Saving Soul

"And I must agree," answered Adair. He looked around to see if there were any viable candidates for a stone sword or at least some kind of stone weapon.

"You won't find anything good here. This is slade. It shatters easily. You would want marble or volcanic rock." Anja stated

"Would it become sturdier if it was exposed to fire for a long period of time?" Adair asked.

"No. Slade if full of oils so it burns." Anja stated.

"Oh," Adair replied. Just because we knew how to wield weapons didn't know he knew how to make them. That was more of Voltaire's type of work. He used to make traps and weapons for his guild to sell.

Still, rocks than burned could be useful. He pocketed a few.

Bracing herself against the wall, Anja tried to stand. "Like I said, they shatter, so you can throw them and get flaming shrapnel." she stated, like she was reading his mind

"Was what I was thinking," Adair answered casually, watching her with some concern. "Do you want to lean on me?"

"I'm not helpless" Anja snapped. She hopped on her good leg, nearly falling as she did so.

Adair sighed. He was just trying to help.

"...I'm just here if you need me, that's all," he muttered.

Anja glared at him. "This is still your fault you know." she stated.

"I was not the one who kicked a tree," Adair reminded dryly. "Though if you want to blame me for dropping you before, that's fine."

He glanced around the corner and noticed a dim light ahead. The exit?

"I sprained it, not snapped it. You dropped me on it and that's what broke it." Anja replied simply

"Like I said, I know that's my fault," Adair replied patiently, deciding not to mention that he wouldn't have dropped her if she hadn't been flailing. "And it's because it's my fault that I want to help out and make up for it. I don't just ignore the messes I make."

"Didn't plan on it. I plan on reminding you every step of the way until you leave." Anja stated stiffly

"Yes ma'am," he answered, reverting to Heroic politeness. If your client didn't like you or was rude, be gentile to your client anyway. No one liked a rude Hero.

The light ahead was not the exit, but an underground pool. The light came off some glowing crystals that jutted out of the walls.

Anja was very slow. She clung to the wall and had to hop along, stumbling every time.

Adair waited for her, knowing that she would just fuss at him again if he tried to help. He studied the room and its shining crystals to make sure there wasn't some dragon or other monster that already called this place home. He didn't see anything, but he hadn't taken a good look at the water yet.

Anja stumbled again, missing her hold on the wall and falling to the worn floor. "Ow!"

"Anja!" Adair called, running over. "You okay?"

"... Yes" Anja pouted. There was a large scrape on her chin. "I'm fine."

"...This isn't going to work," Adair muttered, looking at the scrape and then the ankle. "I'm going to see if I can heal it some. It won't fix bone, but maybe it can make it easier to walk on."

He took a deep breath and breathed out a white flame that enveloped the ankle.

Anja cringed a little, expecting it to hurt. She was very surprised when it didn't. "What did you do?" She asked

"Healing flames," answered Adair. "...Can't really explain it well, since it's an instinctive power I received. Basically it has a high level of energy in it that's used to accelerate healing. Perhaps some soul too."

"Well what ever it is, It doesn't hurt anymore" Anja tried to stand only to fall back down. "Nevermind."

"Well at least it cuts down on the pain some," said Adair. "Lean on me if you need to."