Chapter 8: safe for a newbie, right?
Leon's heart pounded like a war drum as he trailed Saria through Eldwood's fog-choked streets, the smooth stone still warm in his clammy hand.
The war drums thundered closer, now joined by screams and the crackle of fire.
Leon's grip on the stone tightened, its faint heat a lifeline against the panic clawing at his chest.
"So, uh," he said, his voice trembling, "this front line... it's, like, safe for a newbie, right? I just heal people, no fighting?" He tried to sound casual, but the words came out in a nervous squeak.
Saria didn't turn, her voice as flat as ever. "For now you heal. I fight. Stay behind me and don't die." Her tone offered no reassurance, just cold pragmatism that made Leon's knees wobble.
Granny Elda, hobbling a few steps behind, cackled.
"Don't die! Good advice, girl. Boy's got the spine of a jellyfish." Her staff tapped the ground, and Leon shot her a glare, though it was more petulant than defiant.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. His mind raced, replaying the goblin's death, the Solberry's tang, and Saria's... ritual.
The memory of her lips sent a flush through him, but he shoved it down.
Focus, Leon. Monsters. Healing. Not... that.
He clutched the stone tighter, trying to channel the faint spark of magic he'd felt earlier.