Healing Mishap -16-
by LanzaQ

“I don't believe it. The boy actually managed to do it. I spent four weeks trying to do what he did his first time.” Lanzerus laughed coldly to himself. “Dear Lord you have just granted me one the greatest gifts you could have given me. Now if only I could get a hold of that sword. Wicked Point? Corrupt spike? I shouldn't have burned that book back in that dungeon.” Lanzerus said half disappointed with himself.

---

The Four, minus Ash, stood up as quickly as possible from the table and began spouting reasons as to why they had to be the absolute first to see Cael.

“Cael is like my child!” Arric said dashing up the stairs

“She is my friend and teacher!” Verris said running up after him

“She is a young girl who needs to learn more about the world of love
and relationships between a man and a woman!” Raleigh roared, his boot squeaking as he ran after Verris.

“Ash, stay here watch for anything suspicious. I need to stop them before something terrible happens.”She paused to sigh. “Cael isn't looking for guests right now.” Kate said gracefully pushing herself away from the table to slowly walk after the guys who made a mad dash up the stairs.

Ash looked at the now deserted table and the also deserted drinks. With a flourish she procured a cloth from her pack that she used to clean the rims of the glasses off, she smiled to herself, leaning back in the chair and taking a nice swig. “Mine now.”

---

“For someone with no prior knowledge of High-Church, Dervish, you have made exciting progress.” Lanzerus said watching Derrik, now outfitted with Acolyte robes and a mace at his hip. “Of course that potential would have been wasted if not for my tutelage.” Lanzerus laughed at himself before turning serious. “Now craft a golem using only High-Church. No Acolyte of mine will waste his time by dirtying the proud magic that is High-Church by mixing in bits and pieces of CAL.”

“Yessire,” Derrik said his speech slurred by the growing collection of bruises on his face most of them an angry purple. However one quick and slightly slurred incantation later and the boulders in front of him lurched slowly to life.

The boulders began to assume a very rough humanoid shape, a lot of gaps where magic had to suspend rocks where there wasn't any that could fill the gap and still move proficiently. The took a few staggered steps, before toppling over under magical pressure. “Let me try again.” Derrik said.

“No.” Lanzerus said delivering a punch to his face sending him to the ground. “We will move on, I guess Magical Animation just isn't your specialty.” He watched as the young man gathered his scattered wits and stood back up. “We have to find your specialty before much longer, I fear even with your specialty figured out we can't stop the group of heathens from trying to stop the lord's message from cleansing the world.”

“Group of heathenth?” Derrik slurred and spat out of his now swollen lips. “Cabn I get an ethplanathion of who thethe heathenth are?”

“Heal yourself before trying to talk to me boy. I can't stand to listen to you talk like you were born mentally incapable.”Lanzerus said watching Derrik. “THAT WAS AN ORDER.”

Derrik immediately spat out the incantation in High-Church flawlessly, his wounds glowed a bright yellow before settling back down to his regular skin-tone. “How was that?” Derrik said seeking approval from the man in front of him.

“Decent. Enough practice and you might actually be more useful than a pail of wood shavings.” Lanzerus said drawing his mace. “Let see how well you can heal a bit more, what is the word....”He look at Derrik before slamming the mace into his arm with a bone shattering crunch. “Heavier wound.”

---

Erin lead etoile to the local inn. “Are you sure they are here?” he asked nervously tugging the priest's cassock sleeves down over the back of his tattooed hands. He glanced around quickly. “Last time I met up with them they all grouped up on me and suddenly I was under some truth spell that made me answer three questions. They know that I am in fact not a sodian priest, and that I am after Kate.”

“Yes I am sure.” She spat venomously. “Unlike you I have a sense of direction, and also that was your own fault you were dumb enough to show off those fancy drawings on your arms to them.” She laughed.

“Yeah you definitely do have a sense of direction.” He said holding the inn door with a creak open for her as he thought “Yes, you do have a sense of direction indeed, a malformed sense of direction.”

Etoile stepped through the door and shot him a glare. “I CAN read minds you know...”She then looked around the inn room before looking back at him. “But thank you for being a gentleman and holding the door for a lady.”

Erin sat stunned. “Th-thank you? You actually thanked me?” He said in awe. “I don't believe it.”

“Normally people respond with you're welcome when they are thanked, but it is good to see you aren't deaf. Don't expect it again.” She responded her tone going from sweet to sour quickly.

“Did I show you what Khaos gave me before we left?” Erin said almost excitedly.

“No, what did my sweet nephew give a worthless being like you?” Etoile said looking half-amused and half-uncaring at the man acting like a child ready to show a friend a gift his parents had given him for doing something important.

“Wicked Spike.” Erin said lifting the sword out of its scabbard. The sword that in the hands of Khaos looked like nothing more than a hunk of rusting metal that vaguely resembled a sword, now in the hands of Erin looked like a well-kept knights sword, gilded hilt and jeweled pommel. “Khaos said that I should give it to Kate, that she knows what to do with it.”

Etoile Placed her hand over her face. “Khaos entrusted YOU with one of the Artifacts? My poor nephew must be going crazy.”

---

Ash in a now less than sober haze watched Erin and etoile enter. She registered Erin and immediately was up and stumbling towards them gathering speed as they turned to go up the stairs to the rooms.

Verris out of the four that had gotten up from the table had taken the lead, he had already made it a good two thirds of the way there. Arric trailed close behind, Then Raleigh and lastly was Kate whose run looked more like a brisk walk. Then out of nowhere, attacked a rogue rug, Pulling Verris to the ground. His limbs flailed before he hit the floor. Arric gracefully leaped over his fallen comrade. Raleigh laughed as Verris untangled himself from the rug in time to take third again.

As Raleigh was laughing an elderly woman opened her room door, Raleigh still not paying attention ran head long into it and fell to the floor dazed.

“So Sarry Sweethart. Did'n see ya running down the hall there.” She said looking at the Raleigh who refused to get up.

“Back when I served as a knight WE apologized when we was running drunk into walls.” He said hitting the downed rogue with his cane. “Next time watch where you are running and try drinking less next time!” he said as his wife took him by the arm and they started down the hallway.

Verris took his turn to laugh as he walked past Raleigh who was busy being a retired Knight's canning dummy.

“Help me.” Raleigh pleaded extending a hand to verris who was already long gone down the hallway. However Kate saw him and was quick to help him back up and heal his bruising.

“Kate, why aren't you running up front, you could easily pass Verris who has probably already outran Arric?” Asked Raleigh as Kate fished out an anti-burn salve and a bandage. “Because you guys are eventually going to hurt each other so much that I will win anyway.” She said smiling.

“Why do you have a bandage and an anti-bu-,” He cut himself short as they turned the corner to find Arric on the floor covered in a fine layer of soot. “What are you? A freaking Pain detector!?”

“No, I am just a well prepared healer.” She said magically tending to Arric's major burns before applying the slave ot the lesser one and quickly field dressing the wounds.

“Thanks Kate, Verris is dead-set on being first into see Cael.”

“If I am not there you can remove the set because right now Cael isn't quite mentally prepared for visitors.” Kate said, making quite possibly the first serious face Arric had ever seen on her.

“Mentally Prepared?”Arric questioned.

“Imagine yourself and everything you know turned upside down in a matter of days. Imagine the body you are currently in being completely different at the end of those days. Different eyes, Height, shape, practically a whole new body.” Kate responded. “Imagine that everything your culture says about how you are currently living is wrong and you have to almost relearn everything.” she paused. “That is not mentally prepared.”

“I can't even begin to fathom it.” Raleigh threw in. “It would be impossible.”

“Your Scar?” Kate said. “Arric's hair?”

“Yes, I know but those were wanted changes, I was certainly ready to give up a few grey spots.” Arric said

“My scar sort of defined me but it also was a constant reminder of everything I had done in Ura after my parents died. To be quite honest I didn't know how I felt when you first healed me.” Raleigh said twirling his daggers around in his hands.

“Yes, you both gained from my healing, however for Cael's Sake it transcends you or me or even her.” Kate said as they approached Cael's room, the door slightly ajar.

“OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT GET OUT!” Cael screamed as Verris ran from the room, followed closely behind by Cael's knife, her backpack, her staff, her shoes, Becca's dress, a couple of potions, and a bolt of lightning. Light, yet stomping footsteps were heard as the blonde elf poked her head out into the hall. “IF I WANTED TO TALK I WOULD HAVE ASKED YOU TO TALK TO ME!” She screamed slamming her door.

“Cael doesn't seem to want to talk right now.” Verris said looking at the small pile of thrown objects, and the knife that has found its new home embedded hilt deep into the wall.

“Really?” Mocked Raleigh as he attempted to pull the knife out of the wall to no avail. “I wouldn't have guessed, especially after she managed to throw her belt knife handle deep into the wall!” he said giving the knife a flick only to watch it stand fast in its now, most likely permanent resting place.

---

“Concentrate boy, you won't get past the pain of that broken arm unless you concentrate.” Lanzerus said watching Derrik struggle through what was obvious amounts of pain. “When my Teacher did this to me I quickly learned that pain is the best motivator. Come on now, I don't have all day to listen to you gasp in pain, heal your damned arm.”

Derrik sat and tried to control his breathing enough to where he could say the chant to heal his arm but found the more he tried to concentrate on the incantation the stronger the pain got in his arm. “L-anzerus...I can't handle this pain!” he said feeling the bone in his arm spasm in unison with his muscles as his brain cried from relief. “I focus on the chant, and the arm hurts worse.”

Lanzerus sighed. “One, don't tell me you 'can't' anything, and two. If you 'can't' focus on the chant, instead do the opposite focus on the pain. Bear through it and just chant what sounds right in High-Church, if you are truly meant to be my student then what you instinctively chant will be correct.”

Derrik followed the order focusing on the sharp, stabbing pain, his head swam the longer he focused, eventually almost to the point of blacking out he found himself saying something, he couldn't focus on it because he was almost unconscious but the pain subsided as he fell over. Before he was completely out he said. “Father Lanzerus, I did it.”

“I don't believe it. The boy actually managed to do it. I spent four weeks trying to do what he did his first time.” Lanzerus laughed coldly to himself. “Dear Lord you have just granted me one the greatest gifts you could have given me. Now if only I could get a hold of that sword. Wicked Point? Corrupt spike? I shouldn't have burned that book back in that dungeon.” Lanzerus said half disappointed with himself.
---
Well, its been tough, finals week, Still Jobless, but hey I got another chapter out for all of you who still y'know actually take time to read my drivel. Have fun, may this provide at least some comic relief at my attempts to assemble some form of plot, if you can call it that.{Highlight to read} Next chapter, there will in fact be cameo appearances, be vigilante!