[Healer's Cleanse]
Kion felt the Egovore's must stir within his organs, his bones, his blood. It had suffused the most part of him, and the replenish-mancer's magic was what was going to cast it out.
Gartium had inserted a weird little fabrication into the inside of his elbow, a sort needle attached to an airtight rubber tube.
He used a new skill to force all the mist deposits to the point at which he stuck the needle. Kion could feel the mist content flow through his blood, diffused from his bones and other organs, to the point where Gartium wanted them to go.
"This is a very important part of the process." The impish elf explained. "I need to get it all out. If anything goes wrong and some of that mist remains in you, you might not make it back for a second healing."
"You'll need mana purification after this. This darn toxic thing has tainted your blood too much. There's a way to do it yourself, but— ah, there it is…" Gartium exhaled with excitement as a spot in Kion's elbow swelled with mist-infested blood.
"I believe it's complete." He said. "Now just to draw it out of you…"
Kion's blood rushed through the needle's tip into the rubber compartment as Gartium pulled back on the airtight cover. The blood's colour was a sickly orange. Kion almost gagged at the sight.
"That was all in me?"
"You'd better believe it." Gartium said, pulling out his needle and giving the tool a little flick. "You don't mind if I keep this do you, for research purposes."
Kion took one look at his toothy grin. How could anyone be so happy keeping the infected remains of another?
"Do what you want with it." Kion said, only to watch Gartium harrumph with pride and shove his dirty blood in his healer's bag.
"You should be all better now. Do you feel it, the light sensation that seems as if a huge weight has been carried off your back, like you're not rotting within anymore?" Gartium asked after his little triumph with Kion's blood.
"Well—" Kion popped his muscles and flexed his bones. He instantly felt the relief, the easiness with which his body moved. His agility was back, his speed was top notch. It seemed as if he could spring on just about anyone or anything without any pressure.
He had never felt so alive.
"Let me revive this one." Gartium said after watching Kion do all his acrobatics without saying a "thank you"
He turned to Kai, who was still knocked down. He touched his head: "This is going to take a while."
[Mend]
[Mend]
[Healer's Cleanse]
It took almost an hour to finish patching things up with Kai, but even after Gartium had finished with him, he still wasn't awake.
"What's wrong? Is he dead?" Kion asked blatantly.
Gartium turned to him, a judgmental look on his face. "How fitting of a brother to assume the death of his sibling so soon."
"What? I was just looking at all the possibilities."
"Surviving is also a possibilty." Gartium turned to him, "you survived." He said.
"Just revive him or something." Kion said with a tired voice. This time, Gartium chose to ignore the indifferent nature of his response, as he had just gotten the solution.
"Aha!" The elf yelled. "The boy's mind is in a catatonic state. I'll have to use my [Revive] skill on his brain while trying to get his body back into functioning with my other physical remedies."
Gartium quickly got to work, dabbling little sprinkles of a special smelling powder in Kai's nose. This was supposed to help him wake up, along with the skill, or course, but for now, it did nothing.
He placed his free hand over Kai's forehead.
[Revive]
Nothing happened.
[Revive]
Kai remained silent.
[Revive]!
Still same response, no movement, or signs of life. Kion felt a pit form in his chest. His half-brother had really—
PUNCH!
Kion turned only to see Gartium sustain a bloody nose.
"What happened?" Kai asked while rubbing his head. Gartium looked at the boy in disbelief.
For the first time in ages, Kion was tempted to laugh, to find humour at the expense of someone else's pain. It had all happened too fast, and that alone made it more amusing.
A short while after Gartium's third attempt at [Revive], just when they both thought they had lost him, Kai had suddenly jerked up like a wound spring, his instinct to survive still alive from his earlier fight with the Egovore.
This had caused him to place a well-connecting punch to the bridge of Gartium's nose in panic. What a scene!
Kion could only chuckle at a bleeding Gartium.
"Ungrateful lot, the both of ya." The elf said with a scowl. He quickly healed himself with his [Mend] skill. "Tell your brother to rest." He gestured at a confused Kai, "and you too. You both deserve it."
"Meanwhile, thanks for this." Gartium held up his infested blood. "I do hope I find more."
Kion only made a face, but kept silent anyway.
"I need you to teach me something." He said after a moment of consideration.
"What could a no-good body-mancer offer to an Everglade?" Gartium teased.
"Your mana manipulation technique. I need you to show me how it's done."
"Oh, that."
"Yes, that." Kion emphasised.
Gartium thought for a moment what Kion was asking from him
"I might've done it if was feeling so generous, but unfortunately, I'm not. Not after ya two."
"Don't tell me it was that much of a challenge to expel Egovore mist. Or are you not that good a healer afterall."
Gartium's eyes widened. "How dare ye? I'm the best there is! In fact, come here let me show ya mana purification. Neither top healers nor scholars have this knowledge I'm about to give ya. You know why they don't have it? Cos I'm better than them."
Kion smiled. "Then why don't you show me how it's done if you know so much. Knowledge is nothing if you can't practicalise in the real world."
"Yes yes come here already." Gartium barked.
"Now, all ye have to do, is perform a sacred dance, before sitting in the lotus position to meditate on ye mana's reserves and flow paths. After doing that, ya draw in the mana in the air, and let it overlap the one in your body. Let it work like a filter. Maintain steady breathing and meditation till a lit candle is burnt out, before ending the process."
Gartium walked him through all the steps, one by one. Of course, Kion learned like a natural, practising it then and there.
He even felt better afterwards.
"Do ya feel it? Like yer mana has doubled in portion and like ya can activate all your skills at the same time without any form of depletion? That's the power of mana purification, lad. Glad to help." Gartium extended a hand, helping Kion up from
the ground.
The moment he stood up, Kion felt like he could fly.
His body felt extra explosive. His mana felt more vibrant, like water from a gushing tap. He unsheathed his longsword.
[Fire Blade]
Fire, brighter and bigger than anything he had ever summoned before, burned along the blade of his sword. It was so hot that a bit of Gartium's hair singed for being too close.
"Put that away." The elf yelled, and Kion sheathed his sword with a smile.
"I don't expect a simple thank you would do for all of this…" Kion said, a knowing look in his eyes.
Gartium cast a furtive glance at Kion.
"Well, I hear that you lot are on your way to Port, and I do need a ride, some protection as well because I'm also headed there and the Greitors—"
"Done." Kion cut him off.
Gartium was surprised.
"Just like that?" He asked, not believing how quickly Kion had agreed.
"You helped me, and my brother. You may have well just saved our lives, even. No amount of gratitude can atone for that, but I can help you at least, just like you helped me. Say no more, the carriage is right there."
Gartium looked towards the carriage, and looked back at Kion, his jaw hung slightly open in shock.
"Ya know, you are not bad for a descendant of that spineless prick, Hanzo."