Despite himself, every morning a small hopeful voice whispered in Finn's mind.

Please let my plant material have gone up.

Finn shielded his eyes against a ray of sunlight that poked through the wall of the tiny Shack. Boots crunched on frozen dirt outside, and voices called out as the camp began to stir.

He took a deep breath and pulled up his status screen, blinking at the glowing text.

[Plant Material: 0%]

His heart sank. "Of course," he hissed between clenched teeth. Why would he expect anything different? Why would anything work for him?

Finn swatted his thin blanket away and sat up. It was training day; a day he both looked forward to and dreaded.

The clatter and commotion outside grew louder by the minute. Tess's muffled voice rang out, firing off instructions. "Eric, grab some people to help. There should be some extra Leather Jerkins in that pile over there. Grab them and meet me by the campfire please!"

Footsteps pounded past the Shack's door and Tess's silhouette strode purposefully by. She had always been competent, and had inherited their father's 'work mode' setting.

Finn reached for his leg braces with a grimace. They were barely holding on, and the cracked plastic pinched and rubbed his legs. In recent days he had cast his [Floral Surge] spell on himself after every expedition to heal the broken and raw skin on his legs. Frustration gnawed at every fiber as he wrestled the broken plastic into place and fought with the stupid straps. He wouldn't need these crap braces anymore if his spells would just work!

Finn had tried everything to unlock his magic. He'd mimicked Tom by holding grass in his palms to try and absorb it. He'd tried practically all of Loo's ideas—even the weird ones. But, nope. He'd even tried eating plants when no one was looking; he gave that up when he ate a nasty-tasting twig that gave him stomach ache.

Dad's busy helping everyone except his own family.

His Mom had worked through some ideas with him. When those didn't work, she reverted to constantly offering hugs, and reassurance that his [Floral Surge] was important enough.

His Dad could probably figure it out—Bo was like a dog chewing a bone when he got started on a problem—but he didn't have time for Finn.

Like every morning, Finn racked his brain as he tugged on his boots over the cracked ankle braces. He knew what plants needed to grow: sunlight; dirt—nutrients, specifically; and water. That was it, right? Man, he wished he could just google it.

Two gnarled canes were propped in a corner of the room. His Mom had taken the blueprint for a Farming Hoe, and had modified it; they were made of fused bone, and had leather straps which he could use to fasten to each arm.

He hadn't needed them so far. However, his braces were getting worse, his muscles were growing tighter, and it was becoming difficult to balance. There was no avoiding it anymore; it was training day, and he needed them. The canes would have to do until he figured out his stability vines. If he ever did.

Finn attached the canes, then eased himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly. Then he moved to the door and shouldered it open. The ill-fitting wood creaked, and cold morning air rushed over Finn's face.

The camp was a hive of activity and noise.

Finn thought about Tess and her 'daily goal' habit.

He had a single goal today.

Don't fall over.

The walking canes had small bone spikes which dug into the frosty ground and helped Finn balance. He picked his way through the busy camp.

Loo was bouncing on her toes near one of the campfires. She waved him over with a grin.

"Morning, Finn! This is so exciting! I bet Tess does a good job. It's gonna be fun, right?"

Finn grimaced as he reached her. "If I can stay on my feet long enough."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Loo looked into his eyes. "You're so hard on yourself. You've healed dozens of people here. A lot of them, including my Dad, would be dead without you." She leaned closer. "Plus, I've been brainstorming some new ideas for your powers. What if your fingers are supposed to be your roots? We could bury your hands in the dirt, and this time I'll focus on where the mana is—"

"Loo, I appreciate the help, but I don't think burying my fingers is going to do it."

Finn's healing spell was rare, and great, and he loved helping people. But no one understood. It was like being doubly disabled. He stared down at his hands, and willed them to tingle with even a speck of plant-based energy—or whatever the heck it was.

There was nothing. As usual.

Tom hobbled over to join them. "Morning, kiddos. How's everyone doing?"

Tom clapped a heavy hand on Finn's shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Just great," Finn muttered, steadying himself. "Can't wait to make a fool of myself in front of the entire camp."

Bo and Hana walked up behind Finn, just in time to hear his statement.

Bo frowned. "No one here will laugh at you. I'll make sure of that"

Great. Dad can save me. That makes me feel like a man.

His Dad gave Finn's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "How are the new canes?" Bo looked them up and down. "They fit okay? Anything hurt?"

A lump formed in Finn's throat. His Dad meant well, but the coddling grated on him. He wasn't some helpless child. Well, technically he was, but he didn't want to be! He wanted to pull his own weight; to prove he belonged here just as much as anyone else.

He straightened his spine and met his Dad's gaze. "Nothing hurts. They're fine."

His Mom fussed with the straps and canes. "Finn, honey, are you sure they fit right? Do you want me to make any modifications? You know, I was thinking I might be able to mold some bone braces. I bet those would do a lot to help your balance more than these cracked plastic ones."

Finn's father turned to face him. "Son, maybe it's best if you sit out of the training. We don't want you getting hurt if these canes won't give you enough support."

The words stung, each one a tiny barb pricking at him. He gritted his teeth.

His Mom tried to adjust one of the cane's straps.

"I said they're fine!" he snapped at her.

He turned to his Dad. "I'm not skipping!"

A thick and heavy silence descended.

Heat flowed into Finn's cheeks. He hadn't meant to snap. His head dropped, but his tone was firm. "I'm not skipping."

Predictably, his Mom pulled him into a hug—which made him feel worse.

They made their way to the training field—a portioned-off section of the clearing which circled the bottom of the hill.

They passed the partially erected Town Hall, so of course Bo had to jump inside to check how things were progressing.

He can't leave anything alone for five minutes.

While they waited, people surreptitiously looked at Finn and his new canes. Finn glared at them.

You watch. I will figure out my powers.

Finn offered Loo a small smile. "I suppose a few more strange ideas couldn't hurt."

Loo beamed. "That's the spirit! I'm in R&D now, so we'll crack this nut together. Shoot, I should've saved that line for the [Farmers]. Pretend like you didn't hear it."

Bo rejoined them, but the crowd moving down the hill had grown. People were energized and excited, and some of them pushed forward down the sloping terrain, not noticing or minding if they jostled each other.

Finn struggled to keep his balance, and his braces creaked with each unsteady step downhill. A hard shove from behind sent him stumbling forward; his arms windmilled as he fought to stay upright.

His father's hand shot out, grabbed his elbow, and hauled him upright.

"Watch what you're fucking doing!" Bo barked at the people around them.

Finn's cheeks went from pink to red.

Well, this is a great start.

Once they reached the bottom of the hill, Finn got a good view of the people who had shown up. There were dozens of adults in the training area, and dozens more crowded around the edge. Finn assumed they were spectators.

Great. More people.

Tess and Eric moved through the throng with slates in-hand; they checked names off against lists, and distributed spare equipment to those who needed it. Tess's voice was clear and strong as she gave out instructions.

Finn was genuinely proud of her.

Tess turned to the assembled residents of Foundation, and waved her arms for quiet.

"Listen up, everyone! Here's how today's training is going to go." She held up a hand, and marked off points on her fingers. "First, we're going to split you into six groups. Each group will have one main tank, one or two off-tanks, crowd control, damage dealers, some type of buff support, and healing. The teams will be ordered from one to six, with Team One having the most experience and equipment."

Tess's voice was loud and confident. "After we divide the teams, my group will demonstrate the formations that have been working for us so far."

Finn's head snapped up. They were going to do formations? In front of all these people? His stomach churned.

"But before that, I'm going to give you a detailed explanation of our run through the Headless Dungeon while we all enjoy breakfast, which will be delivered by the [Cooks]. I want to make sure everyone pays attention before they're too tired to pay attention later. Today will be hard, so get ready. Thank you, Heather, for your fantastic idea!"

As the crowd ate, Tess recounted Team One's journey through the Headless Dungeon. She described the different rooms, the different monsters, and the different tactics they'd used to take them down.

Finn tried to listen. But his mind was whirling as he pictured every possible way he could screw up in front of all these people. How was he going to do this? He hadn't even practiced with the canes; what if they broke? What if he fell on his face?

A hand shot up in the crowd. "Will we be expected to clear this Dungeon, too?"

Tess shook her head. "No one has to do anything they're not comfortable with. But it's not like we chose to do it either; the monsters decided that for us. The more prepared we are, the better everyone's chances of survival. So, I hope you don't have to do anything you don't want to, but it won't hurt to be ready. Just in case."

The discussion continued. Questions flew across the field, and Tess answered with a calm assurance that Finn envied.

There was a subtle shift in the adults. When training started, people were skeptical at best; now, they leaned in and listened intently. They were already looking to Tess for guidance.

And all the while, the knot in Finn's stomach tightened.

Tess wrapped up her Headless Dungeon speech. "All right! Don't go anywhere, it's time to divide up the teams."

Eric handed Tess one of the slate boards.

"Team One, gather by the purple stump over there." Tess indicated an area off to the side.

There was a tree stump covered in a purple chalky substance; Finn had no idea where they got the color from.

Tess continued reading from the slate. "Robinson family, Damascus family, and . . . Richard. You are Team One. Please head over to your area."

Brad raised his hand.

"Brad, I know you did great with us in the Dungeon," said Tess, "but we need to spread out our musical buffs. It isn't a knock against you! You'll be in Team Two."

Brad's face fell, but he nodded, and stepped back into line.

"Team Two, red stump over there." Tess indicated the direction. "Team Two: Mike; Jill; Brad; Tushar; Priya; Charlie; Jeannie; Sophia; Veronica; Eric . . . "

Tess efficiently assigned everyone to their teams.

Finn recognized some of them, but he didn't 'know' most of them.

By the end, six full teams of ten were spaced out around the middle purple stump.

"All right, everyone! Take a few moments to introduce yourself and your role. Your combat coordinators have been brought up to speed on how to form a party. Please accept the invite when you get it."

Tess spoke to Team One. "Let's head out to the middle of the field. We're gonna demonstrate a few of the formations."

A glowing green arrow on the ground directed Finn out in front of everyone. Finn took a shaky breath.

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