The Sanctuary had to be fixed up. That meant everything had to be cleared, cleaned, and stripped back to its bare burnt carcass. It was apparent that they would need many new things before they could reopen.
Currently, the door was not a door, but a giant hole; the windows had all shattered in the explosion, none of them saveable; and the green plastic benches that the congregation had previously sat on were now black puddles that needed scraping from the floor. Even the roof had taken damage as bits of shrapnel were wedged in the beams from all angles.
"When the Salamanders arrive the people cheer, the landlords cry." Mother Hope scoffed. She had never thought about the saying too much in the past, but there was definitely some truth in it. "Never again," she said.
"What's that?" said Mother Mercy.
"Never again will I think of the Prophet Elijah and his fire balls in the same way."
Mother Mercy shrugged. "It's a good story. Popular with the crowds. If we're to get this place fixed up, we'll need their help."
And so, that's exactly what they went about getting. A fundraiser had been held, of sorts. Which is to say that, people donated time or money or furniture even, knowing that they would use the services of the Madonnas again in the future and wished to carry their favour. But what did motives matter, when the outcome was benevolent?
*
Once the worst of the mess was dealt with, whenever she could find a spare moment, Rose trained with Mother Mercy. She had wanted to ask how she had survived such an ordeal, but it was obvious her will to survive was unquenchable and her spirit essence was exceptional. No normal person would have survived being burnt like that. It wasn't necessarily that they couldn't be healed when damaged to that extent, some healing abilities were truly amazing, but that she could concentrate on activating hers to that extent whilst in so much pain. She must carefully guided the essence for each step of the recovery process, layering up the bones and muscle and skin.
As Rose's mind wandered though, Mother Mercy caught her, punishing her for it. "When you are fighting, concentrate on fighting. There is nothing else."
Rose nodded.
Overtime, her technique was definitely improving. The staff which had felt heavy at first began to feel like an extension of her own arm. It started to feel strange if she was not holding it, as if something was missing. She would occasionally be seen practicing in the main foyer late at night when others got up to use the toilet. She seemed obsessed.
Once, she had caused quite a commotion, training aggressively while exhausted, she left the heavy quarterstaff fall from her hand in the early hours of the morning, waking several of the Madonnas. She had received a scolding, but Mother Mercy had simply nodded at her in acknowledgement.
*
The last few weeks of summer were quiet. Lenny had allocated his free stat point to speed and eventually decided to absorb the last scavenger tier core he'd acquired from selling his hammer. He had not found another opportunity to gain more spirit essence, although he hadn't particularly gone out of his way to either. He knew he could have used it for the other option in his upgrades tab—a kind of muscle stimulator, giving him a small speed or strength increase—but he couldn't seem to find a suitable power source anywhere to fill the material requirement and thought the extra essence would be useful.
Knowing they had a limited period of time left together, they did not wish to spend it putting themselves in more danger. Harry and Lenny had started to spend a lot more time around one another; Harry would often talk to him about faction life, telling him about all sorts of things he hadn't known, while Rose would train, study, or practice her healing ability with the Madonnas.
When bored, he would occasionally check his stats, which were as follows:
"Name: Lenny Hope. Ability: Transmogrification. Strength: 14. Speed: 12. Stamina: 9. Perception: 5. Spirit: 13. Health: 15."
Eventually, though, he stopped checking, a little depressed that figures did not move. "That'll change," he thought to himself. "When we venture out to the beast planets."
*
Not too far away, Queenie and Sol sat in a basement room of the House of Cards. It had been several weeks since they had seen their son and future heir. He was a troublesome child, but as he had grown into a strong young man, they had been proud of the fighter he had become.
When Eight-Ball had confirmed his death, Queenie did not eat for several days. Sol had destroyed a wall with his fist. He'd made a silent promise that night, though, that he would kill whoever was responsible for his boy's death. Sanctuary would pay one day, and those damn Salamanders.
*
End of mini arc 1: Enter the House of Cards.