Death Heeds No Healer

This story contains two brief and minor scenes of violence, and discussion of death.

Sparky always wondered why everyone made fun of Kobolds. The short and inquisitive reptilian humanoid might be only two feet tall, but by dedicating his life to the study of healing magic, he feels like he towers over the world. Perhaps being raised by one of the dragons in the land does that to a little Kobold. Often during his early days, Sparky found himself looking in the mirror, running his little paw over his short horns and spikes that adorn his soft but angular head, his brown scales doing little to match the beauty of the glamorous glittering scales of gold and bronze of the dragon he serves, nor the endless colors the others he has stayed up late at night reading about possess. Typically, comparing himself to such sophisticated creatures would drive someone to sadness, as only dragons may compare themselves to other dragons. But Sparky is okay with that, because little Sparky knows the truth. He smiles into the mirror because many years ago, when he was a fresh hatchling, he looked into the eyes of his Master Dragon, the sweet Miss Lady herself, with an insightful realization. He was confused, how he hatched from an egg so tiny, and she from an egg so big. He thought and thought, and immediately realized the answer, why he must be a baby dragon! Of course, he is just extremely young, and soon, one day, he will grow bigger and bigger still, and find himself soaring across the winds over canyons and mountains alike. If somebody was to ask Miss Lady what she, one of the oldest and wisest of the creatures that lay claim to these ancient lands, said to this tiny little kobold child, she would smile and respond. “How could I allow the truth to take away such fresh and profound innocence?”

So the years flew by, and the little Kobold named Sparky grew, training, learning, and seeking to understand the complications of magic and its limitless power, and his place in the world. It took many years, and more trial and error than even he could count as he sought to understand not only the magic, but his place regarding it. Fire scared him, he hated being cold, loud noises made him nervous, and he finds lightning simply fire acting out. When months into his studies he cut his foot, and he went crying to Miss Lady, she realized the path for Sparky. She taught him to mend flesh, and to take away the hurt that can plague this world. Casting the spell for the first time, he remembers watching the cut beneath the glowing light emanating from his paw. His eyes wet from the tears, but wide with awe as his scales and skin beneath stitched itself together, the pain gone, and the scar non-existent. He jumped with glee, looking up with a glorious smile towards Miss Lady, and she smiled back down at him. Rumbling with her honeyed voice, she cooed out “My little healer” and he knew it was true. He trained to channel the innate magics within him, and strives to make sure everyone he ever meets he can help fix. If somebody got a cut, he could mend it. When a local farmer reported a terrible disease plaguing his family, he could cure it. In time, Miss Lady decided it was time for Sparky to serve her in a different way, sending him out to roam the lands as an adventurer, as a hero, to protect and serve the very lands Miss Lady considers her own domain. Miss Lady often spent her time disguised as a petite blond woman, known as the local healer in the village of Amberhill, running a little clinic and keeping her ear to the ground as she liked to say. So when a small group of adventurers fought off some local bandits and befriended the towns bailiff, Miss Lady sought it wise to ingrain Sparky into this group, knowing his skills would serve these heroes well. He jumped along at the opportunity, eager to use his skills and prove himself not only to himself, but to the world at large.

Any good adventuring group jumps at the opportunity for a dedicated healer to tend to their wounds, no matter if they might be a scrawny 2 foot lizard with simple robes instead of armor, and a wand instead of a weapon. He befriended the small group, enjoying the boasting of the large woman, the sassy quips of the shy archer with her large pet bear, and the oddness of the drunk goat man. But no person in the party did Sparky enjoy more than Yurn. Yurn was a beast of a man, a tall scaled reptilian race known as a Dragonborn. These broad shouldered humanlike beasts often stand well over 6ft tall, hundreds of pounds, and were a menace on the battlefield. Sparky had never seen such a race before, nor had Miss Lady covered in when discussing the various races and peoples he might meet in the local lands. Sparky immediately knew what Yurn was. If Sparky was a baby dragon, and Miss Lady was a big adult dragon, it was clear as day that Yurn was in between! This revelation excited Sparky to no end, and he finds himself jumping up and down whenever he thinks about it for too long, because while he is small now, this is proof, proof that any day now he will start to become big and strong like Yurn. Bubbling with excitement for the first time, Sparky eventually approached Yurn after integrating into the adventuring team, and asked to confirm his obvious assumptions. His small stature, his shimmering innocent eyes, the sweetness and kindness Sparky carries with him where ever he goes and whomever he helps again coerces someone into keeping the illusion going, if even just for awhile. “Of course” Yurn rumbles, patting Sparky gently on the head. “You may be a baby dragon now, but just you wait, and soon you’ll be as big and strong as me.” And the belief was cemented. Sparky forever knew the truth, and chose to stick with Yurn as his best friend, asking him questions and seeking insight in the things they saw and situations they experienced, trusting him as Sparky would trust any wise dragon. But a wise dragon, Yurn was not. Sparky had heard the term “sticky fingers” before, but never did he ever ask about it, simply assuming Yurns’ fingers were sticky from the previous meal. It was this trait that Yurn had, and it was due to this trait that Sparky faced his first and biggest obstacle of his life.

Often, the odd ragtag group of adventurers would return to the little town of Amberhill, having grown close to the powerful local healer Miss Lady, and the town bailiff himself. They served as an excellent source of resources and information, and the town provided them a soft and warm environment to rest in. The town of Amberhill turned into a sort of home, one that they grew comfortable and accustomed to. Over the weeks and months, during one of these visits, Sparky was shocked to see Miss Lady invite the party into her private chambers, consisting entirely within a hidden basement beneath the humble clinic in the main square. Sparky knew Miss Lady loved collecting things throughout her adventures in her past, and if he ever gave it more than a second thought, he could have formed a connection between the knowledge that many dragons of legend and lore had massive hoards of riches, and the well organized collection of knick-knacks and mementos Miss Lady had in her massive basement home. The adventurers were stunned to see this massive pile of assumed wealth, knowing Miss Lady was more than meets the eye did not prepare them for more money than they had ever seen. They all respected her though, and politely followed her while chatting, refusing to even consider the possibility of obtain any of the riches without permission, all of them besides Yurn that is. While looking around, Yurn ended up seeing a gorgeous necklace of shimmering red beads, flowing and swirling with obvious magic within. The necklace was clearly magic, so small and easy to conceal, and having heard about similar magical items such as these, Yurn knew this would be useful to have, if not to sell off to some merchant in the city. So with Miss Lady distracted, and everyone else busy chatting with her, Yurn slipped the small necklace into his pouch, and joined the party in their innocent chat.

Once the party left, and one of Miss Lady’s items left her protected home without her permission, she was alerted to the loss. She was hurt, knowing one of the adventurers would take from her. She offered over and over the chance for them to ask for any item they deem they needed for their various adventures, and the act of distrust confused her, and saddened her greatly. She quickly followed after the group, wishing to understand the betrayal. Only moments had passed before she set out to follow them, and she called after the group after exiting her shop, approaching them in the center of the town square. Sparky turned and watched her approach, smiling as he does whenever he sees her. However, his smile slowly fades as he works to process the expressions displayed on her face. She asks the party about a stolen item, only seeing confused faces in return. Miss Lady knew though, she sensed her missing item, and eventually through the sea of confused and concern faces, her eyes landed upon the stoic eyes of Yurn, who insisted “No, I didn’t see anyone take anything” while shaking his head. She sighed, looking at Yurn with a defeated and impatient glare “Don’t lie, we don’t have to do this, I just want to know why.”

Yurn never did change his story, and Miss Lady signed heavily, shaking her head. Unfortunately this encounter got the attention of the bailiff, who walked over with a smile on his face. Before just like with Sparky previously, his smile faded as he read the expressions on everyone face, especially the tension between Miss Lady and Yurn. It took no time at all for him to understand what happened, and with hurt filling his heart from the betrayal from the same people who helped save the town, he arrested Yurn with heavy manacles on his wrists, the clanking of the chains bringing confused tears to Sparky’s eyes. Nobody moved, standing still and watching as the bailiff called over a town guard and marched Yurn to the small jail. Sparky didn’t understand, never having to deal with concerns of betrayal and loss in such a way. Thankfully, Miss Lady wished for no ill will, and she explained she will talk with the guards and the bailiff and get all this handled, and make sure Yurn isn’t punished too severely, and she walked off towards the jail.

While Miss Lady chose to speak with those in charge, Yurn was placed in a jail cell after being searched and having his weapons removed. During this process, the magical item was found and set aside, proving his guilt to the present guards, and they sent for a magical expert, an official court magister, to help both prove his statement as fact and properly handle the potentially dangerous item. All he had to do was wait, sit down and let the process work, but he didn’t. Nobody knows if he panicked, lost his mind, or truly just wanted to try to escape forever, but he nearly immediately attempted to break out and escape the cell when he figured out the court official would be here shortly. He failed at attempting to pick the lock, and failed at brute forcing the massive iron gate and the bars of the cell itself. He was truly trapped. As Miss Lady was convincing the town leadership that they should simply let him go, that nothing is worth the simple crime and she will simply take the item back and everybody can move on, Yurn was pacing his cell and forming a plan. When the magister arrived, he stepped into the cell to cast a simple spell to assure when Yurn spoke he was telling the truth, alerting the magister to potential deception. It was routine, and while entering the cell wasn’t, it was late at night, and this was Yurn. The magister knew him, he was cooperating, and this was a pretty simple and mild crime, cut and dry. But when the magister entered the cell, Yurn lashed out with claws and fists. What may have been an attempt to subdue, ended in the murder of a town official.

Things moved fast after that, faster than Sparky could truly follow or understand. The cries of the dying magister alerted the guard standing around the corner, and Yurn was tackled and subdued while more guards responded to the commotion. Quickly, both Miss Lady and the bailiff are summoned, and they are stunned at the bloody scene within the cell, seeing Yurn cuffed and tied on the floor under armed guard. After what felt like hours, the bailiff turned to Miss Lady and spoke with a heavy heart. “This changes everything, I can no longer honor our deal. You know the punishment.” She did. She knew the punishment for murdering a city official let alone during an attempted escape. Yurn would be immediately put to the sword. The bailiff fetched his sword, while the guards bring the prisoner outside. The rest of the adventuring team alongside sparky still loitered in the town square, the same town square violent and murderous fiends are executed for their crimes against the town.

Sparky didn’t listen to the words. He was very young still in comparison to the other members of his team, and simply felt their emotions. He felt the terribleness in the air, and sensed the sadness and dread from Miss Lady as the bailiff spoke to the guards, and spoke generally out loud to the near empty square. The words were empty and meaningless, and the emotional toil oppressive as Sparky stood in the dark center of town, on a moonless night, and watched the sword be taken to Yurn, immediately ending his life. His body was left in the street, as the party agreed to clean up and take their friend away, speaking with Miss Lady regarding what just happened and the plans moving forward. With nobody looking, Sparky slowly walked over while nervously rubbing his hands together. He had never seen someone he knew and felt responsible for die before, but he had seen his friends get hurt, this is what he does, and he knows what to do. The small crowd grows quiet as they watch Sparky lay his little paw on the body of his friend, the familiar glow of healing magic radiating out, but to no avail. Confused, he pauses for a moment before attempting the spell again, to the same results. He continues to use up the limited energy available to those who practice magic casting the spell over and over, trying to pour more energy into it, trying harder spells, to no result. Members of the group wipe lone tears from their eyes, not saying a word, the silence of the town square oppressive until a single, soft voice breaks it. “I… I don’t know how to fix this…” Sparky speaks aloud to no one. He starts to hyperventilate, looking around dazed and confused before spinning and looking towards Miss Lady.

“Why won’t it work? It always work. I can always fix them, I always fix it. Why won’t it fix it? What am I doing wrong?” Tears well up in his eyes, rubbing his paws together nervously as he looks between his friend and Miss Lady, confusion, shame, and sadness filling his heart. “What…what do I do? I can’t undo it…” He jolts as a familiar soft hand rests on his shoulder. He looks up at Miss Lady as she sadly smiles down, gesturing towards the small fountain a short distance away. With her hand on Sparks back, she gently guides him, and sits down with him on the stone rim of the fountain, the gentle bubbling of the water soothing Sparky slightly. It is there, listening to the water of the fountain, feeling the cold night air against his scales, as he looks up and watches the clouds pass to reveal the sea of stars, that Sparky the healer learns about death. He learns of his innocent hubris in thinking he was unstoppable, coming to understand that while he can heal wounds and protect those who need it, death comes for all, even Miss Lady. And even himself. The final words spoken by Miss Lady in that moment were carried by Sparky for the rest of his life. “There is a great nobility in dedicating yourself to the easing of pain and suffering. But life always has balance. You possess a great power and responsibility with your magics, Sparky. But death heeds no healer.”