These past days were so long for the young mage. Due to his shortness of money, he had to take any job he stumbled upon, and thus, he was now very, very, tired. On top of that wonderful fact, he had woken up at six in the morning, and found that he had slept with his city clothes. And so, he was now dressed in a white T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of rather old sneakers, who were loosely tied. He tied his hair in a short, little, tail, for he knew what awaited him today. His eyes scanned over the mission paper, once again, as he did last night, to make sure he had understood the details correctly.

Why did he have the feeling that he won’t make it through the whole day? The quest clearly specified that he’ll be working with sick people. Sick people meant that he had a chance to get sick himself. Now -that- didn’t sound nice. Getting sick was out of the question. But, it was the only mission he had found at the moment.

And so, he walked, hands pocketed, and a tired look in his eyes. The sun had barely risen when he finally got to the church, annoying the mage by blinding him. As his gaze fell on the massive church doors, he debated whether to remain, or floor it. But- As any other powerful and proud mage, he decided that he dug himself this hole, so he might as well fill it back up. Or, however that saying goes. Slowly, he pushed the cathedral’s doors, and entered. What greeted him was, well, what he expected. People laid out on stretchers and makeshift beds, tended by a single nurse. Father Jerad was somewhere near a corner, hands crossed, a sullen look present on his face. Ri, as he heard the coughing and sneezing around him, instinctively took hold of his shirt and brought it to his nose, in a makeshift mask, before walking to the priest’s location. He didn’t even notice him. Only a tap on the shoulder, given by the mage, woke him up from his thoughts, and at Ri’s sight, the man’s face instantly lit up. He grabbed his hand, and shook it, as a big smile began to replace his darkened expression. “I am so glad that someone came to help!” He spoke, “Please, let’s begin at once! Here.” He began moving, heading to the back room. Now, Ri didn’t know much about churches, but he knew that he wasn’t really allowed in there. Either way, the priest soon returned with a carton box, which he placed at Ri’s feet. “Come, now, we have to distribute these. And fast.” As soon as he opened the box, inside were corked vials, filled with a strange liquid. Well, it wasn’t strange. It looked liquid, and it was see-through. But Ri didn’t know why he’d put them in a sealed box.

Well, he didn’t have time to find out.

In one swift motion, he took hold of two of the vials, and headed to the nearest tarp. He looked at the person laid down on it, clearly in some kind of pain. They were breathing heavily, and holding their chest, as if that would do something to make them feel better. Sweat pooled beneath them, as Ri took hold of the blanket and pulled it closer to their neck. When it came to medicine, there wasn’t much Ri knew, but from his own days of sickness and illness, he knew that if a person sweats, then it’s a good sign. Mostly. It could be a bad sign, also. But it usually led to good things. Without much other thought, he placed one of the two bottles near him, while uncorking the other. His free hand slung behind the man’s neck, and the mage slowly pulled him up, in order to not choke when drinking. He cringed when his answer was a loud cough, sent right towards his face. But, he didn’t comment. He was here to help people, after all. Who cared if he got a bit sick?

With that out of the way, he gently brought the vial to the man’s mouth, and tipped it over, letting him slowly drink the medicine. That was easy. He let the man rest back on the tarp, as he looked around for any other untreated victims of this disease.

Even now, Ri unconsciously began breathing through his mouth, his nose no longer able to do that. He grabbed the remaining bottle, and moved on to the next patient, a small boy, who was struggling to sleep. He approached, slowly, and yet again, rested the bottle beside the makeshift bed. With a gentle tap, the child turned his attention to Ri, and gave him a tired stare.

“Can you stand on your own, or do you need help?” He asked, a small smile forming on his face. The boy merely shook his head, and turned back on his side, an act at which Ri’s smile slowly faded. He sighed, and sat down next to him. “Already given up hope?” He asked, not wanting to give the sick child a lecture. He heard a quick sniffle, but no verbal answer. “You don’t have anyone to go back to, do you?”

Again, no verbal answer. But, the child did shake his head, to indicate the answer Ri expected. “It’s alright. I’ve been there.” The covered body shifted, and turned towards the mage. The boy’s face bore a confused expression, but somehow, an interested one. The mage gave him a soft smile, before reaching for his hair, and tousled it. A chuckle escaped him at the boy’s annoyed yells, as he slapped his hand away.

“Life is a lot more than just moping about your bad luck.” He suddenly spoke, his smile never disappearing. “Now, come on, drink this. You’ll feel better. And then, who knows, maybe I’ll give you some money to get something sweet.” With a wink, he took hold of the bottle, uncorked it, and handed it to the child. Suffice to say, he quickly grabbed it, and drank it in a matter of seconds, before handing it back to Ri.

A few more hours passed as the mage helped Jerad with the sick and old, giving the hopeless some encouraging words, before moving on to the next patient. It wasn’t easy, that was quite true, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t feel good after helping them. That day, Ri saw a new side of the world. Well, he saw a side he thought he had forgotten. The ill were all in one room, being taken care of by someone who had enough pity to do so. He felt like he had paid the debt he owed those who helped him when -he- was younger, and fed him so he wouldn’t die. The church who welcomed him when the weather was simply too cold for him to sleep in a darkened alley, once again.

With a sigh, he left the church, a bottle of the same medicine he distributed tied to his belt. He sniffled, and brought a hand to his face, to cough into it.

“Damn it.”