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The first thing you do is put out the fire still ravaging the building in which you stand. Rial takes care of it with one waterspell. A second spell extinguishes the flames that have spread to surrounding buildings. Though to be honest you still don't like the young sorcerer much, you are impressed.

You leave the building, which is now nothing more than a hissing, steaming pile of rubble, and step out into the square. One thing you have to say for the village of Bray: its people know how to deal with adversity. Already teams have organized to dig through debris, clear the streets, and rescue trapped people. The village doctor is tending to the injured, and anyone with medical skills at all is helping. But there is still a lot to be done.

You head first for the doctor and his makeshift medical station, figuring your healing spells will be useful. Merlyn quietly explains to the doctor who you are and what you can do. The doctor looks skeptical, so Merlyn gives a demonstration, on a man whose broken arm is already set. A second after the spell is cast, the man raises his arm and bends it around, experimentally. His sling hangs uselessly from his shoulder. He is cured.

After that, the doctor agrees to let Merlyn and Rial work their magic with all of the patients, so long as the patient is willing. Merlyn heals several more patients, one critically wounded, before Rial tries his first. He winds one arm behind his back. holds up the other, palm out, and bows to begin chanting the words that will bring the spell. But then he stops.

"Vulkaro did this," he says to you all. "If it destroyed this village, it is because it wants Bray to perish. It wants these people to die. Why should I stop it?"

You want to scream at him, you have the power to save these people! Use it! But Merlyn acts first, and she is more diplomatic.

"It wasn't the Vulkaro you know and love who did this," she says softly. "It was a terrible demon. The true Vulkaro gives life; it doesn't take it away."

"It was people who destroyed Vulkaro," Rial argues darkly. "They deserve to die for what they did to it!"

"These aren't the people who caused all this," Merlyn points out.

Rial laughs. "The people of Vulkare provoked quite a lot of anger; that is true," he concedes. "But Vulkaro would not have left us if the entire world were not against it. All of the people, even you and I, brought this upon ourselves."

"Your Vulkaro is a forgiving god," Merlyn argues, her hands on her hips. "Not a monster bent on vengeance. It is hatred that has done all this."

"Maybe the time for forgiveness is past," Rial mutters, his eyes narrowed and his face shadowed.

"Look, if you won't help, I'll heal all these people on my own," Merlyn tells him. "You can just stand by and watch if you want. Think about what Vulkaro, your Vulkaro, would want you to do."

"Hey, Renn?" Deke whispers to you. "I don't think we can help out much here. Want to go find some houses to dig out?"

"Okay," you agree. So you don't find out how the sorcerers end up resolving their argument. You go off in search of less complicated problems to fix.

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