Born a Monster

483 Little Fish, Big Pond

I know what you’re thinking; as many different classes with healing magic as I had, and I can’t just fix a burn?

Well, there are burns, such as you get when you stumble into someone who spills the candelabra and all its wax on you. There are burns such as you laughed, and your feet ended up in the fire. There are burns such as forgetting humans don’t have scales and picking up the iron skillet with your bare hands.

She had the sort of burns you get when half your face is on fire and it stays that way until your ear melts completely off.

Find me ANY first level class that fixes that.

“Well?” she asked. “What are you going to do about that? Other than stare and make annoying noises?”

I loaded my Mystic Vision with Dream mana. The angel was still near comatose, tied to Brittani, her flames barely curling from her flesh. Right, so no help there.

“Spirits of life, spirits of healing. It is I, shaman and lifeshaper, who call upon you.”

“Lifeshaper?” Brittani asked, “That sounds heretical; it had better have some awesome level of power.”

“I ask a favor, I seek a boon. Aid me in the combination and delivery of the energies of life. Minor Radiant Miko Hands.”

.....

“Minor?” she asked.

“Minor.” I said. “I’d need to do quite a bit of specialized work to get the normal healing hands.”

She squinted at me. “I honestly don’t want to hear about how much you need to work. Tell me how long it would take.”

“About a year, give or take.” I said. “The limit isn’t the development points, it’s the actual class levels.”

“Ugh.” she said. “Actually, not entirely ugh. That actually has a pleasant tingle to it, just beneath the skin.”

“In the future,” one of the guards said, “perhaps you ought not to perform such heresy in the open.”

I sighed. “Could you explain to me how healing is heresy?”

“Arcane magic,” said the other guard, “is usually heresy.”

I can’t both scratch my face and apply Miko Light at the same time. “Loki uses magic all the time!”

They both made the candle-holding gesture that served as their holy sign. “Are you a god, the equal of Loki?”

“Because that is definitely heresy.” the other added.

I rubbed my cheek on the shoulder of my shirt. “I am not the equal of any god that I know of.” I said.

“Mmm.” Brittani said. “Mighty is Loki.”

“Clever is Loki.” said the first guard.

“Cunning is Loki.” said the other.

“Crafty is Loki.” I said. “So the prevalence of scientific Doctors in the military is because they aren’t magical?”

“Loki gave us science.” first guard said.

“The flame of reasoning.” second said.

“So it’s never wrong to use science.” first added.

I blinked. “But... doesn’t Loki give other gifts?”

“Only to the devoted.” Brittani said, “Or to those from his chosen bloodlines, some of them intermingled with his own,”

“Praise be to Loki for his gifts.”

Brittany scoffed. “Yeah, when his gifts include the ability to not get burned this badly, I’ll be thankful for that.”

I nudged her head back to the facing. “This will work better if the light shines directly onto the wounded area.” I said.

“Huh. So no instant hair re-growth, is what you’re saying?”

“Not from anything I’m doing.” I said. “Take a few months, and grow it back naturally. IF it grows back.”

“IF?” she asked. “You aren’t even sure you can restore my HAIR? Why am I bothering with... stop moving!”

“Then stop turning your head.” I said.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked. “I am Brittani Fire-Born, blessed with flaming hair and raging temper. I am a captain in the army, earned on my own merits away from the influence of my father. Loki willing, I am to be a lynchpin in this crusade, and will fulfill the prophecy of making the arcane beast of this land my slave before he dies! You are nothing before me, just another pale skinned worm.”

“And I am your doctor.” I said.

“Medical slave. Don’t get full of yourself.”

I sighed. “Slave or not, I know how to administer different treatments. The Miko Light,” I reached out and turned her head, “requires direct exposure to the area to be healed.”

“For how long?” she asked. “This has been going on for over two minutes already.”

I breathed in, then out. “Treatments can take as long as sixteen minutes.” I said.

She slapped my hands away. “Then THAT is going to have to wait until after night falls. I have things that urgently need done. We need to take inventory of our soldiers, and see what last night’s folly cost us.”

“Inventory makes them sound like...”

“I’ve said what I said. I’m not apologizing for anything; they want to behave like mindless animals, then they have no right to complain being treated like animals.”

I looked at the guards.

Other shrugged. “I’m a mindful animal.” he said. “She doesn’t get mad at either of us that often.”

“Oh.” she said, smacking a circle of wood rimmed with bronze into my face. “Have a shield; if anyone asks, you are one of my bodyguards.”

“But... I can’t DO that.” I said. “I am a Truthspeaker and cannot lie.”

“Oh.” she said. “That’s an easy fix, then. In addition to your other slave duties, you’re my bodyguard as well. You two, train him so he doesn’t embarrass himself and especially so he doesn’t embarrass me. Got it?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Yes, captain.”

“And you,” she said to me, “will do your best to learn. Fast.”

“I will do what I can, but not to the point where you’re allowed to ignore your wounds.”

She squinted at me, applying... something. And then she stopped. “Your Resolve is much higher than your meager Charisma.” she said.

“Yes.” I said. “I admit to the obvious.”

“Come along, then.” she urged. “I have sergeants to yell at.”

“I don’t recognize this unit’s heraldry.” I said.

“Black Narwhal.” Other said. “It’s a marine unit. They aren’t Tidal Warriors or anything like that, but they specialize in naval warfare and beach invasions.”

“So, they’re marines?” I asked.

First coughed.

Other’s lips pulled back from his teeth, and his face grew deeper red. “We are NOT marines.” he said. “We are better than that.”

“Ragnal.” Brittani said.

“Captain?”

“Work off some of that anger training the boy. If you’re distracted like that, you aren’t able to do your best bodyguard work.”

He cracked his knuckles, nodded at her. “As my captain orders.”

He pulled a staff almost as tall as he was from his inventory. “Okay, lad. Try not to let me hit you; I guarantee it will be painful if I do.”

He met my first block with disdain, my third with grudging disbelief, and stopped at five.

“What, are you some kind of Arminger class? Shield Bearer?”

“You telegraphed your strikes.” I said.

SMACK!

[Block successful.]

“Like that?” Ragnal asked.

“You’ve been holding back!” I said.

He nodded, tapped his head with the staff. “Gift of Loki. Block now, now that it matters.”

He started giving the way a professional warrior could, often feigning an attack from one direction to strike from another. He scored on my shoulder first, then a glancing blow across the bottom of my jaw. And then, after six swings, he stopped to breathe for a bit.

“What the HELL, kid?” he asked, “That’s a soldier’s skill level.”

“I do have one level in...”

“FIVEFOLD STRIKE!”

Someone wailed in fear using my voice; it was probably me. I did a credible accounting to my training and experience with a shield, but no defense is ever perfect. A line of bruising along my lower rib cage could attest to that.

.....

“Bigni!” he shouted. “Bigni! We can get XP for attacking this kid. FIVEFOLD STRIKE!”

“Hey... just...” I tried to say, but his staff moved like twin wind serpents, and I had to block reflexively, without thinking. Instinctively, I pulled a knife into my right hand to parry with.

And, also by instinct, I struck.

Meeting only air.

I willingly fell, and rolled, dodging beneath his swing at my exposed back. He countered with a [Shield Slam], meeting my shield squarely with enough force to change my roll to a different area of the clearing.

“Crap.” I said, shaking my shield arm to restore feeling.

“Crap.” Ragnal said, “That should have knocked you clean out.”

I had time to exhale once.

“Your footwork... also good.” he said, “but you lack reach, child.”

“I have...” I struck at him with the [Jaws of Rage], and missed... but not by enough.

“What was THAT?” he asked. “Are you using MAGIC?”

“No, that’s actually...”

“MAGIC!” he bellowed. “CHEATER!”

Holy crap, but he had a lot of charges of [Fivefold Strike].

I took another deep breath. This was going to be a long fight.

Didn’t I mention that? We were using a training ground between tents. It was meant for four to six pairs of warriors, which didn’t stop him from chasing me all over the damn thing.