Two men stood awkwardly in an empty parking lot. A police officer regarded Val nervously, as if to study his every detail and figure out his intentions. Val himself casually stood with his arms folded across his chest, expressionless.
Jim felt a moist sensation on his back, but it was late November, mid-afternoon, and a cool breeze was flowing through the area. He had never seen a man like the one before him. The boots, jeans, black shirt, and brown leather jacket were all typical enough. The silver bracelet and gold pendant around his neck were gaudy but otherwise easily dismissed. Noting the motorcycle parked nearby, even the shades the man wore was of little consequence. What unnerved him was a long, authentic-looking sword slung over the man's back, and a pair of ravens staring eerily at him from a distance. There were maybe ten steps between them, and he was not entirely convinced the man could not close the gap and cut him down before he could draw his gun.
Jim was a police officer, he had met many criminals during his service, some of which had committed horrific acts of violence and treachery. A federal penitentiary was just a short drive away, where some of the worst criminals were detained until recently. This man, however, had an entirely different feeling to him. Something like a soldier? He did not have the discipline in his posture that one would expect. What he did have, though, was that almost indifferent regard to death and threat of violence. It contrasted starkly with the youthful appearance that assured Jim he could not possibly have the combat experience that accompanied that demeanor. There was a strange atmosphere around him. Despite the breeze, within a few meters of the man, the air almost seemed to remain suffocatingly still. Jim white-knuckled the grip of his handgun in its holster, but the man did not even twitch an eyebrow. It had been several nerve-wracking minutes of this, and Jim wished he had gone to notify the Chief himself.
Over on the bike, the two ravens were whispering to each other. Muninn spoke in an amused tone.
"Do you think Val realizes what he's doing?" Huginn whispered.
"He's probably been practicing how to carve air so much he's subconsciously exerting his magic on the surroundings. Or he is still practicing." Muninn remarked with suppressed amusement.
"Poor man, Val has more mana than he can currently control, it probably looks eerie where he is. Should we say something?"
"I think it'll be worse for the man if birds start talking to him, he might actually crack."
To Jim's relief, the familiar approaching sounds of several pairs of uniform shoes let him ease up. He took his hand from his gun and stepped to the side, making way for his fellow officers.
A middle-aged man with an authoritative air about him was accompanied by half a dozen men and women in blue uniforms. He stopped only a few meters away from Val.
"Who are you, and what do you want from us? If it's shelter, we can provide it, but you must turn over your weapons. If it's something else, we kindly ask you to leave. I'd suggest heading further inland. There are larger and more organized refuge sites." Richard said with a stern but not overtly impolite tone.
The only thing that changed about Val's appearance was a single raised eyebrow.
"I told your guy there already. I'm Val, and I'd like to help you with your ghoul problem." Val said with some annoyance in his tone.
Richard did not even flinch or show a reaction. "I don't know what you've heard, but we have no problems with 'ghouls' and no other issues that need outside intervention."
"Really? You're all doing just fine out here then? If you know about larger refuge sites, why are you here? I'm sure evacuation orders were issued a couple weeks ago." Val asked.
"This is our home, we have families here, earthquakes and hurricanes didn't chase us away before, and it won't do so now, either. If you are not here seeking refuge, I need to ask that you peacefully vacate the premises." The police chief repeated.
Val sighed, annoyed, but he did not want to press too hard. He was not looking for a fight. He respected these people, especially the police officers, who, without pay, rallied those too stubborn to leave and made a passable home for them.
*Just-doing-my-job kind of guy, huh? Ugh, duty-bound guys are hard to deal with.* Grumbling in his mind, Val looked past the chief, studying the expressions of his subordinates. Some had a mixture of fear, doubt, curiosity. One looked like he was deeply fascinated with the sword on Val's back, but one, in particular, caught his attention. A woman in her late forties or so, with mousey blonde hair bound in a bun, had a distracted expression. Fear? Hope? Desperation? He could not quite place it, but she almost seemed to be pleading for something with her eyes, or maybe praying. Her eyes carried dark bags that suggested she had not slept in some time, but they were not lifeless.
A thought occurred to Val how he might crack the iron wall that was the Chief's professional-grade stubbornness. For a moment, a smirk appeared on his face. Several of the officers noticed it and flinched, looking ready to draw their weapons on him.
Oops… Val quickly hid his expression.
Trying to drum up the act, Val bent his head down slightly, sighing with forced exasperation.
"Look, two days ago, a teenager, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old, was brought here, right? Big gory chunk taken out of his neck or something? I can help him and help you guys deal with his attackers if you would just work with me here." Val said, trying his best to sound worn out, as if they had been discussing this issue all day and not three minutes.
The woman's face changed immediately, eyes that seemed to search anywhere but here fixated on him. Fear gave way to desperation, and desperation gave way to hope as Val finished his words.
"Do you know him?! Can you help Dan? Please! Do you have medicine with you? I'll pay your price, just name it!" Desperation nearly gave way to hysteria as the woman discarded all pretense, stepping forward and pleading Val.
Richard sighed. Suspicion remained in his eyes, but he too discarded his strong front. Richard motioned to one of the officers. Another woman in uniform, slightly younger, gently took the desperate mother to the side, trying to calm her down.
"You seem to know a lot, stranger. Were you there that night? Have you been watching us? No, it doesn't matter. It's true, Dana here, her boy was brought to us bleeding heavily from an injury. These 'ghouls' you're talking about, the boys said one of them took a few bites out of him before they escaped. Let's not talk out here, the sun'll go down soon, and those monsters will be out on the streets. If you're genuinely here to help, we'll put you up for the night. You can park your bike in the warehouse, I'll have one of my guys move it in, let's talk in my office." Richard said, motioning two of his men towards the bike.
"Appreciate it, but take me to the boy first. That was his mother, right? If she's that desperate, I'm guessing he's not out of the woods yet." Val said sternly.
Hopefully, I've made it in time… Val hid his concern, but he really did want to help these people. He had missed the company of actual humans and hoped they could answer some questions about what happened a couple weeks ago.
Richard looked at Val with surprise. "You really do have medicine?"
"Something like that." Val motioned to the ravens. Huginn flew over and alighted on his right shoulder, while Muninn perched on the hilt of his blade. He imagined he looked extraordinary, a man with a sword and a pair of ravens, but tried to put up with the stares and followed the Chief, regardless.
Inside the warehouse were yet more rows of tents and various makeshift partitions, the existing goods and displays had been relocated to the side or stuffed in stacked boxes. A dozen or so people seemed to be walking up and down tall aisles, taking inventory. A small pharmacy had been refitted to serve as a kind of medical ward, a few people were resting but looked to be otherwise fine.
Val followed Richard into the pharmacy, and near the back was a teenager unconscious on a mattress. A doctor with black hair just starting to turn gray in some areas was taking pulse and temperature.
"Doctor Chen, this is um… I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Richard asked with an awkward expression.
"Val."
"Right, Doctor, this is Val, a visitor, for the time being, he has the antibiotics you need."
The doctor turned around. He could not have been older than fifty, but the grave look in his eyes, and clear lack of sleep, seemed to age him by a decade, maybe two.
"I appreciate it, I do need them, and I'm sure the chief can compensate you, but at this point, even the strongest antibiotics won't save Dan in time." He said.
"What? Dammit. There's nothing else—"
"Even if I could deliver it IV, there's too much infection, his organs won't last much longer, the tissue around the wound is already dying, and sepsis is setting in. Besides, I used the last of our IV bags on him yesterday." Doctor Chen regrettably interrupted.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Val spoke. "I did not bring antibiotics or IV bags, but I came here to help him. Can you let me take a look?"
Surprise and doubt colored Richard's face, but the Doctor just remained hopeless. "Are you a friend of his? I'm sorry you two reunited this way." He gently said.
"Never seen this kid in my life, but you could say I'm a friend." Val stepped next to the boy, inspecting his condition.
Now the doctor, too, looked perplexed. Richard was unsure of what to do, knowing Dan would pass before long, anyway. Conflicted, he at least told a passing resident to go get Dana now that there was a definitive prognosis. Doctor Chen went with him to go talk to Dana.
"Hey, bird, you sure this will work?" Val whispered to Huginn.
The raven nodded. "Pour your mana into his body, gently, mind you, focus on his heart, his bones, the spleen. Think of it as supercharging his immune system to fight the infection, stimulate his heart to beat faster, and stronger. His blood will carry your mana all throughout his body, then draw 'Beorc' and invoke it to force his body to heal. It will stimulate his body to heal and repair swiftly." He whispered.
"Draw Beorc on what? Just carve it into his skin?"
Huginn stared at Val, frowning with eyes half-closed, looking at him like he was an idiot.
"Your blood will do, it is suffused with mana and will be a powerful conduit for your magic. Draw the rune on his chest and invoke it when you have imparted some of your mana to him." The raven explained flatly.
"Will there be any side effects?" Val asked.
"The boy's body is not familiar or adjusted to magic, especially one as volatile as yours. This is a brutish method, to be sure, but short of a trained healer it is the best option we have. The immense strain might mean he lives one or two years less in the long run, but that's hardly expensive compared with his current fate. Just remember to take back any remaining mana after you're done, the quantity you will need can be toxic to mortal men."
Val gingerly peeled off the gauze covering the wound. Placing his hand on the boy's chest, he focused, imagining a path from his own heart to his fingertips. Val's body warmed uncomfortably, making him want to remove his jacket. He tried to ignore it and remained focused on his task. He felt a slight burning sensation. Looking down at his chest he noticed with surprise that the mark was lighting up with the color of hot coals releasing the last of their warmth. It did not feel painful, but the temporary alarm disturbed his concentration. He accidentally sent a substantial burst of mana through his fingertips.
"Idiot, gently!" The Huginn hissed. Muninn remained perched on his sword hilt, observing the entire process calmly, but not missing a moment.
A surprising sensation came over Val, he could feel his mana even after it had traveled into Dan's body. He could direct it towards the organs Huginn specified. Through their movement, he could almost imagine the internal workings of the body in his mind. Comfort with leveraging this technique gave way to confidence as he pumped mana through the boy's veins. Dan's heart beat faster and stronger. In his head, Val could almost hear the heart pounding like a piston engine, straining under the duress but fortified and forced to work harder under the influence of Val's will.
"Good, now the rune." Huginn instructed.
Val flipped open his knife and sliced his index finger. He drew Beorc on Dan's chest near his wound, leaving an oddly toothy 'B' written in blood.
Holding his hand above the rune, Val channeled his power into the rune. It glowed like fire, as the grisly wound on Dan's shoulder seemed to stitch itself back together. Muscle fibers grew and weaved across the exposed bone, wrapping themselves into tight coils as new skin grew swiftly to seal the wound. Dan's body warmed to a feverish level, and he issued a soft groan of discomfort.
Richard heard the noise running over only to freeze at the scene. Val had turned to look back at him, still healing Dan, but Val's irises were like fire, glowing a strange bright orange. Some kind of symbol was on Dan's chest, but color had returned to the boy's face, and his breathing hastened to a regular ebb and flow.
With horror and confusion in his eyes, Richard stammered. "W-What… are you?"