Demonic Healer Naberius (The Prototype)

This is the original one-shot story I wrote that would later be rebuilt as Demon Healer Naberius. I have made no changes to its content, punctuation, or prose. Accordingly, it is full of bad writing and typos, so please forgive the crust. You can find my thoughts on this prototype here.

—Peter

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“So… uh… let’s start by getting your name…”

“Naberius.”

“Okay… and your last name?”

“I don’t have one.”

“You don’t have one?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Um… excuse me, I need to ask my manager about that…”

            The desk clerk hopped off his seat and scurried away. He was young and short, probably a halfling, and judging from his work, this was probably his first day on the job. It was pretty early in the day too, so Nabby might have even been his first client ever. She sighed as the halfling talked to a hume, presumably his manager.

            A minute later, the clerk hurried back to his position. “Sorry about that. Okay, we don’t need a last name. Moving on… can I have your date of birth?”

            “My actual birth date or my summoning date?” asked Nabby.

            “... I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

            “Do you need my actual birth date or my most recent summoning date?” she said slower than was necessary.

            “I guess your actual birth date?” The clerk clearly didn’t know understand what Nabby was saying. She decided he needed help.

            Nabby cupped a hand around her mouth and shouted at the assumed manager. “Excuse me! Sir!” The manager noticed, to her relief, and walked up to the desk.

            “How can I help you, miss?” he asked with a rasping voice.

            “Hi, sorry, but there’s a bit of confusion here. He doesn’t seem to understand what a summoning date is and I’m wondering if he has the right paperwork.” Nabby did feel bad about making the clerk look bad, but she never liked dealing with bureaucracy and would prefer to speed things up if possible.

            The manager looked over at the halfling and the paperwork in front of him. The two then engaged in hushed mutterings, ending with the clerk’s eyes opening with enlightenment before he ran off to a nearby filing cabinet.

The manager spoke to Nabby once more. “Sorry about that, miss, seems he forgot a step in our intake process. He’ll be back shortly with the correct form.”

“Thank you, sir.” Nabby nodded her head in appreciation.

“My pleasure, have Bewohner come find me if there’s any more issues.” With that, the manager stepped back to his previous post at another clerk’s desk.

The halfling, Bewohner, then returned to his desk. He appeared a little flustered but smiled at Nabby. She half-smiled back. “Sorry, miss, I forgot to get the appropriate form for demons. Now, let’s see… could I get your name one more time?”

“Naberius.”

“Alright, and you said no surname… do you have any aliases or nicknames?”

“Does ‘Nabby’ count?” She was genuinely curious.

“Uh… I don’t know, but I’ll put it down… okay, um, your most recent summoning date?”

“Lunes, Agosto fourth, 195 P.B.”

“Okay, and your demonic family?”

“Goetic.”

“Alright… do you have the name of the person who summoned you?” asked the clerk.

“Yes, a Ms. Estella Sumnur.”

“Do you have an ongoing relationship with Ms. Sumnur?”

Nabby paused for a second, trying to remember. “No, I haven’t seen her since she summoned me.”

“Okay, so we can skip getting her address…” Bewohner muttered. “Okay, did she tell you why she summoned you?”

“She said something about being turned invisible, but I don’t do that.”

“Got it… and your reason for staying in this plane of existence?”

“Well, Ms. Sumnur didn’t bind me in the summoning process, so I wasn’t compelled to do anything she said.” Nabby fiddled with her hair as she recalled days gone by. “When she went to go check her instructions, I just left. I got curious and explored the world for a bit. Eventually, I ran into some adventurers and they led me to the guild.”

“Okay… so, next, do you have any issue with priests, paladins, monks, druids, or any other possible holy men or peoples of high religiosity?”

“No, but I did have one try to banish me back in training,” Nabby said bitterly.

“Um… I’ll put that as ‘none’, since it sounds like they had the problem with you… is that okay?” asked the clerk.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Okay, almost done… do you have any special needs, such as sacrifices, materials you need or need to avoid, words or symbols that affect you, unusual hours of operation, or anything else that may affect the circumstances of the work you undertake?” Bewohner recited.

“Only use of my seal, which shouldn’t be an issue, and the standard avoidance of holy magic,” Nabby replied.

            The clerk scribbled down her words. “Perfect, thank you. Now we can move on to the general adventurer form.” He shifted his papers and readied a new form.

            “Is this going to take much longer?” Nabby was already tired of the constant sound of people muttering and paper shifting in this office. She wanted to get out of here and maybe try her hand at the job she was signing up for.

            “Um… well, we still have a few more forms to go through…”

            “Okay, will I be free to work after that?”

            “Um, no. There’s a one to two week waiting period while we go over your paperwork before we can approve you for assignments… but we’ll notify you when you’re approved.” Bewohner raised a finger in recollection. “Oh, but since there’s not too many new applicants, it shouldn’t take too long, miss.”

            Nabby sighed. “Alright, thank you. What’s next?”

            “Um, the general adventurer form. I’ll need to go over your preferred role, skills, past experiences, and other stuff like that.”

            “Okay then.” Nabby sat down on the wooden chair provided on her side of the desk. She thought she could stand through the entire process, but her hopes for a quick meeting were over. She twiddled her thumbs as Bewohner finished preparing his form.

            “Okay, Ms. Naberius… what role do you seek to fill in a guild party?”

            “Healer.”

            Bewohner looked at her with bewilderment. Nabby smiled back with confidence.

*           *           *           *           *

            Nabby was exhausted. She had gone to the guild office early in the morning to get it over with, but she was now thankful for her eagerness as she finally made it out at almost noon. The streets were now busy with the bustle of people and carriages. Merchants could be heard shouting for sales and a man was hammering on a metal plate somewhere nearby. Nabby would have preferred a more quiet atmosphere, but at least the weather was nice. With cloudy skies above her, she began her saunter down the street and towards the inn.

            As far as demons went, Nabby wasn’t very demonic. She had the telltale vertical pupils in orange-red eyes but lacked the normally associated horns or fangs. She did have sharper teeth, though hers didn’t extend out of her mouth like the others. The most obvious things that indicated she wasn’t human were her feet. Most people wouldn’t notice, however, as she wore boots like any other self-respecting individual.

            Besides all of that, Nabby looked like a hume woman in her adulthood. She had pale skin and kept her black hair tied in a ponytail. She was a bit shorter than most female humes, but she shared most of the same features and could have passed for one if not for her eyes. A man even once told Nabby she had a good figure “for a demon”. Though the compliment tickled her, she had no intention of showing it off more. Nabby preferred to keep herself covered with warm clothes to stave off the Northern climate.

            Her outfit was a point of pride for her, as she had made it herself. A long, red tartan skirt hung down to her ankles, just above the tops of her boots, while her top was a black turtleneck sweater with long sleeves. She wore leather armor on her chest and shoulders, matching the gauntlets on her hands. Nabby finished off her outfit with a red tartan scarf, made from the same material as her skirt and the ribbon in her hair. And on particularly cold days like this, she carried a large cloak made from a wolf’s fur. She held it tightly closed around her, unfortunately hiding the outfit she worked so hard on.

            After a few minutes, Nabby arrived at the inn she was staying at. It wasn’t a glamorous place, but the Warm Brasier was open and affordable for the week or two she would need until her certification was complete. Afterwards, she could then move in to a guild dormitory while she worked to save enough to buy a real home. Until then, this inn offered comfy beds and tasty food, and that was enough for Nabby. As she stepped through the door, a small bell rang. The hume reading at the front desk greeted here.

            “Welcome back, Ms. Naberius. How’d your meeting go?” The man was middle-aged with thick eyebrows. His arms were full of strength that one wouldn’t expect in an innkeeper.

            Nabby gave a little wave. “Hello, Mr. Mahnno. It went fine, it was mostly paperwork. They said they’ll get back to me in a week or two when the certification is complete.”

            “Feh, they do love their forms.” The old man rolled his eyes. “Well, miss, I bet you’re hungry. My sons should have lunch ready shortly if you’d like to head to the dining room.”

            “What’s on the menu today?”

            “Mutton. Friend of mine had to put down one of his sheep. He couldn’t bring himself to butcher her, but he didn’t want it to go to waste so I took it.”

            Nabby smirked. “Ah, you know how to treat your guests.”

            Mahnno put a hand on his chin. “Oh, do you demons have a thing for mutton?”

            “No, but I do.” Nabby gave a slight bow. “Thank you, sir, I’m gonna go reserve myself a seat.” With that, she headed for the dining room. Mahnno nodded and returned to his book.

            Nabby was surprised when she first discovered how accustomed to demons this world was. Her friends back in the other planes would exchange horror stories of how humans would viciously kill or exorcise any demons they saw. When Nabby wandered off, she intended to return to her realm at the first sign of trouble. However, the reality was much less dangerous. Nobody gave her a second glance until she ran into a group of adventurers. And all they did was ask if she was lost and needed help.

Given her appearance, Nabby thought they mistook her for a hume. She even tried to pretend she was one until their leader told her about how the guilds had groups to help stray demons like her. It turns out that, human-shaped or not, people didn’t really care about demons unless they tried to cause trouble. Summoners weren’t that rare and the demons they called weren’t always forced to leave afterwards, or they forgot to bind them like in Nabby’s case.

With nowhere else to go, Nabby took the adventurers’ advice and went to the guild. The staff there were not only friendly but sympathetic, assuring the stray demon she could find a place in this world. They set her up with a temporary home and gave her daily jobs to earn some money while she got her bearings. They even helped her get identification papers and start her own bank account. It was overwhelming at first, but Nabby was thankful for the aid. It was that appreciation that drove her to become an adventurer herself.

            The inn’s dining room was almost empty, the only other occupants being a trio of dwarves at a table. Nabby took an empty table and pulled out a book to keep her busy until lunch was served. It was a collection of short stories, and the one she was reading now was about some self-important merchant who knew he was a character in a story. A bit too esoteric for her, but Nabby hated not finishing books she started. A few minutes later, the younger of Mahnno’s sons began walking around the dining room, placing silverware on the tables.

            “Hey there, Nabby,” he said as he put a dining set in front of her. “How’d your certification thing go?”

            “Hi, Fusil, it was fine.” Nabby folded the corner of her book and closed it.

            “You going off to fight monsters now?” The young man sat himself across from her. He must have made Nabby’s table his last stop so he could dawdle here.

            “No, I need to wait a week or two while they go through the approval process,” she replied. “Besides, I told you I’m a healer, not a fighter.”

            Fusil furrowed his eyebrows, almost as thick as his father’s. “I know, but I’ve never heard of a demon casting healing magic. Dad and Espad said they haven’t either.”

            “Well, you’ve heard of it now,” Nabby said smugly. “I went through three years of training and internships, so don’t worry, I’ve already proven I can heal.”

            “Is it ‘cause you look like a hume? I heard you guys can’t do healing because that magic’s either godly or from nature, and since demon’s are unholy beings from another realm, you can’t cast those spells.”

            This kid’s been doing homework, thought Nabby. “You’re right about the magic. But despite my looks, I’m a full-blooded demon and have the same restrictions. I just found a way around them.”

            “You’re not gonna… zombify people or something, are you? Because just making it so someone can’t die isn’t healing.”

            Nabby was unamused. “No, I’m not.”

            “Do you charm people into thinking their wounds are healed?”

            “No. Look, shouldn’t you be helping your brother right now?”

            “Fine, fine,” Fusil hopped to his feet. “Just so you know, killing monsters before they make wounds isn’t ‘healing’ either.”

            “Whatever. Go tell your brother his cooking smells delicious.” Nabby opened her book once more as Fusil went into the kitchen.

            He wasn’t a bad kid, just a little too candid. Someone else might have taken offense at his assumptions, but Nabby didn’t particularly care. Besides, it just reinforced how impressive her efforts were. She smiled to herself about possibly being the first demon healer. Even if she wasn’t, she clearly wouldn’t have to try too hard to make a name for herself.

            Nabby got about another ten minutes of reading in before lunch was served. Fusil and his brother, Espad, came out of the kitchen with arms full of plates and cups. By then, the dining hall had several more guests, totalling over a dozen now. A group of adventurers now sat a table and exchanged tales of their exploits as the young men placed meals in front of them. The rest of the guests were served next, once again saving Nabby for last. This time, it was Espad who came to her table and sat himself down there afterwards.

            “Good afternoon, Ms. Naberius,” he said with a sigh as he flopped down in the seat.

            “Same to you, Espad,” greeted Nabby. She looked down at the meal. Thick slices of roast mutton served alongside steamed vegetables and bread rolls with a cup of cheap wine. She eagerly grabbed her utensils.

            “Heard from Dad this is one of your favorites.”

            “Indeed. It was the first real meal I had after I got summoned here.” Nabby cut off a portion of mutton and popped it her mouth. Her cheeks warmed as its flavor flooded her senses.

            Espad smiled at her. “How is it? I followed a cookbook, but it was my first time roasting lamb meat.”

            Nabby gave him a satisfied smile as she swallowed. “It’s delicious.” She quickly began cutting another bite.

            “It’s not overcooked or anything?”

            “Not at all, it’s perfect all the way through. You’re really good at cooking.”

            The young man blushed. “Thank you, miss. I’m really glad to see you like it.”

            “I wish I could cook. I’m really good with my hands, but without a kitchen, I haven’t had a chance to really try it out.”

            “Oh… would you like me to show you how sometime?” Espad scratched behind his ear.

            “Really? I’d appreciate that. If I could learn to cook like you, I’d never go out to eat again.” Nabby grabbed a roll and began smearing butter on it. “Of course, I’d be happy to teach you something in return.”

            “Like what, miss?”

            “Oh, all kinds of stuff. But I’m particularly good at sewing and making clothes.” Nabby took a bit of her roll and chewed it down. “I’m pretty good at teaching people too.”

            Espad seemed impressed. “Wow, that’s a pretty handy skill. What kind of clothes do you make?”

            Nabby closed her eyes and smirked. With a flair, she shot to her feet, pushing her chair back as she stood. The chair made a screech as it moved, grabbing the attention of the whole room. If Nabby noticed, she didn’t show it. She stuck her arms out from her sides and spun a circle on one foot. Espad’s face reddened with secondary embarrassment as the demon happily sat herself back down.

            “My whole outfit here is the result of my efforts,” Nabby said with excitement. “I knit my sweater, cut and sewed my skirt, scarf, and pants, only thing I bought was the armor. I’d be more than happy to show you how to do it yourself.”

            “O-oh… thank you, miss,” Espad said nervously. He then got up from the table. “Excuse me, I need to attend to the other customers.”

            “Of course, thanks again for lunch.” Nabby resumed her meal, cherishing every bite of the mutton.

            When Nabby first arrived in town, she had planned to check out several inns to find the best one. However, when Mahnno heard Nabby was new to the city, he had his sons give her a tour. The boys seemed curious about demons, so Nabby humored them as they walked around town. They showed her where the markets and the guild offices were, among other things. She also learned the guild was closed for the holidays and that she wouldn’t be able to visit for another two days. Nabby ended up using that time to better familiarize herself with the city, and her evenings were spent at the Warm Brasier, relaxing and chatting with the staff.

            Once she finished her meal, Nabby flagged Fusil down so she could pay for it. The young man took the payment, and Nabby waved as she left the room. It was too early to retire, but she didn’t have anything she really wanted to do. She could read in her room, but that felt too dull, especially since she wasn’t feeling the book she had. With nothing better to do, Nabby decided to leave the inn.

            She would end up spending that day like the next dozen before the guild approved her application. Nabby wandered the markets, looking for interesting cloth to work with or exotic snacks to eat. Some nights, she’d head over to a nearby bar and kill time drinking and playing whatever game was popular that evening. She’d chat with Mahnno’s sons at the inn before heading to her room and chipping away at her book. By the eleventh day, despite the calm and relaxation, Nabby was anxious to do something else.

            On the twelfth day, a courier was sent to the Warm Brasier for her. They passed along a note requesting Nabby’s presence at the guild. She headed over immediately and was pulled into a private room. An elf man in full guild attire sat across from her at a small table. Although she was nervous and eager, Nabby silently waited for him to speak. He was reading some papers through thin eyeglasses. A few seconds passed before he spoke.

            “Ms. Naberius, my name is Daraen, head of registrations,” he said. His deep voice was full of congestion, as if he was getting over an illness. “I just need to go over a few things with you before we complete your certification.”

            “Of course, sir,” Nabby said earnestly.

            “So, you’ve signed up with us a couple weeks ago, and that ended up setting off a red flag in our processes. Excuse me.” The elf pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. “We ended up having to get testimonies from your teachers and internship parties.”

            “Was there an issue with that?”

            “Oh no, I just wanted to let you know since that’s why the process took a little longer than expected. Your paperwork was clear and consistent, but I hate to admit that we didn’t have a contingency for your unique circumstances.”

            “I apologize. I should have asked my peers to write letters about that beforehand.”

            “It’s no issue. It doesn’t sound like it caused any problems during your training, so I don’t expect it to come up again here.” Daraen sniffled a bit.

            “Are you sure? It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything, but I know it stands it out.” Nabby began to pull at her side bangs absentmindedly.

            “Miss, I assure you, we of the guild seek to accept adventurers of all walks of life. As long as the desire to serve the public is within you, you can have a place here,” the elf assured.

            “Thank you, sir. I’m sorry that I’ve caused such a distraction,” she said solemnly. Nabby then looked at Daraen with fire in her eyes. “But I want to state again, my feet won’t be an issue! I make my own boots so I’ve maximized appearances and functionality. I know the shape is a bit off from a hume’s, but I need the extra space. They’re very durable and I do regular maintenance so they won’t fail me in the heat of battle.”

            Daraen narrowed his gaze back at her, trying to figure out where the joke was. “Ms. Naberius, I was referring to your status as a healer. You’re our first registered demon who specializes in healing magic.”

            Nabby stared back blankly, then her face flushed with embarrassment. “Oh no… oh no, I’m so sorry, sir! I thought you were asking about that since the guy I passed on my way out of the guild two weeks ago was curious and started asking me and I saw that he was also a guild member so I thought he reported something was wrong and-”

            Daraen blew his nose again. “Slow down, miss. What’s wrong with your feet?”

            Nabby took a deep breath and calmed herself. “Oh, there’s nothing wrong, sir. I just have different feet from a human, despite my appearance. They look like a bird’s.”

            “I see,” said Daraen. He paused for a moment. “Would you mind showing me? I can’t deny I’m a bit curious now.”

            “Not a problem at all,” replied Nabby. She leaned over and unlaced her boots. She pulled them off, followed by her socks. Sure enough, from the ankle down, her feet were covered in dark gray bird skin. The soles of her feet were small and had four large toes each, three in the front and one in the back. She appeared to have talons, but they were clipped to rounded nubs so they wouldn’t tear her socks.

            “Huh. Interesting,” Daraen muttered. “Okay, thank you, miss, you can put your shoes back on. You seem to have everything under control, but let us know if you do end up needing special footwear for an assignment.”

            “I will, thank you.” Nabby pulled her socks back on and began tying her boots back on.

            “Well, we got a bit sidetracked, so I’ll jump straight to the next part. You stated you currently lack a home address and requested a room at the dormitories. We’ve approved that request.” Daraen pulled out a small envelope. A metallic clink could be heard as he set it down.

            “Wonderful!” Nabby smiled. It was going to be nice to have a more permanent home.

            “There are some rules for the dorms. You’ll need to speak with the supervisor there, but I have your key here. I’ll hand it over once we’re done.”

            “Thank you, sir.”

            “You’re welcome. Last thing is just a couple forms.” The elf soiled his handkerchief once more. “First one is an attestation that everything you’ve told us to this point is truthful to the best of your ability. The other one is your contract for joining the guild.” He slid the papers as well as a pen across.

            Nabby’s eyes scanned over the forms, looking for anything that didn’t make sense. Maybe it came from being a demon, but she knew better than to a bind herself to a contract without fully knowing the terms. Daraen seemed a bit surprised she was actually reading them. After a few minutes, she confirmed there weren’t any malicious agreements hidden within them, the worst thing being that she could be fired if she lied or failed in her duties severely enough. Satisfied, Nabby put her signature on the papers.

            “Thank you, Ms. Naberius. Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild of Jungston.” Daraen extended the hand that hadn’t held his handkerchief and Nabby shook it. “Here is your key, and here is your armband.”

            “Armband?” asked Nabby. She accepted the cloth Daraen handed to her along with the dorm key. It was a silken white band, adjustable and decorated with the guild’s insignia as well as the azure angel used to signify healers.

            “Yes. Our guild network utilizes these to help clarify the work each of our members handles. We request that you wear this when out in the field so your peers will know you’re a certified healer, and to hopefully protect you from unsavory types.”

            “I’ll wear it with pride, thank you, sir!” Nabby loved it. The material, the design, the meaning it held, it was perfect. She stood up and bowed to the elf.

            Daraen smiled. “Glad to hear it.” He then rose to his own feet and opened the door. “I need to go turn in your papers. Don’t hesitate to ask your guildmates if you need anything.”

With that, he stepped out of the room. Nabby was too excited to leave right away. She instead affixed her armband over her left bicep. With a few adjustments, it was set perfectly to show off the emblems. Her heart swelled with delight. She had achieved her goal of joining the guild, and as its first demon healer no less. She let out a small cheer, careful not to be too loud.

Eager to make her debut in the guild, Demonic Healer Naberius stepped out of the room and into her new family.

*           *           *           *           *

            Nabby could barely contain herself. After so long, she was finally trekking out with a party. Not as a trainee, not as an intern, but as a bona fide healer. She took extra time make sure everything was as perfect as possible. Her pack was organized and her clothes were preened to give the best first impression. Granted, she ended up having no time for introductions, but the fact that she put in the effort would mean something.

            It was only a few hours ago that Nabby even found out about the mission. It was a short-order one: a merchant’s caravan got attacked and the owner wanted a party to get revenge while retrieving whatever cargo they could. It wasn’t clear what raided the caravan, though the report suspected an organized group. That meant they were either dealing with bandits or one of the more intelligent species of monsters.

Regardless, the guild scrambled a party together. The first available group was two short of the mandated size, having only four members. This led to one of the guild’s assistants darting around the guild and its dormitories, offering the job to any who matched the party’s needs. They found Nabby early on, and she gladly accepted. All she was told was to get her gear and be at the city gate within three hours before the assistant ran off to find the last party member. Following her instructions, she met up with her group and began her introductions as they marched to the site of the attack.

“So you must be Naberius,” said a tall hume in a golden robe. “The new healer they just signed on, right?”

“Yes, sir, that’s me,” Nabby replied. “I look forward to working with you all, Mister…”

“Oh, where are my manners? My name is Connor. I’m a run-of-the-mill cleric and I’ll be your partner in healing today. I must say, I am looking forward to seeing your magic.”

“Thank you, Mr. Connor. I’ll do my best and nothing less.”

“Just Connor is fine, miss,” he said with a smile. “The three dwarves over there are my good friends, Yulnik, Tolnik, and Adulnik.”

He pointed to the trio of short men. They all had thick beards and muscular bodies common to their race. Two of them were in light armor and armed with crossbows, while the third was head to toe in armor with a thick axe on his back. They were deep in conversation, likely determining a plan for the coming battle. Nabby couldn’t understand a word they were saying, however, as they spoke in their native language.

“I’m not familiar with our sixth, however,” Connor continued. He directed Nabby’s gaze to the lamia in their group. She had a cute face and shaggy, blonde hair. Her human half was dressed in fur-lined armor that went over her azure robe, the hem of which draped past where her human skin met her snake half’s ashen scales. There was a long-bladed lance on her back and a thick book tied to her hip. She looked over at Nabby and Connor, noticed their gaze, and slithered closer.

“Hi there, I’m Lilibosa, but everyone calls me Bosa,” she said with a big smile. “Pleased to meet both of you!”

“Likewise. I’m Naberius, but I go by Nabby.” She shook hands with the lamia who then looked over to the hume.

“The pleasure is mine. I am Connor,” the hume said as he shook. “I take it you’re our combat support?”

“Yup! I specialize in song magic for augmenting weapons and cursing foes,” Bosa said proudly. “You guys are our healers, right?”

“Correct,” said Connor, “I’m a typical cleric, so you know what to expect.”

Bosa looked at Nabby. The demon paused as she considered what to say. “Well, I’m also a healer. But I don’t really have a term for my style yet…”

“That’s okay, I heard you’re a bit unique among the guild’s demons, Newby,” Bosa replied. She had a bubbly grin on her face and bounced a bit as she slid across the ground. “Getting called to work on such short notice is always fun since I get to meet fresh types like you, before you find a group.”

“Oh, are either of you part of a regular party yet?” asked Connor.

“No, I only officially joined the guild two days ago,” Nabby admitted. “I took this job since they needed a healer and I was free.”

“I’m still an independent agent,” said Bosa. “Haven’t found a team to stick with yet.”

“How long have you been with the guild, Ms. Lilibosa?” Connor scratched at his beard with curiosity.

“Oh, only about six years.”

Nabby wasn’t sure if that was a lot of time to go without finding a party. It sounded like a lot, but the lamia didn’t seem worried. Before she could ask, the dwarves hollered over at Bosa, requesting her to join their conversation, this time in the common tongue.

“Darn, I was hoping we could chat more,” Bosa frowned. “Well, be sure to play nice, you two, our lives are in your hands. Especially you, Mr. Connor, be kind to Newby.”

“No need to worry, miss, I’ll show her how things are done.”

Bosa slithered over to the dwarves, leaving Nabby and Connor alone again. A few seconds of silence passed awkwardly before Connor spoke once more.

“Aren’t lamias cold-blooded? I wonder how she tolerates our cold weather.”

“Oh, I think she had an enchanted bracelet,” said Nabby. “I noticed she had a bangle with runic inscriptions.”

“Sharp eyes, Ms. Naberius. Are you familiar with lamias?” asked Connor.

“I met a lamia once who shared that their people typically use enchanted clothes to overcome severe weather.”

“I see. I didn’t think people used heat enchantments like that,” Connor mused.

“Connor, I have a question. Do you know what they’re discussing over there?”

“Oh, they’re going over their combat formation and how to incorporate Ms. Bosa into their usual strategies.”

“Shouldn’t we be a part of that?” Nabby asked. She was always privy to those discussions in her internships.

“It’s not necessary,” replied Connor. “Most of the time, we healers just stand behind everyone and fix their wounds while guarding the rear. Unless they have a strategy that we need to know, our own plan won’t really change. Considering how little we know about our enemy, there’s nothing we could differently that would help.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Nabby still didn’t like it, but considering her inexperience, she didn’t think it would be appropriate to force her opinions on the party.

“Don’t worry about it too much. As you know, they try to supply two healers to each party? Did they teach you why?”

“Yes, isn’t that to make sure if something happens to one of us, the group isn’t heavily endangered?”

“That’s half of it.” Connor held up a finger, then raised a second. “The other reason is so that we can protect each other. We can use what little combat magic we have to ward off attackers and heal one another’s wounds as well. By allowing us to operate more independently, the fighters are able to focus on combat without having to worry about protecting us.”

Nabby’s eyes went wide. She thought the guild was being too cautious by always trying to force two healers, but Connor’s explanation made too much sense. Like this, parties could operate more efficiently and with less distractions on both ends. A single healer had to be in the midst of the combat to make sure they didn’t get separated and gutted. This made the party as a whole focus on protecting their healer, making the whole formation weaker. With two healers, so many issues were cleared up, Nabby couldn’t describe it as less than impressive.

“That’s really incredible, Connor! I hadn’t considered all the benefits having both of us would bring. I can see there’s plenty they don’t teach in training.”

“Indeed. But as your senior, I’m happy to shed further light on our role,” he said with a warm smile. “To that end, we should have our own discussion on our abilities so that we can best work together.”

“Of course, what would you like to know?” Nabby said eagerly.

“For one, I noticed you don’t seem to be carrying a catalyst. Do you not need a staff or such?” Connor tapped on his own wooden staff, which he was using as a walking stick.

“No, sir. As a demon, I’m able to use my magic without one. I don’t know the details but for us, our magic is an intrinsic skill rather than a learned one.”

“Fascinating,” he said as he rubbed his chin again. “My other one is your defenses. I can use repelling barriers and stunning spells. I’m also able to cast holy magic, but that’s only effective against undead and… erm, evil spirits.”

He probably meant to say demons, thought Nabby. She appreciated how he didn’t want to sound like he was threatening her, however.. “I’m able to drain life essence and cast rudimentary dark magic. But I usually protect myself by summoning my familiars.”

“Familiars?”

“Yes, I can summon a few kinds, but my favorites are my dogs.” Nabby smiled. She loved seeing her fuzzy friends. “Would you like me to summon them now, as a demonstration?”

“No, thank you.” Connor seemed a uneasy at the prospect.

“Oh. Alright…” She was hoping for an excuse, but she didn’t want to make her partner uncomfortable unnecessarily.

“Well, it sounds like we shouldn’t have any difficulties once we get there. So long as we follow our training and cover each other, we should be able to handle whatever comes our way.” Connor spoke with the calm confidence of years of experience.

“Yes, sir!” Nabby pumped a fist. She was glad that she had such a good guide for her first mission.

“By what the caravan owner told us, we should be approaching the site of the incident soon. Be on your guard, miss.”

Nabby realized she hadn’t paid any attention to her surroundings. The road was now flanked by interspersed trees, quickly thickening into a forest. Bits of snow and frost still clung to the pine trees and the air took on an even greater chill.

“Right before they go out of the forest, huh…” Nabby pondered aloud.

“Curious indeed,” agreed Connor.

Why wouldn’t they strike earlier on? By waiting until the edge, the caravan was able to send a runner for help without much risk of them getting lost. If they had struck while the caravan was in the middle, the attackers could have hidden the crime more easily. Was there a reason they attacked here? They could be based nearby and didn’t notice the caravan until it was at their front door. Or was there a strategic benefit that Nabby wasn’t seeing?

“Hmm, I don’t think was done by bandits,” said the hume.

Nabby looked at Connor. “Why do you say that?”

“Bandits would have accounted for the runner and had an ambush ready. Although the report says the attack was organized, I doubt it was a human mind behind it. If I had to guess at this point, I’d estimate either a beast or construct with access to magic.”

“Interesting.” Nabby toyed with her hair, “Have you seen something like this before?”

“Sort of. I’ve never seen either of those conduct an attack like that, but those are the sorts who are able to create groups of minions and have the smarts to use them. They’re generally just not aware of human tactics, thus the runner’s escape,” explained Connor.

That made enough sense. Nabby tried to think of other clues to the attacker’s identity. “Hmmm. Did the owner say what the caravan was carrying, anyways?”

“No, he didn’t specify. Since the owner rushed this request, I’d assume it was something valuable or time-sensitive. But something like that would have drawn bandits, and ones not dumb enough to let word get out. Hmmm…”

The two healers continued to ponder the situation as the group walked up to what remained of the caravan. Two wagons were tipped over and broken while a third remained upright. Corpses were spread around the wreckage in various positions, showing who ran and who tried to fight. The party fanned out into the site to investigate.

Nabby approached the upright wagon to determine its cargo. Stepping onto the back revealed it was nearly empty. Aside from some shreds of cloth and a pile of rope, whatever they were transporting here was long gone. The rest of the wagon was covered with deep cuts, but otherwise appeared usable. She then climbed onto the front and found the corpse of the wagon’s driver.

The driver was a halfling, still seated at the reins. He appeared to have been killed by a slice through his neck, going through his spine and leaving his head barely on his shoulders. It clearly cut through his arteries as well as enough blood had flowed to dye his tunic red and leave him in a pool of crimson. Nabby held up a hand to the corpse, trying to sense the presence of a soul. Nothing. Resurrection was unlikely in these circumstances, but she felt the need to check anyways. She hopped down and walked over to Connor.

“Looks like they were completely robbed,” said Nabby. “There wasn’t a trace of the cargo in the back of the wagon.”

“Nothing in this one either.” Connor said as he pulled at his beard. “I wonder where the horses are.”

He had a point. There were no signs of the beasts that should have been pulling the carts. Were they taken by the attackers?

“What do you think that means, Connor?” Nabby asked.

“Well, I’d normally think they were eaten by beasts, but our caravan crew appears to have been killed with weapons, not claws or fangs. In addition, most beasts would have just killed the animals, not led them away before feasting.”

“So do you think they were stolen by bandits?”

“It’s possible, but why leave the wagons and the corpses here? That would only draw attention, even if they hadn’t sent a runner. Taking the wagons would have been easier for transporting the stolen goods as well.” The hume paced as he thought aloud. “That tells me they couldn’t use the wagons for some reason. Did they put the goods onto the horses then…?”

Nabby tried to recall the varieties of beasts and monsters she learned about in her training. There were all sorts that could have lived in a forest and used bladed weapons. As she went over the possibilities, a shrieking whistle broke the silence.

“Ah, that’s our sign to regroup,” said Connor. “Maybe one of our companions found something that tells us what happened here.”

The healers moved to the center of the site. One of the dwarves, Tolnik, was waiting for them there. Soon after, Bosa and the other two dwarves arrived. The group formed a circle to exchange information.

“Have ye found anythin’, Connor?” asked Adulnik.

“A few things, yes. I’ve noticed deep cuts all over the wagons and crew. No sign of the cargo or the horses. Everything’s still fresh, so the timeframe matches what the client said,” stated the cleric. “How were things on your end?”

“Ach, we found nothin’ ye didn’t say yerself,” said Yulnik. “Think it was raiders?”

“Not likely,” Bosa piped up. “They would have taken the carts instead of just emptying them, right?” She smiled at Connor. The cleric nodded.

“Indeed. I think we’re most likely facing a forest golem.”

A forest golem? Nabby didn’t know much about their behavior, just that they could spontaneously form out of trees, dirt, and boulders. They usually appeared when nature spirits got angry and wanted to fight back against humans reshaping the land. But the road through the forest was old, too old for a spirit to get angry now.

“Pardon me,” Nabby said with a raised hand, “may I ask why it’s likely a forest golem?”

“Of course,” replied Connor. “Forest golems can have a wide variety of weapons, including sharpened stones. Considering the shapes of the cuts, I doubt the attackers used metal blades. In addition, they are able to command certain monsters to help them in their attacks, which this one probably used to both stop the caravan and carry away the cargo.”

Bosa crossed her arms. “Makes sense. A forest golem would have killed the crew and spared the horses. The animals are probably running in the woods right now. But if the golem took the cargo, that makes me think it was something unusual.”

“Yeh, we’ll need to inspect this cargo if we manage to find it,” nodded Yulnik.

“‘Course, now the problem’s findin’ the bastard,” Adulnik said as he shifted the axe on his back. “For such a big fella, he took care when walkin’ through the forest. His footprints disappear right at the road’s edge.”

Nabby perked up. “Oh, I could help with that.”

“That’s my girl! What kinda trick you got, Newby?” Bosa slid over and clapped an arm around Nabby’s shoulders.

She wanted to tell the lamia she was pronouncing her nickname wrong, but Nabby decided to ignore it in favor of explaining herself. “I’m able to summon familiars, including some dogs. I could use them to track the smell of the caravaneer's blood and find the golem.”

“Well, that’s just the thing!” Adulnik clapped his gauntleted hands. “But hey, Connor, ye okay with that?”

The group looked over at the cleric. He had a grimace on his face, clearly discomforted with the prospect.

“I’ll have to be. It’s our best bet of finding the attacker.”

“Well, Ms. Naberius, if ye would,” said Tolnik. “Do ye need a sacrifice or somethin’?”

“No no, I just need a moment to draw the circle.” Nabby said as she stepped away from the group.

 She looked around and found a sufficiently clear area on the rode. Nabby then crouched down and pressed her finger into the ground. Her fingertip burned with energy and stained the ground as she dragged it, quickly creating an intricate series of geometric shapes within a circle. With a practiced hand, Nabby finished it by writing in words in the demonic script. She then rose to her feet and pointed her palm at circle, infusing it with magic.

The circle flared with energy and kicked up a gust. It then burst into an indigo flame, burning for a few seconds before guttering out. Now, in place of the circle, stood three canines: a silver wolf with blue eyes, a muscular hound with short, brown fur, and a small, short-legged dog with an orange and white coat. All of them had vertical pupils and spines along their backs to signal they were not of this world.

Nabby snapped her fingers. The dogs jumped to attention, running in front of her and sitting down. They eagerly watched her hands as she dug into one of her pouches and pulled out a few bits of dried meat. With her other hand, Nabby pointed down at the ground. The dogs quickly laid down without ever looking away. She then pointed up, and the dogs returned to a sitting position. Satisfied, she fed each of them a bit of meat while praising them.

“Okay, so this is Cerulean, Burgundy, and Rusty,” Nabby said to the party, pointing to the wolf, hound, and dog in sequence. “They’re very well-mannered and won’t bite or anything unless you try to hurt them.”

            The dwarves and Bosa approached the dogs while Connor stayed behind. Despite their demonic traits, the canines behaved like normal dogs, sniffing at the humans and letting them pet their heads. Bosa appeared particularly enamored with Rusty as she picked up the smallest one and gave him a hug. The dog looked at Nabby for help. However, she was more concerned about their lone companion. She patted Rusty’s head as she walked over to Connor.

            “Do you not like dogs, sir?” she asked the cleric.

            “I do not. I was traumatized by dogs when I was a small boy.” He didn’t meet Nabby’s gaze, opting to keep an eye on the dogs.

            “My goodness, that’s terrible!”

            “It was awful… I still shudder at the thought…” Connor grimaced.

            “It’s okay, my guys won’t do anything to you. Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Nabby wanted to make sure her dogs didn’t do anything of the sort if possible.

            “Every morning, when I was so small…” The cleric clapped a hand over his mouth. “My family’s dogs would jump on my bed and… tackle me and... lick me! Ugh, even now, I can feel their tongues!” Connor squirmed and shifted, as if to avoid those dogs once again.

            Nabby almost laughed before she realized he was serious. “Oh… um, understood. I’ll make sure they give you enough space.”

            “Thank you, Ms. Naberius. I appreciate that.”

            Before Connor confused her more, Nabby walked back over to the nearly-decapitated wagon driver and called her dogs over. They trotted over and awaited orders. Nabby then picked up Rusty and placed him next to the driver.

            “Rusty, please track the smell of the driver’s blood,” Nabby commanded. “Cercer and Burgy, follow Rusty and keep him safe. Be sure to call out if you find anything.”

            The small dog sniffed at the blood for a bit before jumping off the wagon. He sniffed at the ground a little, following the same path as the golem’s footprints. However, he didn’t stop at the road’s edge and moved into the foliage with the other dogs behind him

            “Well, let’s get to it!” Adulnik shouted enthusiastically. “Everyone, get in formation and follow the dogs. Let’s be ready for whatever they find, yeah?”

            The group collectively drew their weapons and trailed after the dogs. Adulnik was in the front, with Yulnik, Tolnik, and Bosa behind him. Connor and Nabby were a few steps behind them. Nabby couldn’t see or hear her dogs, but they wouldn’t have gone too far ahead so the party wouldn’t get lost. She knew they could handle themselves, but she couldn’t help worrying a bit anyways.

            They pushed through the forest, crunching snow and twigs under their boots. It was surprisingly cold in the darkness of the trees, even as shafts of sunlight poked through wherever possible. It was strange that the golem didn’t leave any tracks whatsoever. It was as if it wouldn’t mar the forest in any way. Did it somehow float above the ground when it was moving through the foliage? Nabby would like to see that, if the chance arose.

            Suddenly, Cerulean let out a howl. The party stopped and looked at Nabby.

            “They found something. We should be careful,” she said. The rest of the party nodded with affirmation.

            A few tense moments passed and the party broke through the tree line to find a riverbank. Wide paths of grass extended between the trees and the water, giving the area a very open feeling. The river itself wasn’t deep, maybe two feet at most, but it was wide. The water was clear and burbled gently as it flowed. The view wasn’t pristine, however. Broken pieces of wood and glass were scattered along the riverbank. If Nabby had to guess, this was what remained of the caravan’s cargo.

            The dogs approached her, looking for direction. She gave them each a bit of meat and told them to standby. Adulnik, Bosa, and Connor were already investigating the broken cargo. Nabby decided to check it out for herself.

            The debris was primarily composed of wood, likely from the crates that held the cargo. Amidst the splintered boards were chunks of glass, the largest of which suggested they were originally jars. Connor squatted down and picked up a warped metal disc, a former lid. Nabby inspected the wood. There were no labels to indicate what was inside the crates, only the caravan company’s logo. The jars were equally unlabeled to her chagrin.

            “Is this… water?” Bosa questioned. She held up the bottom half of a broken jar. Clear liquid sloshed in it. She sniffed the contents and shook it a bit more.

            “It definitely ain’t booze,” said Adulnik. “Did the attacker break and wash the jars?”

            “No, there’s no way a golem would do that…” muttered Connor. “But would a caravan really be transporting water like this? And then why send a revenge squad over it?”

            “Are there any intact jars?” asked Nabby.

            “See for yerself.” Adulnik gestured to the debris. Everything seemed thoroughly crushed. A jar surviving was nigh impossible. “If there was somethin’ in these jars, someone poured it down the river.”

            Before Nabby could ask why someone would pour it out, Tolnik shouted for them. “Oi, we got nasties! A swarm of giant insects!”

            Nabby and the rest dropped their investigations and dashed over to the two dwarves. A massive hornet was twitching on the ground with a crossbow bolt through its head. Two dozen or so other insects buzzed, unfazed by their companion’s death. Gigantic spiders, scorpions, and even ants were sizing up the humans, looking for an opening. The party put itself in formation and prepared to fight. Nabby’s familiars dashed to her side, but she unsummoned them before they could hurt in the fight.

            “Courtesy of our forest spirit friends, no doubt,” Connor said quietly. “Ms. Naberius, I hope you’re ready for this.”

            “As ready as I could be, sir,” confirmed Nabby.

            Connor then cast his barrier spell on the party, coating each of them in a layer of light that faded shortly after. Nabby could still feel it. To her, it made her feel itchy, a side effect the most innocuous holy magic could have on a demon. She pushed the discomfort out of her mind.

            “Alright people, let’s squish ‘em so we can go find our real target, eh?!” Adulnik then let out a battle cry as he ran at the insects. Nabby took a deep breath and prepared herself for her first real battle.

            Adulnik immediately slammed his axe into the head of a giant arachnid. It cleanly sliced through, losing no momentum as he continued charging. Yulnik and Tolnik fired off bolts as fast as they could, taking down another wasp. Just behind them, Bosa began her song magic. She closed her eyes and let out a lilting melody in a language Nabby didn’t recognize. But something about it felt nostalgic, like memories of youth. She felt more spry, more energetic, eager to move and fight.

            However, the song was quickly interrupted. A scorpion slipped past both Adulnik and the crossbows. With a behemoth claw, it knocked Tolnik aside and stabbed at Bosa. The lamia bobbed and weaved around the attacks, but the beast’s tail was lightning fast. It first grazed her scales, then got a solid strike on her arm. Bosa cried out in pain, but she countered immediately with her lance, stabbing through a gap in its chitin. The giant insect backed off, only to retreat further as a hail of bolts came from Yulnik.

            Nabby ran closer to Bosa, as Connor was already tending to Tolnik. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a mix of anxiety and excitement. Now was the time for her to use her magic outside of a controlled environment. Focusing her mana, Nabby prepared her first spell. She’d need two: one to remove any venom and another to heal the wounds. Without any chant or incantation, Nabby let out her magic.

            It was common knowledge that demons could not use healing magic. The nature of such spells is incompatible with their very being. As such, most demons simply utilize their destructive magics or unnatural combat abilities. But the leader of the party that Nabby first met in this world was a healer, and she had come to idolize her kind nature. She wanted nothing more than to use her magic to heal, and after months of practice and discovery, she found a way.

            Nabby cast her modified version of Drain, a rather basic spell for demons. Normally, the spell was used to suck the life force out of targets and feed the demon who cast it. But after so much effort, she taught herself to redirect where the life force went. Her spell hit the scorpion, causing it to immediately stagger and stumble with weakness. Nabby then directed the energy she sapped from into Bosa. The lamia’s wounds were quickly healed and she resumed her combat stance.

            Before her companion returned to the fight, the demon cast another modified Drain. This time, it hit Bosa first. In addition to changing targets, Nabby worked hard to be able to use the spell to steal something besides life. This time, she pulled the venom out of Bosa before forcing it into a nearby tarantula. The scorpion was likely immune to its own venom, but its comrade wasn’t. Moments later, the arachnid began to move lazily as the toxins were pushed directly into its body’s tissues.

            Bosa tossed Nabby a thumbs up and immediately began singing again. Tolnik had already returned to the other dwarf’s side. Connor was on standby again, but Nabby needed moment to gather herself. She was relieved that her first time healing in a real fight went well, but it frayed her nerves. She took a few deep breaths, readying herself for the next time. Fights like this could result in plenty of wounds so she couldn’t let the first wave exhaust her.

            Sure enough, Adulnik shouted for a medic. He was spilling blood through his armor plates, the cause unclear. Connor ran to put the dwarf in range of his spells immediately. A second later, Tolnik was stung by a massive hornet. Bosa retaliated and sliced the flying insect in two, all without interrupting her song. Nabby moved to help the unfortunate dwarf.

            The hornet was dead, so Nabby couldn’t drain life from it. She instead pulled vitality from the wounded scorpion again. Her spell wasn’t good at killing things unless they were on the verge of death, so the giant bug just collapsed, too tired to move anymore. With her practiced hand, she directed the life to Tolnik. But rather than get absorbed by the dwarf, the energy bounced off of him. Nabby was caught off-guard, and she lost her hold on the life essence.

            Without a target, the drained life returned to the scorpion. The insect rose back up, albeit shakily, and moved towards the party once again. Nabby, however, didn’t notice as her panic set it. What just happened? Why did her magic get repelled? Before she could gather herself to cast another Drain, holy light surrounded Tolnik. Connor had already finished with Adulnik and healed Tolnik on his way back. The wound’s swelling reduced before it closed, and the dwarf was quickly back on his feet.

            “Thanks, Connor,” shouted Tolnik. He shot Nabby a mix of concern and distaste before aiming his crossbow again.

            The demon went back to her standby position, shamed and confused. She had worked so hard to turn her harmful magic into something that could help people. Did altering the spell ruin its properties in some way? But that never happened in all of her studies and practices… had the stress of real battle affected her? She turned to ask Connor, but he was focused on the battle, refreshing her shame. She couldn’t let this fluke hamper her, she had to focus on keeping her companions safe and healthy.

            A few moments passed before their party members were wounded again. Adulnik and Bosa had gotten separated, suffering attacks in their escape to return to the group. Once again, Connor was already helping Adulnik, so Nabby went to heal Bosa. She drained life from an insect and went to use it on the lamia. She braced herself as she directed the energy into Bosa.

Once again, it rebounded off, but Nabby managed to hold onto it this time. More importantly, however, she saw why it didn’t take. There was an anti-magic barrier on Bosa. Normally, those were used when fighting mages or magic-using monsters. They were usually made to repel only harmful magic but could be tooled to stop magic of any kind like this one did. But why was it there? There was no call for anyone to cast it since bugs couldn’t use magic. Nabby focused for a moment before casting a dispelling cantrip, removing the barrier so she could finally heal Bosa.

“You’re a peach, Newby!” Bosa yelled. The lamia slithered back into the fray. Nabby wished she had the time to ask her about the barrier, but she backed off and resumed her post.

The rest of the fight continued like this. Every time Nabby went to heal someone, there was a barrier on them. Half the time, Connor ended up healing her targets while she stopped to remove the barriers. She even found a fresh barrier had been placed on Bosa once again. By the end, Nabby was exhausted. Healing alone could be hard on her mana, but to have to hold life essence in one hand and cast dispel with another was beyond tiring.

Before she could rest, however, she needed to talk to Bosa. She found the support fighter cleaning the blood off her weapon at the riverbank, surrounded by insect corpses. Nabby assumed this was the practiced habit of a veteran. The fight was barely over and Bosa was already tending to her tools.

“Excuse me, Bosa, do you have a moment?” Nabby asked.

“Hey there, Newby, nice healing,” Bosa smiled back. “I’ve never seen anyone use draining magic like that, and especially not a demon. Really clever stuff, I gotta say!”

“Oh, um, thank you.”

“Seriously, I’m impressed. I’ve been in this business a while, so if I say it’s clever, you gotta know it’s really something unique.”

Nabby fidgeted with her hair. She let the conversation get away from her, but she didn’t want to seem rude by interrupting her companion’s compliments.

Luckily, Bosa seemed to notice. She let out a breath. “Alright, what did you need, Newby?” the lamia asked.

“Oh, thank you,” Nabby said with a small smile, “I wanted to ask about your magic. I heard you sing several songs, so I wanted to know if one of them was for anti-magic.” She didn’t want to accuse her companion of anything, but she needed to know if this would happen again.

“Nah, I don’t know any songs like that. Mine are all about giving you guys more energy or improving reaction times. I normally do songs that debilitate our foes, but those dumb insects couldn’t appreciate music.” Bosa laughed at her own joke.

Nabby lightly chuckled herself, mostly out of relief. “Ah, thank you. I ran into an anti-magic barrier while healing, so I guess maybe Connor was using the wrong protection spell or something.”

Bosa stopped smiling. “Wait, you didn’t know about the barrier? But that’s one of the oldest tricks in the book!”

“No, was I supposed to?” Nabby turned her head slightly.

“Ah, I see how it is… pretty harsh...” Bosa put a hand on her hip and scratched her head with the other. “Sorry, Newby, you’ll need to ask Connor about that one.”

Nabby was confused. “Oh, okay… did he tell you about it or-”

“It’s best if you hear it from the horse’s mouth. If he tries to play dumb, tell him I told you everything. He should spill the beans then.”

“Wait, what do you mean? What’s going on?”

“Go. Ask. The cleric.” Bosa grabbed Nabby by the shoulders, spun her around, and pushed her towards Connor. The cleric was speaking with Tolnik while the other two dwarves were back at the cargo debris. Upon seeing her approach, Tolnik bowed out of the conversation and joined his fellows at the debris.

“Hey there, Connor,” Nabby said awkwardly.

“Hello, Ms. Naberius. Did you need something?”

“Yeah, I wanted to ask you about an anti-magic barrier that appeared during the fight. Did you cast that?”

“Ah, yes I did. My deepest apologies, that was a mistake,” Connor put his hands together. “The chants for both physical protections and magical ones are similar, so I sometimes get them mixed up.”

“Oh, is that it?” Nabby wasn’t sure about this. He seemed honest. Did Bosa set her up as a prank or something?

“Yes, again, my apologies. But I can see it didn’t seem to cause any issues, as our companions are hale and hearty.”

“Sure, but...” Nabby took a deep breath, then did her best to sound confident. “You know, Bosa told me everything.”

Connor’s face instantly fell to an angry frown. He stared Nabby in the eyes, and she managed to stare back.

“Come with me.” He turned his back to Nabby and hurriedly walked back to the forest’s edge. She followed him, but not before looking at Bosa. The lamia nodded, but did nothing else.

Once they reached the trees, Connor faced her once more. “You know, it’s not her place to intervene with this. This was a matter between you and I, and just because you weren’t ready for reality, that doesn’t mean that damned snake should excuse your foolishness.”

Nabby was taken aback. Connor sounded like a completely different man. No longer a caring peer, he seemed disgusted with his healing partner. “What’s your problem? What do you mean I wasn’t ready?”

“Don’t give me that. You know your training didn’t prepare you for what actually happens on a battlefield, so unlike the rest of us who have to learn the hard way, you get a handout from a nosy bitch.”

“Handout? She just pointed me in the right direction. Tell me the truth; why did you cast that anti-magic barrier?” Nabby was getting angry.

“The truth? Are you telling me you don’t know even after what the snake told you?” Connor spat.

“We’re goddamn lucky no one died! People were hurt and that barrier stopped me from healing them!”

“Yes, that was the point, imbecile.”

“What the hell are you talking about?! You’re a healer, what are you doing?!” Nabby couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Why would Connor try to kill his companions?

The cleric narrowed his eyes at her. “... What exactly did the lamia tell you?”

“She didn’t tell me anything, she just told me to say she did in case you tried to play dumb!” exclaimed Nabby.

Connor’s expression turned into a mixture of awe and annoyance. “... That damned snake. She played us both.”

“Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what your plan is.” Nabby was already tired of his attitude.

“So, you don’t know the reality of the healing game, do you?” he asked.

“‘Game’? These are people’s lives, it’s not a game.”

“So you don’t,” confirmed the cleric. “You don’t know about how bad it is for us, how difficult it is find a party, how important being the one who actually mends a wound is?”

Nabby grit her teeth. This roundabout discussion was beyond irritating. “No, I guess I don’t. Care to explain?”

“I’d love not to, but now I can’t afford to have you misunderstand things,” the cleric sneered. “So, you’re clearly not aware how hard it is to find a party as a healer, probably because you just happened to get picked for this job. But I will tell you that you will never find another job as quickly as this one.”

“And why not?”

“Let me ask you something. When things go awry in a battle, who’s the most likely to survive? When a party is ambushed by marauders, who are they likely to spare? Who are the people hiding away while others do the fighting?”

Nabby narrowed her eyes. “I take it you’re insinuating us, the healers.”

“Correct.” Connor gave a sarcastic applause. “Yes, most of us can cast escape spells and bandits don’t kill us as they’d rather use us. But therein lies the problem.”

“How is that a problem?”

“Of course you don’t see it,” he said with plain irritation. “All other types of adventurers regularly die and get replaced. But not us. So what do you think happens when our numbers only grow while the others stabilize?”

“There’s an excess, get to the point.” Nabby crossed her arms.

“Well, the guild’s first solution was just assigning more healers to groups. Figured it’d keep us all employed and maybe get more of us killed. But it only made things worse. Survival rates for all adventurers increased and healers were even less likely to die. Now we’re stuck with an overabundance of healers and the guild has become far more discerning with their hiring policies.” Connor’s face was contorted with disgust.

“That can’t be true. Why the hell would they have let me join then?”

The cleric snapped his gaze to her. His eyes spoke of an anger he’d been eager to share. “You know, I’m not the most pious cleric. So I wouldn’t have had any problem with you demons if the guild didn’t favor you so much. They arrange you homes and jobs, all because you don’t understand our world. You were allowed to join because they’re not allowed to refuse. And I’m sure the idea of a ‘demon healer’ piqued their interest too.”

“I proved myself through my training. I worked my ass off to do something no one else did. Don’t try and tell me it was all favoritism, just because you don’t like me,” Nabby shot back.

“I don’t care how you choose to see it. Let’s finish your damned lesson,” he spat. “Since the first try didn’t work, they’ve since implemented a ‘review’ system. At the end of our little journey here, our companions will be asked to go over our work. Did we heal all their wounds, did we support them in other ways, so on and so forth.”

“And why should that matter as long as we’re doing our jobs?”

“Because if you’re stated to be incompetent, the guild will fire you without a second thought. There’s far too many healers to let anything less than the best stick around. Even a pet project like you will get tossed.”

Confused wasn’t enough to describe Nabby’s feelings. The guild was so nice, so easy about letting her join. Was it really this bad? But why did Connor tell her all this? She just wanted to ask about his barrier-

“Wait, is that why you cast the barrier? You wanted to stop me from healing the others?!”

“Finally, you understand,” Connor put on a fake expression of relief. “Yes, if I slow you down, I can be the one who heals them. They’ll see you as a failure and me as a standing example of what they want.”

“How could you…? Even if you wanted to win, these are people’s lives…” Nabby felt disgusted with the man in front of her.

“They are in no danger so long as I’m around. And I need them to think that. It took me far too long to find a group like Adulnik’s. I won’t let you steal what I’ve fought for.”

This was insanity. Nabby couldn’t let this go on. “I won’t let you get away with this. I’m going to tell the others, and then I’m going to inform the guild of your actions.” She went to turn and head back to Bosa.

“Be my guest,” he replied nonchalantly. “They all know. Why do you think the snake sent you after me? And the guild… whose word do you think they’ll believe? A fresh-faced so-called demon healer or a veteran like me? Because I can just as easily tell them that your magic failed while on the battlefield, proving you’re unfit for duty. Tolnik would certainly agree.”

“But… this isn’t what we should…” Nabby was at a loss for words. This wasn’t anything like she wanted. She wanted to save people, not treat their lives like meal tickets.

“Face reality. This is the game every healer now has to play,” he said bitterly. “You can be smart and give up, or you can try playing this game and lose, I don’t care. Just hurry up and decide, our companions are waiting.

Nabby didn’t want to move. She felt sick, angered, and miserable. If this horrible man wasn’t in front of her, she would have started crying. She didn’t want to play his game. The morals she had been taught, everything she idolized in that first adventurer, this man took it from her. She wanted to scream and go back to the pleasant, naive reality she had only a few minutes ago.

But rather than let her sadness win out, Nabby’s heart filled with rage and determination. If guild’s systems were going to soil her dreams, then she would do whatever it took to change the guild and its corrupted healers. Even if the ideals she held were built on naivete, she cherished them and wouldn’t accept their loss so easily. She turned to face Connor once more.

“Fine. I’ll play your damned game.”

“Oh? Well, don’t expect anything to change. And I don’t just mean while you’re working with me. You’ll find this in every party you join, and some healers have become truly sadistic.”

“That doesn’t matter. If this is all a game to you and everyone else, then I just have to win,” growled Nabby.

“A neophyte like you, so fresh and foolish. At least you have your ambition. But know that you can’t outsmart me. I know what I’m doing and my allies understand why I’m doing it.” Connor waved dismissively.

“I don’t mean just this mission,” the demon said, unwavering. “If all of you fools are willing to get caught up in this idiotic system, then I’ll just climb my way to the top and change it myself, even that means playing along for now. Don’t underestimate me. I won’t fail here and I will prove myself.”

“Hmph, sure you will,” the cleric groaned. He began walking back to the dwarves. “Come. We still have a golem to find.”

Nabby waited a bit, staring daggers at Connor’s back. She hated him, for acting like he cared in the beginning and for accepting the ‘game’. She followed after him, but she had no intention of speaking to him unless necessary. Unfortunately, he spoke first.

“Oh, just a reminder. We still have to protect one another,” Connor said over his shoulder. “Letting you die is worse for my record since we work too close for me to have it excused as avoiding danger. And of course, the same goes for you. Be sure to keep me alive.”

Nabby didn’t reply. She hated Connor, but she wanted to make him apologize for his actions, not watch him die. She would have liked to hit him with a silencing spell, though. Unfortunately, using offensive magic on people under most circumstances was a crime, so she kept that idea to herself.

The two walked back to their companions who were now circled around one another and talking. Bosa was the first one to notice the healers’ approach and she looked over the two cautiously. The dwarves noticed her gaze and followed suit. The group made room for the healers to join their discussion.

“Everythin’ alright with ye two?” asked Adulnik.

“Perfectly fine, just needed to clear up a misunderstanding,” Connor replied coolly.

Nabby remained silent. Bosa looked her in the eyes knowingly. The lamia’s usual grin was gone, replaced with a somber look. Nabby wished they had time to talk. She wanted to thank Bosa for her help and then tell her off for not better informing her. The lamia was certainly experienced in how parties functioned these days, but Nabby was on the fence if she could trust her or not.

“Right, so what’s our next move? Those bugs were from the forest spirits, right?” Tolnik gestured to all the insect corpses. “Must mean we’re on the right track. Still haven’t the foggiest about those crates, though.”

“I believe the golem and its allies brought the cargo here to dispose of it in the river,” stated Connor. “I believe the reason why they brought it here is tied to whatever it was. Although we don’t know from the wreckage, there might be a clue with the golem. If not, we can consider checking the wagons again.”

“Fair enough. Can ye call yer dogs again, Ms. Naberius? It’ll be much faster if you have them track it again.” Adulnik looked at her expectantly.

“Fine,” Nabby said flatly. She knew she didn’t seem remotely as enthused as she did earlier, but she couldn’t find the energy to pretend she was happy about the situation. Even if she was determined to overcome this trial, she wasn’t going to do it with a fake smile.

Nabby stepped away and performed her summoning rite again. With a flash, the magic circle disappeared and left her familiars in its wake. The three of them seemed happy to be at her side once again, tails wagging and ears flattened. Once they calmed down, however, Rusty noticed Bosa and hid behind his master. The lamia was smiling once more and stared at the small dog. Nabby decided it would be best to distract him with work right away.

She walked over to the broken cargo with her dogs on her heels. She poked through the debris and found a suitably splintered piece of wood. Before she could present it to Rusty for him to track, Nabby saw Cerulean pawing at her own nose.

“Cercer, what’s wrong?” Nabby asked as he knelt down to the wolf. Cerulean looked at her, sniffed at a broken jar, then scratched her muzzle again.

Each of her dogs had their strengths. Rusty was intelligent and great for tracking while Burgundy was incredibly strong and made an excellent guard. Cerulean was the best at fighting, but she was also sensitive to magic. She would warn others the moment she felt something strange in the flow of mana, and Nabby felt that was what she was doing now. The demon picked up the broken glass and examined it while Cerulean’s eyes followed the shard.

Nabby couldn’t sense anything magical about the glass, but going by her wolf’s actions, there must have been something residual on it. If she had to guess, Nabby would assume that whatever was inside the jar contained mana. She put the chunk of wood she grabbed back down and instead had Rusty smell the jar piece. Nabby wasn’t sure if it would work for tracking, but the small dog perked up and began following something. He went to the river’s edge before he started barking, likely trying to say they had to cross.

“We need to cross the river,” Nabby shouted to the party. Her companions nodded and approached the river bank.

“Alright, same as before, we follow the dogs. Formations, people,” Adulnik ordered. “Connor, be sure to hit us with some warmth after we cross. I’m not keen on freezin’ my bollocks off here.”

“Of course,” the cleric said with a smile.

Adulnik waded into the river first, the water cresting over his legs. Next came the other two dwarves and Bosa. The lamia’s snake half was completely submerged and she was visibly distraught with the cold. Connor went in next, but the water didn’t even go past the hume’s knees.

Nabby began crossing with her dogs. The water poured into her boots and chilled her shins as it rose above her knees. She tensed as the cold ate into her flesh. Cerulean followed at her side as the wolf’s long limbs had no problem with the shallow river. Burgundy was equally undeterred, but Rusty was far too short. He instead climbed onto Burgundy’s back and rode his fellow across the river. Nabby couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.

Once the party was on dry land, Connor began chanting. With a release of his spell, the cold that had gnawed at Nabby was quickly replaced by a comforting warmth. Her clothes were dried and even the water in her boots quickly evaporated. The party thanked Connor, but Nabby remained silent. She couldn’t bring herself to show him any appreciation. He noticed this, however, and shot her a smile she knew was fake. Nabby replied with a look of contempt.

The group resumed marching shortly after. Rusty continued to sniff after the trail with his canine siblings at his side and the party behind him. There was no road to follow, so the group moved slowly and carefully. The dwarves and Connor began cracking jokes back and forth, and Bosa soon joined in. Adulnik tried a couple times to get Nabby involved, but she kept her words short. Her companions didn’t seem to mind her silence and she was happy to keep it

As the party walked through a small clearing, Bosa spoke. “Hold up,” she said with a raised palm. “I need to use the little girl’s room.”

Adulnik chuckled awkwardly. “Sure, Ms. Lilibosa. We can wait a moment.”

“Thank you! Newby, come with me.” She beckoned to the demon.

“What? Why?” questioned Nabby.

“I need to someone to keep an eye out for me and you’re the only other girl. C’mon, please?” Bosa pleaded.

Nabby sighed. “Fine.”

“You’re the best. We’ll go just into the bushes over there.” She began to slither away. Nabby followed with her dogs shortly behind.

The lamia went into the bushes, then a bit further still. Nabby figured she wanted privacy, but this was going a bit far. Just when Nabby was about to tell her they were getting too far away, Bosa turned around.

“Right, this should be far enough. We can talk freely here.”

Oh, I should have expected this, thought Nabby. It was a little too convenient that Bosa had pulled her aside from the group. The lamia could clearly hold her own, so her requesting Nabby’s presence was strange to begin with. Regardless, even if Bosa had lied to create the opportunity, Nabby did want a chance to speak with her.

“I’m gonna get straight to the point: you need to fix your attitude,” said Bosa. The bubbly undertone to her voice was gone, and she sounded like the veteran she claimed to be.

The demon was instantly irritated. Who the hell was she to tell Nabby what to feel? She didn’t owe Bosa anything. The lamia hadn’t really helped her, she just pointed her in the direction of the one who was casting that barrier. If she wanted to act like Nabby’s superior, she wasn’t even close to having the healer’s respect.

“Sorry if I’m not in the best mood right now,” Nabby scoffed. “I just learned that my healing partner is a colossal asshole and that my dream job is full of liars and cheats. I appreciate that you helped me find that out sooner, but I’m not going to put on a fake smile just to make everyone feel better.”

Bosa crossed her arms. “Well, you better start thinking otherwise. I take it you’re very aware of the review system now? Unfortunately, your attitude will be reflected on that. Even if you do a stellar job, if everyone thinks you’re a bitch, you’re gonna get marked down for it.”

Nabby sighed explosively. “I can’t believe this. I’m not even allowed to feel upset about fighting my own teammate just to keep people safe?! I have to pretend I’m okay with all of this?”

“Yeah, you do.”

“And you don’t see a problem with that? You’re fine knowing that I’m pretending to be happy while Connor is literally stopping me from tending to your wounds?” Nabby demanded.

“No, I’m not. But I’m also not okay with you losing your job because your emotions got the better of you,” said Bosa.

“Why do you care? I’d just get replaced if I screw up here.”

“Because I can tell you have bigger ambitions than most healers. You clearly want something out of this and I would hate to see you lose it over a sour attitude.”

Nabby furrowed her brow. “What gives you that idea?”

“Before today, ‘demon healer’ was only something you’d hear in jokes. But now, here you are. You turned your offensive magic into something for healing. You wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t have some goal in mind,” Bosa replied.

She was right. Nabby had a goal. Only it now felt corrupted and wrong. She couldn’t maintain her anger. Bosa wasn’t responsible for any of this, and now she was trying to keep Nabby from ruining herself. The demon swallowed and took a deep breath.

“I… I met a party shortly after I was summoned here,” Nabby said slowly. Her throat tightened as she saw her memories with new context. “Their leader was their healer, and she was the one who led me to the guild. She was so nice and comforting, I instantly wanted to be like her. But… I never got her name. So I worked hard and became a healer, hoping to be more like her and maybe see her again one day.”

Bosa said nothing. She stared at Nabby, waiting for her to continue.

“But now, I’m not so sure about what I’m doing. I have to compete with people just to stay in the job. I told myself that I was going to overcome this, climb to the top, and take down this stupid system, but when I think about how she was probably also playing this ‘game’, it feels like my dreams were just silly fantasies. Like, what’s the point in changing things if the person who I admired was already a part of it?” Nabby felt tears forming in her eyes.

Bosa sighed. “I wish I could tell you it’ll get better. But I hate lying, so I won’t. For now, this will have to do.”

The lamia slid forward and hugged Nabby. Her embrace was surprisingly warm, and Nabby couldn’t help but seek comfort in it. She sobbed softly into her companion’s shoulder, staining that emerald robe with her tears. Part of her felt silly for spilling her guts to someone she only met hours ago, but she didn’t want to keep this frustration in herself any longer. For now, she was happy to have someone hold her.

A few moments later, they parted. Nabby dried her remaining tears on her sweater’s sleeves. “... Thank you,” she mumbled.

“No problem, Newby.” Bosa smiled. It wasn’t her usual one. This time, she flashed a smirk of camaraderie. It felt more real.

“I’ll try to pretend I’m not pissed off. And I’ll make sure I don’t let Connor beat me.”

“Good. If it helps, remember that you’re not the only one pretending out there.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nabby.

“All that cuteness you see from me is also an act,” Bosa momentarily put her old smiling face on. “It’s not as bad for fighters, but we still need to make good impressions. And I’m sure Connor isn’t all manners and obedience.”

“No, he’s really a huge jerk. He kept calling you ‘snake’.”

“And I thought we were past such slurs. Whatever.” The lamia shrugged. “Point is, I don’t think you should give up on your dream yet. I know this job isn’t what it seemed, but if you give up now, you probably won’t ever meet that healer again.”

“I know,” Nabby admitted. She wasn’t happy, but she could feel her resolve building. A few seconds passed silently, then she spoke again

“Hey, Bosa?”

“Yeah?”

“Really, thank you. You’re a good person.”

“I like you too, Newby,” Bosa said with a grin. “Tell you what, after this, let’s get a drink. It’s been a while since I had a girlfriend to drink with.”

“Sure, I know a good place.” Nabby felt herself smile again. It felt like it had been too long since the last one.

“Well, let’s get back. The guys are probably getting restless.”

“Yeah, we might’ve taken too long. We should think of a better lie than just you going to the bathroom.”

Bosa looked at her with unexpected seriousness. “I wasn’t lying about that,” she said.

Before the demon could ask, Bosa slithered past her. Nabby stood still a moment longer, confused and concerned. She shook her head and went to follow, carefully looking where she stepped. Her dogs trailed behind her, with Rusty seeming even more wary of the lamia.

They soon broke through the bushes and rejoined the party. “Took ye long enough!” Yulnik called annoyedly. “Did ye clean up properly?”

“Yup!” said Bosa, her face full of girlish joy. “Newby helped me and everything.”

“What? No, I didn’t-” Nabby cried before getting interrupted.

Adulnik cleared his throat. “Enough. We’ve dallied too long, let’s get movin’.”

Bosa winked at Nabby as she slithered to her place in the formation. The demon was feeling less sure about getting that drink, but put the thought to the back of her mind. She had Rusty sniff the glass shard again and he resumed his tracking. Ready once more, the party resumed their march.

After a couple minutes, Connor stepped closer to Nabby. “Did you two have a nice chat?” he asked.

Nabby closed her eyes slowly. She couldn’t let him get to her. “Yes, we did.”

“You two aren’t conspiring against me, are you? That wouldn’t be very fair, you know.”

“No, we’re not. I didn’t take you for the insecure type.” She looked at him sideways.

Connor smiled again. “I’m just a little curious. I would hate to find out that you’re bribing her to review me poorly or some such.”

“I told you, I’m playing your game and I’m going to beat you at it,” Nabby stated flatly. “But I’m not trying to get you fired. If I did that, I wouldn’t be any better than you. My goal is to change this system so that all the healers don’t have to compete with one another and toy with people’s lives. And that includes you.”

The cleric stared at her for a moment longer, then grunted. He moved back away from her and said nothing further.

Nabby sighed. She was glad that shut him up, but she needed to do more than blow hot air. Assuming Connor’s tactics were the same in the next battle, she needed to find some way to stop him from casting those unnecessary barriers. She couldn’t silence him with a spell or do anything harmful; that would just get her arrested. She was getting better at handling life force while casting a dispel, but that was still too slow. Nabby needed something that could help her overcome his barriers without further dividing her attention.

Cerulean’s howl echoed out once again. The party didn’t even look to Nabby this time, as they knew what that howl meant. They instead readied their weapons and moved slowly and carefully. If they had found the golem, the demon would need to be quick about unsummoning her precious dogs.

The dogs? Nabby placed a finger on her chin. Would that idea work? It would certainly give her the edge she needed and it wasn’t against the law, but she wasn’t sure if she was okay using such a method. Nabby furrowed her brow. She’d rather have a better solution, but this was better than the nothing she had before. She continued to search for another answer as her party found the dogs once more.

The trio of canines were waiting behind a thick pine. The group gathered there while Nabby took the opportunity to reward her dogs. Tolnik silently signaled that he would scout ahead. Adulnik acknowledged him, and the crossbow-wielding dwarf slipped around the tree. Nabby peered after him, but he quickly disappeared into the woods and she lost sight of him. There was no sign of the golem, or anything really. She had faith in Rusty, but the idea of accidentally misleading the party nibbled at her mind.

Half a minute later, Tolnik returned. The group huddled together for a hushed discussion.

“About thirty yards this way,” Tolnik hiked a thumb over his shoulder, “there’s a clearing. Golem’s there, just sittin’ tidy from what I saw. Thing looks like it’s mostly dirt and stone.”

“Good work, mate,” whispered Adulnik. “Connor, that bestiary in yer head got any last minute tips?”

The cleric nodded. “I can think of a couple. Most importantly, it’s going to call for some forest sprites for assistance, and it will keep calling them until it’s disabled. The sprites will likely take the forms of forest beasts, so we should be ready for enemies of all kinds.”

“Alright, what else?”

“Considering our golem is made of earth and stone,” continued Connor, “we can assume regular weapons won’t have much effect. Our best bet is somehow impeding its movements so we can dig out its core.”

“Alright, well, we’ve got some rope, but I’d rather somethin’ more reliable than that. Naberius and Lilibosa, ye got anythin’?” Yulnik asked.

Nabby toyed with her hair. “I can cast some paralysis magic, but I don’t think it’ll work on something bigger than a person.”

“I can enchant your weapons with frost. It’ll take a while, but it should slow him down and eventually freeze him,” Bosa whispered. “It should work faster if you guys concentrate on one place, like the legs.”

“Solid. Let’s go for the knees, boys.” Adulnik popped his neck and shifted his shoulders. “Everybody ready?”

“Yeah, ye gonna be ready for this, Naberius?” Tolnik looked at her with consternation.

Nabby wasn’t sure why Tolnik singled her out. Maybe it was because he wanted to make sure the new healer was ready for this, or maybe he had his concerns over what happened in the last battle. Perhaps Connor put him up to it. Yet if she could be honest, Nabby couldn’t say she was ready. She had never seen a golem in person, let alone fought one. She would have liked to admit her insecurities and more openly rely on the others, maybe even stay back so she could watch and learn. But she couldn’t say that either. She instead looked back at Tolnik.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do everything in my power to support you guys,” she said steadily.

“Good stuff, Newby. We’ll be relying on our healers too,” Bosa gave her a thumbs-up and a wink.

“Alright, everyone, let’s take this golem and earn our pay.” Adulnik pumped a fist in the air. The rest of the party gave their own silent cheers. The armored dwarf held his axe in front of himself as he led them through the forest and to their target.

            Nabby could feel her heart pounding in her chest as they approached the edge of the clearing. Sure enough, a colossus of earth sat unmoving in the middle. It was easily fifteen feet tall, with arms almost as long as its body. Its legs were comparably short, barely a third of its height. It had no distinguishable features on the mound that might have been its head, and its body was dotted with small plants and jutting stones.

            It showed no signs of life and remained still as the party broke into the area. If she didn’t know otherwise, Nabby would have assumed it was a strange dirt sculpture. However, it had a large stone blade along its left arm, coated with dried blood and Nabby could just see bits of broken wood on its right arm, likely from when it broke the cargo. This was undoubtedly the monster that had attacked the caravan.

            With a final look back to his companions, Adulnik began to approach the golem. He took barely two steps before the earthen goliath stirred. Bits of dirt fell from its frame as it stood up. But rather than move to attack, it let out a low sound, reminiscent of a howl but far too deep. Nabby didn’t so much hear it as feel it. As soon as it ended, wisps of green energy rose from the ground. They began to contort and twist upon themselves.

            “There’s the sprites. Six of them, by my count,” called Connor. He then cast his protection spell, bathing the party members in a holy light once again.

            The sprites quickly shaped themselves into various animals: wolves, giant frogs, even another massive tarantula. A distinct viridian energy surrounded their borrowed forms, the only thing indicating their supernatural status. The now-beasts didn’t hesitate in their attack and charged as soon as their transformations were complete.

            Adulnik took a defensive position, with Tolnik and Yulnik behind him, while Bosa began singing her enchanting melody. This time, it was composed of short, sharp hymns. Nabby didn’t feel any real emotion from it, but she could see frost form on the blades and bolts of the party’s weapons. Adulnik wasted no time in putting the enchantment to good use as he slammed his axe into an oversized frog. The ice was especially effective on a cold blooded creature, and it shuddered as the blade bit into its flesh.

            Unfortunately, this left the dwarf wide open for a wolf to pounce him. The furry beast floored him and bit its fangs into his shoulder. Its powerful jaw crushed both his pauldron and his bones, leaving the dwarf bellowing in pain. Yulnik retaliated by firing bolts into the wolf. A half-dozen rounds punctured its side, but it refused to let go. Bosa closed in on the wolf and rammed her lance into its throat, all while maintaining her song. That was enough to cause the beast to back off. Frost formed on its fur, but it’s wounds were eerily bloodless.

            While Yulnik reloaded his crossbow, the remaining giant frog tackled him, knocking him to the ground. It then climbed on top of the dwarf and began voraciously licking him. In what should have been simply disgusting, the act proved much more volatile. The secretions from the frog’s skin and tongue were corrosive and began eating through the dwarf’s armor and skin. Yulnik screamed in terror and agony.

            Connor dashed off to Adulnik. Nabby knew she also needed to move, but she had one thing to do first, as little as she wanted to do it. She wasn’t able to come up with a better plan, so this would be all she had. Normally, she’d unsummon her dogs when the fighting began, but her hounds had stayed at her side loyally as the conflict started. She had to hope this fight wouldn’t be too much for them.

            “Cercer, stay with Connor,” Nabby ordered as she pointed at the cleric. “If you see him casting barrier magic, bark.”

            The wolf seemed a bit unhappy to separated, but she ran over to her target regardless. Nabby hated that she was doing this, but she had to take advantage of Connor’s fear and disrupt his anti-magic barriers. Sickened with herself, Nabby had made her first move in playing the game. She did her best to not think about it as she put Yulnik in her range. Burgundy and Rusty followed at her side, defaulting to guard duty.

            She immediately cast Drain on the frog, pouring more mana into the spell than usual as she needed to weaken the beast. The giant frog lost its footing on the dwarf, and its very form wavered as the sprite struggled to maintain its shape. Nabby then placed the stolen energy into Yulnik, restoring his flesh. His armor was still ruined, but the man was able to stand once again and finish loading his crossbow. He fired a round right between the frog’s eyes, then shot a couple more for good measure. The sprite sputtered, lost its form, and faded away.

            “Bastard,” Yulnik growled. He shot Nabby a nod of approval before running to his fellow fighters.

            A loud bark managed to be heard through the cacophony of battle. Nabby knew it belonged to Cerulean. The wolf was near Connor, just out of his reach, and was posed for action. The cleric was staring angrily at the canine, but made no attempt to shoo her away. Having tended to Adulnik’s wounds, Connor returned to his position near Nabby. His eyes were bugged with a mix of anxiety and fury.

            “That is a dirty trick, demon,” he snarled.

            “I’m sorry, whatever is the matter, sir?,” Nabby asked with sarcastic concern.

            “Don’t try to be funny. Tell your mutt to leave me alone.” It was clear Connor’s patience was already at its end.

            “But Cercer has taken a real liking to you! And you two seem to get along so well!”

            “Get your dog away from me. It interrupted my magic.”

            Nabby dropped her act. “Unfortunately, you necessitated it. I’m not proud of using your fears like that, but I won’t let you stop me from helping them,” she replied flatly.

            “Don’t pretend that you’re all good intentions,” Connor said, his voice full of indignation. “I know what’s motivating you now. You want to fight this system, but you have no qualms getting your hands dirty for a good review, do you?”

            Nabby paused for a moment, then spoke. “You’re right. I don’t have an issue with that. If that’s what it’s going to take to get to my goal, then I admit I’m just as guilty as you. But at least I’ve got that goal as my reason. What are you fighting for?”

            “My own survival. Don’t think I’m rolling over for your ‘noble’ ambitions.”

            Nabby didn’t reply. This conversation was a pointless distraction. Connor had clearly underestimated her and was angered by it. She wished they didn’t have to fight like this, but it was too late to resolve things more amicably. They were embroiled in this ‘game’, and it gave no room for niceties. Luckily, with Cerulean on his heels, Nabby was more free to focus on actually healing people and not outwitting Connor.

            More shouts came from the combat team. Bosa was reeling after a magic boar had rammed into her while Tolnik’s side had been torn open by a wolf. Adulnik was now protecting him, but the wound was large enough to show the dwarf’s internal organs. Nabby was already running to them, leaving Bosa to Connor.

            She cast Drain on the wolf and passed the life essence into Tolnik. It caused the bleeding to slow and his organs to recess, but it wasn’t sufficient to close it. Nabby then concentrated again, this time draining a tarantula. That was enough to restore Tolnik’s flesh, finally sealing the massive wound. The dwarf shakily rose to his feet, but his practiced hands were quick with loading and firing his crossbow. He took a split second to look at Nabby. His eyes were enough to convey his feelings of thanks and apology. She smiled back.

            Unfortunately, that was enough time for a new sprite to take on a beastly form and attack the demon. A massive snake lunged from behind her and sank its fangs into her side. Nabby shrieked with pain. Before she could react, however, Burgundy had his jaws around the snake. The hound bit down with unnatural force, easily splitting the beast’s scales, then dug his paws into earth to pull the beast off his master.

The snake released Nabby to deal with its new opponent, hissing and spitting venom. It flopped onto the ground and faced the dog. Burgundy lowered himself and growled while Nabby stumbled away, putting herself out of the snake's reach. Before the beasts could clash again, a crossbow bolt expertly pierced the serpent's eye. The sprite lost its form and disappeared. Tolnik cheered for his kill, but he didn't seem to notice the trouble Nabby was in. The demon’s hands were held over her wounds, crimson lightly running between her fingers. She could feel the venom already working its way into her.

She needed to work fast. Pushing through the pain, Nabby began casting her modified Drain spell to pull the venom out of herself. But she soon found it impossible. Her modifications to her Drain spells had already made them more difficult to cast, so trying to use them with open wounds and venom in her blood was too much for her. She stopped her magic and stumbled further away from combat, trying to think of what she could do.

Nabby wouldn’t have to think very hard. A splendorous light washed over her, leaving her feeling stung and itchy. But amidst the discomfort, she could feel her mind clear. The toxins in her blood and pain in her side subsided and disappeared. A quick glance told her the wound was healed. And with reluctance, she looked over and saw Connor a few feet away, staff in hand as the traces of cast magic left him. Despite her expectation, there was no smile on his face.

“Thank you,” said Nabby. She avoided his eyes.

“Try to watch your back, demon. I shouldn’t have to waste my time healing you as well.” He was clearly still angry, not even allowing himself to feel smug.

            “Sorry,” she muttered. Nabby could feel her face turn red. She didn’t want to be saved by him, but she had to admit he was right. She just wouldn’t tell him that.

            “Now, tell me why you didn’t heal yourself.”

            Nabby grit her teeth. He still wasn’t going to let her off the hook. “The wound made it too difficult to concentrate for my spell immediately. I was planning to calm myself down and try again, but then I felt your itchy magic on me.”

            Connor furrowed his brow. “Excuse me, “itchy”?”

            “Your spells can heal me, but it feels awful. I’m a demon, that stuff doesn’t mesh with us.”

            “Oh, does it now?” A modicum of his smile returned as he stroked his beard.

The demon realized too late that she shouldn’t have said that. She didn’t need to give him any ideas on how to make her life harder.

“Yes. And let me remind you that unnecessarily healing people-”

“Is also against the rules, yes, I’m aware. You can relax, I’ll find better ways of stalling you. I will ensure the party knows that you are a rookie to expelled from the guild.” Connor then turned away from her, watching the fighters.

Nabby wanted to throw a smart remark his way, but she instead sighed and readied herself for whatever would happen next. Only two of the sprites remained on the battlefield, a wolf and a boar. The dwarves had them surrounded and were pushing towards the golem. It was odd that the construct hadn’t moved since it summoned the sprites, but it didn’t change the party’s plans. The healers moved forward to stay within reach of their companions.

Adulnik sidestepped and beheaded the boar as it attempted to charge him. The remaining wolf tried to use the opportunity to strike, but a flurry of bolts struck it down. New sprites were entering the clearing, but they seemed to be taking much longer to assume beastly shapes. Nabby could feel the natural mana in the area was getting low, so perhaps that was having an effect on the sprites. Now devoid of allies, the golem still remained unmoving.

Taking a quick moment to breathe, the fighters then set their sights on the earthen figure. Adulnik went in first, moving to just outside its reach before circling around it. Once he was behind it, he charged in and chopped at its legs. Just as Bosa had warned, his weapon made little damage, but frost spread from the point of impact. Only then did the golem move. With incredible speed, it turned and slashed Adulnik with its blade, separating the dwarf’s arm and head from his body.

“Shit!” shouted Connor. He ran forward, already chanting, Cerulean right behind him.

Nabby was stunned. She knew it was possible, but she didn’t expect to see anyone die today. However, her training reminded her that she couldn’t just stand there. She knew Connor was going to attempt a Resurrection, meaning she would have to manage the rest of the party while he worked. They had backed off a bit, ceasing their attacks on the golem and instead keeping their distance. Bosa had speared a giant hornet that had gotten near, but Nabby could see she had been stung in the exchange.

As she began casting her Drain, the demon had an idea. She got closer to the fighters and put the golem in her range. It was normally ill-advised for the healer to be this close to combat, but if she could help take down the golem, it could surely be excused. Targeting the construct, she attempted to pull life force from it.

However, she couldn’t feel anything in it and her spell fizzled inside the construct as it failed to find a target. Nabby grimaced. It felt obvious now, but she shouldn’t have assumed that an artificial being had life in it. It was an manifestation of magic, not a living creature. Without delay, Nabby recast her spell, stealing life from an unformed sprite. The wisp tumbled to the ground. Despite being full of energy, the sprites were incredibly fragile in their normal form.

The stolen essence was enough to patch Bosa up, to Nabby’s relief. The lamia nodded at her while she kept singing. She seemed focused on the golem that was now approaching them. It moved slowly, a stark contrast to the impossible speed of its arms. Nabby had a bad feeling that it was going for her. It’s ‘head’ lacked the eyes to show where it was looking, but she somehow felt it had noticed her failed spell.

Connor meanwhile had finally cast his Resurrection spell, kneeling near his comrade. An intense light flooded Adulnik’s body, forcing Nabby to look away. Once it faded, she could see Adulnik in one piece again, though he remained unmoving. Connor grabbed the dwarf, pulled him up on his shoulders, and began his retreat. He couldn’t move quickly with the added weight, but Cerulean seemed to guard the two, despite not being told to do so.

As soon as he got back to party’s position, Connor dumped the dwarf on the ground. “He’s just unconscious,” he said sternly. “We need a new plan now. We can’t approach the golem without it attacking. It seems to be quick with its arms, but not with its movement.”

Tolnik spoke up while reloading his crossbow. “We’re almost out of bolts. The frost from them won’t be enough to freeze this bastard.”

“Do you two have any other weapons?” Connor asked.

“Yeah, our daggers.”

Bosa interrupted her song. “Those should work better. The enchantment is placed on you guys, not your weapons exactly. The closer the weapon is to you when you strike, the better the effect.”

“Right, but how the hell are we supposed to get that close without getting gutted?” questioned Yulnik.

A moment of silence hung in the air. Sprites continued to take on beastly forms, a couple of them nearly ready to attack. The golem was slowly approaching, only about thirty feet away. Nabby racked her brain for the solution. There had to be something they could do, something to win. Was there some magic she could cast? Her paralysis was too weak, none of her familiars were strong enough, and it was immune to drain…

Drain? That turned out to be the bolt of inspiration she needed.

“What if we distract it?” Nabby offered. “It feels like it’s after me right now, so that makes me think it aims for whoever hit it last.”

“When did you attack it?” demanded the cleric.

“I tried to drain life out of it, only the spell didn’t work. However, it then started moving this way. Considering it didn’t even move until Adulnik hit it, I think that’s how it works.”

“Of course Drain wouldn’t work…” Connor scoffed. “However, I agree. Distraction is our best bet. Tolnik, give Yulnik your bolts. Yulnik, you’ll shoot golem whenever Tolnik hits it with his dagger. That way, it should continue to focus on us.”

“Why don’t I just try hitting it with Drain again? That got its attention just as well,” offered Nabby.

“Several reasons. The bolts will inflict additional frost, your cast time is too slow, and you’ll run out of mana before we’re done.” Connor said, irritatedly.

“What about me?” asked Bosa.

“Stay with Yulnik. We need to make sure your song keeps going, and he’ll need you to watch his back.”

“Alright, and what’ll we do about the sprites?” Tolnik asked as he passed his ammunition.

“I can have my dogs help with those, but Cercer is the only real fighter. They’ll stall them at best,” said Nabby.

“That’ll have to do.” The cleric pulled on his beard. “I’ll see if I can staunch the mana flow to this area. A specialized anti-magic seal should prevent any further sprites from showing up, but it will take time for me to cast and it won’t stop the golem.”

“Will that affect any of our spells?” Nabby had to ask now, just in case he was planning something. With the others present, he’d have to answer truthfully.

“No, not unless you begin utilizing natural magics.” Connor then faced Tolnik. “If you think it’s about to attack you, duck to the ground. Its arms aren’t quite long enough to reach you there. If you do get hit, it will be difficult for me to save you.”

“Roger that. I have faith in ye, Connor,” the dwarf nodded. He then clasped hands with the healer. Tolnik grinned with confidence.

“As I have faith in you, friend. Is everyone ready? If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to retreat, and that will likely see us all expelled.”

Nabby thought that was a terrible motivational speech, but it wasn’t like they had time for more. The party affirmed their status. Bosa began singing once more while Tolnik dashed off to the golem. Sure enough, he was able to approach it without it so much as turning in his direction. Nabby ordered Burgundy and Cerulean to guard the party, leaving Rusty to keep watch over Adulnik. She then stepped back and stood ready alongside Connor. All their preparations in place, Yulnik let out a sharp whistle, signaling Tolnik to begin the attack.

The dagger-wielding dwarf jabbed at the golem’s leg where Adulnik had struck earlier. The construct twitched to retaliate, but before it even began to turn, a bolt struck its other leg. As predicted, it then resumed its slow march towards the rest of the party. Nabby was relieved. Part of her wasn’t convinced the golem was so simplistic, but to see it reliably shift targets was reassuring. She then shifted her focus to watching for injuries while Connor chanted his seal.

The dwarves quickly had a solid rhythm down. The golem repeatedly flinched, but it continued moving forward and was never given a chance to face Tolnik. The sprites, however, continued their attacks. A giant frog attempted to assault Bosa, but it only managed to get its acid on her snake-half. A Drain from Nabby healed the lamia’s wounds and a few thrusts of Bosa’s lance brought the beast down. Two other sprites had finished taking on new shapes, but the rest of them were either unchanged or mid-transformation.

By then, Connor’s spell was ready. With a final shout, he slammed his staff into the ground, causing a magic circle to bloom across the field. It shined through the clearing, flashed once, then faded away. Nabby could then feel that the flow of mana was nearly nonexistent. The half-formed sprites sputtered and fell to the ground, reverting back to their wispy forms. Those that hadn’t even began to transform flitted away, leaving the battlefield entirely. Connor was breathing heavily, but he seemed satisfied with the effect.

Nabby almost complimented him, but she then thought to save it for after the mission, in case he pissed her off again. Personal issues aside, the battle was going as planned. Cerulean and Burgundy had even managed to take down a spritely hawk, pinning it so that Bosa could finish it off. With that, the party could focus on the golem. The dwarves had maintained their strategy and there was now a thick layer of ice around the golem’s legs. As slow as it was before, it was barely able to move forward now, a terrible cracking coming from each step.

“Good work over there!” called Tolnik. “A little more and I think this bastard will topple!”

“Nice job, Tolnik! Keep at it!” Nabby called back. She smiled, pleased the new plan had managed to turn things around so well.

That was when Yulnik screamed. A furry arm extended from the nearby ground, with its claws deep in his leg. Another arm then shot out, going for Yulnik’s throat, but he blocked the attack with his crossbow. Bosa ran to the struggle, piercing the beast’s arm and forcing it to the surface. A large mole squealed as it was exposed before its cries were silenced by another thrust. Connor then chanted a healing spell, mending the dwarf’s wounds.

However, Yulnik’s crossbow wouldn’t be so lucky. It was able to stop the mole’s claws, but the string was cut. Replacing that would take too long, so it would be better for him to use his comrade’s crossbow. Unfortunately, Tolnik’s weapon was on his back. And even worse was that his latest slash at the golem wasn’t accompanied by a distracting bolt.

“Tolnik, duck!” shouted Yulnik.

Without hesitation, the golem turned its torso at an inhuman angle and slashed at the dwarf. Thanks to the warning, he managed to drop himself to the ground, but the golem continued to slash at him. He attempted to crawl away, but the slight movement allowed the blade to cut the back of his legs. Thoroughly pinned, Tolnik instead tried to press himself further into the ground.

“Shit, we need that crossbow!” growled Yulnik.

“Indeed. And we can’t dally too long.” Connor gestured to the golem’s legs. “It’s frozen for now, but without new applications of frost, it risks breaking free.”

“What should we do?” asked Nabby. Her fists were clenched with eager energy.

Connor paused for a second, thinking. He then fiercely looked Nabby in the eyes. “Ms. Naberius, as loathe as I am to ask it, can you handle healing alone?”

“Of course, but why-”

“I will go rescue Tolnik. If anything happens to me, you will need to manage on your own.”

“You? But why not someone else?” Nabby questioned.

“Bosa’s enchantment is the key to this plan and we cannot risk Yulnik, in case I’m only able to reclaim Tolnik’s crossbow. And I don’t trust you to handle this,” he stated. “However, I do have faith in your healing. So that is what I will rely on you to do.”

Nabby pursed her lips. She didn’t like how he explained it, but she understood the seriousness of the decision. Even if he didn’t like her, Connor still wanted to accomplish the mission. She had no choice but to put aside her differences as well.

“Alright, I understand,” said Nabby.

“Good. Yulnik, assuming I’m unable to pull Tolnik back, I’ll try to throw the crossbow to you. We’ll then restrategize from there.”

“Roger,” said the dwarf. He seemed eager to attack the golem again and get revenge for his kin.

“I’m going, then. Good luck.” With that, Connor ran to the golem.

The cleric stopped in front of the golem. It continued to slash at Tolnik’s prone form, taking no action against the foe before it. Connor took a deep breath, then ran between the golem’s legs. As he passed through, he swung his staff against one of its legs. The wooden rod snapped from the impact, but it was enough to get the golem’s attention. Its bladed arm tried to hit the cleric, but he had already moved to Tolnik. With a moment of exertion, he managed to lift and toss the dwarf to safety.

Unfortunately, that gave the golem the opening it needed to slash at Connor again. The cleric tumbled to evade, but it wasn’t enough as the tip of the blade gouged his shoulder. He grunted with pain as he continued to roll out of the golem’s reach. Even with blood dripping down his arm, he still had the strength to hoist Tolnik up and begin moving him back to the party. Nabby ran to them and helped carry the wounded dwarf.

Once the group was reunited, Connor fell to one knee. The wound on his shoulder wasn’t too deep, but it would need care. Between that and Tolnik’s legs, Nabby had her work cut out for her. Regardless, she was glad the two had made it. She prepared a Drain spell, only then realizing the futility.

Connor looked at her. “Ms. Naberius, can you please heal me? My staff broke so I am unable to cast magic myself.” His eyes were tired, but her stomach dropped as she saw that devious spark within them.

“I… I can’t…” she barely managed to say.

“Why the hell not?!” demanded Tolnik. “He just risked it all to save me, heal the man already!”

“I… don’t have anything to Drain from…”

Nabby could feel the party’s eyes on her. She couldn’t believe it. Even through all their struggles, Connor was still plotting against her. Every action was for this moment. And she failed to see through it.

Bosa stopped her song. “Newby, what’s going on?”

Nabby could feel the beginnings of tears. This was more than an embarrassment, this was Connor’s planned assassination of her image. She turned to face Bosa and try to explain, but seeing the golem over the lamia’s shoulder stole her attention.

The golem hadn’t moved, but it had begun swinging its bladed arm again. This time, it was in a circular motion, like it was winding up a pitch. It still seemed to be looking at Connor, or rather, it was aiming at him.

“Wait, what’s the golem-” Nabby never got to finish that sentence.

With a horrendous crack, the golem’s arm launched like a missile. Nabby instinctively ducked. The force was enough to create a booming sound and blow the air around them as it flew past, followed by the sound of trees breaking in the distance. A few seconds later, the demon rose up again slowly. Most of the party had also evaded or was never in its path. The sole exception was Bosa. She was now collapsed on the ground, with a deep gash through her neck and collarbone.

“No!” Nabby screamed. She dived down to the lamia while pulling off her scarf.

She tied it around the wound as best she could to slow the bleeding, but it would not be enough. The wound was heavily bleeding. It must have hit an artery, perhaps even cut her windpipe. Bosa’s collarbone was shattered as well. Even if Nabby had a Drain target, it would take a significant amount of energy to heal this.

“Well, it looks like we need to retreat,” Connor said with terrible calmness.

Nabby turned and stared at him with rage. “You bastard! Help me stop the bleeding!”

“It’s no use. That wound is too deep to do anything about without magic. And without Lilibosa’s song, there’s no way we can approach the golem again.”

The demon’s fists clenched Bosa’s robes. “You planned this, didn’t you?!”

“Most of it, yes,” Connor admitted guiltlessly. “I stopped the sprites to deprive you of sources for Drain, then intentionally broke my staff to make you our sole healer. I even let myself get wounded so I could show how useless you were. However, I didn’t know the golem could do such an attack. I would have preferred if Lilibosa survived and we were able to finish the mission, but I can suffer a stain on my record if you get expelled.”

“How could you do this? How could you be so focused on that stupid system that you’d let people die?!” Nabby cradled Bosa in her arms. The lamia looked at her, becoming more pale by the second.

“Quite easily. She can be replaced, just like you will.” He spoke as if he was explaining a simple fact to a child.

“She can’t be replaced! Don’t you understand what dying means, you single-minded idiot?!” Nabby screamed.

“She is now my ticket to keeping my position. Her death will be the proof of how you failed us where a normal healer could have at least salvaged the mission. That should be enough to dismiss any blame cast on me”

Cold. How on earth could someone who had dedicated themselves to the art of saving lives have become so cold? Nabby could scarcely believe this was real life. Was her dream so foolish that whatever higher power oversaw her fate felt she needed to be so brutally enlightened? In that moment, for the first time in all her years on this plane, she wished she had never sought this path. She wanted to return to her own realm and try to forget this ever happened. She wished she had never been summoned, that she never met that group of adventurers. Nabby closed her eyes in a futile effort to hide her tears.

She then felt a hand on her cheek. It was weak and shaking. Nabby opened her eyes and saw Bosa reaching up to her. Despite the pain she must be in, the lamia stroked Nabby’s face and smiled. How could she smile at a time like this? With tears running down her own cheeks, Bosa mouthed two words.

““It’s okay?”,” Nabby repeated. How was this okay? She was dying, all because Connor put them all in a situation where Nabby couldn’t help. Of all the things she could waste her energy on, why would Bosa use it to say those words? Nabby didn’t need forgiveness, she needed to save her friend’s life.

Connor coughed. “Are you ready to retreat? You’ll need to leave the lamia’s body here. I won’t be able to carry anyone, so you and Yulnik will have to be the ones to transport-”

“Shut up.” Nabby had had enough of him ignoring what was really important.

“So you’d rather have all of us die here than save those we can? And you call yourself a healer?”

“Shut up!” Nabby readied a Drain, targeting Connor.

“Go ahead and do that,” he said nonchalantly. “That will lead you down the same path I’ve set for you. Violating a guild law is quite the offense. But you’re too soft for that anyways. You don’t have it in you to hurt me.”

Nabby continued to point her palm at the cleric. “... You’re right. I don’t have it in me. I became a healer to save people, not hurt them. Earlier today, I swore that I would overcome you and this damned system. And I’ll put my life on the line to stay true to that dream!” She then pointed her hand at her chest and turned her spell on herself.

It didn’t exactly hurt, but Nabby felt terrible immediately. It was like she had just finished a hundred mile marathon. All her muscles ached and her stomach filled with nausea. She felt starved, anemic, and a migraine all at once. But Nabby pushed through it. She drained herself of her own life’s essence, and once she had enough, she placed it into Bosa.

The lamia’s strength immediately returned. She pulled the blood-stained scarf off her neck and began to stand once agian. Through the tear in her robes, Nabby could see the wound was healed. She smiled weakly as she lost her balance and collapsed. But rather than hit the dirt, Bosa caught her.

“You really are one of a kind,” she said. “Draining yourself, what a crazy idea. I won’t forget that. Thank you, Nabby.”

Nabby didn’t have the strength to reply. Without even raising her arm, all she managed was a thumbs up. Bosa saw this and smiled again. She then gently laid Nabby down on the ground before facing the rest of the group.

“Yulnik, get that crossbow ready. I’ll sing my frost song a bit more so we can make sure the golem doesn’t break free soon.” Bosa didn’t bother with her bubbly persona. Her words were stern and commanding.

The dwarf raised an eyebrow, but didn’t object. “Sure thing.”

Connor, however, was flustered. “Just what the hell are you planning to do?”

“Finish this mission, of course,” Bosa replied flatly. “After we reapply some frost, I plan to sing my rejuvenating song to get Newby and Adulnik back on their feet. We can then either have Newby heal Tolnik or have Adulnik take his place.”

The cleric seemed at a loss. “N-no, we need to retreat, we can’t face the golem like th-”

“We’re fine. There’s no sprites and the golem’s only got one arm left. We can easily figure out a way around that.”

“If one of us gets hurt, the demon won’t save them! She already failed us, we can’t risk injury again.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who failed us. Don’t think I forgot what you said when you thought I was dying. Intentionally breaking your staff and losing your ability to heal? What kind of healer, no, what kind of person is that? Not one that belongs in our ranks, I’d say.” Bosa tapped at her throat to ready her singing voice.

“Hold on, I… I made a mistake, yes, but I… I didn’t…” Connor was sweating profusely now, and he trailed off as he failed to find an excuse.

“Connor…” Tolnik looked at the cleric sadly. “It’s over. Let them finish things.”

The hume’s eyes were wide with panic. He turned back to Bosa to speak, but she held a finger up at him, silently cutting him off.

“Save it. I have work to do.” With that, Bosa let her song echo through the clearing once again. Frost surrounded Yulnik’s bolts and he immediately fired a pair of shots into the golem’s legs. New ice formed on both limbs, ensuring it wouldn’t escape in the next few minutes.

To Bosa’s surprise, the golem began winding up its remaining arm. The construct clearly had no concept of tactics, instead singularly seeking a way to kill its target without a regard for the consequences. She stopped her song.

“Yulnik, it’s gonna shoot its other arm,” Bosa called out.

“I see it.” He then began circling around the golem.

It tracked his movements, but when it finally launched its arm, it cleanly missed the dwarf. The sound of shattering wood resounded from outside the clearing. Bosa resumed her song and Yulnik fired a dozen more rounds into the construct. The freezing now spread past its waist. Without any arms, its torso continued to track its target, but it was no longer a danger.

“Nice work,” Bosa yelled. “I’m gonna switch songs now, can you keep an eye on the golem?”

Yulnik grunted in return. He seemed to be okay with following Bosa’s requests, but he was also aware of how frustrated that made Connor. The lamia didn’t particularly care about how this would affect their group politics. Her new concern was getting Nabby back on her feet.

Bosa slithered next to the demon and coiled her body near her. Nabby was resting on the ground with her dogs at her sides. Bosa smiled before letting her rejuvenating song ring out. She was normally somewhat disconnected from the songs she sang, their meaning having long since taken a backseat to their function. But now, she felt the energy and memories her song brought out. With renewed passion, her melody poured into the hearts of the party.

Not even a minute passed before Adulnik was stirring. He sat up and held his head, still stunned from his earlier decapitation. Connor stood near him, likely readying an excuse. Another minute later, Nabby’s eyes fluttered open. She looked like a pup waking up from a nap. As soon as she realized the situation, the demon forced herself upright. She was still a bit unsteady, but seemed cognizant enough.

“Damn, I didn’t expect that to be so tiring,” she muttered.

Bosa let her song fade away. “Yeah, you sure fell on your ass afterwards. It worked though, so points for that.”

“Oh, how’s your wound?” she asked groggily.

            “What wound? I’ll need to see a tailor, but I don’t see a scratch on me.” Bosa gestured to her exposed shoulder.

“Thank goodness.” Nabby then looked around. “How long was I out?”

“Just a few minutes. You can lay back down, we’re almost done here.”

“No, I need to heal Tolnik… and Connor too, I guess. It’ll look bad if we return with any wounds.” Nabby went to stand up.

“Hold on.” Bosa pulled her back down. “You passed out after taking care of me, there’s no way you can help two other people without a real target to drain.”

“I’ll be fine. Your wound was really bad, so I needed a lot of energy. Those two will be easy by comparison,” said Nabby. She toyed with her hair a bit. “Though… it wouldn’t hurt if you sang that song a bit longer.”

Bosa laughed. “Alright, do your thing. I’ll help you out with some music, but make sure you don’t push yourself.”

“Thank you. What’re we doing about the golem?”

“Dunno. Let’s ask the rest of the team.”

The lamia looked over at the rest of the party. The dwarves and Connor were deep in discussion. Judging by their expressions, Connor was anxious while the rest of their group was planning how to approach the golem. Bosa helped Nabby to her feet, and the two walked over and joined them.

“Hello, ladies,” Adulnik greeted them. “My apologies about takin’ an impromptu nap. I can see ye handled things well enough. We were just talkin’ about how to go about pullin’ the core out of what remains of that golem.”

“Welcome back, Adulnik,” Bosa replied. “What’s the plan so far?”

“Nothin’ special. Seems our friend disarmed himself for us!” The dwarf bellowed with laughter. “Ah, but I’ll be climbin’ up on him and diggin’ it out. Should be in the head, as Connor tells me.”

Bosa looked at the cleric with narrowed eyes. “About Connor, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

The air quickly filled with tension. Adulnik weakly smiled at her. “Ms. Lilibosa, would ye mind helpin’ me with gettin’ the core? I’m not quite tall enough to reach it.”

She could read between the lines. “Sure, but I need to sing to get Newby’s energy back up so she can heal.”

“That should be fine.” The dwarf bowed in thanks. “Well, shall we?”

Bosa turned back to Nabby. “Remember, don’t push yourself. My song will help get you your strength back, but it doesn’t work that fast.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” Nabby replied. She rolled her eyes as if she was annoyed, but she then smiled sweetly at Bosa.

“Yulnik, can I ask ye to keep an eye on things?” Adulnik asked his kin.

“Of course. I’ll be sure to yell if anythin’ happens,” said Yulnik soberly.

“Thank ye.” With that, Adulnik and Bosa began moving towards the golem. The lamia resumed her song as they walked. Adulnik made a slight detour to collect his axe before they approached their target.

“Well, ye lot certainly did a number on this bastard.” Adulnik sounded impressed as he looked over the golem’s frozen legs. “That gives me an idea.”

The dwarf raised his axe, then swung it heavily into the construct’s leg. This time, the impact caused cracks to spread across the frost. Its torso turned a bit, but without any means of attack, it meant little. Another swing caused a new web of cracks on the leg. One final chop broke through, shattering the leg completely. The golem listed for a moment, then tumbled to the earth as its remaining leg wasn’t enough to support it. The torso snapped off from its last limb, leaving the golem helpless on the ground.

“Wonderful. Now ye won’t have to lift me.” The two then circled around what remained of the golem and found its head. The construct didn’t even move now, as if it was fully aware of how defeated it was. Adulnik pulled a plate off his armor and began digging into its head.

“This will be a bit awkward, since ye can’t speak back right now, so I’ll ask that ye hear me out. I know ye want to talk about Connor,” said Adulnik.

He looked at Bosa. She nodded in response.

The dwarf sighed. “My brothers told me what happened. Words won’t suffice for how sorry I am. I know ye’re also a guild veteran and know how brutal it can be for healers, but that doesn’t excuse what he said and did. It’s all I can offer, but I am well and truly sorry for what happened back there.

“I know he’s not going to apologize to ye. That’s not the sort of man Connor is. As ye can probably tell, he’s a rather duplicitous fellow. All charm on the outside, but as harsh and cold as a blizzard on the inside. Thing is, my kin and I think of him as one of our own, despite his flaws. Now, I don’t expect ye to forgive him. Hell, I’d even say ye shouldn’t. But I guess I’d like ye to understand how he got that way, at least.”

Bosa stared down at the dwarf. Adulnik cleaned a stubborn dirt clod off his plate before he went back to digging and speaking.

“His family is from the capital, the slums in particular. They were poor, but they eked out a life as best they could.” The dwarf paused and sighed. “Unfortunately, someone gutted his family for what little they had. He wandered the streets before gettin’ taken in by the church. They did their usual things. Taught him the faith, filled him with good morals, and inspired him to become a healer. He finally had some hope in his life, told me he was feelin’ like there was good in the world. He then joined the guild, shortly before the review system came into place.”

Looking back at the party, Bosa could see Nabby had just finished healing Tolnik. True to her words, she seemed to tire again but remained conscious. The demon then faced Connor. Bosa wished she could tell Nabby to not bother.

“As you can see, that system destroyed his views,” Adulnik continued. “All he wanted to do was spread the goodwill he’d been taught, but now he had to fight to do so. Bein’ a free agent, Connor couldn’t risk a bad review. He then got into a party where his healin’ partner offered to cooperate, claimin’ they were tired of competin’. Connor accepted, only to be have that healer trick him into losin’ his staff.

“After that mission, Connor was almost let go on the spot, only clingin’ on thanks to his otherwise pristine record. However, no other parties wanted to hire a fool who’d lost his catalyst. Then my kin and I came along. We needed a free healer and didn’t have time to check his record. And he ended up savin’ our lives. After we thought we were cornered in a kobold den, he showed us how those blokes always have an emergency escape. We haven’t let that walking monster encyclopedia go since. He’s saved us many more times since.”

With another self-sacrificing Drain, Nabby healed Connor. She seemed to gasping for breath for a moment, but recovered shortly after. The cleric didn’t show any sign of appreciation. Bosa’s throat tightened as she cut off her song.

“I don’t care what he’s been through or what’s he’s done for you. His way of thinking is beyond dangerous, and nearly got me killed,” the lamia stated.

Adulnik stopped digging and looked at her. His eyes were sad. “I understand. I can’t ask ye to not report what happened. We all knew he was desperate to always prove his superiority and turned a blind eye to his more severe actions. I never thought he’d go so far as he did today, and that’s my fault. What he did was wrong, plain and simple”

“You’re damn right it was. Now Newby’s over there literally giving her own life to help them because he intentionally broke his staff to force her hand,” Bosa admonished. “Look, I get you want to support your own, but that man is a liability. If you don’t do something about him, someone will die when they shouldn’t have. Are you willing to live with that?”

“No, but I… I don’t want Connor to end up back on the streets.” Adulnik swallowed. “I’ll talk to him and I’ll make sure he understand his mistakes here. I have no right to ask this, but I’m beggin’ ye, please, give me a chance to make things right. I know it’s only my word here, but I promise ye, I will do whatever it takes to turn him around. If I fail and somethin’ happens again, I will recommend his expulsion myself and then turn my own axe in.” The dwarf was on the verge of tears, and he prostrated himself before Bosa.

Bosa was not so easily moved. His words seemed sincere, but they were only words. “You got any way to back up those claims? Good intentions won’t mend the trauma that man put Newby through.”

Adulnik looked up again, red-eyed and eager. “I… don’t know if I can. What would ye have me do?”

“I have a couple things in mind. The first of which you’ll need to do before we leave this clearing. If you can do that, then we’ll move on to part two, and then we’ll see how Newby feels about this mission. I’ll follow her choice from there; if she feels Connor can be forgiven, I’ll ease up in my own report.”

“Of course, what would you like?”

“Finish digging out the core and I’ll explain on the way back. The less time you have to think on it, the better.” With that, Bosa leaned against the golem’s fallen form and pretended to inspect her nails.

“Thank you, Ms. Lilibosa.” Adulnik’s face widened with a smile. With renewed vigor, he clawed at the golem’s head.

Bosa wasn’t sure if it would be enough to change Nabby’s mind on the cleric. It certainly wouldn’t be enough to change her own. But the lamia wanted to see it happen, if only for her own satisfaction. What happened to Connor afterwards wasn’t her concern. Even if Adulnik did fix his outlooks, she wouldn’t ever work with him again. Bosa wasn’t even close to forgetting the near-death experience his actions caused, and she would never forgive it.

            A few moments passed, then Bosa heard a sharp clink. She leaned over and saw Adulnik put down his plate so he could dig with his hands. He then pulled out a jade sphere, roughly the size of an apple. Though it couldn’t function outside of its golem body, the core still glowed with mana.

            “There, that should do it,” Adulnik said. “Let’s head back, shall we?” He rose to his feet and wiped off his brow.

            “Sounds good.” Bosa turned and began slithering to the party.

            “So, Ms. Lilibosa, what did ye have in mind?”

            Bosa took a deep breath. “Right. Well, for starters, you said Connor wasn’t going to apologize for what happened, right?”

            Adulnik frowned pensively. “Yes, I know he won’t believe he did somethin’ wrong today.”

            “Well, I think that’s the perfect way for you to prove you meant what you said.”

            “What do ye mean, miss?”

            Bosa couldn’t help but smirk slightly. The thought of making that damn cleric so uncomfortable was too hard to resist. She hoped the shame of this would stick with him and remind him of the fool he was. And if it didn’t, at least Bosa would get a fun show.

            “I want you to change his mind. If you can do that, then I’ll believe that you can reign in his attitude and get him to clean up his act,” replied Bosa.

            “Ye want me to convince him what he did was wrong?” asked Adulnik.

            “Almost.” Bosa eyes held a spark of sadism. “Before we leave this clearing, I want you to get him to apologize.”

*           *           *           *           *

            “To be honest, it was a pretty shitty apology,” Nabby said before finishing her drink.

            “Yeah, no denying that. You’d think the guy had never apologized in his life,” Bosa agreed.

            “Wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t. If it wasn’t for his buddy crying his eyes out, I don’t think I would have accepted it.”

            “Adulnik is definitely the heart of that group. For what it’s worth, I think he has the best chance of fixing Connor.”

            “Yeah, probably.” Nabby flagged down the bartender. “Could I get another beer, please?”

            “Sure thing, miss.” The orcish bartender grabbed her mug and filled it back up. A layer of froth sat atop as he slid it back to the demon.

            Nabby began nursing the fresh drink. “So, how do you like it here?”

            “It’s pretty nice,” Bosa admitted, “but I like my haunt better. There’s no room for dancing and there’s only some guy on a piano for music.”

            “That’s why I come here. It’s peaceful and affordable. And the food is pretty good too.”

            “You should have picked somewhere fancier. It’s not like we’re paying.”

            “Nah, I want to relax after today,” said Nabby. “I’d rather go with something I know will calm me down than try something new and exciting.”

            “Suit yourself, Newby.” Bosa sipped her wine glass.

            “Oh, I will,” Nabby replied smugly. She was looked around the pub, happy to be here again.

            The establishment wasn’t terribly large: half a dozen tables, a bar, and corner dedicated to the piano. The decor was simplistic to say the least. Cheap paintings hung on the walls while a brick fireplace burned. However, the wooden furnishings were well taken care of. They showed few scratches and shined with fresh polish. Even the cups and glasses seemed almost new. Nabby was pleased to see such a level of dedication in a small pub.

            The clientele weren’t terribly unusual. Two elves were getting drunk at one of the tables, cheering when the waitress brought their dinner. The halfling on the piano had been playing for almost as long as they’d been there. She had walked in, greeted the bartender, then started playing slow, dulcet tunes. She was probably a regular since the bartender personally brought her a drink shortly after.

The only other guests beside Nabby and Bosa were seated at the table farthest from the bar. There, a trio of dwarves and a hume were seated. Their conversation seemed friendly, but none of them were drinking. The hume saw Nabby looking his way and glared. One of his dwarven companions noticed this and followed the hume’s gaze back to the bar. He smiled and waved at the demon. She waved back.

“Man, he looks pissed,” Nabby commented.

“Good,” Bosa replied flatly.

“I’m surprised you offered to let him off the hook on an apology. I thought you hated his guts more than I do.”

“I do. But the agreement was he had to apologize, then they had to offer to buy us dinner, and then I’d follow your lead on what happened next.”

“That scared the shit out of me,” chuckled Nabby. “You and Adulnik come back, he pulls Connor aside, and next thing I know, he’s telling me his life story and saying sorry.”

Bosa scoffed. “It still felt fake as hell. And he still tried to justify his actions. The tears were a nice touch, though.”

“So why’d you do all that?” asked Nabby. “I wasn’t going to report him, you know.”

“I didn’t know that. I wanted to make sure you felt vindicated after everything that happened. Beyond that, I just wanted to make him pay. Now I got to do that both literally and figuratively.” Bosa turned and raised her glass to Connor’s table. “I figured if you wanted him gone, I could help with that but I’d leave it up to you. Why weren’t you going to report him?”

“I guess because I can at least sympathize with how trapped he feels under this review system,” sighed Nabby. “I really hate it too. Maybe I would have turned out like him in other circumstances, I don’t know. In the end, we managed to overcome everything anyways. The experience will help me deal with others like him.”

“Yeah, hopefully the next one won’t be such a sociopath.”

 “Hopefully. Meeting him was informative, to say the least.”

Bosa laughed. “Oh, how so?”

“About that whole damn system for one,” the demon groaned. “On a more positive note, I learned there’s other ways I can help the party, along with just healing. Oh, and I learned I could cast Drain on myself in a pinch.”

“Wait, you hadn’t done that before?”

“Nope. If that didn’t work, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“Oh God, Newby, there’s some things you shouldn’t tell people…” Bosa slumped onto the bar. “You’re already doing magic that no one else does, keep a few secrets.”

Nabby nervously pulled at her hair a bit. “Sorry, I thought you would have wanted to know…”

“Well, I’m really happy that worked out. But maybe you should look into some way of carrying a Drain target with you or something? Like, say, a bottle of water spirits?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m still angry about that.” Nabby took a heavy pull from her beer.

“All that damn work for a crook. Should have guessed with such a rush job, but no, the guild sure likes that fat paycheck.” Bosa straightened herself up again. “At least that explains why a golem attacked the caravan. We were lucky their runner ended up growing a conscience and sold out the ‘merchant’.”

“Any idea why someone would want to sell those?”

“Alchemists and some mages use them for experiments. Of course, that kind of research got banned because it pisses off other natural spirits. And thus, our adventures today.”

“Dumbasses. Now I’m stuck knowing my first mission was for a criminal.” Nabby was almost finished with her beer. She could already feel she wanted another one, but decided she’d want some food first.

She called the bartender over and placed an order. She decided to go for the salmon and rice. Bosa took a moment before ordering chicken and pasta, then changed her mind to salmon and rice as well. Nabby then asked if she could get a fresh pint with her meal, to which the orc nodded. The bartender then passed the information to the waitress who delivered it to the kitchen.

“Feels good to not worry about the price,” said Bosa. She tilted her head towards the distant table. “I should get two meals and take one home.”

“I won’t stop you,” replied Nabby. The lamia chuckled back.

It grew quiet between the two then. Only the lilting song of the piano and mutterings of distant discussions could be heard. Nabby felt a bit of awkwardness, but more than anything, she felt there was something she needed to say.

“... Thanks again, Bosa. You barely knew me, but you did a lot to help me today. I don’t want to think about how today would have ended if you hadn’t been there or said what you did.”

The lamia smiled. “I liked the look in your eyes when I first saw you. Besides, I figured a healing demon had to be a fun person. I’ve never been one to avoid a good time.”

“No, really, I don’t think I’d still have my job if it wasn’t for you.”

“Newby, I wouldn’t have my life right now if it wasn’t for you. I think we’re at least even.” Bosa gave her a confident smirk. “It’s my job as your senior to guide you down the right path. Even if I’m not a healer, I know the guild well enough to keep you on track.”

Nabby smiled back. “I’m glad we had this chance to relax and talk. I’m gonna miss working with you.”

Bosa put on look of theatrical offense. “Why, Newby, did you think you were getting rid of me so easily? I’ve been looking for someone to work with more permanently, and I’ve decided that person is you.”

“Me? You sure about that? I like you, Bosa, but why would you want to stick with a rookie like me?”

“Like I said, it’s my job,” she replied. Bosa then took on a more serious look. “I’m also hoping you’re able to achieve your goal. I’ve seen this system kill parties, sometimes literally. It’s why I stuck to solo work. But I want to see you reach your dreams, so I feel inclined to do what I can to support that.”

Nabby looked at Bosa. She had already accepted that her goal might not make her many friends. To hear that she wouldn’t be alone touched her deeply. Or maybe it was the alcohol. Regardless, Nabby felt herself tear up and she leaned over to embrace Bosa.

“Oh, Bosa, you’re the best!” she cried. “I’m so happy we can keep working together!”

“Me too, Newby,” grinned the lamia. She raised her wine glass, now nearly empty. “A toast, to our new friendship.”

Nabby raised her mug and bounced the rim off Bosa’s glass. “To all of our upcoming adventures, together!”

The two then finished their drinks. Soon after, their food arrived. It would be a couple more hours before they left the establishment, and they were thoroughly drunk and mirthful by then. They somehow managed to find their way back to the guild’s dorms, and Nabby reluctantly parted at the doorway to her room. Completely exhausted, she didn’t even bother undressing and instead flopped herself onto her bed.

It was a day of harsh lessons and brutal realities. Yet, it led to new bonds and greater dreams. Even if this was merely the first step of a hard journey, Nabby was confident that she could at least take the next one. Thus begins the tale of the Demonic Healer, Naberius.

*           *           *           *           *

[Interlude]

These are additional conversations that occurred during Nabby and Bosa’s time in the pub, after their toast. They don’t have any real depth and are more for further developing their characters and their relationship, but not in story significant ways. These will not be included in any primary materials that may come from this story and are more for fun than anything else.

            “So, Newby, what do you for fun? Besides drink in boring places,” Bosa asked.

            Nabby let out a small laugh. “I like to read, play with my dogs, or sew.”

            “Sew? Do you make clothes or dolls?”

            “Clothes mostly. I actually made my whole outfit.” Nabby beamed with pride.

            “No shit? You could have fooled me if you said you bought it from a professional tailor.” Bosa tilted her head to look over her friend’s outfit.

            The demon took it upon herself to get off her bar stool, stick her her out to the sides, and do a twirl. Her face was wide with a smile and she had had enough beer to not even consider what others might think of her act. Bosa gave her a gentle applause, pleased with the show. Nabby then sat herself back down.

            “God, you’re weird,” the lamia commented.

            “How’s that weird? You wanted to see my outfit and I’m happy to show it.”

            “Forget it. Where’d you learn to make clothes like that, anyways?”

            “I’m self taught,” Nabby replied. “I learned how to sew and stuff back in my own plane, but never had the chance to really apply until I came here. Almost nobody wears clothes in the Underworld, so there wasn’t much of a need to sew anything.”

            “Everyone’s naked there? Interesting.” Bosa sipped her glass.

            “It’s really hot and there’s fire everywhere, so it’s dangerous if anything. It makes things really awkward when we get summoned too, since most summoners don’t provide clothes.”

            “Huh. I guess I never thought of that stuff. Must have been particularly hard coming to a place this cold, too.”

            “Not really, not once I had some real clothes.” Nabby took a drink. “How about you, what do you do for fun?”

            “Sing and dance, usually in bars. I’m not one for staying home, so I prefer to go out and find a good time,” Bosa answered.

            “No wonder you have such a good singing voice. I’ve never seen a lamia dance before, though. Is it hard without legs?”

            “I dunno. I’ve never had legs so I don’t know if it’s harder or not. I just feel the music and move with it. I’ve caught the eye of more than a few, so I think I’m alright.”

            “I’d love to see it sometime. I’m not much of a dancer myself, unfortunately,” the demon admitted.

            “That’s too bad. You’ve got a nice body, it’s a shame it doesn’t sway with the music.”

            “That’s nice of you to say. Maybe you could help teach me. I’m always willing to try and learn new things.”

            Bosa grinned. “Sure, that could be fun. Would probably help you loosen up and meet someone. I can’t think of a better way of getting laid than starting with a little dance.”

            Nabby nearly spat out her drink. “Whoa, that’s not why I’m looking to learn!”

            “Why not? The sideways mambo is my favorite dance. You can’t tell me you’ve been here for years and not slept with anyone.”

            “I’m not a demon of lust or something!” Nabby’s face was red with embarrassment. “And I’ve been too busy becoming a healer for those kind of relationships!”

            “You don’t need to know someone that much to screw ‘em, you know,” Bosa said smugly. She was clearly toying with Nabby. “Hell, I didn’t bother learning the name of some of the people I’ve shared a bed with.”

            “I can’t imagine doing something like that…”

            “Give it some thought. It’s much easier than you think. With your figure, it’s probably even easier than that.”

            “Just how many guys have you slept with?” Nabby didn’t really want to know, but she didn’t like the conversation focusing on her.

            “Guys? Shit, I’ve lost count. I can remember the girls, though. I’ve only had... three of them.” Bosa held up three fingers while she looked up in memory.

            Nabby was flabbergasted. But not because of her friend’s looseness. “I’m surprised you find that many males lamias to sleep with. I don’t think I’ve seen one since I got here.”

            Bosa raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never slept with another lamia.”

            The demon paused, took a pull from her beer, then asked her question. “Okay, this is going to sound rude as hell, but are there really that many guys willing to sleep with a lamia?”

            Bosa scoffed. “Yeah, that’s really rude, but I get it. You’re lucky I like you and I’m half-drunk,” she said flatly. “But anyways, you’d be surprised how many guys have fetishes for us and our snake bits. And plenty of guys are just willing to try something new. So long as they treat me nicely, I’m usually willing to indulge them… and myself.”

            “Sorry, I could have worded that better.”

            “Don’t worry about it. But if you want to make it up to me…”

            Nabby rolled her eyes. “What is it?”

            “Tell me the truth,” Bosa said more seriously. “Are you really not seeing anyone?”

            “No, I’m not. It’s not that I haven’t met some guys who I would’ve liked to get to know better, it’s just…” Nabby was stroking her hair with unusual frequency. “I don’t know, none of them have felt quite right, you know? Maybe I’m just too picky, but I just haven’t met a guy who really made me feel special.”

            “Ah, you have a maiden’s heart, I see,” Bosa closed her eyes as she took another sip of her wine.

            “I guess so. I just feel like there’s a special love out there for me and I’m not lonely enough to find someone until then.”

            “Such purity, I shouldn’t have expected less in the demon healer!” Bosa held her hand up theatrically. “Well, if you do ever get lonely, I wouldn’t mind raising my girl count to four.”

            Nabby shifted in her seat. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

            “Or you can just flash your tits to some guy. Yours are big enough that they shouldn’t be able to turn you down.”

            “Bosa!” cried Nabby.

            “C’mon, most humans can’t even tell you’re a demon. You’ve got the eyes and that’s it.”

            “No, not quite. My feet are also inhuman.”

            “What? What do you mean?” asked Bosa.

            “My feet look like bird feet. Talons and everything.”

            Bosa suddenly looked ashamed. “Sorry, now I’m the one being rude. I shouldn’t have made you say that. I guess that’s why you wear boots, huh?”

            “Yeah. It’s pretty difficult without them,” Nabby said with a somber look.

            “Well, you know you’re in good company. I won’t judge you for them, and I’ll kick anyone’s ass who gives you shit about it.”

            “Thank you. I know they don’t look quite right, but that’s not my fault. It’s just the way they’re shaped.”

            Bosa looked down at the floor. “Listen, I’m sorry I was teasing you about being single. You’re not me, so I can’t expect you to just ignore something you’re self-conscious about. I get what you mean now, about finding Mr. Right.”

            “You do?” Nabby asked confusedly.

            “Yeah. You’re looking for someone who accepts you for everything that you are and won’t get hung up on a few things. Someone who knows there’s more important parts of you than your flaws. The kind of person who can make you forget about your problems with how happy you are while you’re with them.”

            The demon was wide-eyed. “Wow, that does sound like a nice person.”

            Bosa looked back reassuringly. “And he’s out there, somewhere, waiting for you.”

            “I’m really impressed you can figure all that out from my shoes too!”

            “Your shoes?” Now the lamia was confused.

            “Yeah, I mean, I’m not that self-conscious about them, but it’s not like I’d date some guy who’d give me shit about my shoes, especially since I make them myself and all. I’d also like it if the guy was independent, could do something better than me, and maybe had blue eyes but-”

            “Hold up, I was talking about your feet, Newby.”

            “My feet? What about them?” asked Nabby.

            “I thought you were sensitive about them and that’s why you wear boots.”

            “What? I wear boots because it’s cold and I hate stepping on rocks with my bare feet.”

            Bosa’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not sensitive about your feet?”

            “Should I? I can’t change that and I don’t care if other people think it’s weird. Everybody’s got their unique features, mine’s just a bit more obvious.”

            “I’m impressed, Newby. Both by your determination to stand proud as yourself and ability to completely misunderstand our conversation.”

            “Huh? I’m not that drunk, what am I missing?” Nabby questioned.

            “Never mind. Can I see your feet?”

            “Sure, I guess.” Nabby then removed one of her boots and then pulled off the corresponding sock. As promised, from the ankle down, her feet were covered in ashen avian skin. Her four toes had clipped talons at the ends. Bosa put a hand on her chin as she looked.

            “Do those talons get sharp if you let them?” she asked.

            “Yeah, they’ll tear my socks and the inside of my boots. I make sure to round them off before then.”

            “Smart. Thanks, Newby, I think they’re actually pretty cute.”

            Nabby blushed a little. “Really? Thanks, Bosa, I always liked birds so having feet like them is kind of nice.” She put her boot back on.

            “So why do you make your own boots? Couldn’t you find a shoemaker?” Bosa rested her head on her arm and leaned on the bar.

            “I had someone else make them at first, but it was too expensive. I prefer to just do things myself if I can. Learning to make boots wasn’t too hard, and now I can repair them myself.”

            “What would you charge to make a robe like mine? I’m gonna need a new one now.”

            “Just material costs, I’m not interested in making money that way.” Nabby paused, seeming to contemplate something, then spoke. “Do you… wear other clothes?”

            Bosa gave a sultry look. “Curious to see?” She grabbed the hem of her robe, as if to raise the curtain on a show.

            “Not like that. I guess I’m just wondering if there’s something you wear like underwear, since your body is differently shaped.”

            “Sure you aren’t drunk? You’re getting braver,” the lamia smirked. “Most of us lamias wrap cloth around groins. Other than that, I’ve just got my bra. Can’t wear pants or shoes without legs, right?”

            “Interesting. I’ve always thought it fascinating how different races incorporate similar needs and ideologies for clothing. Modesty is a general desire for most, and usually only those in hot regions avoid clothing, like my own people.” Nabby sounded almost sober.

            “God damn, you’re a nerd and I love it.” Bosa slid closer to Nabby and clung to her. “You’re warm too. It’s nice…”

            Nabby took another drink of her beer. “Well, I can make you new undergarments if you’d like as well. I’d just need an example. I’ve never made a ‘groin wrap’ before.”

            “Newby, come back to my bed with me, you can see it there.”

            “You’re drunk, Bosa.”

            “So are you. I’m thinking we should call it quits soon.”

            “Yeah, I agree. It’s getting late anyways.”

            Bosa turned around. “The dwarves and the asshole are gone. Barkeep!” She flagged down the orc. “We’re gonna go soon, did they keep their word and pay our tab?”

            “Yes, miss. They gave me an address to forward your bill to,” he replied.

            “Good. Thanks, boss.” Bosa slumped back on the bar while the orc walked over to another customer.

            “Alright, let’s wrap things up,” said Nabby. “I’m staying in the guild dorms, so I’m heading back there.”

            “What a coincidence, me too. Specifically, I’ll be in your room.”

            “Shut up. Let’s go.”

            “Party pooper,” Bosa pouted.

            With that, the two drunken friends wandered out of the pub, somehow making their way back to the guild. They would both suffer their drinking the next morning, but this would not be their last binger. No, if anything, this would be the first night of a post-mission ritual that the two would engage in. Such was the bond that Nabby and Bosa shared...