Jocund Fields: a gentle, green region of countryside, dozing under a pale sky with threads of sunny blue. It was both a place for children to have their first taste of untamed land, and where monsters were hunted regularly for both the resources of their bodies and to keep the land safe. However, despite the best efforts of hunters of all kinds, tracking game big or small, the travellers on the beaten paths would always find their fair share to contend with. This region in particular would provide Livia, still ultimately unfamiliar with Berodyl, with a good opportunity to broaden her survivalist horizons; it was mostly banditcats - a creature she had already met - that roamed Jocund… mostly.

“There’s more than just banditcats out here,” Krey explained, patting Danu. He was walking alongside her, while Emilie and Livia rode on her back. She bore no saddle, yet sitting astride her was not uncomfortable in the least. “Hope that doesn’t frighten you.”

“Frighten me?” Livia mirrored his smirk. “It might be nice to sharpen my edge, so to speak.”

“It will be important for us to keep sharp edges,” Krey said, “with such a revered lady in our party.”

“Oh please,” Emilie sighed. “I have never appreciated the rigidness others seem to find appropriate when in my company.”

“Just trying to coax some conversation out of you, milady!” Krey jived. “You’ve been silent ever since Phyrn took her leave of us.”

“The goddess senses tremors, turmoil in the air… as a hierophant, I cannot help but sense them through her as well.” She narrowed her gaze and pouted down at Krey. “And, please… do not call me milady.”

“I’ll stop calling you milady when you start calling Phyrn by name like she asked us.”

“I noticed that too,” Livia chipped in. “You reverted back to calling her goddess after she left.”

“It is… not the same,” Emilie murmured. “She is a goddess, while I am merely…”

“As close to godliness as any of us mere mortals are going to get,” Livia chortled.

“Ridiculous…” Emilie huffed.

After a while of silence, one of those other creatures Krey had alluded to earlier decided to cross their path. A trio of large, canine creatures, with pelts a daring red and with sharp blades of bone protruding upward on their muzzles, bared their equally sharp-looking teeth as they took a bellicose posture. “Danu,” Livia softly ordered, tapping the sides of her steed with her heels. She stopped, allowed her two passengers to climb down, and then dispersed into specks of light that blew away on a sudden squall. Krey and Livia drew their weapons; the knight also raised his shield, while the outlander looked to her side - to the hierophant - and asked: “got any tricks up your sleeves? I see you don’t have any weapons.”

“I…” Emilie cleared her throat. “I believe I can make myself useful.” She clasped her hands together with a rosary weaved through her fingers (beads of celadon, with a brass leaf pendant), and closed her eyes, as if in prayer. “Goddess… please do now as you have always done… and grant me your strength!”

With that, a burst of light emanated from her that startled the razorwolves. However, instead of fleeing, they pounced, lunging at the party with voracious howls. Livia activated Veridis’ sweetcrest shield to deflect the horn of the first; Krey’s shield, while less impressive, did the job just fine as well. The third, at first, gave Krey and Livia a scare as it bound right for Emilie… but it was repelled by a wall of hexagonal distortions that was only made visible by the impact, a ripple of light blue cascading through the magic barrier. As the ripple passed, the barrier became mostly invisible again… but Krey and Livia could now still just about see the subtle distortions it caused. It was a bubble around Emilie, keeping her safe.

“What is that?” Livia blurted.

“A simple green magic spell,” Emilie chimed. “My power is granted to me by the goddess herself.”

“Makes sense you’d be a cleric,” Krey bobbed his head.

“You can marvel at it later!” Emilie exclaimed sternly. “Those razorwolves are still here!”

Krey shoved the top edge of his shield into the jaws of the first razorwolf, plunging his blade into its skull while it was occupied. Livia managed to slice the blade-like horn off the one attacking her, and followed up with a second fluid cut that took the beast’s head clean off as well. However, the third and final wolf had decided not to try and eat Emilie again… and instead gored Livia. She screamed and fell to the ground, but managed to activate the sweetcrest shield before it could get its teeth into her while she was down. As it rebounded off the magic circle, Krey thrust his trusty broadsword into its back, and with a final yelp it succumbed to stillness.

Krey dropped his sword and then dropped to his knee at Livia’s side, trying to get a look at the wound. Blood smeared on the fingertips of his metal gauntlet. “Agh!” Livia’s vociferations slithered out of her on the force of her audible breaths. “Stop poking around!”

Krey backed off, grimacing. “It looks bad…”

“Here,” Emilie called out, lowering herself down onto both knees. “Allow me.” She used her left hand to steady herself as she leaned over Livia, and used her right hand - rosary wrapped around her fingers - to slowly wave a faint, snow-white glow over the wound.

“Ooooh shit!” Livia’s rasping grew more rapid, but her coarse grunts of pain started melting into smoother yawps of discomfort. “I see Phyrn… ow, ow! Ow… I see… Phyrn… gives you white magic as well.”

Emilie smiled, trying to speak in a comforting tone. “Lumomancy as well, if you’re that concerned with my magical repertoire.” She thumped her palm down on the wound, pressing the healing glow into her.

“AAAAH!” Livia screamed louder than she had in response to getting a hole ripped in her. “FUCK! EMILIE!”

“Come now, Livia, it’s not all that bad, is it? There we go… that’s it… you’re bearing it well. You’re lucky that the goddess doesn’t decide what I specifically learn; that is still my decision. My faith enables me to cast magic, but I chose my own spells.”

“Lucky indeed,” Krey mused. “It also looks like your clothing wasn’t damaged; must’ve rode up with the swings of your arms right as it happened.”

Livia began losing focus, the conflicting cocktail of painful and pain-numbing sensations making it impossible for her to concentrate. However, as the white magic flowed through her, she felt herself relax, feeling a sense of certainty that she’d be okay.