Chapter 5: Debut

Have I ever mentioned that I hate talking on the phone? It doesn't matter who calls. Whether it's Miko or, in this case, Lilith. I think twice about answering the call every single time.

"I've accepted a mission." She says, almost sounding apologetic.

"Oh, okay. When will it start?"

"Right away. Another guild has reported an emergency. It's nearby, and I know the guild leader."

"Oh."

"I promised you. You can decide. Do you want to participate or not? I can also send Miko alone. She can assist them, but you would make a huge difference with your healing magic."

I'm not sure if she realizes how manipulative she sounds right now. It is almost as if she telling me that I have to be there. I guess I don't have time to think about my answer.

"I'll get ready."

"Thank you. You got your uniform at home?"

"Yep."

"Great, Eliza and Miko will pick you up in fifteen minutes. Can you manage that?"

"No problem."

And she hangs up.

My breathing is a bit uneasy. I am excited. I am scared. But it's an emergency. I have to heal people. That's all I know.

I try to calm down. At least I'm not alone. Miko is there with me. I had imagined that I would be introduced to my first mission more gently, but I can do nothing about it now. Maybe it's better to be thrown in at the deep end like this.

For a moment, I close my eyes and rub my forehead. The uncertainty makes me nauseous. The lack of information drives me crazy, but I can't imagine anything worse than the scene that took place during my exam two weeks ago. I haven't been able to look at table edges the same way since then.

I throw on my uniform, which consists of a black skin-tight long-sleeved shirt, black sports leggings, and a knee-long poncho. The outfit focuses on mobility, and the poncho has mana-infused fabric incorporated into it, which, when combined with my own mana, creates some kind of magic barrier. Not that I need a barrier. At least, I hope so.

While tying my hair into a ponytail, my phone rings again.

"Yes?"

"Eliza here, we'll be right there."

"All right. See you in a minute."

I quickly pack a backpack with some food and something to drink. I don't know how long I'll be working or how well I'll feel afterward, but consuming mana makes me hungry. Call me prepared.

After quickly running down the stairs I arrive at the car. The passenger seat is free, but before I get the idea to sit there, Miko opens the door to the back for me.

"Hello," I give them both a quick wave as I plant my butt.

"Were you just about to sit in the front?" Miko looks out of the window sulkily as Eliza starts driving. As her gaze is averted, I can take a quick and shameless look at how well the uniform suits her. Sadly, this poncho really covers everything.

"Do you have any questions?" she suddenly turns her gaze to me and gives me a slight scare.

"What happened? What are we supposed to do?"

"That guild underestimated the monsters in that dungeon and failed on all fronts. We will help the few unharmed to take care of the injured," she seems annoyed and irritated by the incompetence of this guild.

"Does stuff like this happen often?"

"No. Usually not. Either they have an incompetent scout, or they've overestimated themselves overall. But the guild leader didn't seem that stupid in our previous encounters."

"How do you determine how dangerous a dungeon is before you enter it?" It's too bad I didn't have to learn that for the license exam.

"Size of the gate, amount of magic it emits. Sometimes, the color of the mana. Then, of course, you can look inside to see what monsters you discover."

"Would you recognize something like that?"

"Nah. I don't really care. I go into a dungeon, find the core, and destroy it."

Sounds pretty edgy, but I'm definitely not going to tell her that. Mainly because it doesn't feel like a pretentious statement but more like a simple description of how things literally work for her.

"We're not going inside the dungeon, are we?"

"No. You don't want to, and I'm not allowed to do so."

"You're not allowed?"

"I'm currently banned."

"Why?"

"Not that important."

"Okay."

She can't drop information like that and then not elaborate on it. Well, I've already learned what a problem child Miko was, so one or two sanctions are hardly surprising. Still, if you compare the profession of a witch with a regular job, a ban sounds quite worrying.

After some minutes we arrive on the highway on our way to a somewhat larger town in our district. I don't know if it's Eliza's driving or the stress, but I feel like throwing up.

Eliza takes an exit, and before we get to the town, she turns off into a slightly secluded park. We arrive relatively quickly at an area marked off by signs and barrier tape. The car stops, and Miko quickly gets out.

"What are those?" At the height of the barrier tape, stakes about thirty centimeters long are stuck into the ground at relatively regular intervals.

"Some kind of magical alarm system. The mage who set it up will now know we're here. If they're still alive."

"Don't say such things."

"Like what? We know that some have died. If you're lucky, they left the bodies inside the dungeon."

As macabre as it all sounds, I hope the same. I've seen a corpse once, and I think it can stay that way.

"Apparently, he's still alive."

A man in a bloodstained robe comes running, or somewhat limping, towards us.

"Thank you for coming. Follow me."

Once it's clear which direction he wants to take us, Miko runs past him, and I do the same. It takes us a minute to arrive at the guild's camp. Tents placed in a U-shape around a stone gate over three meters high are pretty much the only thing this place is made up of.

The only thing that spoils the image of a campsite in the wild is a few cables scattered around to supply lights and some sort of satellites.

"Let's search the tents for injured people. We shouldn't wait. But don't cause panic."

"We're here," a voice comes from the direction of the largest tent. We walk quickly towards it while a man in his thirties with shoulder-length blond hair opens it for us. Despite the rather dramatic situation, he seems pretty relaxed, probably doing just what Miko told me to do.

Acting calm.

"Good to see you, Sami. What's the situation?"

"We've already treated the more seriously injured with healing potions. They should all be over the hill so far. But they are suffering, so if the dear healer could lend a hand, that would be very welcome."

"She will. And what can I do for you?"

"You're not allowed in the dungeon, are you?"

"Unfortunately, not."

"Then talk to my people. It helps to hear some encouraging words."

"All right."

"Thank you, Miko."

When Lilith mentioned that she knew the guild leader, I could have guessed that he was also known to Miko. However, how compassionate and sympathetic she seems towards him is still a weird thing to see. Asking her for words of encouragement wouldn't really occur to me personally, either.

Back to me, I'm a bit in limbo right now, I was hoping for more specific instructions, but this is my first job, so they can't expect me to be on top of the situation.

"We'll do it together," Miko grabs my hand and pulls me gently behind her. There are a bunch of camp beds in the tent, not even half of them filled with people.

With the first person we approach, I am struck by the difference in expression to Sami. There is not a shred of positivity. Looking at the person's face makes me feel like I'm being dragged into a dark hole.

"Hello, can you tell us if you're hurt?" That was a stupid question, but I felt like I needed to say something.

"You don't have to talk. She'll heal you, and the pain will disappear, okay?"

A slight nod is all I get, and without knowing where the injury is, I activate my mana flow and start casting healing magic. It's challenging to imagine healing something I don't know anything about. Still, the image of someone healthy with no injuries and no pain comes to mind. This idea is the guiding principle for my magic.

"Thank you."

My gaze wanders upwards, and I look at trembling lips on a face overflowing with tears. Suddenly, my eyes well up, and a lump forms in my throat, but I try to swallow the empathy for the moment. Miko touches my back and leads me to the next patient.