by Tao Wong
“Nothing,” Rob said, turning away from the women and wiping at his face. Stupid human form. He waved a hand to them, waving goodbye to the group. Not because he was ashamed of his tears. Not necessarily. But a part of him remembered the clouds of jellyfish, the beautiful, deadly display that they signified. And it ached to be back home. To feel the ocean water on his skin, to float and swim and dance. He knew he could not. Not now. Perhaps not ever.
And so, Rob crawled into a too hot, too humid tent rather than admit it.
A day and a half later, the group reached the river that fed into the Rybachly Lake. A glacier-fed river from the mountain range of Tatra, the river would eventually reach the sea, though not before merging with another river. Around the cold, cobalt green river, alder and willows grew, the willows drooping so deep that they often touched the water, shading the riverside.
“Ranger?” Sava said when Tula made her way over to the group.
“There’s a suitable spot ahead to refill water and rest for lunch,” Tula said. Sava nodded, and in short order, the group made their way over to the small, natural beach that Tula had located. As the porters and designated cooks got campfires ready, the Adventurers took turns watching the river and the forest before moving to refill their water bottles.
As Daniel kneeled beside the river with his bottle, he kept a close eye on the rippling liquid. One of the most common enchantments that any long-term traveller purchased was an enchanted water bottle to cleanse the life-giving liquid from all but the dirtiest and most polluted of water sources. Outside of mundane concerns like pathogens, the greater concern were the numerous parasites that lived in the water. Many were so small they were invisible to the naked eye, but they could, once lodged in a stomach intestine, grow and multiply. At first, they would just take nutrients, but in time, they would grow to such an extent that they would begin to eat their way out of their host. Many of these monsters were even more powerful than normal monsters due to their special growth circumstances. As a Healer, Daniel had dealt with more than one of those cases, the most vivid being the time when he had assisted in the cutting open of a nine-year-old child to extract a squirming, multi-legged monster. It was only with the layering of multiple healing spells and a touch of his Gift that they had managed to save the girl.
Cold water rushed over his now numb fingers, and Daniel woke from his memories. As he capped the bottle and ascertained that the enchantment was still working, the Adventurer wondered why the horrors he saw as a Healer were more vivid, more urgent than those he gained while Adventuring. Was it a simple case of being able to smash away the monsters in real life, while the horrors of old age, accidental amputations, and twice-infected injuries could, at best, be healed via spell and Gift. And in most cases, could just be bandaged, dosed, and slowly treated.
“Incoming!” Craig’s rough voice broke Daniel’s musings. A motion slipped the water bottle into his inventory as Daniel dropped his hand to his enchanted hammer and unslung his shield. Enchanted perhaps, but thus far, he had yet to ‘capture’ a second monster. The low probability of capture made the weapon less than ideal.
As Elisa and Sumuhan arrived wielding bow and javelin, Daniel followed their gazes to the threat that Craig had spotted. Looking like distorted logs, dark-brown with flashes of green, the monsters could only be differentiated by the lazy flap of fins. As if realising that their surprise attack had been found out, the monsters sped up, fins making waves as the lead monster yawned.
Long, angular snouts widened as jaws detached farther and farther apart, serrated teeth on a slim, fish-like body. As fins continued to flap, Daniel realised that those backfins were part of stumpy, muscular legs, ones that kicked out now to bring the monster closer.
Adult Cipactli (Level 16)
HP: 170/170
Information flashed before Daniel’s eyes as he correctly viewed the monster. Removing his shield, he backed away from the water slightly as the others began firing. An arrow zipped past, skittering off scales before a heavier javelin landed, piercing the hide of the lead monster. It stuck in the flesh briefly before the cipactli rolled over, dislodging the javelin and allowing its compatriots to overtake it.
In the shallows now, the cipactli got their legs beneath them and thrust upwards, throwing themselves into the sky. As a formerly oblivious porter screamed in fright, arrows and an enchanted spike flew out to meet the monsters.
“Back off! Let the Adventurers handle them,” Sava ordered, chivying his people back.
Daniel grunted, rushing over to the pair that had managed to land without doing any damage. On the ground, the cipactli were a weird mixture of crocodile, fish and toad, brown in nature. What he had once thought to be the edges of scales opened in the air, revealing numerous, screaming mouths.
“Spitting poison!” Tula called out in warning.
Not a moment too soon, for the numerous mouths began to emit squirts of liquid. Daniel brought his shield in front of him as he crouched behind the wooden protection. Even as the liquid fell to the ground, Daniel’s eyes watered from the poisonous gases that it emitted.
“Take them from a distance!” Craig called out.
Behind Daniel, the sound of the final cipactli landing onshore resounded. But he had no time for this, as the monster that had targeted him decided to rush the Healer.
“Why me?” Daniel shouted in anger and frustration as he backed off. Since they had been moving at speed, Daniel had elected to only wear the breastplate of his plate armor; the rest of his armor was from his leather set. It was entirely mismatched, but mismatched was better than dying of sweltering heat while clad in stuffy and heavy iron plate. Perhaps on his next Level Up, he would finally get a chance to pick up a much needed ‘comfort’ Skill for heavy armor. Until then, he had to compromise between defense and practicality.
Hunkered behind his shield, Daniel occasionally glanced around the edges of it. Each time, he narrowly avoided being sprayed by the poison, forcing the Healer to constantly back off. As a foot came down on a root, Daniel hesitated as he regained his balance. That momentary pause was enough for the cipactli to launch itself, tiny clawed fins scrabbling at the edges of his shield and pulling it down.
Over the edge of his shield, Daniel met the gaze of the cipactli, deep-set, beady eyes filled with malevolence staring back at the Healer. The monster opened its mouth, breaking eye contact as it readied itself to hurl poison directly at Daniel. Reacting on instinct, Daniel threw his helmeted head forwards, smashing the monster’s jaws shut on its own poison spray as he head-butted the creature.
Unfortunately, not all of the forceful spray was contained, the edges of the liquid and vapours assaulting Daniel’s eyes. In the corner of his eyes, in his mind, a notification flashed.
You are poisoned.
-5 HP per second for 4 minutes.
You are partially blinded.
The Healer snarled as he staggered backwards, punching out with his trapped hand as he called forth his Shield Bash Skill. The cipactli, held forth on the shield was thrown forwards, losing its grip but not taking much damage from the attack. It did allow Daniel to back off and stumble to his knees, his hammer hand wiping at his watering eyes. Pain pulsed through his face, entering from the nerves around his face and his breathing tract, flashing downwards and forcing Daniel’s body to clench as it fought off the poison.
A meaty thunk ahead of Daniel reminded the Healer that the fight was still on-going. As Daniel tried to rise, a hand dropped on his shoulder.
“Stay, Healer. Heal thyself. I shall guard you,” Uppulu said, his voice coming from beside Daniel. “You will be needed soon.”
Jerking his head down in assent, Daniel forced himself to calm down and catalog the damage. Burning skin and nerves, so not a numbing poison. It seemed to see through the skin. The way it hurt his throat showed that it was also easily dispersed through the air. A hand conjured up his water bottle, and Daniel tilted his head up as he poured the water
over his face, washing away some of the poison.
Poison effect and duration reduced
Partial blindness reduced.
-3 HP per minute
“Use water. Wet cloths over mouth,” Daniel croaked out, offering advice. As he blinked away tears, Daniel squinted through blurry eyes to gauge the fight. Of the two cipactli, one lay on the ground, skewered by a javelin and twitched, unable to move. The second one still fought, but its back leg had been smashed and a trio of arrows stuck out from its side, slowly killing it. As for the former lead monster, its corpse floated down the river.
Even as Daniel struggled to his feet, he watched as Vivian sent a dart of flame into an open mouth, searing it shut and causing the monster to thrash in distress. The distraction was enough for Craig to finish the creature off, jumping forwards to impale it with his weapon.
“Or, you know, kill it,” Daniel said. He took a mouthful of water and gargled, before spitting out the contaminated fluid and taking a deeper drink. He felt a pulse of pain again as the poison ate at his nerves, but he shook it aside as he searched for the injured.
There.
“Clean the wounds with water,’ Daniel ordered the man as he staggered forward. As Uppulu grabbed his arm, Daniel made note of another side effect—balance disruption. “Or, wherever he was hit…”
“Daniel?” Rob said, approaching from the side. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “Time. That’s all of it. I think.”
“Healing spells?” Sava said. He looked worried, seeing as the other two injured were merchants like him, with low health in comparison to the tougher Adventurers.
“Wait,” Daniel said. He coughed, turned aside and spat a glob of blood and saliva out before he took another step forward. “Healing spells with poison heals around the poison. Sometimes it lengthens the duration of damage.”
“Then what do we do?” Sava asked.
Rather than answer Sava, Daniel sank down next to the pair of injured merchants. Hands moved, shifting the bodies around, his gaze tracking over the reddened skin, his breathing shallow and fast. He frowned, realising the pain in his throat and chest was not just from the initial assault.
“Move them. Us. Poison in the air,” Daniel said. It was already fading, the concentration too low to do more than irritate the healthy and uninjured. But for those that had been already poisoned, it was unlikely to do much good. Better to leave.
“Ranger!” Sava called out.
“This way,” Tula said as she appeared from within the forest. Unlike the rest of them, the Ranger had been off scouting, searching for the best route.
In short order, the injured were being moved aside, carried away rather than being allowed to walk. Daniel refused additional help, instead staying next to the injured. Even as he walked—one hand on the improvised stretcher, the other held by Uppulu—Daniel sent his Gift into himself.
Poison. It was easy to sense, easy to find. It was a nasty poison, but luckily, one that the body could break down. Already, Daniel could see how the kidney and liver were hard at work, taking the traces of the poison that it encountered and counteracting it. Luckily, the poison was neutralising itself too as its concentration reduced. Daniel briefly debated and then sent his Gift deeper into himself, feeling a memory disappear as he cleared out the damage around his eyes.
“So, Healer. Prognosis?” Sava asked. Daniel tilted his head to the side, eyeing the way Sava stroked a blue bottle by his side.
“Time,” Daniel said. “Two to four hours for the poison to clear. They should survive. Once the poison is gone, I’ll cast healing spells on them all. They’ll need food and drink afterwards, and preferably, rest.”
Sava clapped Daniel on the shoulder in thanks before he made his way over to the injured, passing words of comfort to the pair. Uppulu, having listened to the conversation, glanced at Daniel.
“You’re walking a little better,” Uppulu said.
“Healed myself,” Daniel said. Then, at Uppulu’s raised eyebrow, he continued. “I know my body. I can guide the spell easier inside me, because it’s me.”
“Interesting. Can all Healer’s do that?” Uppulu asked.
“Yes. Outside of our bodies, we have to rely on the spell itself to do the healing. At least, at my level.” Daniel paused, then smiled ruefully. “Better healers, real Healers, they’re trained to slowly take apart healing spells and manipulate the portions. In time, they can make even a simple healing spell twice to thrice as effective.”
“Interesting. So, that is why the more experienced Healer’s charge more, for the same spells.”
“Mostly. There’s also regeneration rates to worry about,” Daniel said. That, as always, was the greatest concern. A small spell was no issue and could be regenerated in ten or twenty minutes. But the sick and injured were never-ending and Mana pools were not. Eventually, even ‘small’ spells would drain a Healer entirely, making them unable to cast the more powerful, more effective spells. And so, many Healers would price their smaller healing spells as a portion of the more powerful spells to justify their use.
“Watch your step,” Uppulu warned Daniel who grunted his thanks and stepped over a rather large fecal deposit. Saving his breath, Daniel stayed silent as he followed along, mentally charting the spell and any potential adjustments he could make. While he might not be a true Healer, he did have some knowledge of the spell and the poison. A little tweak here and there would help.
Chapter 11
Three days after the attack from the cipactli, the group reached the lake. The Rybachly Lake was large and a placid blue, filled on one side with lotus pads and the other by sheer cliffs that walled off the cliff itself. Having arrived a short distance from the river, Tula led the group towards a clearing a distance from the lake, allowing them to rest without potential additional attacks. Over the course of a few days, between layered spells and rest, the injured had fully healed up.
Once the camp had been set and protective wards and traps laid out, Sava called a meeting to lay out the goals for the group for the next few weeks. Using the lake as a simple source of water, they would also spend the time hunting monsters and animals that came to drink from the lake. The harvesters would swing out around the rivers and the camp, searching for rare herbs and plants to bring back.
“Lastly, Prek. You and Ger set-up the boat. You’ll be supplementing our provisions with your catch, so make sure to catch a lot,’ Sava said.
“You have a boat?” Omrak said, looking around the campsite.
“In my storage,” Prek said, an older chubby merchant that had kept up with the group surprisingly well. “Small - Fisherman’s Dock lets me store a boat to safeguard it.”
“You’re a Fisherman?” Craig said, frowning as he looked over Prek.
“Level 14,” Prek said proudly.
“If he spent more time selling, he’d be a higher level Merchant,” Sava said, shaking his head.
“Ah, but that’s what you’re there for, right?” Prek said and sniffed. “Anyway, who wants to deal with all the hassle?”
“And that’s why you’re still stuck,” Sava said with a sniff. “Now, for the Adventurers. We’re going to need to split your parties up. We have three groups, of which we’ll need you to guard, not including the base camp. So, here’s what we are thinking…”
Daniel leaned in, his ears perking up as he listened to Craig’s proposal. For the hunters, Sava wanted the long-range Adventurers, those with bows and magic, to hunt and slay their prey in short order. Outside of that, the melee fighters would be split relatively evenly among the gatherers and the base camp with only a single Adventurer on the boat.
“And that’d be myself, Rob, Omrak, and Sumuhan on the boat then in turns,” Craig said.
“I fear that is not wise, Hero Craig,” Omrak said.
“Why?” Craig said.
“I know not how to swim,” Omrak admitted.
“Oh. Huh. Umm… Daniel?” Craig said.
“I can take over. I’ll need to change out of my armor, but it should be fine,” Daniel said.
“Good,” Craig said, looking over to Sava to confirm the merchant was happy before they agreed. Rob, seated beside Omrak, was frowning and prodding his friend.
“How can you not know how to swim?” Rob said incredulously.
“Because I never learnt.” Seeing that Rob was still astounded, Omrak continued. “I did live in the mountains, no?”
“But, lakes? Rivers?”
“Ice cold. You dipped in and washed, but you did not swim.”
“It’s not that cold.”
“For you perhaps,” Omrak pointed out. “But we are not Selkie. We do not have fur or your resistance to cold.”
“But…”
Before Daniel could continue eavesdropping on the conversation, Craig had made his way over to him. “For the first day, I would prefer to be in the camp to deal with unexpected issues. We’ll need a larger number in base camp on the first day.” Tula appeared beside the pair, looking between the two. “Yes, Ranger?”
“I’m going to scout,” Tula said. “No farther than two miles from the camp or the lake. Stay on the surface of the lake only.”
“Sure,” Daniel said.
Craig grimaced, but he gave her a short nod in agreement. Once the pair had nodded, Tula walked over to Sava to confirm her intentions before leaving the encampment, bow on her back and a small pack attached. Daniel frowned, watching as she left before he shook his head. If he was going to be with Prek today, he best remove his armor.
The boat that Prek pulled out when they found a suitable beach was a large rowboat, big enough to have space for three to sit on their own benches. Daniel was sent to the middle where the oars were after he volunteered that, yes, he did indeed know how to row. Once they were ready, the three pushed off, Prek directing Daniel to a suitable location that was shaded by an overhanging cliff-face.