Aldritch walked back and forth from one side of the road to the other. As he walked, he concentrated on maintaining a fairly simple diagnostic spell – “Wisdom of the Great Sage.” Despite the grand naming sense of the one who created it, it was a fairly simple spell to use.

A series of three concentric rings hovered in front of Aldritch’s left eye. Whenever he looked at someone with the spell active, the rings read the flow of mana within the target’s body and used it to construct a miniature virtual model that only Aldritch could see. The model would then generate a complete diagnostic screening that showed age, injuries, and any illnesses or diseases they carried. Using this spell, Aldritch could locate those with the most severe injuries and focus on them first.

He crouched next to a young girl with her right arm twisted in a way it shouldn’t, and a nasty gash across her back from where she’d slid across the gravel road. Aldritch assumed the ogre had knocked her aside while it went after the woman it was eating when he arrived on the scene, but he couldn’t be sure.

Not that it mattered. He just needed to fix the child. Not play detective and discover her life story. He placed one hand on the crown of her head and the other on her broken arm- there was a nauseating *snap* as he forced her arm back into its proper position. “Regeneration.” He watched through “Wisdom of the Great Sage” as the gash on her back healed and the bones in her arm mended together. By the time the spell ended, aside from the bloody and torn clothes, the girl appeared to have never been injured. “Rejection of Pain” He cast the spell before letting go of the girl and moving on to the next injured civilian.

“Rejection of Pain” was a spell designed to allow warriors to continue fighting while ignoring any injuries they sustained in battle by masking the sensation of pain. Aldritch used it as a temporary pain killer on anyone he healed; most thanked him for it. And those that didn’t were usually stupid enough to think they were back to 100% immediately after getting healed and end up making their situation worse than it already was. It didn’t matter how many times he told those people to take it easy for a few days and let the magic work, they always seemed to point the finger back at him.

Most people assumed healing magic worked instantly, with no effort on their part. That wasn’t true- wasn’t even close to being true. Healing magic, at least Aldritch’s, worked by using Aldritch’s magic to stimulate the vitality of the one being healed in order to mend bones, close wounds, etc. And that vitality/mana combo sticks around inside the body for a few days to make sure the heal takes.

It usually takes anywhere from a few hours to a few days for that spent vitality to recover. If the vitality recovers without interruption, then the body forgets the wound ever existed… But if they re-injure themselves. Then the body will attempt to use what remains of the spell to heal the new injuries, except it can’t. So, what happens? The spell loses its fuel, and the wounds reopen, alongside any additional wounds sustained since.

So, remember kids. If a giant tells you to take it easy for a few days, and you don’t do it, don’t come crying to the giant afterwards. Nobody wants to see an angry giant. Especially not the person responsible for said anger.

Aldritch grabbed the ankle of an unconscious man and lifted it off the ground. The leg dangled listlessly. Blood flowed through Aldritch’s fingers like melted ice cream, and he shook his head at the sight.

He carried the leg back to its owner’s body and pressed it firmly against the stump – The dark-skinned human grunted at his touch, but thankfully remained unconscious. “Rejection of Pain”, “Greater Heal” He whispered while pressing the leg into place.

Muscle fibers inside the man’s stump of a leg came alive at the presence of Aldritch’s magic. They shot out from the stump and grabbed hold of the leg. They pulled it into the correct position in a matter of seconds and held it in place while the rest of the body went to work on reversing time. Nerve ending reattached, new blood cells were created rapidly to replace what was lost, even new stem cells spawned to ensure nothing was amiss.

The leg was successfully reattached after thirty seconds. And though the man would need to be extremely careful with it for a few days, he should have full functionality once that time passes... Unfortunately, there was one thing Aldritch couldn’t fix with magic alone. The man would forever have a line of pale flesh where his leg was detached. Aldritch hoped the man could live with that. If not, then Aldritch would offer to either fix it with alchemy or simply remove the leg entirely.

Sulika stood nearly fifty feet from Aldritch and watched him with a critical eye. She’d known on some level he was a priest. The robes made that obvious enough. But she’d dismissed it after seeing how physically powerful he was.

Clerics – or priests, depending on who you’re talking to, were support casters. Yes. many of them trained in melee combat. Ralocan was testament enough to that. But they weren’t supposed to be capable of killing a demon in a single strike–or throwing a fucking fully loaded wagon about thirty feet. Those were feats she’d expect from a barbarian like Zarud, though she doubted even he could pull off the wagon throw. That was something that should not have been possible… But it’d happened right in front of her.

And showing off more physical strength than she’d ever thought possible, he just walks over to one of the downed civilians and started healing them. No questions asked. He won’t even get paid for doing so, since he isn’t a member of the hunters guild yet… Actually, that gave her an idea.

“We saw the flare and came as quickly as we could!” Sulika heard someone shout from behind her. Turning around, she saw the first closing team coming to a stop about a dozen feet away.

The first closing team comprised ten members. Sulika didn’t know most of their names. She’d never had reason to learn them, but she was uh… Intimately familiar with the captain’s name. Elluine Valdove; a Lunaran elf like Oladi. ‘Eli’ was a tall man with wavy brown hair, red eyes, and a well-built body, thanks to his years working as a ranger. He’d been the captain of the Auris’ first closing team for the last forty-five years, as well as being the first captain Sulika served under, back when she was a rookie hunter.

The two healers on Eli’s team shot forward like an arrow to assist the wounded, while the other eight members of the team joined their captain at Sulika’s side-Their eyes, much like her eyes, were glued to the form of Aldritch reattaching a caitsith woman’s left arm. Once done, and seemingly without noticing the copious amount of blood now staining his old robes, Aldritch walked to the next victim and went to work without a word.

“Uh… Friend of yours?” Eli asked while pointing a thumb in Aldritch’s direction.

“Not exactly a friend, but yes, I know him.” Sulika sighed. She was not looking forward to this conversation.

“Which division is he in?” Eli asked, referring to which department of the guild Aldritch was a part of.

“None of them.” Sulika said. She pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers and closed her eyes. A headache was coming, and she just knew it was going to suck ogre ass.

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in the implications of what she’d just said. “He knows what he’s doing is illegal, right?” Eli asked after a few seconds.

The guild had numerous laws in place to protect the citizens from liars, conmen, and thieves. All healers were required to either have a license through the guild or get a temporary exception from the mayor to use their magic on people. So, even though Aldritch was healing people who were clearly injured- and doing a damn good job at that- it was technically illegal for him to do so.

“I just saw him kill an ogre in one hit. You wanna arrest him, go for it. But I ain’t helping you,” Sulika said, the stress of the situation causing her voice to change slightly. While Sulika had spoken common most of her life, it wasn’t her first language. Sylvani was often referred to as the ‘language of the forest.’ Sylvani was very simple, full of abbreviated words and slang, and very few words longer than two syllables.

Sulika believed she’d broken the habit of reverting to Sylvani whenever her emotions ran high… But apparently, it was still there and was just waiting for the worst possible time to rear its head.

If any of the first closing team realized what she’d done, none of them showed it. Then again, Sylvani wasn’t exactly a common language these days, so maybe they didn’t recognize the accent and attributed it to stress?

She could only hope so…

“Well, someone needs to tell him.” Eli muttered. “Maewyn, you up for it?” He asked the young gnome rogue standing at his side.

The three-foot tall woman’s head spun to face him so violently her braided blue hair made a *thwack* sound as it bounced off her leather armor. “Me? Why me?” She shouted, her voice reaching octaves Sulika hadn’t thought her small body could produce.

“Because I have a very punchable face, or so I’m told by all the men who’re jealous of my dashingly good looks. And you’re the only other member of our team who could probably convince him not to eat you- no offence, guys.” He said, directing the last bit at the rest of his team with a charming smile on his face.

There was some grumbling over the insult, but it surprised Sulika to note none of them disagreed with his statement. Had Derrik, Ralocan, or Zarud said something like that, the other two would fling enough insults his way to make a priestess faint. Did they really have nothing to say?

Sulika glanced down at the pitiful face the gnome was making- "God damnit..." and took pity on her. She walked over to Aldritch’s side and tapped on his shoulder to get his attention, and her hand came away sticky with blood.

“Busy. Walk with me if you want to talk,” Aldritch replied without looking at her.

“Yeah, about that. Those guys over there want you to stop healing people.”

Aldritch’s body came to a quick, and violent, stop as he whipped his body around to stare at the people who’d dare ask him to stop. He found himself looking at eight people who seemingly found the road to be the most interesting thing to look at.

“Why?” Aldritch asked Sulika. He wiped his blood-stained hands on his pants and looked down at her.

“The city has laws in place to protect the citizens from being taken advantage of. You need a license to use healing magic on people, which you don’t have yet. Sorry.”

“… You apologize too much.” Aldritch replied. “Alright. After I fix the last critical case, I’ll stop. After that, they can lock me up or give me a license. Whichever.”

“Why don’t you let the other healers deal with that? I’m sure they can-”

“No, they can’t,” he said, cutting her off. “It has to be me. Someone else might get it wrong.” He walked over to a little human boy with his back twisted at a weird angle. Aldritch crouched next to the boy and placed a hand on his back – “Rejection of Pain”, “Greater Heal.”

The boy’s body glowed for a second and Sulika flinched at the sound of his bones snapping back into place.

With that done, and the boy’s back healed, Aldritch returned to Sulika and offered her his wrists. “Let’s get this over with.”

Sulika looked from his face to his wrists, and back again. She didn’t immediately understand what he was doing because she wasn’t allowed to arrest anyone… But he didn’t know that. “I don’t think that’s necessary. You were coming with me to the guild, right?”

“Yes.” He replied without lowering his hands.

“Then just come with me and we’ll get everything all sorted out. Since you’re a returnee, they’ll probably just let you off with a warning or something.” She said and motioned for him to follow.

They returned to Eli and the first closing team and Sulika let him know what was going on. “Thank god.” Eli laughed. “For a second there, I was worried we would have to bring you in by force-You being a blood covered giant and all.”

“I didn’t realize the guild had that many people,” Aldritch replied while looking over the group. He was even less impressed with them than he was with Sulika’s group. While her group may have been young and inexperienced, there was a sense of camaraderie between them that this team sorely lacked. It was clear by the fact they were just standing back and allowing the healers to do all the work. They were only here because they were ordered to be. Nothing more, nothing less.

“That’s how most mortals are. Remember?” Oakairo muttered.

“Unfortunately.”

“Funny,” Eli said while staring up at Aldritch. “Your friend is funny, Sulika. What’d you say his name was?”

“I suppose I can take the lead and introduce myself. You have the honor of standing before Aldritch of clan Blackshield. You are?” Aldritch replied.

“Elluine Valdove; level forty-six Ranger, captain of Auris’ first closing team, and the man who taught Sulika everything she knows.” Eli replied, his right eye twitching with annoyance.

“Oh, I didn’t realize the two of you were acquainted. Sulika hadn’t mentioned you.” Aldritch replied in the same casual tone as before.

The elf’s face darkened with anger, and he stepped forward- Sulika’s hand landed on his chest and stopped him in his tracks. “Well, now that we’re all acquainted, I’m going to take my friend back to the guild. It was… Well, I saw you. You look good, Eli. Bye.” Sulika said before grabbing Aldritch by the hand and pulling him along.

She was grateful he’d gone along with her and didn’t resist. Neither Eli nor his team had appreciated Aldritch’s tone. She knew if she didn’t get Aldritch out of there before he said anything else, tempers would flare. And she knew from personal experience how Eli could get.

“I get the distinct impression he didn’t like me,” Aldritch muttered while following Sulika.

“Well, you have a habit of rubbing people the wrong way.” Sulika replied.

“I believe he thought you were challenging his authority… Either that, or his relationship with the mortal. His words seemed possessive for a colleague. I wonder if they were courting at some point?”

“Strange. I don’t mean to.” Aldritch said, replying to both of them. “By the way; how long did you date the elf?”

Sulika flinched as if someone had struck her. “First off, that was rude. And second of all... Was it that obvious?”

“What a shame. I’d thought she’d have better taste in partners, considering her relationship with the Silverowl mortal. Now, that’s a woman. And that concoction she made for us. Just thinking about it makes me want to-”

“Only because he looked ready to stab me after you grabbed my hand. I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.” Aldritch said, ignoring Oakairo’s ‘private’ thoughts as best he could.

“Yeah, well, we aren’t together anymore. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

“Of course. It’s none of my business to begin with. I was only wondering at the hostility he was sending my way. If he lost a woman of your caliber, it makes sense he’d be sore about it. I certainly would be.”

“You don’t have to flatter me. I know I’m no catch. Hell, I’m barely a woman in the eyes of most people-”

“Sulika.” Aldritch said and spun her to face him. He could see the surprise in her eyes, but he pressed on. “Oakairo, the god I’ve worshipped my entire life, absolutely abhors lying. It’s considered a fatal sin in my religion. So, when I say you’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, I want you to know I mean it. And anyone, be they man or woman, who isn’t saddened by your departure from their lives, is an absolute moron.”

“Uh…” Sulika muttered. Her eyes were wide open, and her jaw hung slightly loose. “Where did that come from!?”

Aldritch noticed the look on her face. “Did I go too far?”

“A bit. It was quite entertaining, though.”

“I may have said too much. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. That certainly wasn’t my intention. It’s just, witnessing someone disparage themselves is a pet peeve of mine. I find it irritating.”

Sulika stared at Aldritch for another second or two. They were alone. Most of the market had cleared out after the ogre’s presence was made known, so she didn’t think he was saying this stuff to embarrass her, and she hadn’t detected any lies. “You aren’t just saying that because you drank all of my milk, are you?” Sulika asked after another moment of silence.

Aldritch stared at her for a long moment. He pulled his hand across his body in a quick movement and snapped his fingers in a ‘I’ve been found out.’ gesture and smiled.

“That’s what I thought.” Sulika laughed. “Well, guess what? Just for that, I’m not letting you have anymore. You’ve officially been cut off.” She said and smacked Aldritch’s arm, laughing all the while.

She didn’t notice the pair of eyes glowering at them, or the way they darkened as the conversation progressed.