In Search Of A Healer

After escorting Iris and Wompa back to the inn, they found Sirks waiting there for them. Upon seeing both of them injured, he was furious at Kies for not protecting them well enough. Iris tried to reason with Sirks, explaining to him that it wasn't his fault as she was the one that wanted to follow him, but Kies stopped her. Sirks had all the reason in the world to be angry with him and there was no point in her trying to defend him. Had he just gone all out at the start instead of being stingy and hiding his magic, they wouldn't have been hurt at all.

Anyhow, he wasn't the only one that received a scolding. Both the two girls also got an earful from Sirks, Iris for doing something so dangerous, and Wompa for not stopping her foolish sister. "And you also came into contact with that royal guard! Ugh!" Sirks looked like he wanted to pull his hair out. "Do you know how risky that was?"

"Yes..." Iris and Wompa both nodded their heads.

"And I thought you would know better," he turned to Kies, the person responsible for getting the two into the mess in the first place. He was the most disappointed in Kies since it was his job was to keep the two of them safe. After taking a brief moment to calm down, Sirks shook his head and told Kies, "That mercenary is waiting for you in the tavern right now. You should see what he wants."

Kies didn't say anything and walked out of the room. He gently closed the behind him and walked out of the inn and towards the tavern. When he walked out of the inn, he saw that the skies were red. The sun was starting to set, creating brilliant red streaks across the cloudless skies. The streets were flooded with people and it took Kies a lot longer than he should've taken had it been the morning or some other time when there weren't so many people.

When he made it to the tavern, he opened the door and walked in. No one really paid much attention to him as he walked in. He looked around for the mercenary that Sirks was talking about and found him sitting at one of the tables in the corner of the room. He went over to the mercenary and sat down in front of him.

"Howdy!" the mercenary greeted Kies, his breath reeking of alcohol. Kies pushed his chair a bit away from the mercenary. "Ah, sorry... I should have drank in consideration," the mercenary apologized to Kies.

"No worries." He wasn't worried about his stinky breath as much as he was worried about the smell getting into his clothes. "I should thank you for saving one of our members, shouldn't I?" Kies reached for his pouch and pulled out a couple of coins. He didn't have much, but it should be more than enough for a couple of drinks. Before he had the chance to put them on the table, the mercenary stood up and reached across the table, stopping Kies.

"No, you don't need to do that. I already asked for a favor, didn't I?" he said, referring to this meeting.

"Right... You did." Kies put the coins back, a little thankful that he refused his offer. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Kies asked the mercenary, clueless as to what he might want from him.

"Hm? We don't have to get straight into it, you know. Why don't you order something to eat first? It'll be my treat."

"No thanks," Kies told the mercenary that it wasn't necessary.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't have the time to stay here and eat. I have something to do." It wasn't a lie. He really did have something else to do after hearing what the mercenary had to say.

"Oh... In that case, I'll make this quick." He put down his glass of beer and stretched his body, taking a moment to sober up. "Okay, so here's the thing," the mercenary started. "I want to ask if you can help me with a little something."

"What exactly?" Kies prompted the mercenary to explain to him what it was that he wanted.

The mercenary reached into his clothes and pulled out a wrinkled letter and handed it to Kies. Kies took the letter and read it. "So, are you interested?" the mercenary asked Kies after he finished reading the contents of the letter.

"Not really."

"What? But it's a great offer, especially for you! I think it goes without saying, but this job is a lot safer than being a mercenary," he pointed out.

"I can't. I won't be staying in this place for long," Kies explained to the mercenary. According to the letter, there was a job opening for a bodyguard at a noble's house. They were looking for someone around the same age as their daughter who was also skilled with weapons.

"That's a shame..." the mercenary disappointedly said.

"May I ask what your relationship is to this person?" Kies found it a little weird for the mercenary to be offering him a job like this.

"Oh, that? It's from a friend. He wanted his daughter to have a friend her age. As you can imagine, finding a friend as a noble isn't exactly the easiest."

"And what made you think that I was a good candidate for the job?"

"Don't know... You're strong. That's a given. In a couple of years, you'll be able to best Trisha. You'll be able to protect her. And you also look around her age. She's quite the looker too. Who knows, you two just might make a good-"

"I'll have to stop you right there," Kies held out his hand to the mercenary before he could continue any further. "This really just sounds like you're trying to find a marriage candidate for her."

"Oh, sorry."

Kies got up from the seat and turned to walk out. "Wait, are you sure you don't want to reconsider. This is a decent-paying job. You also get to live in a mansion, and food and other necessaries are provided to you on top of that." The offer would have drawn in anybody else, but not Kies.

"Sorry," he refused the mercenary again, making his decision clear to him.

"Well, that's a shame. But I'll be here if you ever reconsider. You probably won't find a better opportunity outside of Otane."

Probably not, but he wasn't looking for opportunities. He was looking for the Stormcaller's fragments. Unless the family could provide him with those, he had no reason to be working there. "Got it," Kies told the mercenary. If the opportunity ever arises that he wanted to accept it, then he will be sure to come back.

Kies left the mercenary's guild and headed back into the main square of the city. He wasn't going back to the inn. He needed to meet someone else first. Kies reached into his pocket and took out the leaf that the elf had given to him. He let go of it and it fluttered to the air, seemingly getting picked away by the wind. Kies followed the leaf through the crowd of people until it stopped outside of an unexpected building.

"What..." The leaf flew back down into his palm and Kies put it away. Standing several meters tall in front of him was the inn. The same inn that Sirks and the girls were in. Was the elf in here too? Well, since the leaf led here, it had to mean that elf was here too. Kies wasted no time and headed into the inn. He looked around the first floor and didn't see the elf seated at any of the tables. This meant that the elf was somewhere upstairs in her room, probably.

Kies walked up the stairs and took out the leaf again. He let it guide him to the door of the room that the elf was behind and was once again surprised to find where it led to. Kies grabbed the leaf before it could fly into the room and put it in his pocket. He stood in front of the door and looked behind him. Right behind him was the room that Sirks rented.

"..."

It was amazing how small the world was. To have the elf be right in front of them the entire time... But then again, it wasn't like she had a house here so the only place she could possibly be is an inn, and it just so happens that she is in the same inn as them. Kies knocked on the door and waited. He heard footsteps approach him and the door creaked open.

"Greetings," a voice greeted him before the door completely opened. The elf's head popped out and she saw who it was. "Oh... It's you."

"Hi."

"Have you considered my offer?"

"Yes, but before that, I have to finish my mission here."

"Oh. In that case, I'll stay. Anyway, is that all you have to tell me? I doubt you came all the way here just to tell me that."

"No, I have something else to talk to you about," Kies told her. The elf's intuition was on point.

"And what would that be?"

"I need you to heal some people for me."

"Heal? What makes you think I know healing magic?" the elf asked Kies, amused that he would think that. "Just because I'm an elf, it doesn't mean I can heal people, nor does it mean that I am an expert when it comes to herbs and other medicine."

"But you are, aren't you," Kies said confidently. He knew for a matter of fact that she was an expert in the things that she just mentioned.

"And how would you know that?"

"Just a hunch."

"Well..." The elf chuckled softly. "You're right. I am indeed a healer."

---

Grammar errors, story errors, other errors, and advice, email flightless05@gmail.com

Thanks!