The Grand Weave

The guard's words brought a susurrous to the crowd. Her face was stern and fiercely set. That could not be said about the two men who stood slightly behind her. While the lead guard had a stance of aggressive forcefulness, the men behind her seemed to squirm where they stood. Their faces were hesitant, and the guard on the right looked like he was warring with himself on whether to say something to the woman.

I narrowed my eyes and set my face as neutral as possible. There was always a chance that this could be some sort of mixup.

“And why do you want me to go with you? I’m damn sure I’ve done nothing wrong,” I said coolly.

My voice had more bite than I intended. The mental exhaustion from today didn't help.

The guardswoman frowned deeply and moved her left hand to the sword at her hip.

“Just come with us. There's a matter we need solved,” she said stubbornly.

The crowd collectively silenced and took a step back. The people who were too busy to notice at first were pulled back aggressively by their friends or neighbors. When I turned to look back at the guards, my confusion only grew. The two guardsmen were now actively shaking in their boots. They looked like frightened animals. The guardswoman herself had broken out into a cold sweat. Her grip on her sword tightened till her knuckles were white. When I finally swiveled to my right, I saw Sam staring open-mouthed and pointing behind me.

The voice from behind pierced the silence, as cold as the grave.

“Please tell me why a guard is about to pull out her weapon in my inn. Especially since I don’t see a single person here that I asked you to remove. Surely the guards aren’t overstepping their bounds, hmmm? After all, this is my inn. My property. MY HOUSE AND MY RULES!" Bera shouted, her voice thundering inside the room.

As her tone grew increasingly angry and her voice gained in volume, the crowd flinched more and more. The two guards had stopped shaking and now looked completely paralyzed. All the blood long drained from their faces as they stared in horror. Bera's eyes underwent another transformation, turning into two orbs of dark green smoke that emitted a malefic glow.

The guardswoman couldn’t get a single word out of her lips as Bera stared at her with a look that could make a wolf run away with its tail between their legs. When the woman couldn’t respond, Bera flashed over in an instant a finger length away.

“It seems like I have to pay Cedric a visit. I figured the man learned his lesson the last time he tried to overreach his authority. And it seems even more increasingly obvious that he hasn’t taught his subordinates the proper rules,” Bera growled.

I didn’t feel it at first, but now I could. Bera didn't just stare everyone down with frightening eyes; her very presence screamed danger. If Brelten felt like an unmovable tree standing tall and enduring, Bera felt like a giant snake ready to swallow annoying prey. When Bera wagged her finger slowly in front of the guardswoman, I saw small wisps of smoke trail the motions.

The guardswoman swallowed hard and tried to compose herself.

“N-no, ma'am, that w-won't be needed. I promise,” she managed to stutter out. Gaining more confidence, she straightened up. “We just need his help. One of our guards got badly injured during a patrol.”

In a much smaller voice, she said she apologized, first to Bera then to me. The men behind her nodded their heads vigorously and nearly kowtowed. In an instant so fast that it made me blink, Bera was back behind the bar with a cheerful smile on her face. She gave one last look to the guards before turning to me.

“Cyrus, I’m sorry for the trouble these three have caused. But it does look like they could really use your help. I know this is presumptuous of me, but would you mind going with them and helping them out? I’m sure they’ll pay you for your services, and I’ll even give you a free night for the trouble,” Bera asked apologetically.

The guardswoman stared holes in the back of my head, but it lacked the aggression from earlier. I regarded her for a moment in thought. While I didn’t like how things were escalating, I didn’t really see a problem with going with them. What made me think of saying no was the thought of what would have happened if Bera hadn’t stepped in.

It seemed like the only problem so far was from the lead guard. The guys behind her were obviously uncomfortable with the situation from the beginning. The guardswoman gritted her teeth when I didn’t answer. For a moment, she took a half step forward and wanted to say something, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her and pulled her back gently. Her face went from brief anger to crestfallen in seconds. It looked like she understood that she messed up and would be told off.

Sam tapped my arm lightly and gave me a weak smile. I already knew what she wanted me to say. Letting out a heavy sigh, I stood up. All the guards looked at me with downtrodden faces.

Crossing my arms, I made the guardswoman look me directly in the eyes. “Tell me, would you have forced me to come with you if I said no?”

A range of expressions danced across the woman’s face. Finally, her shoulders dropped, and she whispered out her reply.

“Yes… “ she responded, her voice barely loud enough to hear.

“I’m going to agree to go, only because Bera asked. I expect you to never bother me for as long as I’m staying in the village. AND! I do expect compensation. Lead the way already. I’m hungry, and I want to relax for the night.”

It came out more forceful than I intended, but she had admitted to be willing to kidnap me.

Sam argued to come along, but Bera assured us that I would be unharmed. Or else, that promise drew rapid nods from the trio.

"If you don't need me, I'm taking that bath. Don't get yourself in more trouble, alright?" Sam said.

"No promises," I grumbled.

As I began to leave, Bera called out.

“I’ll have a hot meal ready to go when you get back, Cyrus. Thank you again,” she shouted.

I smiled and made my way to the guards, who were already waiting outside. They apologized a second time as we made it outside. The woman stated we'd be heading over to the guard barracks but I merely nodded and waited for her to move.

To be honest with myself, I wasn’t even sure why this situation riled me up so much. I doubted anything bad would have actually happened to me. Somehow, I doubted Brelten would have accepted me being harmed. While not really knowing the guy or being close in any sense, I could tell he had some small vested interest in Sam and me. The situation didn’t so much anger as it annoyed me. I felt like someone was poking me with a needle. It was another quirk of the new emotions and mindset I’ve been feeling since acquiring this new body.

On our way to the building, I looked up at the sky for what felt like the first time. The moon was pink, glowing rose pink. Taking a quick look around, it didn’t look like the moonlight cast any sort of pigment or shade other than white. Once again, magic fuckery came into play. Thinking back, I did remember noticing during our time camping under the stars that the moon was green. I chalked the fact up to being a cool new magic world and didn’t really think much of it outside of initial wonderment.

The guards nearly jumped when I spoke. “Hey, I recall the moon being green a few days ago. Why is it pink now?” I asked.

The taller of the two guardsmen slowed and looked at me with confusion.

“Uh, well, that's because we’ve just reached the middle of the month. Feldrur, the green moon, only watches over the world for the first half of the month. Fanalis, the pink moon, watches over the second half. And the last day of the month is when their child Felnarua appears,” he said slowly.

I should have guessed the moons have special names for them. It wasn’t like the concept wasn’t common on Earth. Though with what I know from this world, the moons might actually be gods or something along those lines.

“Are the moons gods or something?” I asked casually.

He scrunched up his face but answered anyway. “I don’t think they're gods, but I know they are supposedly as powerful as higher-tiered gods. Feldrur is known as the Father of the Hunt. He's usually depicted as a great wolf who guards our world with fangs and claws. He is said to chase away evil spirits and gods who try to destroy our world. His wife, Fanalis, is also a great wolf, but her domain is that of growth. She is said to be the wild mother who shepherds us to grow and guide us as we age and live our lives. Their child, the purple moon, represents wild youth. She is chaotic vitality and is known to be a bringer of chaos. The stories say that on the last day of the month, her parents let their child run free. Her wild hunts are why monsters appear in greater numbers, and as she runs on across the world unbidden and free, so too do the monsters run, whether they are to participate in the hunt or scatter and hide from her sharp teeth."

The guard seemed to be a fan of the moons, or at least their stories. His exuberance was brought back to calm silence with a swift cough from the other guardsmen. He apologized while rubbing the back of his neck, and we continued silently.

Looking up at the building, I could tell it was one of the largest buildings in the village. When we walked in, I found out why. The guards had their own barracks and eating area with a kitchen, armoury, and medical ward. I figured we would have gone straight to the medical ward, but we instead headed into the guard captain’s office. From Bera’s threatening earlier, I learned that the man was called Cedric. He looked the same as the last time I saw him, in full silver plate and leathers, despite being late at night in his own office. When we finished entering the room, he put the paper he was reading down and looked up at the lead guard. When his eyes flicked over to me, he scowled.

“And why are you all standing here with the Felkin? Did he do something wrong?” he asked in a commanding but calm tone.

I felt myself getting angry at the question. The guardswoman straightened up and gave a quick salute to Cedric.

“Captain, sir, we are here because we have found a healer that can mend Warren. We might have also started a small commotion at Oleander's, sir,” she said with the last part spoken more quietly.

His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. He stood up, and his hands quickly turned to fists.

“Please don't tell me you tried to start something in the inn. Guards are only ever allowed to, at most, assist if and only if Bera asks for it,” he ground out.

“Sir, I have to apologize. When I found out that this man had a healing skill, I was overzealous in trying to bring him with us. There was… an implied forcefulness to my actions. Bera was rightfully angry at my actions and forced me to bring myself back in line. She uh… may have mentioned that she might be making a visit to you, Captain sir,” the guardswoman said hesitantly.

By the end of the conversation, the captain’s body seemed to age. He flopped back into his chair and held his head in his hands. Eventually, he stared at all of us before scrunching his face and squeezing the bridge of his nose.

“Lena, just what were you thinking?” he asked tiredly.

Seeing the effect Bera’s name had on people was sort of scary. I was never going to anger the woman for as long as I lived. I did take the opportunity to needle the guards one last time.

“She forgot to mention that when Bera cowed everyone into submission, she seemed furious. Her eyes were smokey orbs, and when she gave your guards a good finger-wagging, smoke was coming out of her body. She also shouted, which, wow, gotta say, was terrifying. I’ve never expected such a loud, angry sound coming out of Bera,” I piped in happily.

I was exalted when the guards were squirming once again, and the captain went from livid to horrified. Cedric startled everyone when he loudly thumped his head into the table. He ran his hand down his face and reset himself to stoic neutralness.

“You three are going to be running extra laps for weeks. And you are coming with me to apologize to Bera directly. If I sense even an ounce of anything other than utter sincerity, I will make your lives absolutely hellish, am I understood!?” he barked, with a fist smashing into his desk for emphasis. There was a trio of 'yes captain' before he stood up once again.

“I’m sorry for what my foolish guards have caused you. Lena says you have a healing skill. Is this true?” he asked while striding to stand before me. The man’s arms were crossed, but it didn’t look like he was being standoffish.

“I accept the apology. Thankfully, it didn’t escalate into anything more serious. I do have a healing skill, and I’m going to be frank here. I’m tired as hell, and I just wanted a meal to eat so I could begin relaxing. I just spent an hour getting bashed to hell by Brelten, and I would really like to be done with this already. I’m only here because Bera asked me nicely, and she said you’d compensate me."

Cedric didn’t comment on me spending time with Brelten. He did turn to give his guards one last scathing look before he motioned everyone to follow him out of the room. “You will be compensated for your healing if you can truly provide it. Warren is currently recovering in the infirmary. Earlier today, his patrol was set upon by some beasts. He was the only one harmed severely while only two others suffered minor wounds."

“May I ask why you haven’t been able to heal him? I doubt you guys lack the means of healing guards injured while on duty."

Cedric sighed heavily. “We won’t be receiving a proper healer till the end of the year. We're still too new of a village for the capital to really spare any healers for such a small settlement. And we're running low on healing potions and supplies this month. There has been an increased number of beast attacks this week alone that have dwindled our limited stock to almost nothing. We only have a few healing salves and bandages at this point. The caravan with our restock won’t come until early next month."

I’ll have to ask Brelten next time about how rare healing magic was. If it was only acquired by skill stones, then I could imagine that having a healing skill was much more uncommon than not. We made our short walk into a clean room. There were four beds, and only one of them was occupied. In the left back corner sat a man with a bandage around his shoulder sitting and chatting with a severely wounded man lying in the bed.

The guard who had his shoulder wrapped didn’t look too much the worse for wear, with only small, already-healing minor cuts over his hands and face. The man lying in the bed was a completely different story. He looked like something roasted him over a fire. From head to toe, the man had severe burns spread across his body. I could already see bleeding soaking through bandages in some areas. When we approached, I heard him groan when he turned his head too swiftly in our direction.

The other man stood up from his chair and gave a crisp salute to the captain before wincing on the side of his damaged arm.

“At ease. I see that you are awake, Warren. How are you feeling?” said Cedric as he approached the man’s bedside.

“I would love to say I was in tiptop shape, Captain, but that would be a lie,” he winced out.

As I stepped closer, Cedric nodded in my direction.

“This is Cyrus. He is here to see if he can heal you,” the captain said.

I stopped for a second when he said my name. I was pretty sure I never gave the captain my name or even introduced myself properly to the man. Seeing the look on my face, he snorted. “Of course, I know your name. You're the only felkin in the village, and you made a small scene earlier at Oleander's. It’s also not every day that random people join and become adventurers in this village.”

Thinking about it, it made sense. I shrugged off any suspicion that had started to grow and approached Warren.

“You look like something tried to cook you as a meal,” I greeted.

Warren let out a small chuckle before wincing. “Got attacked by a pair of large ember boars. The damn things were tier one. He charged into my spear and proceeded to roast me alive. Got burnt pretty badly till the others took theirs down and helped finish mine off."

I winced at the memory of having my own hands turned crispy by an ember boar. A tier-one version must have been bigger and even more like an angry flamethrower on legs. I gave Warren a sympathetic frown and started to channel my mana. Áine flew out of my chest. I heard a small gasp come from the lightly bandaged guard as Áine fluttered in front of me with her beautiful wings glimmering in the lightly lit room.

“Hey, Áine, I’m assuming you already know what’s up. Do you think you can heal this man’s burns like you did mine?” I asked her gently.

Áine flew over and examined Warren. She went down and nearly touched the areas where he was bleeding through.

I jumped as I heard a tiny voice in my head. It sounded like wind chimes and bells, but I could recognize it as feminine.

“Need mana”

I looked over to Áine and saw her staring at me with her four eyes. That voice had to come from Áine. I tried to respond mentally.

“You’ll need to draw some mana from me to heal him?” I asked her. She nodded before turning back to the wide-eyed Warren. “Alright, take as much as you need."

I knew spirits could talk, but I never questioned why Áine didn’t.

I guess she prefers being nonverbal.

The others stared silently as Áine put her hands gently over Warren’s stomach where the bandages were stained red. A green glow lit up the room as she used her healing magic. After about ten seconds, she moved over to another bleeding area on his leg. Like this, Áine repeated the same thing over each bleeding wound. I could see Warren’s face slowly lose some of the hard lines that were caused due to constant pain. After finishing his lower extremities, she finally flew over and put her hands over his head. When Áine started pulling mana from me, it was sudden and almost startling. Rather than feeling my mana be channeled to a specific part of my body, I felt a faint, draining sensation in the middle of my chest. By the time Áine finished, I was nearly drained. My entire body wasn’t cold, but it was like sharp ice prickling the edges of my heart. Áine wilted; her wings drooped low, and her arms hung limply.

I reached out my hand and let her land on it. Bringing her close to hold, I cradled her gently. “Thank you, Áine, you were amazing.”

We both turned as we heard movement next to us. All the guards, Celdric and Warren included, stood in salute.

“Men, say thank you to Cyrus and Áine!” the captain barked.

“Thank you, Cyrus. Thank you, Áine!” shouted all the guards.

I held up Áine, and she gave a light curtsy before she reached her arms out to me. I brought her closer to my face, and she gave me a light boop on the nose before she faded back into my soul. I received another wave of thanks as I left with Cedric back to his office. When he closed his office door, we sat opposite each other.

“That was impressive. A familiar that can heal is insanely rare. If I wasn’t mistaken, her healing seems nature-based, yes?” Cedric asked. I nodded in response. “That’d explain why you both looked so drained. His wounds were filled with fire mana, so using nature-based healing would have been doubly taxing. Frankly, I’m impressed you healed him entirely. I can tell you're freshly ascended. I doubt your skills are even above rank five. Which makes what you did even more absurd,” he said with an obvious question behind his words.

"It is fairly new, so I can confirm the skill isn't above rank five," I admitted.

The captain nodded his head but showed obvious disappointment in my lack of revealing clear information. "Well, lucky of you to have a healing skill so early. Your familiar is an amazing asset to have. I don't suppose you would happen to have more healing skills. And what about your other familiar? Can she also heal?"

I shook my head. Even if healing was rare, I don’t think I’d want to live a life of only being able to heal. I’d just be a shiny, golden egg-laying goose.

“No, Zharia can’t heal. I’d imagine healing is not that common then?” I asked.

He stared at me with suspicion. But he slowly shook his head.

“No, it's not. Healing is rare, even amongst the adventuring crowd. There are almost no dungeons that reward healing skill stones. And the ones that do are usually so hard that it's almost impossible for any but the highest caliber of groups to even delve into them. Not even accounting for the rarity of such skill stones dropping. Something like a basic Mend Wound that can only seal up cuts and minor injuries is still more likely than something that can heal like your familiar. Even if leveled to a higher tier by an individual, the amount of mana cost would be staggering to do something along the lines of restoring Warren’s injuries. Your skill must be incredibly efficient, and you must have a decent pool of mana despite not even being a tier one,” he said while shaking his head.

Cedric sat back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face.

“I don’t suppose you have any interest in becoming a guard?” he asked ruefully. I laughed and shook my head. “Figured it didn't hurt to try. Give me a second to get your reward for your time,” he said.

He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a bulging coin pouch. After handing it over to me, I opened it and was shocked. Inside were about thirty silver coins. I may not have much knowledge of how the economy worked in Inoria, but I knew that this was no paltry sum of money.

“I don’t think you understand just how much you helped us out. Warren may not have recovered correctly by the time we got our resupply of potions. The risk of infections was serious, and the man hid it well enough, but I know you noticed just how much pain he was in. You saved us a fortune on supplies, and you gave him a complete recovery. He would have beenlucky if he got away with only having to worry about scars,” he said in response to my shock.

"Well, I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank you; we needed some money to buy some gear anyway," I replied.

I shook his hand and turned to leave the room. As I opened the door, I stopped as a hand landed lightly on my shoulder.

“I’m once again regretful of the circumstances that caused you to be here, but if you wouldn’t mind. I’d like to know if you’d be amenable to healing my men if any further injuries were to occur,” he asked gently.

Honestly, I saw no reason not to agree. Payment for healing and extra goodwill with the guards and townsfolk would only be a plus in my book. We settled on him having people come find me at Oleander's if there was ever a need for my services. Bidding the captain a good night, I made my way back to the inn. The walk back was longer and slower. I could feel myself recovering from the lack of mana, but it, combined with everything else, made me all the more aware of how drained the process made me.

When I sat down next to Sam at the bar, Bera wasted no time in putting down a heaping hot plate full of food. She gave me a bright smile and a wink as she went around and continued serving other patrons.

“Feeling ok there, Cy? You look like hell, dude,” Sam asked worryingly.

I told her everything that had happened and why I was feeling so sluggish. She grinned furiously when I told her the amount of money received. "Ah, not a bad day’s work for a single healing session. We are totally going to buy me a hammer tomorrow.”

I couldn’t help but smile. "Yeah, yeah. You'll get your bonk stick."

"That bonk stick, is going to keep your scrawny ass alive. So hush."

I stole a piece of food of Sam's plate and flagged Bera down. Good deed for the day accomplished, now I could fill my stomach before I passed out.