Their destination was a building as large as the Adventure's Guild. Even though it was similar in make as the Adventure's Guild, this was much shinier for some reason.

Satoshi tried to push the air against the building's outer walls but it didn't budge. What was more odd, was that the passive feedback from his ability was fuzzy.

(Is it some kind of a barrier?)

Satoshi wanted to experiment more but he didn't know enough common sense of the world just yet. There could be ways they could target and find him and by no means was he magnanimous enough to willingly allow people of this world to experiment on an aberrant otherworlder mage. Moreover, he was here for important business.

Satoshi, Feriana and Meste followed Rovango inside the Mage's guild building and left them to wait while he went around to..well, do something. Satoshi wasn't exactly able to follow their conversation. He just hoped that the ferretgirl was handling things appropriately. And he had a feeling that she was.

(She's quite perceptive of my intentions.)

It didn't take a lot of hand-signs to explain things to her. Sometimes indeed she would understand wrong but admittedly, Satoshi wasn't exactly proficient at non-verbal communication either.

The three waited for the ratkin mage to come back. Except for Meste, it was the first time for the others visiting the inside of the guild. For Satoshi since he was not of this world and Feriana.. well, it was quite obvious to discern that it was her first time by the way she was looking everywhere, part excited and part nervous. Satoshi related to her sentiments, just not with such.. evident mannerisms. Everywhere he looked, there were robed beastkins, with various colors of robes variety; black, grey and other dull colours were more prevalent while blue, green, red, white and brown persisted in small numbers. Satoshi himself was wearing a black robe so he was satisfied to be able to easily blend in.

The ratkin, wearing a dull grey robe, came back from whatever he had gone to do.

“Staar lim yaga. Lach ayiach ekrak etaa.”

Rovango said something and Meste looked towards them.

Satoshi was a little taken aback as Feriana suddenly held his hand. He understood what it meant and didn’t break free and started to follow the rat mage with his ferret girl. He used his ability very discreetly to feel around the place as well as on her to reassure her of his presence.

----------------

An aged deerkin sat behind a desk in her office, awaiting her student’s arrival. She was one of the best healers of Domania, the beastman kingdom. Over the course of several decades, her once beautiful and bright brown hair with white spots had lost its lustre. There were no more white spots and the hair was a uniform dull brown. Yet the kindness from her large round deer eyes had never disappeared.

In her adventurer years, her party had climbed up to A-rank before she decided to retire. Due to her vast experience and her proficiency in the rare magic, she was offered a permanent position as a healer in the mage’s guild a few years ago, which she readily took. Though for many reasons, she didn’t do much of healing these days. One of those reasons being that she wasn’t pressed for money. As a part of an A-rank party, she had made an abundance of coinage and her savings were more than enough to last her for the remainder of her life. Another reason she would often claim, “If I heal all of them, how are the young ones going to learn anything?”. Hence, she only personally looked after special cases or acted in life-and-death scenarios.

With no more adventuring and the occasional healing cases, she had decided to pass on her experience and knowledge to the next young generation in her free time. One such student of her, a ratkin named Rovango, had suddenly made a special request to her through the guild. He had a dual affinity; in fire and healing, though his healing was weak so he left after learning from her for a year and joined an adventurer party.

“I admit the stories from my prime might have influenced him to walk that path.”, she said out loud, looking out the window towards the birds chirping among the trees. Her voice was sweet, almost melodic. Her thin deer ears rotated about to capture the direction of the occasional sounds.

“It is important to be adventurous while they’re still young.”, she smiled as she remembered some of the perilous situations their party had gotten in over hundreds of adventures.

*knock knock*

"Madam Tawna, Rovango is here."

"Send him in."

*Door opens*

Four people entered the room, a ratkin that Tawna recognised as Rovango, a wolfkin, a ferretwoman and a robed man of unknown affliction.

"It's been a while, madam Tawna. How is everyone?", the ratkin bowed in respect towards the deerkin behind the desk. Meste followed in junction and lowered his head, and so did the remaining two people.

“So it has been, Rovango. Everyone is doing well. They often come to visit or send letters, unlike a certain ratman who found a nice adventurer party and has now only come to visit for what I assume to be a personal request?”, replied back Tawna with a smile, stretching her few wrinkles, “And I’ve heard that the certain ratman got promoted to B-rank. Is it that he comes to inform me of the good news after I’ve already heard it from other sources? I would have liked if he had come with his party to greet his former teacher but clearly one of your friends here is a non-combatant.”

Feriana flinched a little at the obvious mention of her in the conversation.

“Uhh..”, Rovango scratched his cheek, “I wonder who that sheepish ratkin is. Though I’m sure he’s actually an amazing person and an even better mage, haha.”

“Ohhh…? Why don’t I call some of my fire mage friends and have this ratman have a mock battle against them? I think that sounds very interesting.”, the deerkin gave an even wider smile.

“..I’m sure there’s no need to waste time of your fire mage friends….”, Rovango replied with a cramped smile, beads of sweat visible on his forehead.

“Hmm.. Maybe you are right..”, Tawna batted her eyes and put her finger on her cheek with a small pout, “They are busy people and I’m sure roasting an indecorous little ratman is just going to ruin their day.”

“Uhhh….”, Rovango mumbled at a loss of words to speak against his kind but ruthless teacher.

“Madam Tawna, if I may?”, interrupted the well-built wolfkin with the sword at his back.

“Hmm?”, Tawna stared back amused.

“I am Meste, Rovango’s party leader.”, Meste lowered his head again towards the aged woman. Even though she was old and supposedly only a healer, he knew that him being let in with his sword meant that there was absolutely nothing he could possibly do to her.

“I apologise for keeping Rovango so occupied with our adventuring jobs as well as myself not being able to come and meet his former teacher.”

“Oh? A humble one.”, replied Tawna, her amusement reflecting in her kind demeanour.

“Thank you, madam. As you mentioned, we have indeed moved on to hold the worthy and responsible position of a B-rank party. If you would have some free time..”, Meste made his small speech in a continuum but was interrupted.

“You’re cute, child. Handsome even maybe. But you’re several decades too early to ask me out on a drink.”

“That’s not what I..”

“So you better tell me what you’re here for.”

Tawna sat up in her chair. With her elbows on the desk, she rested her chin on her hands. Without a smile on her face, her dark deer eyes pierced though Meste.

“Madam Tawna..”, Rovango tried to put a few words in.

“You don’t get to speak.”

“...”, Rovango shut up immediately.

“You, wolfman. Meste, you called yourself? You’re here to ask me to heal someone right?”

“Yes, madam.” Meste answered without a moment of delay.

“Consider it done.”

“..Madam?”

“For a simple compensation.”, she put up a finger, “Leave my ex-student here for a day. I need to re-educate him a little.”

*gulp*

A gulping sound could be heard and Meste did not need to look to know whom it came from.

“Done.”, answered Meste unhesitant.

“Leader!”

*clap*

“Fufu.. that’s great.. GRIMOLAAA!”, an uncharacteristic loud shout came from Tawna, stunning all except Rovango for a moment. The ratkin was either used to it, or had other more urgent things to worry about in his head. Which of the two, was left unsaid as the door to the office opened.

“Yes, madam Tawna.”, a young koalakin entered.

“Mr Rovango here is my ex-student and he is going to be a special guest. Please show him to one of the special rooms... and make sure he stays..” Tawna gave another smile, one that caused all present to shiver, “And oh, Rovango. I would suggest not to struggle against Grimola. She can sometimes go a little overboard. Okay?”

“This way, Mr Rovango.” Grimola, the slender koalakin guided the ratkin who constantly mumbled curses to his leader under his breath with a vacant expression.

*door closes*

“Now then, Mr Meste. I’m assuming your request has to do with this young ferret lady and the obnoxious man who doesn’t even show his face.”

Tawna gave a look towards the other two people in the room who had yet to speak a single word.

“Forgive him, madam. There are circumstances, as to why he cannot show his face. Also, he..”, Meste glanced towards Feriana, “He cannot hear or speak. In other words, he’s deaf and dumb.”

“And how am I supposed to heal him if he doesn’t remove his hood?”

Tawna again sat with her chin on her hands, openly projecting a scrutinising gave towards those in front of her.

“It’s not him that we’re here for, madam Tawna. Or at the very least I don’t think so.”, Meste looked towards Feriana.

“Oh?”, Tawna, surprised at her derivation being denied, raised her eyebrow in excitement.

“Miss Tawna.”, finally spoke the ferretwoman, her voice hesitant towards such a person of authority, “My name is Feriana. And this is my benefactor, Satoshi. The one who needs healing is me. Though before that, if you do not mind, could I ask an enquiry?”

Tawna gave a look to the attempted fancy dressing up of the ferret girl whose words, though she tried to make as polite as possible, were clearly unrefined. Tawna smiled in amusement and nodded her head, prompting the young woman to continue with her question.

“I am not very well aware of the capabilities of healing magic, so I beg your forgiveness if my question somehow offends you..”, Feriana paused. Noticing no hostile reactions from Tawna, she continued, “Can you regrow limbs?”

Tawna narrowed her large deer eyes at the question.

“I see all your limbs perfectly attached, little Feriana.”, Tawna said without any malice in her words, yet it caused Feriana to shiver slightly.

“I mean no disrespect, madam Tawna! It’s just… general curiosity..”, Feriana defended in a meek voice.

“Haha, don’t worry so much, little Feriana. I won’t eat you. In fact, I’m a vegetarian!”, the atmosphere livened up a bit at the jolly proclamation, “And to answer your query, is yes and no, depending on certain conditions. Yes, only if it hasn’t been very long since the detachment of the limb. The exact time varies, for kids it is usually less than an hour while several hours for adults. Though the most important requirement is that the said cut-off limb be in a re-attachable state. For example, if it is severely burnt or it has been further cut into multiple pieces, then there’s probably no mage in this world, at least none in Domania who can fix it.”

Tawna took a pause from the explanation as she drank a bit of water.

“Though you specifically asked if I can ‘regrow’ limbs. ‘Regrow’, no. Not just me, no one can. Bringing back a lost body part is a thing of the myths, ancient magic either known only to the eldest of the dragons or the mystical unicorns. If you have someone who has lost a part of his body, I will recommend you to give up. Unicorns are fairy tails, they only exist in children’s bedtime stories. And though real, dragons are not creatures you can reason with, neither do you wish to attempt such a bizarre feat. I had once fought a dragon in my prime, and the result was half my party getting annihilated and the other half barely getting away with our lives.”

Goosebumbs ran through Feriana’s hair from the story.

“And the elder ones among them.. Though it is certainly possible that some are still alive since dragons are known to have millenniums of life-spans, no one has seen one in centuries, or maybe even millenniums.”

Feriana had a dark expression at the revelation.

"Now, little Feriana. If that satisfies your query, would you move on to your request? And unless it is something like regrowing a limb, I should be able to do something about it. And compliments to the ready decisions of your slightly handsome wolfman friend, your healing session will be absolutely free."

Tawna’s words, though seemingly blunt at first, were in fact out of kindness. It was clear to her that Feriana had asked enquired this for someone who was very close to her and having her hopes crushed were devastating. So instead of giving her explicit kind words, Tawna changed the girl’s mind to something else to let the fact sink in the back of her head.

“Thank you, madam Tawna... And Mr Meste.”

Feriana wiped the tears in her eyes.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

It was evident that her words did not constitute the reason for the tears. Feriana did hold a small hope that Satoshi’s leg could be fixed. She would have refused the healing herself and begged for her saviour to be healed first, but alas, it was not to be. She composed herself and with a new determination in her eyes, spoke again.

“I was.. beaten by my father for several years.”

Feriana lifted her beautiful gown to reveal the hideous skin underneath.

“!?”

Meste stared stupefied at her legs, his mind in disarray at her grievous scars. Tawna, though similarly dumbfounded initially, regained her composure in a matter of seconds.

“Feriana.”, she spoke, finally removing the ‘little’ from her way of addressing the ferretgirl, ”Please let down your gown.”

Feriana did as told. Meste looked away and down, still unable to form any kind of coherent thoughts at what had been just revealed.

“Boys. Out.”

Tawna finally got up from her chair and motioned the two males in the room to get out. She understood with Feriana’s statement that the scars most definitely covered her entire body.

“Umm.. Please don’t make him go.”

At Feriana’s request, Tawna looked at the ferretgirl’s hand that had been holding onto the robed man’s ever since the two entered the room. The grip on that hand was strong enough for Tawna to realise how much Feriana was dependent on the man. It made Tawna internally happy that the girl was not all lost and had someone to rely upon, at least now that whatever circumstances had brought over those scars had presumably changed.

“Mr Meste.”

The wolfman who had been called out looked over in a daze.

“I don’t think you would be needed here anymore. You can leave little Feriana here, in my care. Come tomorrow to pick up Rovango and maybe we can have a chat then.”

“Yes madam.”

Meste, not able to push the bewildering sight out of his mind walked out of the room without another word.

*door closes*

Tawna walked nearer to the two people left in the room.

“Now, little Feriana. Show me the rest.”