In such a short time, Redrum had lost consciousness, laying in a puddle of his own blood that only seemed to get more dense. Noah watched for a moment before kneeling, holding his hands near the mage's own.
"Noah…?" Astrid looked at him with stains of crimson on her hands and clothes.
"Tell me how to perform the magic you're using," he insisted. "I'll help you out."
Otto chimed in, shaking his head, "Even for you, something like that…Healing magic is something only a small percent of mages are even capable of."
"It's our only shot," Noah further insisted.
Astrid nodded, steadying her breathing, "You have to imagine your mana as a warm force within your body. Not too cold, not too hot…A soothing wind. Just the right amount of pressure, if it's too harsh, it'll fizzle out…It's entirely fickle."
With the orc's blood serving as sand in an hourglass for his life, Noah followed the instructions as they left his companion's mouth. He shut his eyes, leaving himself only in the quiet, calming darkness.
The essence within him expanded into a tranquil field; amidst the sepia of spring, where flowers swayed in the passing breeze. He felt that subtle warmth against his skin, embodying that sensation. All of it was guided up his chest, through his arms, and out of his fingertips; kindness given form.
["Heal."]
"It's working…!" Astrid said in quiet shock, looking at the verdant light that emanated from the novice's palms. "Keep it up, Noah–it's working, you're doing it!"
He didn't give any response, maintaining focus as he poured his own compassion into the healing mana. As their hands stayed over the wounds, they began to close, one-bye-one, bringing the orc's faint breaths into heavy ones.
Astrid suddenly winced, "Ah–!"
"Sis!" Otto worriedly called out, kneeling over.
"What's wrong?" Noah asked as sweat dripped from his chin, maintaining his hold of the healing.
"I can't put out anymore mana…I've used just about, everything…" Astrid weakly said with a pale complexion, coughing out.
The archer shook his head, "Don't push yourself. If it comes to it…"
"I can't stop now–I can't," Astrid refused, though her limits didn't coincide with her will.
Noah reached one hand out, grasping the elf's tender fingers with his own. The action brought a flush to the pale girl's face as she reacted with surprise and appropriate shock.
"What're you?--" Astrid slowly questioned.
[Mana Burst] [B-Rank Mage Skill]
Like an uncapped geyser, a bountiful serving of mana flourished, shared at their connected hands. The vibrant, azure energy fluttered in the air like the ocean as pollen, bringing its cooling breeze.
"This is…How did you?" Astrid said in disbelief.
"Come on," he said with a reassuring smile. "Let's make sure he's alright."
"Right," she nodded.
With their renewed vigor, the two united their healing efforts, bringing the orc from the threshold into the afterlife back into a wheezing resurgence.
"Eeurgh…" Redrum hacked up, his eyelids carefully parting as if being met by harsh sunlight.
[EXP: +100] [1,650/20,000]
["Mage" Proficiency Up +10] [31/999]
["Medical" Proficiency Up +20] [105/999]
[Skill(s) Obtained: "Internal Stitching" | "Ethereal Replication"]
The gathering of experience shown to him was just about as good a sign as any that it was a success as he finally exhaled, sitting back, "Haaah…"
"We did it…? We did it," Astrid remarked in exhausted triumph, nearly falling back.
"Sis!" Otto called out as he caught his twin by her shoulders, helping her stay up. "Don't push yourself like that–not for…"
"He saved us," Astrid interrupted, speaking honestly. "You saw it, didn't you?"
It looked like admitting the truth took some effort by the strained archer, who finally exhaled, "I guess he did, didn't he? Don't know why, but he did."
As the orc woke up with a bandaged body, it was a hand from Otto and Noah each that were extended to him. Redrum blinked, staring for a moment before accepting their lent strength, being helped to his feet.
There was definitely some strain from the archer in guiding the giant back up, though Otto laughed it off with a breathless chuckle, "Damn, you're heavier than I thought, somehow."
"We orcs have ten times the muscle and bone density compared to humans and elves," Redrum explained, groggily rolling his shoulders.
"Thanks for the anatomy lesson," Noah sarcastically said, though pondered it.
Through the lively region, where the forests never seemed to sleep, the city of Tiras was reached, in full, spectacular view amidst the days of nothing but natural scenery. Stone walls separated it from the grassy fields, guarding the city from any number of fiends he could imagine.
"This is Tiras?" Noah said, looking up at the old, gray structure.
"Yeah," Astrid nodded.
There were some carriages going to-and-from the entrance of the city, guided beneath the vibrant sunlight of the calm morning. At the front, men in steel armor guarded the way into the city, though the twin adventurers only flashed their insignias to let them in.
"Welcome back, travelers," the rightmost guard stepped aside.
The other guard stopped, looking at the towering orc, "This one, he's…?"
"With us," Otto confirmed.
"Right," the guard accepted hesitantly.
A brick tunnel led through the thick walls before Noah found himself on the other side, finding the sunlight particularly beaming after going through the lightless passage. Immediately, he was met by the ambience of the city; chattering from every which one, carriages rolling over the roads, even merchants marketing their overpriced goods.
"Jewels from the depths of Ozark's labyrinth! Wearing just one will extend your lifespan by twenty years!" A mustached vendor advertised to the passing crowd.
Another down the left road held up what looked like a cooked turkey leg, "Right here! Get your fresh wyvern, right here!"
It was a tad overwhelming at first, but Noah gladly took in the atmosphere, from the smells of fresh food and the march of people living their lives. While he was certainly used to city life, the second start certainly made him miss it, if even a little.
"Noah? Hey, Noah?"
Perhaps it was the constant noise around the busy streets or him simply spacing off, but he looked down, finally hearing his name called by the short-statured mage.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"I was thinking we should check into an inn, if we're going to be staying here for some time," Astrid suggested.
"Sure, you're the experts here," Noah shrugged.
"Well, we can do that after checking out the Guild Hall," Otto said with an excited grin, rubbing his gloves together. "I bet there's some juicy quests we can take on now that we've got some extra muscle."
"Don't expect me to fight a dragon by myself," Noah raised an eyebrow.
"'Course not! But, we can certainly handle more now," Otto reasoned, leading the way with an exaggerated march.