019: Succor

 

The man walking down the Eastroad was wearing an orange robe and had a pointy hat on his head. He was searching for something by the way he was scanning the fields on either side of the packed dirt of the road. Occasionally, he glanced down as if to consult something, but anyone watching would have only seen him staring at his palm.

 

To Jamus’s eyes, his hand held a great leather-bound book, opened to reveal a page filled with the details of his very being. The book was cumbersome, but only because he wished it to be so. He could have just let it float in front of him, but he preferred the feeling of the heavy tome in his hand. The book contained the sum total of his attributes and skills and he felt as though that deserved some heft.

 

At the moment, he was interested only in a single number. He checked it from time to time, in between scanning his surroundings. It hadn’t changed since he had left Fel Sadanis, but he kept checking anyway.

 

Without warning, the page of the book turned all on its own, drawing his eyes away from the low hedge that he had been inspecting. Though the page had turned in the book, the information shown was the same, listing out the mage’s attributes on the left and the detailed breakdown of his statistics on the right. Jamus smiled and stopped.

 

He backtracked until the page turned forward once more, the number returning to its original value but leaving the rest of the information unchanged. Jamus started counting his paces as he walked forward again, starting from when the number increased and not stopping until it dropped back down to its base value. The page turned forward each time the number changed. He backtracked again, stopping at half the distance he had measured out.

 

Jamus snapped the book closed with one hand, causing a small puff of dust. He then dropped it. The book disappeared as if it had never existed.

 

“Rain. I know you’re there. Come out.”

 

The hedge rustled. A man wearing torn workman’s clothes crawled out from under the hedge. He climbed to his feet with some effort, clearly in pain.

 

“…”

 

“Are you ok, Rain?”

 

“Fine.”

 

“You don’t look ‘fine’.”

 

A burst of white light washed over the two men, removing the stains of dirt from Rain’s clothes, but doing nothing for his torn shirt.

 

I can’t believe Halgrave kicked him out of the guild for that.

 

“How did you find me?”

 

“They told me what happened between you and Halgrave in the guild. I asked around. The Watch told me that you left the city, heading this way.”

 

“But how did you knowing I under the… the…”

 

“Hedge.” Jamus supplied. “You leave that mana regeneration aura on all the time. I was keeping an eye on my statistics.”

 

Jamus watched as Rain shifted uncomfortably, pulling at the torn collar of his shirt.

 

“Why?” he asked.

 

“Why what?”

 

“Why did you look for me?”

 

A pained expression crossed Jamus’s face. “Rain, I’m sorry. For how I treated you on the way back from the mine. I was mana starved and Lavarro… Look, I have no excuse. I should have spoken to you. Should have given you your… Here.”

 

Jamus removed a pack from his back and handed it to Rain. “I got your things from the guild. There is a new shirt in there for you too, and some rations. And there’s this.”

 

Rain caught the pouch as Jamus tossed it to him. Setting the bag down, he looked at the pouch, then worked at the drawstring, eventually teasing the tight knot loose and peering inside.

 

“All that was dropped by the dark hounds. Every last Tel. It won’t get you back in the guild, but…”

 

“Jamus, I… You…”

 

“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t just me. The others gave up their shares as well. Even Lavarro.”

 

Jamus pretended not to notice the beginnings of tears welling up in Rain’s eyes as the younger man retied the bag. Rain turned his back to him and opened the pack, tucking the pouch inside and pulling out the shirt.

 

“I had to guess at the size. Sorry if it doesn’t fit.”

 

Rain pulled off his old, torn shirt, folded it, and placed it in the pack. He then pulled on the new one, which was dyed a drab green. It seemed to fit well enough.

 

Jamus heard Rain take a steadying breath and waited patiently until he turned back to face him. When he finally did, his face looked tense, as if he was trying to keep it from displaying whatever emotion he was battling.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. You helped us quite a bit on the road. Everyone appreciated that aura of yours.”

 

“Even Lavarro?” Rain said, softly.

 

“Yes, even Lavarro. I haven’t felt that clean in years, the others must feel the same. Look, don’t think too badly about her, she has reasons for doing what she does. She even gave you her share. Though I think that was less about you and more about spiting Halgrave.”

 

“Halgrave?”

 

“Big blue bastard. Armor. Bad attitude. Don’t tell him I said that. He is in charge of all the adventurers in Fel Sadanis, at least on paper. You really haven’t heard of him?”

 

“No, I just…met…yesterday.”

 

“You must be from further away than I thought. Everyone around here knows who he is. He is kind of a big deal. The only gold rank adventurer for hundreds of leagues, though Lavarro is close. He and Lavarro, well… You have a sketch of him in your notebook that explains that.”

 

Jamus’s mouth quirked up in a half smile at the memory of the breakup. It had been thoroughly epic. They could have sold tickets. I’m surprised nobody’s made a play about it yet.

 

“My…?”

 

Rain fished out the notebook from the pack, flipping through it until he froze when he got to the page where Jamus had drawn in Mahria’s family tree. Looking over his shoulder, Jamus chuckled wryly.

 

“Yes. He is Mahria’s father.”

 

“But that means Lavarro… She and Halgrave… No way….” Jamus was relieved to see Rain’s face relaxing, seeming to be a bit more of his old self.

 

“Haha, I know, right? Talk about a scary couple. They aren’t together, if you were wondering. Not anymore. Small tip, don’t talk about Halgrave when Lavarro is around. You wouldn’t like the result.”

 

“Jamus, thank you. For this. For everything.” Rain held up the notebook.

 

“I said don’t worry about it. Now, how do you feel? Can you walk?”

 

“Yes,” Rain said, nodding.

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“Good. I can’t take you back into the city. The Watch knows who you are, and until you have paid the fine to the guild they won’t let you back in, even if you did still have your plate. I have an idea, though. I know a man who lives out by the forest to the east of the city. He is a bit odd, but then, so are you. You should get along, unless… Have you ever met a cervidian before?”

 

“Cervidian?”

 

“Guess not. Well, if you don’t know, it will probably be fine. It is about a half hour walk. Think you can make it on that leg?”

 

By way of response, Rain picked up the pack and slipped it on.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Again, I said don’t mention it.”

 

---

 

“Wait.”

 

Jamus halted, turning to regard Rain as he limped up to him. The pair had been walking for around twenty minutes, Jamus keeping his pace slow to accommodate his wounded companion. Rain really was limping quite badly.

 

Really? He’s that hurt just from getting pushed out of the guild?

 

“Are you ok? Can you continue?” Jamus asked.

 

“I just need a minute,” Rain said, wincing and lowering himself to sit on a stump by the side of the road.

 

“Sorry, I don’t have any healing spells.”

 

“It is ok. I will be fine in a minute. I have a question.”

 

Uh-oh, here we go.

 

“Go ahead.”

 

“What is health?”

 

“Is that a… philosophical question?”

 

“Philosos… What?”

 

“Philosophical. What is art? What is beauty? That kind of thing?”

 

“Philosophical question. I see. Thank you. No, this question not philosophical. What is health? What does it do?”

 

“You really don’t know? Have you never been wounded before?”