Over the next week, Zeniph gradually explored more of the surrounding forest, finding herbs, fruits, and berries of all kinds. Pretty soon, his makeshift storehouse was full of a variety of items.
Today was a morning as good as any other. A quick wash, some breakfast, a couple of hours of healing, and out he went again.
As he was walking around, he spotted a sleeping man resting against a tree. As Zeniph approached him, the man spoke. His voice was a lot different than Zeniph had imagined—young, unlike what his appearance suggested.
"Morning, sir. Can you perhaps give me directions out of here? I seem to have lost myself."
A slight pang of guilt sparked in Zeniph. He had set up an array to keep out unwanted visitors, but this one must have been inside when he cast it, trapping him in a never-ending maze of lush forest.
"Uh, yeah, sure. If you head west, you will come across a village in about a day or two."
Looking more carefully, he realized the youngster was wounded, with what looked like bite marks on his shoulder and arm. On top of that, he looked like he hadn't eaten in days.
"Come with me. I'll patch you up. It's already late, so there's no use going now. Go tomorrow."
"Well, I won't refuse an offer like that. Thanks."
Zeniph looped the man's arm over his back, supporting him as they began walking back to the ruins.
"So, what's your name? And what are you doing here?"
"The name's Fin. I came to look for some herbs and couldn't find my way out. As you can probably see, I've had a few rough nights."
Spotting some willow of the Salix species, Zeniph ripped off some bark, skinning off the rough outer layer, and handed Fin the inside.
"Chew on that. It will stop some of the pain and reduce the inflammation."
Fin stared at the bark for a good moment before clearly thinking fuck it, and chewing it.
Setting him down on a chair, Zeniph took off Fin's shirt and other top clothing, managing to get a good, clear look at the wound. Some of the inflammation had gone down, but there was still a lot.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll grab some better herbs."
In the storeroom, he grabbed some clean rags, a bunch of other herbs, and a molar.
Back in the room, he took some boiling water and added lanceolata to it, mixing it in well. Then he soaked a clean rag in the water and began wiping the wound.
"I appreciate the help, but gentler, will you?!"
"Stop being a sissy. There is poison here. What were you bitten by?"
Fin's breath came in short gasps as Zeniph put pressure on the wound, forcing out clear pus.
"Some wolf. It had streaks of white fur, but I beat it. Just a whack to the head and it ran off," he said, a small grin showing on his face.
"You were poisoned by a Lina wolf. And you didn't beat it; it poisons its prey before running off and waiting for it to die. I'm honestly surprised you're still alive."
Working as he talked, Zeniph ground some plantain and put it on the cleaned wound, then began bandaging it up.
"Well, fuck. So, what—AARGGHH!"
"Shut up. How old are you anyway to be acting like this?"
"Nineteen. Can you please not tie it up so tightly?"
"Can't. This is only a temporary measure, by the way."
"Temporary?"
Cleaning up, Zeniph sat down on his bed, preparing to work on his own healing.
"The Lina is a magic beast, so the poison won't stop until either of you die. We will hunt it tomorrow, so try to get some rest. There are more sheets in the drawer, and some straw outside. Grab it and make yourself comfortable."
"Comfortable? Knowing I will die in the next couple of days?"
His voice was filled with a mix of sarcasm and disbelief.
"A couple of days is generous. I'll search for it tomorrow. Now, please, be quiet."
Scars shortened on Zeniph's body as he worked, and he could feel his strength returning slowly. Muscles came back together as ligaments healed, reattaching and solidifying.
"That's healing magic, isn't it? Can't you heal me using that? C'mon, man. I'm literally dying."
"I said, shut up."
"Well, look at mister noble here. A magician with a sword in the corner and magic reserved for himself."
The tone had changed from pain to teasing in a few exchanges, and the smile on Fin's face told Zeniph that he was enjoying it.
"I'm healing myself using mana, not using God's blessing or holy power. So I can only use it on myself. You need to go to a temple or church to get healed by others. Now, since I've enlightened you, will you quietly shut up and go to sleep?"
"So what I'm hearing is, you teach me magic and I heal myself? Is that right?"
The thought made Zeniph chuckle. The very absurdity was amazing.
"Mana is awakened, not taught. Stop fantasizing and go to sleep."
"What about aura?"
"Are you a knight? Or a squire? Have you been taught swordsmanship your whole life? Even if you had, there's still only a small chance you'd awaken it."
"Eh, what a life. What about you then? Why have you got a sword when you're a mage?"
"Because I can use aura as well as mana."
Fin just sat there, staring at Zeniph with his mouth hanging open.
"You're joking."
"Go to sleep."
"That… that's not true. It can't be."
You could almost hear the moment Zeniph's patience snapped. He grabbed the sheathed sword and whacked Fin over the head, knocking him out.
With a sigh of relief, he sat back down, finally able to concentrate on his healing properly.
Tomorrow, they had to hunt a magic beast. Although there was a small complication. Lina's lived in huge packs…