After hyperventilating for a few seconds, Tess managed to find her calm. She did so by staring at the infirmary table for a full two minutes. It was white with a green cabinet next to it. Must’ve run out of pink…

After she was done, she looked from the table to us, her eyes steadier. Our diminutive leader beckoned to the cabinets, “Ah, ah hem! Inside the shelves are mostly items physicians will use when a cleric is unavailable, but there are a few things we can use when there’s a curse, plague, or child involved.”

Tess’ voice was more sure now, her face less filled with worry. Each word seemed to pacify her shaking a fraction more.

“Wait, if there’s healing magic, what need is there for doctors?”

“There are only so many of us healers, therefore physicians are still very important. Also, your healing is limited to how much empathy you have, so we must always prioritize those most in need first,” she replied instantly, her words somewhat monotone as though reciting a passage.

“Uh, what would be different about healing a child?” Courtney asked, a bit worried.

“We only use the divine on children if they’re seriously hurt, under no other circumstances. It’s to prevent parents from bringing their children every time they fall down or experience a little blunt force trauma. Don’t worry, healing a child is no different than healing an adult.”

Hmm, I’d always thought that rule was to make kids tougher.

Tess brought us to the right side of the myriad of stacked cages where she had us all choose one with a wounded animal. I reached out to grab one with a particularly ugly chicken inside, but Tess stopped me.

“No! Uh, please, everyone pick a rabbit for today, they’re more cute so it will be much easier for practice.”

Shrugging, I picked a cage containing a limping black rabbit. The others each chose a white rabbit while Tess grabbed a small bloody duck. We brought them to the infirmary table and laid the cages side by side in a square.

Our senior plucked the yellow duck gingerly from its cage. She cooed to the creature and tried to comfort it by stroking its back. It responded by letting out a few confused quacks.

“Always try to soothe your patients, the calmer they are the easier it is to heal them.”

She put one hand over the duck’s bloody wing.

“Remember to empathize with the afflicted. With cute animals, children, and pleasing people the difficulty will be far less.”

“Pleasing people?” I asked, perhaps some people gave off auras that actually attracted people to them instead of repelling.

“Yes, um… You know, people with pleasing countenances.”

Ah, the handsome and the beautiful. I muffled a chuckle, those bastards, just another benefit tossed their way.

“That’s…not fair…” Courtney mumbled.

She wasn’t wrong, but Courtney was ignoring the fact that life itself wasn’t impartial. There was no fairness, no true justice, no karmic rewards or punishments. Many thought it a failing of humanity, when in fact it is a merely a universal constant. Whether it’s looks, talent, birth, affinities, or intellect, no two people were ever identical. Was it fair that some were born gifted with strength or insight, while others were born maimed or simpletons? No, but life was unfair, that’s just how it is. Better than bitching about your lot, was actually doing something about it.

When it came to the creation and enforcement of laws, fairness had a place, but only a minor one. Our world had seen firsthand the realization of fairness, it was not nearly the perfection many thought it would be. May you burn in hell forever, Carolineus, so that you have some faint idea what evils you begot.

I shook my head, dispelling those unpleasant thoughts.

“It’s just how it is, you’ll understand in time,” Tess responded, her eyes casting doubt on Melissa and Courtney.

“But…”

“That’s just how it is,” I parroted gently to Courtney, best to move forward, “Anything else, Tess?”

“Oh, um, yeah!” Tess replied, “Let me show you your stance! Hold your staff or wand in one hand while another hand is on the afflicted, after much practice and your first etching, you won’t have to be touching them, which will be so much better. Our patients tend to be a bit, um, unseemly… All the blood and tremoring from the pain, don’t you know.”

She was one to talk about someone else’s shaking.

“The next step is to focus on your patient, feel pity for them, the afflicted, the downtrodden, the less fortunate. Gather these emotions in your heart and channel them into your staff, then onto the invalid.”

Tess breathed in heavily, her eyes shut peacefully. I felt her arcane stir from her heart and then move into her wand. The pink lodestone coated shaft lit up brighter and brighter before the red heart-shaped lodestone at the tip flashed brilliant red and white. A white pulse weakly emanated from her hand just over the duck. Its wound was slowly healed in front of us.

Melissa, Courtney, and Tess all smiled at the warm sensations from the divine arcane. The duck too seemed to be in a peaceful revery. Clenching my teeth, I did my best to observe without seeming perturbed. I had the same sensation that something was off. It was weaker than with Kevin or the injured fire mage, but the healing sensation was repulsive to me. The divine was working, the animal was being healed and it had no complaints, but… Ah, it was something I couldn’t quite categorize.

Finally the pulsing and flashing ended. The little duck was completely healed, only the large section of blood mottled feathers any indication that something had been wrong.

“Wow!” The girls awed.

Tess smiled and tenderly returned the duck to its cage. I still detected an uneasy feeling emanating from the duck, as though…

Tess interrupted my thoughts, “Now, your turn! Take your animals out and place them on the table, don’t worry, they are under the effects of the cages’ calming enchantment, they will not run away.”

We all followed her instructions, placing the rabbits on the table. Melissa’s had a few deep talon scratches on its hind end whereas Courtney’s was breathing heavily. I grabbed my dark hazel wand, no need to be further ostracized because of my choice in staffs.

“So we just channel our power into the staff, how exactly again?” Courtney asked, holding a well-made brown staff with three lodestones.

Well, well. Just how fair was her staff compared to mine and those of so many others here? Funny how those with an unfair leg up were only concerned about fairness when it didn’t involve them having to lose anything…

“All of you have tattoos or etchings, so merely by watching and experiencing, it should come naturally. Again, first hold your wands, staffs, up and place a hand over your patient, feel for them, sympathize with them.”

Melissa and Courtney went first, scrunching their faces for a few moments before repeating the process Tess had done. I felt their affinities activate deep in their chests, sensed the same arcane pulse light up their staves, saw their arcanes then focus into their free hands. Both rabbits were beginning to heal when the process stopped so that the two could take a few ragged breaths.

“This, this is harder than it looks!”

Tess giggled in agreement, “Empathy is hard, which is why we must train in it daily. Until you master feeling empathy, your SP pool will be meaningless. You must embrace your feelings, and more importantly, the feelings of others.”

Gods, kill me now. I was already beginning to miss the Vice Dean…

The two nodded before trying again. After two more attempts they had healed their charges, an aura was emitted from their animals. The three reveled in it, while I did my best to ignore the creepy impression. Perhaps I was allergic to the power of friendship and pink?

Sighing I imitated the examples I had seen. I closed my eyes, thinking of the cute ball of fur I was healing. Nothing. Gah, I tried again, imagining the rabbit being a mother to a den of poor starving babies left to fend for themselves. Nope. I tried imagining them being found by predators and torn to pieces, black fur flying everywhere. Nada. The only reaction that occurred was my stomach rumbling at the thought of rabbit stew.

Opening my eyes, I saw the blank furry face staring at me as its cheeks continually puffed. Cute as the creature was, he’d be even cuter well roasted on a platter with a cherry in his mouth.

I tried for a few minutes more, but whether for lack of empathy or some other unknown factor, I was unsuccessful. Melissa and Courtney gave me sad smiles, trying their best to encourage me, while Tess… Her slightly upturned lips and the bright glint in her eye said it all. I could just imagine the other divine mages having a good laugh with her at that foolish, incompetent, male cleric.

Screw it all, empathy wasn’t working, time to try something else.

I closed my eyes again, a plan quickly forming based upon my training with the water arcane. First, I felt the rabbit, delicately placing my fingers just upon its wounded leg. From what I understood of arcani, you began by feeling the element it was attributed to and worked on manipulating that before doing anything more complex. I made one last attempt with my divine arcane, which ended with me sensing that there was something wrong with my rabbit’s health. Wow, my arcane could provide a diagnosis that’d be useful only if the attending physician was inept and blind.

It was time to see if my water arcane could fill in for the failings of the divine. Slowly I probed the animal, first using my water affinity to feel the blood flowing through the tissues. There was some sort of interconnected matrix, water dispersed all throughout, not just in the blood. This gave me some feedback, but it was far too convoluted to be of much use to me.

Instead I focused more on the flowing solution of blood. It was difficult, like the wine I could only affect the liquid minutely, and had little idea what the impurities in it were. But, I could feel how it flowed, and after a few minutes, noticed how that was interrupted at certain places. Focusing on these portions, I tried to recreate the sensations from when my own divine arcane had healed me. Slowly, very slowly, I felt my affinity resonate inside my chest. It grew into a ball the size of my thumb, fighting every step of the way against my manipulation.

Concentrating as hard as I could, I cautiously moved this energy from my heart to my extended hand, then to the critter before me, carefully having it flow into the damaged areas. There was a shudder and low plaintive cry from the rabbit, I ignored it, sending the divine where I thought it was most needed. Almost instantaneously the blockages were removed, the blood flowing as it was meant to. My touch registered the swelling on the leg decreasing with every second.

I had that eerie vibe from before. Instinctively I pulled back some of the divine, reducing the intensity of the negative feedback. After thirty seconds I gasped, opening my eyes. Both my group and the rabbit looked at me horrified.

“What? What have you done!” Tess cried.

Perplexed, I looked at her before looking back at the rabbit. It shivered violently. The thing’s leg looked better than before and sure enough, it quickly hopped back into its cage unhurt, before cowering in the corner farthest from me.

“I, uh, healed it?” I stated, confused at everyone’s reaction, the damn thing was healed, what more did they expect?

“Not only did you not use your divine correctly, injuring the bunny, but you also failed to use your wand!”

“What?!”

I looked at my wand, realization hitting me. No, I hadn’t used it. I’d planned on utilizing it, but it was hard enough finding a way around this ridiculous empathy crap. Oh shit, more potential damage to my soul…

Tess’s response had my back up, but even worse was the reaction from that little… Ungrateful…rabbit.

“Yeah, I forgot to use my staff, but what the hell do you mean I injured the rabbit?! His leg is healed!”

“Yes, but you didn’t use the divine arcane properly! When you heal without empathy, your patient will experience pain. We clerics strive to never do any harm to our patients!”

“Harm?! Pain?! The damn thing can go hippity-hop now! So what if it hurt a bit?!”

“Em-pa-thy. It is far superior to recklessly healing without it! Luckily the bunny was only mildly injured, with your method, the greater the injury, the greater the suffering and anguish! Empathy acts to cushion the afflicted, relieving them of all pain and insecurity while still healing. You must never heal without empathy again!”

The short, thin, girl looked at me threateningly. Well, as threatening as a fifty-pound scarecrow could manage. I wanted to argue, but we were already attracting the attention of the table nearest to us, best to concede this battle. For now…

“Alright, my apologies. What do I need to do then?”

After a moment to place her face in her hands to attempt to wipe away the anger, Tess pointed to the cages.

“Grab another rabbit, we’ll try this again. Try to grab one that’s not too injured, uh,” there was an awkward pause before her eyes sparkled, “How about the spotted one on the far-left side?”

I nodded, doing my best not to show my own vexation. As I walked over to the cages, I saw two girls from the aforementioned table showing some movement. The rabbit she had mentioned was the last one on the left, and the only animal to be alone in its column. I paused, looking at the other columns that were stacked five to seven cages high. This was, odd.

Just wanting this damned class to be over, I stepped in front of the cage. The rabbit was brown with large black and white spots. I squatted and gazed thoughtfully at the creature, its eyes as lifeless as a doll’s. As I cautiously reached for the rabbit, two petite arms snatched the cage. A girl in white held the cage tightly to her side while looking down at me.

“Humph! Have you no manners? This is my rabbit, Spotty!”

She stuck her nose up in the air and strutted back to her table. I stood there, frozen in place by the absurdity of it. Did she really just steal a rabbit from me, and…Spotty? Ugh, I took a few deep breaths, she had been rude, extremely rude… Just let it go Tome, let it go.

I turned back to the cages and reached for another sickly rabbit on top of the third row. Another pair of arms attached to two oversized breasts snatched it before I could grasp the handle.

“This one’s mine!”

I glared as a different girl from their group walked cheekily back to the now boisterously laughing group. Forget pink, I saw red. As I stood fuming, I listened intently to the praises the two thieves received from their table. Even more carefully I burned their faces and names, Clea and Suby, into my mind. I would get back at them, one way or another…

Chuckling a bit too insanely through my gritted teeth, I grabbed a rabbit with a bruised face and headed back to my group.

“What little bitches!” Melissa commented.

Courtney nodded her agreement and Tess’s satisfaction vainly struggled to turn her lips even higher than her gaunt face would allow. Three, there were now three Godsdamn clerics I intended to pay back…

“Now, this time…” Tess began, pointing to my new rabbit.

“Hey, boy! Your little friend, Spotty, seems to prefer me to you!”

The girl, Suby, held up my original choice, the spotted rabbit.

“You know, you should just give up on healing, uncouth people like yourself just can’t cut it! In fact, watch this!”

Suby cradled the animal in her arms, pulling out a gaudy yellow wand. She quickly activated her divine, performed the correct procedure, and a healing light was cast over Spotty. Seething, I watched as the fresh-looking gash on its face illuminated. After ten seconds the girl stopped, flashing me a toothy grin of superiority.

“How do you like my abilities?”

Angrily I tried to come up with the perfect retort, before appreciating that there was no need.

“What abilities?” I asked, a smug grin across my face.

“?”

“You know, if you’re going to brag, you should at least have the talent to back it up,” I pointed at Spotty’s face, his gash prominently still open.

“The hell!?” Suby asked.

Grabbing his sides, she lifted Spotty to her face to better examine the gash. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, peering deeply at the unhealed cut. Spotty puffed his cheeks once, before freezing in place.

“But I did everyth…”

“Chomp!”

In in instant, the cute, spotted rabbit morphed into a tangle of red and black maws, yellow teeth of all types and sizes ominously filling each. The largest of these orifices replaced its face and ensued to take a huge mouthful out of Suby’s face. Blood spewed out as the mouth chewed her face clean off, parts of her skull visible through the smatterings of muscle that remained. The creature, a mimic, twirled its always changing ball of a body into the cleric beside Suby, taking several bites out of her abdomen.

The whirl of carnage knocked the divine mage to the ground, continuously taking sickeningly wet crunches out of the wailing woman. All the girls jumped back, eliciting the thing’s attention. It leapt towards Clea, sheering both her breasts clean off before launching itself towards another mage. Blood was spurting and pooling all around now, odd bits of flesh speckled throughout from the creature’s messy dining.

Perhaps I misspoke, maybe there was such a thing as fairness afterall…

By now everyone was screaming, a few of the senior looking mages were running towards the massacre while everyone else was running away. Melissa and Courtney had a brief conversation about helping, but realized they couldn’t due to a lack of any offensive spells or weapons. I didn’t really hear them, I was too focused on a more pressing issue.

Just how in the hell could I toss Tess into that little murder ball without anyone noticing?

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The most perverse evils always began with a noble thought in mind. What man was ever convinced to do a deed because it was the most repugnant choice? Whenever you must decide on which path to tread, think not of what is fair, right, or just, but what is practical, efficient, and serviceable. Kindness is a weakness, virtue a distraction, and equity an illusion. Let the world curse you all they want, the only thing that matters in the end is whether it’s your neck or theirs that is yoked.

-The Dark Lord, Second Great Calamity Requiems Vol. 2