Adolin wasn't having a great day.
After getting kicked out of the shop, it didn't take long for the guards to notice him. They didn't ask questions. They just grabbed him and threw him back in the harbor district.
He hadn't realized how hard the life of a normal citizen could be. This was probably closer to the life of an unhygienic addict.
The stares were still there.
Now, they stung.
Adolin sat on a barrel, his gaze drifting over the open sea.
He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next.
He needed to clean his body and get rid of the smell. Find proper clothing, something that wasn't rags. Make himself presentable enough so that shopkeepers wouldn't chase him out, and he could ask for a job.
A simple water spell wouldn't fix the smell, but it could handle the dirt. Anything stronger would require additional mana. Double. Maybe even triple what he had.
He clicked his tongue.
"Archmage with the mana pool of a dog," he muttered.
His gaze shifted to the dockworkers unloading cargo from a ship.
A basic levitate spell would make that job trivial. But he probably would get chased out or maybe even beaten before he could offer his help.
Telian was still waiting for him to heal his mother.
He needed to use spells that the blessing hadn't recorded to grow faster. He had enough mana for one healing spell, and he had already used it twice.
Maybe his mother would know how he could earn some coin. That would make it worth healing her.
Dareth's memories were useless in that regard. If they weren't, he wouldn't have died in a back alley for a bronze coin.
Adolin exhaled quietly and pushed himself off the barrel.
It didn't take him long to get back, but more than three hours had passed since he woke up in this world. Night was coming. He needed a place to stay. Or at least food.
Telian was lying next to his mother, asleep. She looked the same as when he'd left her. Getting rid of the corrupted mana wasn't something the kid should see. He'd already seen enough. Adolin didn't want him watching what came next. It wouldn't be pleasant.
That was one of the reasons he left before he could see the aftermath of the addict he'd healed.
He nudged the boy with his foot. The boy stirred, blinking up at him. It took a second to recognize him before he pushed himself upright.
"Mister!" Telian's voice lit up. "Will my mom be better now?"
The kid looked up at him, eyes bright.
It took him a few moments to work out the words, "She will be better."
Telian grabbed his sleeve, eyes wide.
"You promise?"
Adolin coughed. "I promise. I'm going to need a... favor."
"What is it, mister?"
Was it even safe to let the kid wander off?
He wasn't sure. He didn't have enough mana to block his senses.
He clicked his tongue.
That left him with no good options. His plan had failed before it even started.
"Is it safe for you to take a walk?" Adolin said.
The kid stared at him, confused.
This was harder than he expected. The kid had been fine so far. He'd be fine for fifteen minutes. Hopefully.
"Go… walk," Adolin said. He paused, searching for the words. "Come back… fifteen minutes."
Telian hesitated. "But—"
"Go."
"…Okay."
The kid started walking toward the harbor.
Smart kid, Adolin thought.
He waited until the kid was far enough away, then knelt beside the woman. He checked her eyes again. The spark was still there, but dimmer than before. As expected.
The spark had never been wrong.
He grabbed her shoulders and turned her onto her side. His hands slipped slightly, so he adjusted, bracing her with his knee. That left his right hand free.
Taking a deep breath, he touched her head and cast the healing spell.
Three seconds later, her body jerked. Adolin held her in place as she gasped, retching violently.
Dark fluid spilled from her mouth, the smell sharp and pungent.
Her whole body trembled with each heave.
After a whole minute, it was finally over. Adolin moved her from the black liquid on the ground. The woman was breathing hard, and the spark slowly grew brighter. She would be fine after some rest.
He stood and looked at the liquid on the ground.
He checked his mana. There was still some left—
not enough for a spell, but enough to work with.
He reached into his core, pulled what little remained, and guided it outward, surrounding the liquid.
The simplest way to deal with corrupted mana was to burn it with mana natured toward destruction. There were more efficient methods, but with what he had left, this would have to do.
Fire.
The mana shifted, responding to his will. Violet flames flared to life around the black liquid. They burned hot enough to consume even the smell.
After a few moments, nothing remained.
Then a translucent window appeared before his eyes.
[New Skill Detected: Mana Control.]
[Skill Tier: 8]
[Level Increased.]
[Attribute Points Available: 4]
Adolin stared at it. Tier 8? That alone gave him three attribute points. It didn't make sense. The control he'd used to burn the liquid wasn't anything special.
He frowned slightly.
He needed to find a library and figure out how the skill tiers worked. And where to spend his points.
Intelligence was supposed to affect mana. At least, that was Dareth's guess. The boy hadn't been certain. Adolin wasn't about to risk it on a guess.
He felt his mana pool expand.
"Status."
[Status:]
Name: Dareth Wood
Race: Human
Mana: 1/60
Level: 6
Class: /
[Attributes:]
Strength: 8
Agility: 9
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 6
Constitution: 8
Attribute Points Available: 4
He looked at the mana value, then at the intelligence attribute. Both had doubled. From three points and thirty mana. To six points and sixty mana. So the boy might have been right. Still, that wasn't enough to act on. No point wasting points when he didn't understand the system yet.
"T-Thank you." The woman said.
Adolin nodded toward her.
The kid wasn't back yet. Not surprising. He'd said fifteen minutes. It had only been five. Adolin glanced at the woman. She was still breathing hard.
It felt awkward.
Still, leaving now didn't feel right. So he stayed, looking out toward the harbor.
Some time later, the breathing returned to normal.
"Did you help me?"
"Yes," Adolin said.
"Thanks." She swallowed hard, "Why?"
"Talian asked me to," Adolin said.
That felt like the best answer he could give.
She smiled at first, then the smile was gone. "What would it cost?"
She held her breath, waiting for the answer.
"Nothing." Her expression didn't change at that, so he had to elaborate. "For... kid."
"No." Her expression tightened, fear creeping in. "Please… take me instead. Leave Telian alone."
Adolin tilted his head.
"What?"
She looked around, still dazed, then focused on him again.
"You're not taking him, "she said, her voice tight.
Adolin stared at her.
That wasn't what he meant. How did she even get that from what he said? His speech wasn't great, but not that bad.
"W-Where is Talian?"
Adolin needed to de-escalate the situation. But he also needed to choose his words more carefully, so that she didn't jump to an even worse conclusion.
"Talian... will be back. "
She remained frozen.
Adolin just hoped the boy would be back soon. This wasn't good for his mother's health.
"Mom!" Telian ran toward her.
She turned just as Telian rushed into her arms. He clung to her tightly, and she held him just as firmly. They stayed like that, both of them crying.
Adolin was glad the misunderstanding was over.
That had been awkward.
Very awkward.
Adolin just stood there while the boy and his mother talked.
When it was finally over, she turned to him.
"I'm Lira," she said softly. "Thank you."
"Dareth," Adolin said.
Lira hesitated for a moment, then she said, "Will the cravings come back?"
Adolin wasn't sure. In his old world, they didn't disappear after Precision Healing. That didn't mean it wouldn't work here.
It shouldn't. But based on how much corrupted mana she'd purged, there was a chance. A small one. He'd need to check to be certain.
Analyze would be enough. Or Body Analyze, if he wanted to be thorough.
His mana pool was growing, but it was still not enough to use them. If it grew a few more times, he would be able to.
"Not sure," he said, focusing as he spoke slowly, so that he wouldn't come to another misunderstanding with Lira. "Could check tomorrow. But you would feel it sooner if you still have them."
Lira was staring at the floor, with a distant expression, as if she was trying to hold it all together.
Adolin added, "Don't worry. If the cravings are still there... I can fix it." He felt like he didn't butcher any words.
Her face brightened at that, and she ruffled Talian's hair.
The boy was sitting in her lap with a bright smile.
The corner of his lips twitched.
Adolin wanted to click his tongue, but it wasn't the right moment.
He had a feeling this was going to become his problem.
Lira was barely older than Dareth. It didn't feel right to leave them out here. Not like he had anything better to offer.
"Do you have anywhere to stay?" Adolin asked.
Lira hesitated, "I don't know… if they'll let me back."
Adolin glanced at the boy.
Lira gave a small, tired smile.
"He stays with them," she said. "He just runs off to see me."
"Family?" Adolin said.
Lira nodded, "My mom."
Adolin didn't know what else to say. He settled for an awkward smile.
Lira looked him up and down. "You?"
"Bad couple of days," Adolin said, letting out a quiet chuckle.
Lira gave a small smile. "She should let me back. It's just… the Shade. That's why she kicked me out." She hesitated, "Now that I'm clean, she should let me stay. At least for a few days."
Adolin nodded and offered Lira his hand.
She took it and stood.
"I'll walk you there," Adolin said.
They started walking towards the harbor, while Lira said, "You are not from around here?"
"No," Adolin said, but he didn't elaborate.
Lira smiled, "Didn't think so. You're too young to be a priest, and they never work for free."
"Priest?"
The bitter taste returned to his mouth.
"The healing magic. Only priests can heal."
That was new information for Adolin. He knew that people could get healed at temples, not that only the priests could use healing magic.
"I'm a mage," Adolin said.
They walked in silence, and passed the harbor, then entered the market. The market was not as crowded as it was in the morning. The shopkeepers were shutting down their shops and stalls. But there were still more people than Adolin would have liked.
It took them around half an hour to get to the district the house was in.
"She lives near Mith's Academy of Magic," Lira said.
"Magic academy?"
Lira nodded. "The biggest in the Empire. My mother works there. She's a professor."
"Why didn't she heal you?"
"She did. Once."
Lira hesitated. "But the cravings were too strong…"
Adolin frowned. "They couldn't fix that?"
"Only the High Priest can." She looked away. "My mother isn't on good terms with him. So I had to deal with it on my own, but…"
He wasn't sure why that was. Then again, addiction wasn't something healing magic could fix. It fell under mind magic. Maybe there weren't many mages advanced enough in it. That would explain it. He had a few ways to deal with it. It depended on what he could manage the fastest.
A dozen men in black hoods stepped out from the alleys.
Blades glinted in their hands.
Adolin noticed them, but kept walking.
"How far?" he asked.
"Next street," Lira said.
He glanced at the boy between them and ruffled his hair.
Lira slowed slightly. Her gaze flicked from one alley to another, her shoulders tensing.
She saw them.
"Dareth…"
"Lira." His tone didn't change. "Go straight to the house. Don't stop."
She shook her head faintly.
"I—"
"I'll come later," Adolin said.
Her eyes widened.
"Go."
Adolin didn't want to scare the boy, so he stopped.
Lira kept walking, speaking to Telian, keeping him distracted.
The boy laughed softly at something Lira said.
The masked men moved in. By the time she reached the next street,
Adolin was surrounded.