, uh, lost my Kitlix for a bit and got her back recently thanks to a friend from Healers Hall. Now, how about that room?"

The guard shook his head. "Right, yes. Of course, Sir," He fumbled with a ledger on the desk. "We've got plenty of single rooms available in the towers. Much nicer than the pits, with actual beds and even a small writing desk. It'll be three silver for the night."

Dave considered the difference in price, momentarily thinking of sleeping in the pits. Then, he remembered that Vitalix Kitlix tended to leave their companions at night roaming around Healers Hall. He definitely didn’t want some desperate adventurer to kidnap her in the pits.

Dave reached for his coin pouch with a sigh. As he counted out the silver, the guard couldn't help but continue staring at Healy.

"You know," the guard said, "I've been working here for years, and I've never seen a level mismatch quite like this. Are you sure you're not some kind of... I don't know, undercover Highborn or something?"