“Daniel Chai. Miner. I’m here to join the Adventurer’s Guild.” Answering the guard’s questions, Daniel looks across the 10 foot wooden wall that seperates the dungeon town Karlak from the wilderness once again before letting his gaze rest upon the guard and his pike once more.

The guard stares at Daniel, calling up the little status view screen that he can see to confirm the truth of Daniel’s words before he nods, flicking a glance at his partner before he gestures Daniel and his employer in. With a flick of his reins, Atrieus sets the wagon rolling.

“I turn off here boy. You okay with being paid now?” his companion and temporary employer grunts at Daniel. A flicker of irritation crosses Daniel’s face, but he dismisses it. At 21, Daniel was well past the age when the term boy was appropriate, but as Atrieus had watched him grow up working the mines, it wasn’t as if protesting a millionth time would make a difference. “That’s fine. Thank you.”

“Damn waste boy. You sure you want to do this?” Atrieus growls out, digging through and pulling out a small purse that jingles to hand over to Daniel.

Accepting the coin purse, Daniel just shakes his head in negation, not bothering to answer. This conversation had been played through many times too. Instead, he reaches behind to grab his backpack before hefting his weapon for this trip, a 20 pound sledgehammer. Heavy as it is, Daniel carries it with little effort, muscles from years spent working the mines briefly showing in stark relief.

After parting with Atrieus, Daniel starts off to the town center and the Adventurer’s Guild. Like most dungeon towns, Karlak had grown out of the need to serve the Adventurer’s who brought in the majority of the town’s income and thus centered itself around the Guild itself. Barely more than a few thousand people, Karlak was a small town with only a single Beginner’s Dungeon with 10 floors. On the other hand, having been around for over 20 years now, the dungeon was well-mapped and its mix of well-balanced monsters allowed melee fighters in particular to level up with ease.

As he walks, Daniel draws more than a few glances his way. All new Adventurer’s are potential sources of income and many are making quick assessments of the likelihood of his survival. His impressive musculature is a point in his favour but most quickly downgrade his chances of being a true earner. At 5’8” and a human, he has a significant disadvantage in reach and general ability.

That smells good… Daniel twists his head, searching for the origin as his stomach wakes and reminds him that his last meal was hours ago. Spotting the road side stall, he picks up his pace when the sickening crunch and screams draws his attention.

Just behind him, a child that had come out from an alleyway had rushed out onto the road, chasing an errant flower he had picked. Unable to stop, the cart’s wheels had first pushed then rolled over the child, doing grevious damage. His caretaker, a bare half-step behind is unable to prevent the sudden dash and is crouched next to the quickly expiring body, her face ravaged with shock and regret.

Daniel’s moving without conscious thought, his worldly goods dropped behind him as he dashes to the small, crushed body. His eyes narrow as he draws upon a portion of his gift and assesses the damage.

Shattered collarbone, crushed ribcage and heart, severe bleeding in chest cavity and stomach. Hairline cracks in spine, minor concussion and broken arm. The damage jumps out in his vision, cataloguing and understanding both the natural state of her body and the damage done. Information continues to flow, though he dismisses most of it from mind. Slightly lower amount of blood than normal, previous damage to tendon in ankle a week away from healing, improper placement of the hip socket….

Crouched down now, he places his hands on the boy and activates his gift, a shining blue light covering both the boy and him as his mouth moving with often spoken lines. “I’m a healer. Please let me do what I can.”

From her viewpoint, what he can do is nothing short of miraculous. An experienced Adventurer, the child’s caretaker knows the extent of healing magic and what it can do. Nothing short of a Greater Blessing by a senior priest could have saved her nephew, and yet the stranger, without uttering a single word or calling on a God is healing him before her eyes. Bones knit, lungs inflate, bleeding stops within minutes. As the glow fades, the child’s eyes open and he draws his first true breath in a while to scream and cry before launching himself into his aunt’s arms.

Clutching her nephew and rocking the child, she looks over to Daniel who’s slumped over, breathing heavily and mouths her gratitude. He just nods weakly, his energy drained from the healing as passerby’s and the cart driver gawk. A good Samaritan carries over Daniel’s dropped items, patting him on his back in congratulations. It breaks the spell, with others crowding around and thanking him and murmuring congratulations to her.

Eventually the child calms and the crowd disperses, Daniel’s shortened breathing and spinning head calming down. He stands with a groan and bends to pick up his pack and hammer but is stopped from leaving by a hand on his arm.

“Thank you again.” Her voice is soft, cultured and feminine, a sharp contrast to her bearing and appearance. Short cut blonde hair, an aquiline nose and piercing blue eyes rest upon a face that would always be called striking but not beautiful. She holds herself with a martial air, a hand unconsciously resting on her sword hilt. “My name is Mary Lavie and this is Charles.”

“Daniel Lai.” he smiles at the boy, offering a slight hand wave in acknowledgment. “You’ll watch yourself running out on the road next time right?”

The boy nods slightly, his face hidden in Mary’s pants, peeking with his own pair of blue eyes around her pants leg before burying his face in again.

As Daniel sways slightly, Mary queries, “Are you okay?”

“Just tired and hungry. I’ll be fine after a meal.”

A smile brightens Mary’s face and she gestures down the road, “My sister runs the Spinning Top, just down this way. She’ll want to thank you too.”

For a moment Daniel considers refusing, but he reconsiders, remembering the weight of his own purse. Even the payment from Atrieus is insufficient to truly fatten his own purse, especially with his expected expenses. Instead, he nods gratefully and Mary smiles at his acceptance.

“This way.”