A pair of calloused fingers snapped in front of my face.

  Everything I had done…it amounted to nothing when compared to what she had managed without breaking a sweat. How could I compete with that? She fixed the injuries—complex wounds at that—with the ease of breathing. No struggle. No concern about his state. Just a dismissive wave of her hand and poof—fixed.

  The fingers snapped again.

  How do I even begin to compare? Was I a fool to expect that I could make a difference? When it came to healing, only Projection seemed to matter in this world, and I was sorely lacking in that department.

  The fingers snapped again, closer, louder. Right in front of my eyes. I blinked.

  Why the hell is an ?ttar bothering me? I’m not needed with her here. Can’t I just wallow in peace?

  The finger approached, and this time, I just grabbed them. The bronze tips were just an inch from my face. “Look you damn ?ttar—“

  Wait, bronze?

  A worried Dorian stared down at me. “Finally, you said something. I was getting worried.” Then he scrunched his face in concern. “Should I be, though? You thought I was an ?ttar.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at his tone. Once I started, it was hard to stop. Too much rested on the surface. Plus, it was a pretty ridiculous mistake.

  “Really, are you okay?”

  My laughing apparently went on a bit too long. “Yeah, as good as I can be.” Even though I saw her heal him with my own eyes, I had to ask. “Did he make it?”

  He nodded, and a weight I didn’t know I was carrying suddenly disappeared. However, I still reached out a hand. I wasn’t getting up without help.

  He pulled me up with ease, and once standing, I pointed at his arm. “Hey, no scar.”

  He smiled. “Just like you promised.”

  He started walking, and I followed. Somehow, I had wandered back into the main cavern of our mining site without realizing it, but instead of heading back there, Dorian turned toward the mine’s main entrance.

  “Shouldn’t we be going back?”

  “I think we can both be excused.”

  “But won’t there be clean up?” I shuddered at the sheer number of trips I would need to cart all those terrorvoles to the Crafting Quarter.

  “Someone else will take care of it.” He shook his head at my incredulous expression. “We’ve done enough for the day. The company knows we’re spent.”

  “Maybe you have, but it’s not like everyone else was sitting on their asses. Even if we exclude the burrower, we must have slaughtered hundreds of terrorvoles, not to mention another damned assassin spider. I am pretty sure my kill count is the lowest of our company.” A chill gripped my heart. “Dorian, did we lose anyone else?” I hadn’t checked. I had been so focused on the h?rlie.

  “No. Everyone survived. No other severe injuries.”

  I let out a sigh of relief. “We were lucky the Vísir made it in time.”

  “Yeah.” He added nothing more, and we walked in silence through the main cavern at the entrance of the mine. A few guards started to approach, but one look from Dorian sent them back to their post.

  Dorian finally spoke once we had started walking through the entrance tunnel. Blinking away the bright light of the surface, I almost missed his question. “I can’t believe I am asking this, but do you really believe that the Vísir is the only reason everyone made it?”

  “Only reason? Of course not. The main reason? Yeah. Did you see what she did? In seconds, she brought the h?rlie from near death. She didn’t even need to touch him. I had to stick my damn arm inside of him, causing who knows what damage. And who knows what other small stuff patched up with a wave of her hand.”

  He stopped and turned so fast that I almost ran into him. “I know you aren’t stupid. Ignorant maybe—but not stupid.”

  I took a step back at the intensity in his voice, his deep scowl making my stomach sink. “What are—“

  “Of course that old crone is impressive. She is a Tier IV, or, for all I know, she could have entered the fifth tier. She damn well better be able to fix that with her eyes closed and hands tied behind her back.” His voice dropped, tight with frustration. “Do you know why she was able to do that? Because you somehow kept him alive.”

  He took a sharp breath. “He should have died. We all knew it—especially after hearing how many potions had been used. Yet somehow, he didn’t. Because of you. And you are only what? Level 5?”

  “Four, actually,” I mumbled.

  “Gods!” He threw up his hands and muttered, “Well, you will be level 5 after tonight.” He spun and continued back on his path.

  I jogged to catch up. Even with those short legs, he could move. “Are you mad at me?”

  “Yes,” he snapped—then sighed, running a hand through his hair “No. Not really. I am just—can’t you see what you pulled off?” He groaned at my incredulous look. “By the Gods, how can you not get the significance of what you accomplished? It is so damn frustrating.”

  “I think you’re over—

  “Nope. You will not diminish your accomplishment. I don’t care if you disagree. Everyone else will see it my way, and that’s…worrisome.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Why?”

  “You put a target on your back, and you don’t even realize it. You think you did nothing, but you saved a high-tier ?ttar. That shouldn’t have happened, not as a Tier 1 and definitely not as a level 4. That kind of thing? It doesn’t go unnoticed—and you don’t want that attention.”

  “What are you trying to say? That I should have let him die?”

  He sighed. “No. Of course not. I just want you to know your worth so you understand the importance of keeping your eyes open.”

  If you only knew Dorian, but since I couldn’t mention anything about the Volki, I just sighed. “I am. I know Humans are despised, but do you think I am in more danger now?”

  “Given their sense of honor, who knows? But if you keep shining so bright, you will grab attention.”

  “Shining too bright? I am nothing without these healing potions, and from what I can tell, they don’t exactly grow on trees. Even then, I can’t compete with the Vísir.”

  “Again, tier differential, but yeah, it will decrease some of the suspicion, especially given the grade of healing potions we have here. Also, stop using that aura of yours.”

  “My what?”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I know the word, but I doubt you are referring to migraines and seizures.”

  “Gods,” he muttered. “Generating an aura without a skill and still keeping that ?ttar alive. How did a Human prodigy end up here?”

  “Dorian…what are you talking about?”

  “I wasn’t there for all of it, but as you said, your hand was in his,” he shuddered, “belly. A Human doing that to an ?ttar? You had to be projecting something—whether you meant to or not—to calm the ?ttir around you.”

  I had definitely utilized my Marks when I slowed time down, but had I done something else, too? I thought back, running the whole event in my head. “You might be right. I think I felt my Mark activating even when I wasn’t using a skill.”

  He just rubbed his temples. “Yep. Sounds like you triggered your aura a few times. Just try not to use it going forward. Some people don’t take kindly to manipulation. You really don’t need more attention.”

  “You really think I could affect—“

  He just raised a hand to cut me off. “I know that your Projection is pathetic, but auras follow different rules than skills. Even if it didn’t solidify into an actual skill, you are on your way. People two tiers above you struggle with getting one.”

  “Fine, but I am not the only one showing off surprising skills. I saw most of that battle with the burrower. If you hadn’t been there, no way they would have kept it locked in place. How did you do that?”

  His eyes narrowed at my blanket attempt to change the topic, but with a sigh, he responded, “[Meld Stone]. A burrower’s carapace is actually stone, living stone, but still stone. I overpowered its hold on the stone.”

  “You can do that?”

  “As you saw, just for a bit. My Projection is only so high, and the burrower has a natural affinity to its own armor. Without the other ?ttir helping pin it, it would have broken free almost immediately. We were lucky. Openin that vein was reckless.” With a grumble he added, “But I am sure that the Verndari will just use our success here to take bigger risks.”

  I just shook my head. “Dorian, you’re probably right—but also wrong.”

  “How can you say that given what you saw?”

  “Because you are taking the wrong perspective. Opening that vein was a given. Whatever this debt is, the Verndari wants out of it. Nothing would have stopped him from ordering it opened, and last time I looked, you had no way to overrule him. If you hadn’t laid down those traps and defensive structures, the outcome would have been much worse. I may have saved one life, but you saved far more.”

  “Still makes me party to a bad decision.”

  “The Verndari and, more importantly, the company were ready to take losses. Is it truly wrong if their thresholds for success are different?”

  “He shouldn’t be able to throw away his subordinates’ lives.”

  “How about this? I will believe you when you say that I was instrumental in saving our h?rlie if you believe me when I say that your help with the excavation was worth the potential of a future moral hazard.“

  He harrumphed. “Fine.” He pointed a finger at me. “No more wallowing. You did good.”

  I smiled. “Yeah. It was nice to make some sort of difference if only—” I cut off when he cleared his throat. “I am glad I helped.”

  We fell into a comfortable silence as we started down the path towards the Commons. At this time of day, in the middle of a shift, the only sounds came from the wind rustling through the trees. The sun lit up the cliff. I basked in its warmth. So peaceful. Such a contrast from minutes ago.

  I glanced in the direction of the well. I hesitated. I shouldn’t drag Dorian into this, but maybe just this once. After today? I needed this.

  “Dorian, do you mind helping me get some water?”

  I luxuriated in the water of the bath. Whoever made this hit the Goldilocks zone for the water’s temperature. After today’s ordeal with the h?rlie, I could have stayed in here for hours, letting the water’s warmth leech away the fatigue from my muscles and bone. In reality, I may have because when I opened my eyes, words reverberated in my head:

  [New Level Obtained: Physician Level 5]

  [Skill Gained: Quicken Thoughts]

  [Skill Gained: Physician's Presence]

  [Skill Gained: Sense Injury]

  [Projection: 1 —> 2]

  I bolted upright, water sloshing over the sides. Projection. I gained a point in Projection! The thing that had been crippling me the most.

  Wait. My Projection was one?!?

  The potential for increased range almost got me out of the bath to try and test it. Almost. Instead, I pointed my hand towards the light stone and reached for its Energy. Unsurprisingly, I hit the same wall as before. Ten feet was a pipe dream, but maybe now I would be able to measure my range in centimeters instead of millimeters. I would check it later. I needed time to think, and I always did that better in a shower. Since I didn’t have that, this bath would have to do. After all, the water was perfect, and despite all the time I had been in here, it showed no signs of getting cold.

  I lowered myself deeper into the water until the waterline rested under my chin. My hair tickled my neck. It had grown unnaturally fast. If I had to speculate, I would bet my frequent healing potion usage was to blame. One more experiment I would love to run if I wasn’t stuck in indentured servitude. Regardless, it had grown to a length that was far too long, well into the unprofessional range—if I wasn’t a neurologist. Still, while we could get away with far more than the surgeons, a man bun wasn’t for me. I needed a haircut. Knowing this place, that’d add another week to my debt.

  I willed my jaw to unclench and my muscles to relax. No need to ruin this slice of perfection. This was a time for celebration. I hit my first threshold. Dorian had mentioned that the last level of a tier was important, but this was unbelievable. Three skills and an increase in my Projection, for whatever that negligible increase was worth. Yet, if these skills worked as their names implied, their acquisition had to be more than coincidence. I did all these things during the battle and while working on the h?rlie. Not that I didn’t want these skills. If the skills streamlined abilities like [Enhance Medicinal] did with potions, then my actions, which defied reality, would become second nature, consuming so much less Energy and mental resources. However, that had implications, some of them dark.

  If I could influence the skills I learned, did that mean I could also miss out on skills by not trying things? I learned the core skills of my class in my early levels. How much flexibility did I have? If I missed a window? If I made the wrong choice? Would I ever be able to compete with the Vísir?

  I didn’t know what I didn’t know. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my pitiful Projection barred certain paths.

  I let out a long sigh and sank deeper into the water.