Pain.

  For a moment, I thought I was dead.

  Everything hurt everywhere, and none of it interrupted the other in the screaming. Like every nerve was branded with a hot poker and could somehow still feel. Like every fiber of every muscle was torn to slivers. Like each bone resembled a complicated array of spider webs that somehow retained shape. Like every organ was a choir singing in discordant tunes.

  It was the worst pain I'd ever felt, and somehow I was present enough to register all of it.

  Which was the reason why I thought I was dead in the first place. The droplets sucked cheeks at first, but I couldn't process much of anything so the pain was manageable. Until I could keep myself aware, ironically enough. What I was feeling shot through any ceiling that set and went straight to space.

  I should've at least been screaming, something more than giving a hollow gaze to Ken.

  Oh, that was the reason my original theory shriveled away.

  I couldn't actually see, but the man was gushing out so much mana that I didn't need to. So much mana, like an ocean, and he kept pouring more. More and more and more.

  It was terrifying.

  With how much he was emitting I could almost see some kind of being taking shape around him? The normal feelings were there, but amplified...clearer, for lack of a better word. Clinical, soothing, lulling me into a calm and promising safety.

  It was then that I realized I had mischaracterized the impression of raisins.

  A fruit without a name, shriveled because it wasn't fed enough to grow. It sat right at the center of the avatar shaped around his person like a heart. I couldn't comprehend it, but I could tell it was there. That and the twitchy eyes. Very twitchy, like it was trying to see a million details at once.

  Very strange.

  I'd have to reflect on that once my cells stopped wailing. Or I could ask Alvir, but he was secretive at the best of times. Would likely say something like 'I'll tell you when you can deadlift a mountain' or some other crap.

  "I see you're awake," Ken said with surprising calm, considering the tidal wave leaving his body.

  I mumbled something that was supposed to be words, but the thinking part of my brain couldn't get far enough to formulate a sentence. Could still feel everything though!

  Apparently reality decided to give me the finger.

  Was I being cavalier? Well, yes, but only because otherwise I'd have to focus on all the everything, and that was no fun.

  "Don't try to talk. Even if you could manage past the pain, half your lungs are too necrotic to waste the energy."

  Huh?

  "Necro-systemicus," Healer Ken provided, but my confusion was still going strong. "Wouldn't expect you to know it. Healers Bane is something reserved for assassinating important people."

  Something on my face must've given away my offence, because Ken let out a chuckle. Though it was a bit forced. How in the hells did his body tolerate so much mana?

  "You're lucky, it's a relatively slow acting toxin. Needs to settle in your body before it goes on a rampage. Once it does though? It's resistant to mana, and damages the body fast enough that you'd normally need a team of adepts on rotation to keep someone alive. It's still killing you since I only started an hour ago, and the amount of healing I've put into your body should've turned you into a corpse and then summarily brought you back to life."

  I chuckled, more out of dawning horror than actual humour. Did that kid really use something like that to try and kill me?

  Maybe I should've let him bleed out.

  No...I didn't want to be that kind of person.

  It was tempting though, considering that everything hurt so bad that pain had seemingly thrived in the little bit I was awake. Tapered off, but it was still progressing ridiculously fast compared to the increments I was used to.

  No such thing as third time's the charm, huh?

  Ken must've misunderstood what I was going to say, because he nodded and got to talking. "That kid you collapsed with is fine. A simple Metabolic Acceleration combined with Forced Homeostasis and Cannibal's Desperation made the missing bits grow back quickly, although with a very noticeably scar. A lot more painful than my normal method, and we had to force-feed him, but I'm sure he didn't mind."

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He was silent for a moment.

  "He's the one who shot you, isn't he?"

  I flinched. Hard enough that he could tell I was lying even as I shook my head.

  "Your mercy is misplaced," Ken said. "Healer's Bane is one of the more scrutinized toxins in the empire, and its symptoms are too obvious to mask. Assassins don't bother with it because of all the hassle, only the desperate and stupid use it. If the guards find evidence that he used it and you didn't inform them? You'd get enough lashings that it might as well be an execution."

  That was a clear signal as any that he was trying to bail me out. I would've had to have been a vegetable not to notice. I shook my head anyway.

  The Healer let out a sigh. "Well, I'm not going to cover you for this. Even if I wanted to, the commotion was too dramatic to bother trying."

  I let that stew for a bit, but still shook my head.

  "First question, are you a witch?"

  I scrunched my brow at the very large elf sitting beside me. He was wearing bronze plate, and the enchantments were noticeable to say the least. Didn't even bother to introduce himself, but he was an elf, and he was wearing plate.

  I shook my head.

  Tairak let out a chuckle. "True. Apologies, it's the first thing we do with any interrogation I'm involved in, to cover all of our bases. It's nothing against your personage."

  I shrugged, seemed reasonable enough.

  Besides, I didn't have to worry about being caught in a lie, considering Umi was casually leaning on the wall a few meters away. She was chewing through an apple like there wasn't a worry in the world.

  Couldn't see her, not naturally at least. In the middle of all the blurry bullshit my eyes were going through was one scarred woman who was clearer than clear.

  Like my vision decided to mimic an eagle's or something for just her specifically. Didn't know if it was really her or an illusion she was putting up, but it was kinda freaky.

  And cool. I would never admit that though.

  The other two didn't even hint at noticing her.

  "Well, I'm sure your wondering why I'm here, cousin." Tairak said with too much humour considering the circumstances.

  I rolled my eyes.

  He chuckled some more.

  "Don't worry now, this is very much an interrogation. I don't get many opportunities to socialize with my kin though, considering this city is a bitch to maintain and no one comes to visit."

  "Sir? You said you'd be proctoring me," the young boy sitting next to him said.

  He was wafting something accusatory.

  Not really. Whispers didn't manifest as smell for me.

  Apparently a minority of elves could connect with the world through something other then sound. They were so rare that it was barely worth mentioning.

  "Of course! But surely you'll allow this old man a few liberties in conversation?"

  "But we only have four hours!"

  "And we can always come back once the good healer's stabilized her again." Tairak raised a brow. "Besides, you're not going to get any complex responses considering her state. Also, you have an hour. We aren't staying here until she deteriorates."

  "But sir—"

  "I'd suggest starting. If you planned your questions under the impression of four hours, then I doubt arguing with me is a good use of your time."

  The boy clacked his mouth shut and did his best to hide his frustration. Doubted it worked, considering I could hear the distant whispers stating as such. Tairak chose to act ignorant, though I imagined a grin suitable to his personality widening just a bit.

  The boy let out a sigh and turned to me. "You are referred to as Yir Smith of Okama, correct?"

  I raised a brow and gave a nod.

  "Good," he huffed. "I am Enith Blade of the Anik guard, I will be conducting this interview today. Is there anything I should know before we start?"

  I gave him a look.

  He shrugged it off. "If not, then I'll proceed. First question. Have you ever committed, or conspired to commit a crime against our great empire?"

  I frowned and looked over to Tairak. I couldn't see his expression, but he didn't interrupt. Umi took another bite of her apple, though the look in her eyes had morphed into something predatory.

  I shook my head.

  Enith paused for a few seconds before writing down my response.

  "You've been in plenty of brawls, it's in your best interest not to lie to me."

  There was an edge to his tone I didn't like. This didn't feel like a direction you'd take if you were interrogating a victim. My lips pursed into a thin line and I waited for him to continue.

  "Now, I'd like to go over why you chose to come to Anik and the relations you've formed since being here. You were an acquaintance of the slum children Riri and Gar, correct?"

  Tairak tilted his head slightly.

  I stared at the guard boy with open hatred now. I nodded.

  "Their deaths were unfortunate." Enith nodded. "And entirely preventable, if you hadn't brought them to the sewers. Strange that you can handle the dangers down there daily, yet when others tag along everything goes cataclysmically wrong."

  Oh, I didn't like that.

  I pushed my throat and lungs to speak, making a crackling noise as my thoughts entered my words. "Eat...a bag...of dicks."

  "Noted."

  He actually took the time to jot that down.

  "So, two incidents in the sewers that don't make sense. Say, did the boy follow you into the sewers, or did you bring him along?"

  "Followed," Umi said before I could respond.

  I didn't nod, instead lifting one finger.

  "And did you interact with him before his strange appearance alongside a deadly toxin?"

  "No," Umi said, giving a very dangerous look to the guard in training. "You've never seen him, nor have you heard of him before."

  I looked at Enith and shook my head.

  He nodded.

  "Was he the one who poisoned you?"

  I didn't need Umi's help for that. I shook my head.

  His eyebrow twitched, but otherwise the guard boy didn't react. "So you're saying you two just happened to run into each other, without any prior connections, and some mysterious third entity strolled in to shoot you with a highly restricted substance only to make their merry way off instead of finishing the job?"

  I shrugged.

  "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

  I raised a brow, flashing Umi a quick glance, before looking at the other elf in the room.

  "As strange as it is, she isn't lying," Tairak hummed.

  Damn. I didn't know how old Tairak was, but neither had I learned how to hide from the World. Hopefully his time in the city stunted his growth enough that Umi wasn't as terrifying as I was starting to realize.

  Enith clicked his tongue but still noted it down.

  "Fine. I have other questions anyways. We'll circle back to this when you can talk. Well, enough that you'll say more than profanities at least."

  spells. Though this one doesn't belong to Yir. Forced Homeostasis and Metabolic Acceleration are kinda boring for the first in a list of many I plan to present to you lovely readers, so lets focus on Cannibal's Despiration.

  THE BODY IS THE RESOURCE OF THE SUBJECT'S HEALING

  HEALING IS DEFINED AS FUNCTIONAL

  THERE WILL BE NO HEALING TO THE NERVES, BONES, BONE MARROW, TENDONS/LIGAMENTS, AND JOINTS.

  HEALING WILL END ONCE SUBJECT IS IN NO DANGER

  THE BODY WILL NOT CONSUME ORGANS, BONE MARROW, HEART MUSCLES, SMOOTH MUSCLE, VESSEL MUSCLES, NERVES, ELEMETS NEEDED FOR NERVE FUNCTION, AND HORMONES

  THE BODY WILL CONSUME FATS, MUSCLES, AND BONES

  HEALING SPEED WILL BE NOMINAL

  definitely flaws in the spell, but imma just say that's Ken's fault :)