Ereollynda S2.2

Starting the new year sick was not a part of the plan 😅. After a bad bout of the flu, I'm back! There's a slight delay in posts, but I should be up to date real soon. Enjoy part 2 of Ereollynda's winter chapter! -01/07/2026

After greeting the stable master the group saw red eyes peering at them from the shadow of the last stable.

“It’s alright, Nelius. We’re here to help,” Ereollynda moved forward to put him at ease. She knelt beside him and patted the side of his head. 

“My, I haven’t seen one up close in a long time,” Axel exclaimed when she came closer. 

“Mmm. He’s a beauty too,” Lynne agreed. She kept her distance, as not to crowd the creature. The heilang watched the women, and Ereollynda continued to comfort him. Axel slowly moved closer. She circled to the bad leg, a sizable hole still leaked a dark energy. 

“Nasty indeed,” Axel leaned in to take a closer look.

“It definitely needs to be purified first. Then we can start the healing process,” she straightened back up. Nelius whined lightly to which Ereollynda stroked his mane. The girl could feel his restlessness. 

It’s alright Nelius, just stay calm, she continued to say in her mind. Axel readied her staff.

“Keep him from moving too much.” The demihuman called forth her magical power, which gathered as a glowing blueish ball of energy above the staff. She directed the ball to the leg. Nelius flinched with an unhappy noise. However, it didn’t take long for relief to finally wash over the poor creature. After a minute or two the once glimmering ball had dulled, and the wound no longer seeped with darkness. A regular puncture remained.

“Now, that’s much better,” Axel dispersed the energy and peered at the wound again. 

“It’s not that old. I think he’ll make a full recovery at this rate,” she reached into the tan satchel over her shoulder and began to assemble medical supplies for a normal wound. Finally, Neilus lay his head down and huffed a small sigh of relief. Ereollynda praised his patience. She stayed with him as the wound was cleaned and stitched. Axel efficiently closed the puncture, tying off the end of the healing thread.

“Heilangs have healing capabilities on their own, but this thread should encourage the process,” she explained while packing things back up.

“He should continue to rest for at least seven days before regular activity.” Ereollynda nodded to the instructions. She ran her fingers against Neilus’ velvety head as he began to close his eyes. It must have been at least a week since he’d been able to rest without pain. With his wound finally healing, and the safety of his master, the heilang drifted off to sleep with ease. A weight came off Ereollynda’s shoulders seeing him comfortable. The linger of worry from his condition upon finding him could ultimately be put to rest. 

By now, the warm day began to cool as the sun set. Axel stood with her bag repacked, satisfied with her work on Nelius.

“Well, we should take a look at you too before dinnertime,” the demihuman said, walking to the front of the stall. Ereollynda still knelt by Nelius’ side. Her hand rested on his ribs, letting it rise and fall with his sleeping breath.

“Me? I’m fine,” the girl responded.

“I beg to differ,” Axel rebutted.

“I can tell you’ve been out in the elements for at least a few days with your heilang.” The girl’s tunic remained ripped from traveling in a thick underbrush. She had a few minor injuries from climbing. Personally, Axel believed she was thin for her age. Questions of why a girl so young traveled by herself through the wilderness remained unasked.

“Your health is linked to your heilang and vice versa, I’m sure you’ve already experienced this,” Axel continued. Ereollynda looked back at Neilus, now sound asleep. She sighed and stood, ultimately agreeing to the mage's examination. Lynne appeared to have vanished sometime while the purification happened.

“She can be like that sometimes. I’m sure she’ll come looking for you soon,” Axel explained seeing Ereollynda look around when they emerged from the stable. They continued on the path leading to Axel’s home. She ran a small store in the front. With a finger snap, the room illuminated as they walked in. Ereollynda let her eyes wander around the shelves, and to the many glass jars; all different shapes and sizes, containing every herb and spice she could think of. An area off to the side remained clear. Axel acted as the small town’s doctor. She tended numerous gardens, and traveled to the nearby city of Velia for improved medical supplies. 

“I’d simply like to assess your health. Just to make sure nothing’s wrong,” Axel put her staff away and pulled back the privacy curtain.

“Please. Sit.” Ereollynda did as told and sat on the stool. The mage began her normal checkup routine.

“And where are you from, Ereollynda?” The question hung in the air unanswered. At this moment, the girl realized she did not know the name of her birthplace. What little the trade manager pointed out to her in their time together was the extent of her geographical knowledge. 

“... Far south from here. That’s all I know,” Ereollynda finally said. Axel nodded. 

“How old are you?” She continued with her regular questions.

“I’ve counted 10 new years since I could remember. So, maybe 13?” Axel felt a sadness in her chest. The pieces were starting to come together, and revealed a hard, neglectful past. 

“And this?” Axel referred to the sizable scar on Ereollynda’s side. The girl explained her lumbering job, and the tree spirit attacking her group.

“You took down a tree spirit by yourself?” The hint of surprise could be heard in Axel’s voice. Ereollynda nodded.

“How?” She shrugged at the mage’s question. Again, she remained hesitant to speak. 

“Hey-” Axel put her hand gently on the girl’s shoulder.

“- I know your past may be spotted with affliction, but I promise I only want to help,” she tried to offer some reassurance.

“I… don’t know…?” Ereollynda took a deep breath.

“They’ve said I’m cursed. But, no one’s ever given me a real answer,” she repeated the conclusions others came to. Ereollynda continued to explain her unnatural strength, and the energy she feels in times of distress. She detailed what she remembered from the tree spirit brawl, but her memory became inconsistent. Axel listened to all the information Ereollynda gave, believing it to be important.

“I woke up deep in the woods. My wounds were already healing. I got myself to a river, and followed it to a town.” The doctor nodded again.

“Yes. These do appear to be completely healed,”Axel said after examining both of the major injuries.

“You are quite the extraordinary girl,” Axel smiled lightly, letting her relax.  Ereollynda couldn’t even respond with words. Only a simple nod. These strangers all had kinder words for her than wherever she came from. 

“Well. There’s no harm in getting a good night’s rest before Lynne returns. The inn is just a short walk from here,” the doctor explained. She reopened the curtain. Ereollynda thanked her and came back to the storefront. As she said, the lights of the tavern’s soft glow of light could be seen from the front. She easily settled in for the night; her first worry-free night in days.