Once the smoke fades away...

Surrounded by smoke and dust, deafened by screams and cries,
This was a disaster.
I hoped that at least Faylinn could be saved.
Astra was healing her, but I didn't know how much damage the bullet had inflicted on her body.
All I knew was that I couldn't move my legs. I didn't want to look, but I was sure both shots had pierced my bones.
The pain was unbearable.

In the middle of this chaos, I heard something crazy. Something stupid.

Alejandro: Gabriela! Can't you do anything to bring Mateo back!!!??? Don't you have some kind of resurrection spell!!!???

Gabriela did not respond.

This was not a game. Resurrection magic did not exist.
Besides. Mateo wasn't just dead. His soul had been turned into a crystal and was in the hands of our enemy.
There was nothing we could do.

The few guards and villagers around us started to move through the smoke, probably trying to figure out why there were cries and screams coming from within the opaque smoke.

I was worried about Faylinn; there was no guarantee that a healer could do anything about a bullet. But magic exists in this world. Maybe it was possible to somehow extract bullets from a wounded body.

Leonel: Astra, how is Faylinn doing? I can't see anything with this smoke.

Astra: I really can't see anything either; I'm just doing what I can.

Then we heard some reassuring words.

Faylinn: Don't worry, I'm doing fine. Astra's healing is working.

Astra: Don't move, Faylinn. I will be done in a few more minutes.

Leonel: Astra, there should be a metal projectile inside her body. Can you do anything to remove it?

Faylinn: That won't be necessary. Whatever that thing was, it went into my chest and came out through my back.

That was one less thing to worry about.
In my case, I had to burn part of my flesh to prevent blood loss.
But it seemed that both bullets had gone right through my legs, which meant there was no need to extract the bullets from inside my body.

If these bullets were piercing through bodies that easily, then it's safe to assume there was a considerable amount of gunpowder in each bullet. They were probably not as small as the "lucky bullet" I have in my wallet.

I wonder where this bastard found someone who could make him a revolver, though.
We were at an even bigger disadvantage than we originally thought.

A villager approached us, and while we could not see him through the smoke, we could clearly hear him.

Villager: Is there someone around here? It sounded like the voice of a very old man.

Leonel: Yes, but we are already receiving healing. We just can't move yet.

Technically speaking, only Faylinn was being healed. Astra's regeneration spell was known for being very slow.
I had to wait for my turn to get healed.

Villager: What happened here? We saw cough a massive fire coming from this area.

The smoke was affecting the old man. It really wasn't easy to breathe around here.

Leonel: We were attacked by a dangerous criminal. He is an old bald man, wearing a black robe and something that looks like pieces of dark glass over his eyes.

Villager: I will go tell the cough guards to search for him.

I knew it was pointless. They were probably never going to find him.

A familiar voice intervened to help us.

Xiomara: I'll get rid of this annoying smoke; give me a few more seconds.

Xiomara's ability allowed her to slowly move air particles. Perfect for getting rid of the smoke.

Once the smoke began to dissipate, and some visibility was restored, I saw Xiomara, Maria, and Gabriela, but Alejandro was gone.

Gabriela tried to step forward, as if she was walking toward us, but Maria grabbed her arm and prevented her from moving.

Maria: I won't let you do anything. Don't even think about it.

Maria was probably afraid that Gabriela would use her "healing" ability.

Gabriela: But... I will only receive half their damage... I can help...

Maria: You are not doing it. Stay where you are.

Maria then came closer to us. She was staring at Faylinn. Faylinn's shirt was drenched in blood, but Astra's healing seemed to be helping.
Then, she looked at me.

Maria: I'm sorry. You were telling the truth after all...

Before I could say anything, a villager brought an old lady to us.
She was wearing white clothes: a long dress, slippers, a veil on her hair. Everything was white.
It looked like a mix between a wedding dress and a nun's outfit.

Old lady: Excuse me, young draconer, allow me to lend you a hand.

The old lady proceeded to cast a healing spell on Faylinn.
Faylinn's entire body was covered in a yellow light, and her gunshot wound healed almost instantly.

Astra: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm really grateful for your help. Now I can focus on healing Leo!

Faylinn: Ohhh, I feel almost as if nothing had happened to me, no wound, no pain, just some blood on my shirt.

Astra: I'm sorry my regeneration spell is so slow.

Faylinn: It's fine, now help Leo. He has been enduring the pain of his wounds for a while.

Old lady: Let me handle the young man.

The old lady proceeded to heal me using the same magic she used on Faylinn. It was almost instant healing, not different from the healing magic used by Miss Iria on Gabriela. I wonder if it takes decades to master a healing spell; maybe that's why these "instant healers" are extremely old people.

Astra: I'm sure that someday my regeneration magic will be at an acceptable level, but for now, I'm stuck being a very slow healer. I'm sorry, Leo.

Leonel: It's ok, Astra. I already told you, a slow healer is better than no healer at all.

Old lady: The young man is right. But still, I wonder why your regeneration magic is unusually slow. It should be at least three or four times faster. Mountain draconers usually aren't that bad when it comes to regeneration spells.

Astra: I'm sorry. I've never been particularly good at healing.

Leonel: It's ok. We are all back to full health now. And even the land dragon seems to be fine.

The situation seemed to be under control, but a guard made it clear that this whole thing wasn't over yet.

Guard: The Nara are here!

The Nara appeared just as the bald bastard left.
There was no way that was a coincidence.