Chương 16: 016

Karma stared at me for a long moment. Then she threw her head back and laughed, rich and unrestrained.

"Exactly, like cockroaches! But let's move on, or we'll be here all day." She flicked her hand again, and several glowing silhouettes bloomed into existence around us, hovering in the air like spectral mannequins.

"Dragonkin, elves, and fairies are ageless. Dwarves, giants, orcs, and beastfolk age more slowly, but they do still age." Her gaze slid back to me.

"And then, of course, there are humans." I nodded.

"Same lifespan as humans on Earth?" She beamed.

"Exactly. The rest of the perks vary by sub-race, and there are far too many to go through." Her tone turned practical.

"So, what do you want to excel at? I'll help you build around that." My head throbbed from the sheer volume of information. I pressed a palm to my temple.

"Healing. Whatever race or sub-race gives me a natural lean toward healing magic." She made a vague, wavering gesture with her hand.

"There isn't one race that's best at healing. Outside of potions, healing depends on magical affinity. Light is the most common, but nature works too." A faint smile tugged at her lips.

"Though nature tends to be a bit more… colorful." I lifted a brow.

"Colorful how?" Instead of answering, she snapped her fingers. The castle dissolved. In its place, a sun-dappled grove formed around us. A clear blue pond reflected the canopy above, and motes of light drifted lazily through the air like pollen. Two men stood at the water's edge. Karma inclined her head toward them.

"Watch the druid. It's easier to show than explain." Time resumed for the figures, though neither noticed us. The taller of the two bore branching, moose-like antlers rising from sandy brown hair. He wore simple robes, weathered and practical, with pouches hanging from a worn leather belt. His companion had long rabbit ears and fur matching the darker shade of his hair. He cradled one arm tightly to his chest, blood seeping through the fur. The antlered man shook his head fondly.

"You truly must be more careful with your health, my friend. That lunar wolf nearly finished you." The rabbit beastfolk ducked his head, sheepish, saying nothing. The druid placed a hand over the wound and closed his eyes. Light gathered, not harsh or blinding, but warm and alive. It spiraled around his palm, sinking into the injury. He murmured a few words, and the glow dispersed. Where blood and torn flesh had been, thick green moss now clung to the rabbit's arm. I blinked.

"Is that… sanitary?" Karma nodded.

"Just as much as light-based healing. Once he peels the moss away, his arm will be completely healed." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Practical, efficient, and depending on the spell variety, potentially far more versatile than light healing alone. The grove faded, leaving us once more suspended in black nothingness.

"So," Karma continued, "if you're set on healing, your race doesn't matter nearly as much as your affinity. We can lock that in now." She conjured a small sphere of glowing light in her palm.

"I'm guessing you'll want-."

"No." The light sputtered out as I shook my head.

"I want nature affinity." She stared at me, disbelief dripping from her voice.

"You want to heal with moss." I nodded.

"If my available spells depend on my affinity, then nature gives me more options. Especially if there's anything that lets me grow food." Images surfaced unbidden, moldy bread, gnawing hunger, the slow hollowing of my body in that basement. The constant, grinding uncertainty of when I'd eat again. Never again. For a brief moment, sympathy and blistering rage flickered across Karma's face before she smoothed it away.

"Plant affinity it is. I'll even make sure you start with a spell called Crop Growth." I blinked.

"That's a real spell? I thought I'd need seeds and some kind of fertilizing enchantment." She winked.

"That's the usual method, but making a new spell is hardly difficult for me. Use it on healthy soil, and it'll grow basic regional crops. No out-of-season miracles or wrong climates, though."

"That's more than enough," I said quietly.

"It'll also help if I run into people who need food." Given the world she'd described, I doubted starvation would be rare. She hummed, shifting topics smoothly.

"Alright. That still leaves your race. You'll probably want something fast and adaptable. Beastfolk fit that bill nicely…" Her brow creased.

"Though that might be a problem. There's a lot of fear and hatred aimed at beastfolk right now. Hostility. Violence. Assassination attempts. Hell, even raids on settlements." Actually…

"That's perfect." She stared at me like I'd just escaped a padded room but forgot to remove my self-hugging jacket.

"You want people to try and kill you?" I shrugged.

"Part of my job is hunting down scum, right? If they come to me, that saves time. Makes the work easier." I'd seen what prejudice did in the poorest districts on Earth. I knew exactly the kind of people it would draw out. And I could use that.