The witches, both mother and daughter are not exactly enthusiastic to help out the girl that tried to ransom Brygida's familiar. In the end they don't protest either. Possibly only because they see it as a favor to me though.

They quietly watch as I tell the girl to sit down across from me. I place a hand on her bandaged arms, careful not not put too much pressure on the bandages and call out to Fox in formal prayer.

"Fox, divine guardian of many masks. God of making mischief and Goddess of having fun. I beg you, heal this repentant sinner's injuries and ease her pain."

Both my [Prayer] and my [Healing Touch] skill improve a little as a result. I can feel some of my very scarce Karma drain away too, but that's alright. I need the practice anyway. The injuries of the girl don't fade completely, as my healing is still weak, but the scratches on her face get noticeable better. The girl lets out a breath of relief too.

I hold up a hand before she can say anything.

"This isn't a gift. For me this is training. For you, this isn't free of charge either. You owe me. Not much, but I'll eventually come to collect anyway. And Rysia's attention won't come without a price either. Every action has consequences after all and the consequences of foolish actions often weigh heavier than those of others."

Then, while the older of the two witches has a look at the girl, I refocus my attention on the younger witch, or rather the cat curled up in her lap instead.

"Mind if I ask Fox to help and heal Captain Whiskers too? I can't promise any actual miracles yet, but she should feel better afterwards."

The young witch seems skeptical at first, but the cat doesn't seem to mind. Her purring intensifies a little, which seems to be all the additional prompting Brygida needs.

I run my hand down the cat's back once, before gently placing it on her flank to speak my prayer.

"Fox, divine guardian of many masks. God of making mischief and Goddess of having fun. I beg you, heal this brave familiar's injuries and ease her pain."

As some of my Karma drains away once more, I'm rewarded with two whispered notifications and the gentle purr of the cat that seems to ease up and relax a little more in the young witch's lap.

[*Ding!* Your skill Prayer has leveled up to level 4!]

[*Ding!* Your skill Healing Touch has leveled up to level 4!]

Very good. As far as I'm concerned, this is Karma well spent. I run my hand along the red tabby's back once more and scritch her behind her ears too, eliciting a very pleased sounding purr from her in the process.

"There you go. It isn't much, not yet, but I hope it'll speed your recovery along anyway."

The cat takes it all in stride, a twitch of her nicked ear the only reaction I get. Her young witch mistress on the other hand blushes a little. She seems a little flustered. Maybe because she initially doubted me? Or is it just because she is looking for the right words? After a moment she finally speaks up.

"I'm not sure … I'm not sure if I can repay you for your kindness. I mean I have put aside a few pennies, but …"

I wave her off with a smile on my lips.

"Don't you worry about that. Your mother placed a request with the adventurers' guild, which includes a reward already. If you want to repay me though, there is a little something you might be able to help me out with."

She nods and I continue.

"I'm running low on Mana quite often, which is a little troublesome. And since I'm no trained witch or wizard I don't have a skill to speed up the recovery of my reserves. In fact I only recently learned that there are skills like that. An acquaintance told me that she has a meditation skill that helps. You probably have something similar, am I right? Maybe you and your mother could help me pick up a skill like that?"

The young witch looks over at her mother, who is still busy putting fresh ointment on the already healing scratches of the older girl. Rysia just shrugs, as if to say that it's up to Brygida to make the decision. She takes a deep breath, and after petting her familiar for a little while finally nods.

"I guess I can do that. If it's just about teaching you the basics. You'll have to practice on your own anyway. Not that that should be a problem. I usually make time for a little meditation just about any day before I go to bed. You'll probably manage too."

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I flash her a beaming smile.

"Thank you! This means a lot to me. We aren't in a hurry though."

I nod towards the door.

"In fact I'd rather visit you for lessons tomorrow or maybe the day after, depending on circumstances. Right now I still have to repay a debt to Old Gray. He helped out too after all and I promised him some fish in exchange. I better live up to my promise, don't you agree?"

The young witch nods earnestly, still gently petting her familiar all the while.

"Yes! Please give him my thanks too. I wouldn't know what I would do without Captain Whiskers!"

"Ouch!"

That exclamation comes from the girl currently at the tender mercy of the witch mother, as the latter finishes reapplying the magically cleaned bandages. Come to think of it, I really should get the name of that not quite so little wastrel before I leave.

Strictly speaking I don't need her name to find her again. That much is sure. But, I don't want to keep thinking of her as that girl. Sure, she screwed up, but not exactly bad enough to be the unwitting protagonist of stores warning others to not be like that girl.

I don't ask for permission, we aren't exactly on friendly terms after all, but I decide to give her fair warning at least.

"I'm going to use an identification skill on you now."

Before she can even open her mouth to protest or say anything else for that matter, I focus my attention on her and activate my [Identify] skill. A little of my Mana drains away and I can feel the skill increase some. Within the blink of an eye the results come in too.

[Marla, Apprentice Seamstress (Earth, Common, Level 5), Wastrel (Shadow, Common, Level 3)]

The girl, Marla, flinches a little. Then the spark of anger ignites in her eyes. Before she can say or do anything, especially anything she might end up regretting, I speak up once more though.

"Go ahead. Do it. Try to use your own skill on me. If you dare."

That gives her pause, at least for a moment. Then her resolve reaffirms though and her brows furrow a little as she focuses her attention on me. The feeling is the same as when the guards scrutinized me.

She only has [Appraisal]? Oh, of course she does. What else would I expect considering her classes and low levels. In a way it's a surprise that she has more than one class at all. That probably even is what made her the leader of her little gang.

At least my [Shrouded Soul] skill improves some more as a result. Even better though, I'm pretty sure that her skill isn't able to pierce my shroud. Not at this time anyway.

As a result I get to watch her mouth drop open as she pales a little.

"What … how … you … you aren't that much older … how can you?"

Oh yes, she really isn't able to see past the shroud around my soul. Even better though, this seems to leave her with a rather profound impression of me. An impression that makes my [Intimidate] skill tick up another notch. I flash her a toothy grin.

"What? How? Well, you won't know, because I won't tell. On a more serious note though, don't keep using your [Appraisal] skill on people. Unless you want to pursue a career as a guard. Try to upgrade it to [Identify] at the very least. Put in the necessary effort. It'll benefit you in the long run."

I get up while she is still busy thinking about it and turn to Rysia.

"Could you sign my quest papers?"

She does so, marking the papers from the guild with her personal seal in the appropriate spot, then I take my leave with one last cheerful wave and a smile.

"It's been a pleasure! See you around!"

Then I'm out the door. And as expected Old Gray is still waiting for me. Him I greet with a calm nod.

"Got any preferences for your quest reward? Got a food stall you particularly like? Any recommendations?"

My questions seem to put the old gray tomcat in a good mood. Maybe he wasn't expecting to get a choice regarding the fish treat I promised him? Whatever, he is quick to take advantage of the unexpected development and leads the way, tail held high, as if to make sure I know to follow him.

I don't waste any time either and follow closely, letting him lead me to what probably is his favorite eatery. It's a small roadside shop run by an older dwarf couple, that sells roasted fish on sticks. They drip with fat. I look down at my feline guide.

"You sure? I mean, I'm sure these are good. The smell is mouthwatering, no doubt about it, but they are probably not very healthy, you know."

The two dwarves behind the counter shoot me funny looks at first. Then, as I sit down on the bench in front of the counter and the old tomcat jumps up onto it next to me understanding seems to dawn upon them. It's almost like the two know my companion already.

I check the price, written in chalk on a board, briefly and pull two pennies from my pouch. Its dwindling contents are a little worrying, but once I get paid for the quest I'll have some breathing room again.

"Give us two please."

I don't even have to specify that one is for the scarred old tomcat at my side. The old dwarf handing me my own grilled fish still on its stick for easier eating gets a bowl for the other fish in question, which I then put down on the bench in between me and Old Gray.

I flash the couple behind the counter a smile. I just can't help it. I have to ask before I take my first bite of the wonderfully aromatic fish.

"I take he is a regular?"

It's the man who answers first, while stroking his beard.

"He sure is."

Then the woman at his side adds her own part.

"I think he is the only cat around who doesn't hesitate to take on the rats that come in with the river boats every once in a while."

The gray tomcat puffs up a little, but doesn't stop tearing into his own fish, which, as I now notice, has come with a little extra fat.

The male dwarf in turn strokes his bear again.

"I don't even want to think about what we would do without him."

You probably would have to hire a full time rat catcher. That at least is my thought. I keep it to myself though and enjoy my own tasty treat. I guess a fish or another fine treat for the local celebrity mouser instead is not a bad deal for the shopkeepers around here. My [Streetwise] skill improves a little too, as I learn of this arrangement.

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