3. I Don’t Want Your Kid

Adolin wasn’t having a great day.

After getting kicked out of the shop, it didn’t take long for the guards to notice him. They didn’t ask questions. They just grabbed him and threw him back into the harbor district. He hadn’t realized how hard life as a normal citizen could be. Well, his was closer to that of an addict.

The stares were still there. Now, they stung.

Adolin sat on a barrel, his gaze drifting over the open sea. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do next.

He needed to take a shower and get rid of the smell. Find proper clothing, something that wasn’t rags. Make himself presentable enough so that shopkeepers wouldn’t chase him out, and he could ask for a job. A simple water spell wouldn’t fix the smell, but it could handle the dirt. Anything stronger would require additional mana. Double. Maybe even triple what he had.

He clicked his tongue.

“Archmage with the mana pool of a dog,” he muttered.

His gaze shifted to the dockworkers unloading cargo from a ship.

A basic levitate spell would make that job trivial. But he would probably get chased out or maybe even beaten before he could offer his help.

Telian was still waiting for him to heal his mother.

He needed to use spells that the blessing hadn’t recorded to grow faster. He had enough mana for one healing spell, and he had already used it twice. Maybe his mother would know how he could earn some coin. That would make it worth healing her.

Dareth’s memories were useless in that regard. If they weren’t, he wouldn’t have died in a back alley for a bronze coin.

Adolin exhaled quietly and pushed himself off the barrel.

It didn’t take him long to get back, but more than three hours had passed since he woke up in this world. Night was coming. He needed a place to stay. Or at least food.

Telian was lying next to his mother, asleep. She looked the same as when he’d left her. Getting rid of the corrupted mana wasn’t something the kid should see. He’d already seen enough. Adolin didn’t want him watching what came next. It wouldn’t be pleasant. That was one of the reasons he left before he saw the aftermath of the addict he had healed.

He nudged the boy with his foot. The boy stirred, blinking up at him. It took a second to recognize him before he pushed himself upright.

“Mister!” Telian’s voice lit up. “Will my mom be better now?” The kid looked up at him, eyes bright.

It took him a few moments to find the words. “She will be better.”

Telian grabbed his sleeve, eyes wide. “You promise?”

Adolin coughed. “I promise. I’m going to need a… favor.”

“What is it, mister?”

Was it even safe to let the kid wander off? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t have enough mana to block his senses properly.

He clicked his tongue.

That left him with no good options. His plan had failed before it even started.

“Is it safe for you to take a walk?” Adolin said.

The kid stared at him, confused.

This was harder than he expected. The kid had been fine so far. He’d be fine for fifteen minutes. Hopefully. “Go… walk,” Adolin said. He paused, searching for the words. “Come back… in fifteen minutes.”

Telian hesitated. “But—”

“Go.”

“…Okay.”

The kid started walking toward the harbor. Smart kid, Adolin thought.

He waited until the kid was far enough away, then knelt beside the woman. He checked her eyes again. The spark was still there, but dimmer than before. As expected. The spark had never been wrong.

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her onto her side. His hands slipped slightly, so he adjusted, bracing her with his knee. That left his right hand free. Taking a deep breath, he touched her head and cast the healing spell.

Three seconds later, her body jerked. Adolin held her in place as she gasped, retching violently. Dark fluid spilled from her mouth, the smell sharp and pungent. Her whole body trembled with each heave. After a whole minute, it was finally over. Adolin moved her from the black liquid on the ground. The woman was breathing hard, and the spark slowly grew brighter. She would be fine after some rest.

He stood and looked at the liquid on the ground.

He checked his mana. There was still some mana left, not enough for a spell, but enough to work with.

He reached into his core, pulled what little remained, and guided it outward, surrounding the liquid. The simplest way to deal with corrupted mana was to burn it with mana natured toward destruction. There were more efficient methods, but with what he had left, this would have to do.

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Fire. The mana shifted, responding to his will. Violet flames flared to life around the black liquid. They burned hot enough to consume even the smell. After a few moments, nothing remained.

Then a translucent window appeared before his eyes.

[New Skill Detected: Mana Control.]
[Skill Tier: 8]
[Level Increased.]
[Attribute Points Available: 4]

Adolin stared at it. Tier 8? That alone gave him three attribute points. It didn’t make sense. The control he’d used to burn the liquid wasn’t anything special.

He frowned slightly.

He needed to find a library and figure out how the skill tiers worked. And where to spend his points. Intelligence was supposed to affect mana. At least, that was Dareth’s guess. The boy hadn’t been certain. Adolin wasn’t about to risk it on a guess. He felt his mana pool expand.

“Status.”

[Status:]
Name: Dareth Wood
Race: Human
Mana: 1/60
Level: 6
Class: /

[Attributes:]
Strength: 8
Agility: 9
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 6
Constitution: 8
Attribute Points Available: 4

He looked at the mana value, then at the intelligence attribute. Both had doubled. From three points and thirty mana. To six points and sixty mana. So the boy might have been right. Still, that wasn’t enough to act on. No point wasting points when he didn’t understand the system yet.

“T-Thank you,” the woman said.

Adolin nodded toward her.

The kid wasn’t back yet. Not surprising. He’d said fifteen minutes. It had only been five. Adolin glanced at the woman. She was still breathing hard. It felt… awkward. Still, leaving now didn’t feel right. So he stayed, looking out toward the harbor.

Some time later, the breathing returned to normal.

“Did you help me?”

“Yes,” Adolin said.

“Thanks.” She swallowed hard. “Why?”

“Telian asked me to,” Adolin said.

That felt like the best answer he could give.

At first, she smiled, but then it faded away. “What would it cost?” She held her breath, waiting for the answer.

“Nothing.” Her expression didn’t change at that, so he had to elaborate. “For… the kid.”

“No.” Her expression tightened, fear creeping in. “Please… take me instead. Leave Telian alone.”

Adolin tilted his head. “What?”

She looked around, still dazed, then focused on him again. “You’re not taking him,” she said, her voice tight.

Adolin stared at her.

That wasn’t what he meant. How did she even get that from what he said? His speech wasn’t great, but not that bad.

“W-Where is Telian?”