Brother Lekt,

Mend heals exactly one quarter of your health or exactly one and one
quarter of a bubble. My personal recommendation is that until you have
reached a point where mend does not fail (around level 20) use it
immediately when you see a bubble and a half of your health expire. Use it
for both of those reasons that brother Shelza indicates--faster recycling
for the next mend, save cleric mana--and also use it so that if you are in
a particularly close combat situation, you will have a better idea if you
should retreat or not (if it fails or worsens). When your mend skill
reaches a point where it is successful every use (and yes, that time will
come). Then I would do as brother Dizzy recommends and save it for post
battle recuperation after you have applied your bind wound skill. In this
last example, by the time you have reached full health and begin the battle
anew, your mend skill should refresh. You will then be able to repeat the
process. I used this last technique to great effect battling fierce
gargoyles in the Ocean of Tears from levels 22 to 25. To those that
advocate chasing noble Aviaks at this level range, just know this, Aviaks
do not attack unprovoked while the evil gargoyles have no qualms about
drawing human blood...

In Quellious's name,

Manjushri
Bearer of the Red Sash of the Ashen Order
(Fennin Ro)