The grove hushes around them, all moss, fern, and pale mountain light. The road is far enough away now that even the wind sounds gentle.
Daisy kneels beside Tenda Wildheart and sets both hands around his injured arm. Her focus is careful, her healing ki warm and steady.
Daisy
This should have healed cleaner than this.
A dark shimmer twitches under Tenda's skin, thin as smoke, then slips across his forearm in a restless pulse.
Zero
Hah. Even your arm is stubborn. You really are one of a kind.
Rex settles at Tenda's side with a low exhale, watching Daisy's hands with calm, protective patience.
Daisy
Hold still a moment longer. I want to smooth this out properly.
The last of the glow settles over the bandage. For a few heartbeats, the grove feels almost sacred, as if it is waiting for someone to speak first.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stabilize the dark ki in Tenda's arm
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what is causing the dark shimmer
“I ask Daisy if she can sense the source of this strange, smoky energy.”
SUCCESS (Poor Healing Arts, rolled +3)
Tenda Wildheart
Can you tell where this smoky energy is coming from?
Daisy
Yes. It is not just a wound trying to close. Something dark is tangled in the flow, like soot caught in a river. It feels old.
Daisy
I can trace it, and it answers to a heavier source than the scrape itself.
Her fingers shift, careful and light, following the line under the bandage without pressing too hard. The smoky pulse in Tenda's arm quiets as if listening.
Zero
So it is not just bad luck. Great. Your arm had to pick a fight with a curse-like mess.
Daisy
Not a curse. More like residue. Something passed through him, or was put into him, and his ki is trying to reject it.
Rex
Danger gone soft. Pack still watching.
Daisy loosens her hands and the bandage lies flatter against Tenda's skin. The dark shimmer does not vanish, but it settles into a thin, controlled line instead of a restless twitch.
Daisy
For now, it is stable. If you want the source, I need to examine what touched you before this started.
Quest Complete
Stabilize the dark ki in Tenda's arm
Skill Upgrade: Healing Arts Poor→Mediocre