Rila
Legacy Name: Rila

Part I: The Apprentice

The fresh herbs made a soft squelching sound each time the wooden mallet struck the pestle. It was a sound Rila knew well, one that had filled the weeks of her life for the past seven years, in waking and in sleep.

Lillith was a grand witch, one of the most powerful wielders of magic in the western quadrant of the realm. She could find a use for any plant and cure even the rarest forms of disease with a combination of tonics, ritual gestures and magical incantations that had survived the fall of empires and the passing of a thousand years.

It was a pleasure and an honor to work for Lillith. And yet...

Yet there were days when her heart cried out for adventure, her feet tingled with the desire to travel new roads and her eyes wandered without her permission toward the alluring view of the unknown world visible from the kitchen window.

Those fantasies always started on a nice, rainy day just like this one.

"Rila."

Rila winced. Lillith's tone was gentle but there was no mistaking that undertone of scolding. Lillith knew her almost as well as she knew herself. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Your mind is on the outer world again. Attend, Child. I need you to run down to the village market and get me two dozen tangled mandrake roots and a jar of diluted nightshade."

Rila was on her feet and slipping into her travel cloak almost before the words could leave her mistress' mouth. The familiar weight of the covered basket was a comforting presence at her side.

She could have made her purchases in five minutes if she was in a hurry to get back but her chores were all done. She lingered at the tea cart, sipping a blend of her favorite autumnal berry brew and nibbling a cheese-filled biscuit. She never could get her fill of salty morsels.

It was in the middle of a spectacular bout of haggling that they entered the shop. Four adventurers, all bearing the marks of world travelers well used to confronting danger at every turn. The dwarf tucked his new dagger out of sight with a satisfied grunt, giving the elf who had done all the talking an approving signal of the hand.

Rila moved as if in a dream, paying for her purchases and shouldering her basket. She knew it was exceedingly rude but she followed a trail parallel to the quartet, always keeping them in sight. Twice the warrior maiden in the spring green silk gown shot a too-perceptive glance in Rila's direction but the lady didn't call her out.

She didn't know why. She just knew this group needed her, a premonition she knew better than to ignore.

It was for this very power that Lillith, despite her loathing for apprentices, had taken her in two years ago. It was this power that would make her the best healer the world had ever known.

Part II: The Travelers

The elf was clearly their leader...but was she an elf? Her skin lacked the subtle glow and she was a good two inches shorter than even the sun elves. "Stock up on the essentials but also keep an eye out for any artifacts, you guys. Don't forget what happened last time."

The kitsune's tail swished back and forth. "I would've had that Stone of Light if it hadn't been for that sneaking dwarf...no offense, Thodrak."

Thodrak smiled serenely. "None taken."

"No stealing, Pelt. This is a nice town. One that hasn't pledged fealty to an ogre overlord or felt the terror of an orc band. We'd really like to establish a few locations where they won't cast us out on sight."

Pelt's tail went stiff and she uttered a low growl. "Are you saying what happened at Grimoire Gulch was my fault, Shina?"

The aasimar put a hand on Pelt's slender shoulder, his wing feathers ruffling slightly despite the lack of a breeze. "Peace. We all know you had our best interests at heart."

"You always take her side, Umbar."

"A story has many sides. One must view the whole picture to appreciate the complexity of even the simplest choice."

Pelt continued to mutter under her breath though she allowed her fur to flatten.

Shina paused. "We are being observed. She is young, a full-blood elf. A healer, if I'm not mistaken...I saw her before at the herb vendor's cart. She does not know we have spotted her. She does not know the ways of the road yet she is far from unskilled."

Thodrak tugged at his beard. "Surely a child who knows naught but healing is no threat."

Pelt's long fingers went to one of her many hidden blades, the tips just brushing the hilt. "You want me to scare her off?"

Shina shook her head. "She means us no harm. When she realizes our direction, she'll lose interest and turn back to the safety of the village, I'm sure. We go on."

She lowered her voice even further. "Since we have an audience, let's give her a story worthy of the bards."

Thodrak took his cue. "Hey Umbar, remember that time we had to fight our way out of the ice dragon's lair with nothing but the cloaks on our backs and a few rusted blades?"

"Ah yes, the Battle for the Broken Harp. Shina's blade never sang so sweetly as it did on that day."

They described the battles, the siege and the final push to vanquish Smedolsek in great detail. Shina's mouth turned up at the corners when she heard their listener's subtle gasp. The elf may surpass her in height but she was still a child. It was always a thrill to bring that spark of wonder to the eye of some youth yet untried in the wide, cruel world.

Their voices dropped off one by one as the trees began to thicken and the view of the sun was obscured. Bleak Forest lived up to its name.

Today's foe turned out to be monster bandits.

They came from all sides, their fiendish wails hurting Pelt's sensitive ears. She snarled and flung two daggers before her brain had fully registered the presence of a full dozen foes. Shina's bow was strung and humming as the first arrow flew. Thodrak's shield flickered into being...but not quite in time to stop the behemoth that charged in with abandon.

Thodrak crumpled under the brute's well-aimed blow, leaving them all exposed.

Part III: The Wilderness

Rila watched in horror as the heroes were surrounded. She wanted so badly to help but Lillith had taught her only a few defensive moves for protection. She was a healer, not a warrior. All she could do if she revealed her presence was get herself killed.

Thodrak was down with a nasty lump on the back of his skull. Pelt leapt to his aid, her hands moving at impossible speed as she diced a blue-skinned troll's hands to ribbons. He howled and studied the stumps of his dozen fingers while she ran him through.

Trolls never were known to be the brains of battle.

Shina and Umbar worked back to back, slaying any moving target that came within reach of their blades. They seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

Then the witch appeared with an eerie cry in a language thought lost to the world.

The very air became a blade dripping with venom. Its point pierced Umbar's left wing at the joint. He unleashed a pained cry but did not slacken his grip on the magic that was keeping a dozen boar-faced warriors in place until they could be dealt with.

The final battle came down to Shina and the enemy witch. They circled one another warily. Even a half-elf had a certain level of immunity to castings and while this one had a few dark tricks up her sleeve, she was nowhere near powerful enough to take on elf blood and the aura of an aasimar, weakened though he was.

Her head separated neatly from her shoulders while her focus was on the two in front. Thodrak may be a peace-loving monk but he had all the ax-wielding skills of his kind.

Thodrak sat down hard, groaning and clutching at his head. "I'm getting too old for this."

Pelt rolled her eyes. "It'll take more than a little tap like that to get through your thick skull."

Shina stood over Umbar, examining his wound. The cut wasn't deep but the edges were fizzing and the wound had a foul smell. She started to reach into her bag but Umbar put a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Don't waste your healing potions on me." His voice was hoarse with pain yet he struggled to his feet. "Thodrak needs your aid more than I. He may have a thick skull but that creature had a drop of giant blood. I will control the pain enough to walk...I must."

Shina's hands clenched into fists. "We've handled warlords thrice his size. How could this happen?"

Rila made her presence known. "Please, Ranger. Let me be of aid. My name is Rila of the House of Aegwyn, adopted daughter of the House of Lillith. I am a healer of some skill. I have seen your valiant efforts against these bandits and heard the tales you recounted on the path. I would offer what skills I may, at least to carry you to the next town."

Shina bowed her head. "Healer...this is no common wound. I recognize this poison. It is the fermented remains of a weed that grows only in the Black Brew Swamp. Your potion may ease his pain temporarily but only a holder of the Power of Light will cure him."

"Let me do that much, at least. My mistress speaks often of the Order of Clarity and I know they have a castle in Nirvall."

"It is a slim hope...but better than nothing. Do what you can. I will see you are paid for your services."

Thodrak barely made a sound when Rila gently prodded his wound, using his iron will to re-absorb the tears that sprang to his eyes. Umbar looked on Rila with calm eyes though she could feel him trembling as she dabbed poultice on the wound. It would do nothing against the poison but would at least keep the wound from getting any worse and hopefully prevent the wing from stiffening too much.

Rila waved away the small purse that Shina offered. "The only reward I ask is to travel with you to Nirvall, to see the great healers there and to speak with them. My mistress may forgive my absence if I can return with some knowledge even she may find useful."

Shina nodded, eager to be gone.

The journey took two days due to the constant need for rest. When they faced a nest of giant spiders, Umbar was set the task of protecting Rila, keeping him out of the fight. Thodrak managed to hold his own though the dizzying dance of a few dozen legs had him clutching his head as the last spider went down.

Their first sighting of Nirvall was a balm for their battered spirits...until Rila's sharp eyes spotted the red pennant hanging from the tallest tower of Clarity Castle.

The plague had come to Nirvall.

Part IV: The Plague City

Rila had no difficulty getting herself guided to the one in charge of hospital organization. Eileen's ink-stained fingers marked her as a hard worker. The bags under her eyes marked her as a human that was worked too hard.

"A healer, you say? We don't get many elves here to begin with but a healer of your skill...we could never afford your services. I don't suppose you'd work out of the goodness of your heart."

"I'm only an apprentice, ma'am. Even if I wasn't it would go against everything my people stand for to refuse aid to anyone in need. I would ask a favor, if it is in your power to grant."

Eileen jabbed a finger at two orderlies carrying a woman on a stretcher. "Third ward's completely packed. You'll have to take her to fourth." She turned her attention back to Rila. "I can make no promises."

"It's my friends. They were injured in a fight with a dark witch. Umbar has taken in the poison of slivine. The antidote is hard to find...but I know the Order of Clarity has the recipe."

"Aye...though getting an appointment with that lot ranks somewhere on the level of being blessed by a demi-god. Aid us in our hour of need and I swear to put in a good word for you, at least."

She could feel the anguish rising from her patients before she'd even cast her diagnostic net. Their skin was covered in red-purple blotches. Almost giddy with relief, she snatched a pestle and bowl from the stack of supplies and got to work. It was a strain of plague she knew, one that could be easily cured in those that had been healthy before the illness struck.

Some were too weak for the simple tonic to fight off the virus. For these, she pursued a more aggressive treatment, even murmuring a few blessing phrases in the Old Tongue where necessary. She couldn't save everyone but there were a good three dozen lives that never would have stood a chance without her knowledge.

She had never felt the extent of her purpose so acutely. Three days had passed in what felt like a matter of hours, so wrapped up was she in the healing process.

She ate with the ravenous appetite of a dire wolf and drank nearly a whole pot of tea, resting in the room they'd provided in the healers' ward. It was in the calm after the storm that she was finally able to check on the status of her friends.

Shina greeted her warmly and Thodrak, his head thickly bandaged, clasped her hand in silent thanks. Even Pelt set aside her usual gruff suspicion to thank the healer that had helped keep her friends alive.

"Umbar is still weak but the poison is cleared from his body and with a touch of light magic, the gash won't even leave a scar. It will be another couple of days before he's able to depart. After what you've done for us, we would be honored to see you safely returned to the house of your mistress."

"The honor is mine, Warrior."

Shina shook her head. "No. You may have much to learn about the ways of the traveler, but you are marked for greatness, Rila. Anyone...even a half-elf like me...can see that."

She went with Shina for the next visit. Umbar bowed his head over her hand. She was grateful for her subtle aura that would keep the blush she felt inside from showing.

She was returning to her quarters at the hospital when a small hand gripped her skirt. The halfling woman wore the white robes of a paladin with a crested silver star upon her brow.

"Greetings, Healer. I am called Erawyn, one of the seven Clear Points of Light charged with the well-being and upkeep of Clarity Castle. It was I that saw to the restoration of your friend the sorcerer."

Rila bowed her head, much to the paladin's amusement.

"I am not royalty, child. It was my pleasure to offer what assistance I could. The extent of your skill for one so young and your deep concern for the innocent has captured the attention of the Order for which I speak. We would bestow a gift upon you, if you are willing to accept it."

Rila was too astonished by the sight of the mithril necklace wrought in the shape of a line of stars to do more than stare. The cool weight settled into the contours of her throat as if the necklace had been specifically made for her.

"A good fit. Wear it on your journey, child. It will protect you from the blows of lesser foes and give you the power of Healing Hands. As your skills grow, so too will the properties of this necklace. You will do much good...all in the name of the Order of Clarity."

Rila lowered her head to kiss the paladin's wrinkled hand. "I will work hard to be worthy of the honor you bestow, Great One."

Part V: The Pact

The journey home was uneventful, though far from boring. Rila heard many tales of the adventures of the Four Corners Quartet, as Shina's band had come to be known. For once, the familiar sight of Lillith's cottage did not bring grateful feelings of homecoming.

The healing witch stood on the stoop, observing their approach. Rila walked the last few steps with bowed head, prepared for the worst scolding of her life.

She was shocked when her mistress embraced her.

"I've had a raven from the Order of Clarity. You have truly done me proud and proven yourself ready for the journey that lies ahead."

Rila stared at her mistress in confusion. "Journey?"

Lillith nodded her appreciation to Shina. "I knew your heart would be heavy if you felt you were abandoning your duties without saying good-bye. An offer has been made for you to take up with these travelers to fulfill their noble quest of restoring the Heart of the World. It is an ambitious task, but one I know will bring you much knowledge and glory. I give you my blessing to go, if you make a promise to return at journey's end, to recount your tales of triumph and defeat and to share with me all the healing secrets you learn. That is, if you are willing to make a pact to form the Five Points Quintet."

Rila said the timeless words of the pact in a clear, ringing voice that carried all the way to the ears of the lesser gods.