When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. It was painted white. In fact, the color was TOO WHITE. Turning my head, I saw a bunch of beds. I was on one, too. I was in the infirmary.

"How are you feeling?" a kind, feminine voice said.

The person sat in a chair before me. It was a middle-aged woman with long, curly dark blonde hair which cascaded down the front of her white-colored robe, reaching her slender waist. "My name is Meanna and I'm a healer," she introduced herself.

"I'm Lawrence Eugene Mulligan," I replied and slowly sat up.

"Yes, I know who you are, Brother Mulligan," she replied. "I'm sorry that Van got out of control and broke your arm. It was supposed to be a friendly duel." Seeing my raised eyebrows, she explained, "Van is my nephew. Growing up, he was always a handful. He was handsome, passionate, and energetic. The neighborhood kids always followed him around and getting into trouble with him. He used to pretend to be a knight and chased the other kids with sticks. Finally, Veanna, his late mother and my younger sister, decided to apprentice him to the Church. And that's where he found his calling as a Paladin."

I raised my right arm, rotated it a bit and pretended to swing a blade. I was very relieved to discover that I had felt neither pain nor hindrance of my motion in my sword arm.

The healer waited patiently until I was finished with my impromptu test. "I used a Cure Serious Wound to repair your broken arm. You should be able to swing a sword without any trouble," she said. "I understand how important it is for fighters to have complete use of their arms."

"Thank you, Sister Meanna," I bowed deeply to her.

The aunt hesitated for a moment and then opened her mouth. "May I ask what mission the Church has assigned you? And why Van is accompanying you?" she asked quietly.

I smiled. "Archbishop Wilshire has tasked me with a quest to eliminate the undead horde hidden somewhere in Bristol. He suspects that either Necromancers or a Lich is raising them," I answered honestly. "Van will be serving as my bodyguard," I added.

Meanna gasped and covered her mouth. Her eyes became furious. "I can't believe someone would dare raise an undead army here in Bristol! The city is under the watchful eye of the Church! How is this possible?"

"Some powerful magic was used to hide their presence from the Church," I explained. "However, a servant of Gaea appeared in the cemetery and he confirmed the presence of the undead within the city."

"If the undead is hidden, then how would you be able to find them?" the healer asked.

"Please keep this a secret. I have Spirit Sense. I can detect the aura of undead creatures," I revealed.

Meanna's eyes widened in shock. As a servant with two decades of service to the Church, she was privy to a number of Church secrets. The existence of people able to use Spirit Sense was one of them. She bowed deeply to me and then shook her head. "As much as I respect Van's fighting skills, I fear that my nephew would not be sufficient protection if your mission will lead you to a Lich," she said.

I pulled up my white Church robe and reached into my waist pouch. I pulled out the ring and the scroll that the archbishop had given me.

The healer's jaw dropped when she read the captions. She took a moment to regain her composure. "I see. Are you able to use the scroll?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I'm still a few thousand experience points short of reaching the level I need to use the scroll. I was dueling with your nephew partly for the experience," I explained.

"I see." Meanna pondered the situation. "May I ask what your Profession is?"

"I'm a dual-classed Mage/Fighter. Technically, I'm a Swordmage," I replied.

She was surprised to hear that I wasn't a Cleric. "Brother Mulligan, how did you end up possessing a Truth Stone?" Meanna asked.

"I avenged the former holder of this stone. He was the town judge of Tregome, which is located on the western frontier of this kingdom. He was killed by wererats while conducting a public trial of a man who turned out to be a wererat. The bishop decided to grant me this stone after I killed the wererat leader and avenged the judge's murder," I explained.

Frankly, I was surprised that Meanna wasn't knowledgeable of these events because she seemed to be aware of happenings within the church. I began to suspect that the church leadership had decided to prevent news of the wererat presence in Tregome from spreading throughout the Kingdom of Merlin. Otherwise, the travelers and merchants will no longer visit this valuable but vulnerable frontier town. And as someone with a personal interest in Tregome, I agreed with this decision.

"Thank you for satisfying my curiosity, Brother Mulligan." The healer bowed deeply to me. "If you are in need of experience, perhaps you will accept a quest from me?" she inquired.

That got my attention. "How may I help you?"

"I'm running low on certain medicinal herbs for this clinic. They can be found in the wilderness outside Bristol. I understand that you have elves as companions. The elves can help you find the items that I need. Unfortunately, I can't afford to pay you a big reward. But you will receive a nice boost to your reputation along with experience for undertaking this quest. Will you accept?" she asked.

"Of course, Healer Meanna!" I answered enthusiastically. I didn't expect my trip to the doctor's office would lead to another quest. Nor was I concerned about the lack of monetary reward for helping her. Acquiring experience points was my top priority. If Meanna could offer me experience for gathering some plants instead of fighting dangerous monsters, then I would gladly accept her quest.

Meanna smiled at my reaction. "I will make a list for you. Please wait a moment." The healer stood up and walked over to her desk. She took out a parchment and started writing her list. A few minutes later, she was finished with her writing. The healer then turned to her bookshelf and pulled out a small, black leather bound book. Meanna returned to her chair next to my bed and sat. "Here is the list," she said and gave me the parchment and the book.

I read the list: "White snakeroot x5, Astragalus x4, Horsetail x10, Gingko x5, St. John's wort x5, Chamomille x6, Passionflower x2, Elderberry x6." I looked at Meanna with raised brows. "That's a big list," I remarked. "How will I know what these plants look like?"

My enthusiasm for her quest immediately dampened because I realized that it would take a while to find all the herbs on her list. I wanted to drop by the magic shop at the Magic Guild before dinner. I might not be able if this herb gathering quest will take several hours to complete.

"Open the book," the healer replied.

I looked at the book. The cover read: "The Illustrated Botany Handbook from A to Z by Meanna." Great, I was in the company of another author! When I casually flipped through the pages, I saw that each page carried a hand-drawn, color illustration of the plant along with a description at the bottom of the page. I looked back at her and the healer smiled again. Feeling helpless like a mouse caught in a mousetrap, I sighed. "Fine." After I put the book and list in my potions bag, I got off the bed and headed for the door.

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"I'll see you soon." She waved goodbye and I left the clinic.

Waiting outside was Kalistra, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground in the hallway and meditating. She sprang to her feet when I stood in front of her. "Had a nice nap?" the cat girl grinned. Her tail flickered.

I looked around. "So where are the others?" I asked.

"I believe Van was sent to do penance. He was the one who carried you to the healer clinic. She saw what happened to you and became angry at him when she learned Van was the one who hurt you during a friendly duel," Kalistra explained. "Are you sure you want him to accompany you?" she asked. Her expression was serious.

"You don't think he should be with us?" I asked.

"This is your mission. You have the final authority to decide who comes with you," the cat girl replied with a neutral expression.

I stared into her pale green eyes. "You think he's usurping your position on the frontline," I speculated aloud.

Kalistra hissed at me. "I don't care how much armor that fool is wearing. Nor how much magical protection he has against evil creatures. I'm concerned that his aggressive fighting style will be the end of him," she explained. "There's a reason why paladins are uncommon on Britannia. Their zeal and passion in the service of their God make Paladins take foolish risks and discard caution to the wind," she complained.

"Funny to hear this coming from your lips," I smirked. I remembered the time Kalistra recklessly pursued a group of contract killers on her own outside Bristol. She ended up being poisoned. "The two of you are very much alike in how you fight," I pointed out.

She pointed her paw at me. "But there's a crucial difference between us. I'm fast enough to evade and avoid damage from an undead horde. He's not," she refuted.

I shook my head. "We need him as bait for the undead fodder while we deal with the necromancers. The archbishop understood that. He chose Van to join my mission for this reason. And I agree with him. Van will accompany us until the undead hunt is finished."

"Fine!" she sulked and turned her head.

I held Meanna's list in front of Kalistra's eyes.

"What's this?" her ears perked up as she skimmed through the items. They were all herbs!

"The healer gave me a quest to find these herbs in the wilderness outside Bristol. She said she can reward me with a ton of reputation and experience for turning them in," I replied.

Kalistra turned her face to me and made a sour expression. "You want to do this quest for the easy experience." The cat girl was not looking forward to spending hours in the wilderness looking for herbs. Furthermore, if the party stay close to the city, it was unlikely Kalistra would find monsters to kill.

I nodded, oblivious to her personal disgust for our side quest. During our camping outside Bristol, we were stalked by members of The Double Cross Society under an assassination contract. But since I had agreed to an alliance with the group's leader, Lord X, I wasn't worried that I would be targeted by assassins again outside the city. Furthermore, with Van joining my group, we now had four melee fighters, one full mage, and a bowman. I was confident that we could handle any wild beasts that we encounter in the wilderness. I also intended to keep my Spirit Sense continually activated to train this valuable skill and earn more experience.

Kalistra decided to accept my decision gracefully. After all, there were a number of benefits to undertaking this gathering quest for the healer. For example, this would be a good excuse to step outside Bristol. Kalistra wasn't a city girl. There were too many people in the city. Also, she knew the elves would need to return to nature soon. She had no idea what happens to elves who lose their connection to nature, but she suspected that it would result in mental issues. Thus, this quest would be highly beneficial for them, too. The cat girl grabbed my arm and pulled me along. "Let's hurry and get out of this stuffy place."

I tried to pull my arm back. But my Strength attribute score was nowhere near hers and I knew it was a futile attempt. Thus, I allowed her to drag me like a ragdoll. When we encountered Watchmen in the corridor, I lowered my eyes to avoid seeing them. I was thoroughly embarrassed. A few minutes later, we exited the building. I was surprised to discover where Kalistra had taken me: to the water fountain at the Public Square. Soon, I understood the reason: Van.

For his penance, Van was helping the commoners draw huge buckets of water from the water fountain. He was standing inside the fountain and he was wet from head to toe.

From firsthand experience, I knew that a fully filled bucket was extremely heavy. Yet, I saw that Van was able to pull the bucket out and hand it to the commoner while still wearing his plate mail armor.

"He's stronger than he looks," Bjoukia commented casually.

I was startled by how close she stood.

"Did you miss me?" she asked softly while looking straight into my eyes. The elf maiden grabbed my right arm gingerly. "I see your broken arm has been fixed." Bjoukia smiled.

"Ahem!" her brother coughed loudly and glared at the mischievous sister.

Bjoukia rolled her eyes and released my arm, saving me from another claw-poke by Kalistra.

Rijana stood behind the two siblings.

Seeing that everyone was present, I took out Meanna's list from my sack and handed it to the mage. "I received a quest from Meanna the healer," I announced. "She needs the herbs on this list. We will head out of Bristol immediately while there is still daylight."

The two elves traded glances and then smiled at me. They were dying to leave the city!

Bjoukin spoke up. "Since I do have the Herbalism skill, I will guide you," he offered.

I nodded my acceptance. It was better for the ranger to make the offer rather than have me ask him.

The ranger smiled. He turned around and started walking along the plaza. The cobblestone road led directly to the gate to exit Bristol.

Kalistra threw a small stone at Van; it hit him on the head. "We're leaving the city right now. Are you coming?" she called out. Without waiting for a response, the evil minx ran on all four paws and weaved through the startled pedestrians. Soon, she returned to her normal position to my right.

Van jumped out of the fountain. He retrieved his weapons and shield on the ground and ran after us.

Fortunately, Bjoukin was walking at a VERY slow pace in order to allow the paladin to catch up with us.

His body still dripping wet, Van took his position to my left.

As we walked along the plaza, I explained to the paladin that his aunt had requested some herbs for the clinic and I agreed to help her.

Van looked away for a moment. He was ashamed for disappointing her when the paladin brought me to her clinic. She was the one who suggested fetching water from the public fountain for Van's penance. The paladin turned to me and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for breaking your arm."

I patted him gently on the shoulder. "It's fine. Your aunt was able to fix my arm."

Mollified by my acceptance of his apology, Van turned his head back to the road.

When our group reached the gatehouse, Van stepped forward and saluted the Watchmen on duty. "I'm escorting Brother Mulligan and his companions to the forest to gather herbs for Meanna. We should return by sundown," he told the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper returned his salute. "I will record your passage and expected return," the Watchman confirmed. "You may continue."

Bjoukin resumed taking the lead. He guided us to a trail off the road and soon we entered the forest. With his keen eyesight, the elf ranger immediately spotted a bunch of white snakeroots. He took out a small knife from his boot and started cutting the stem of a cluster.

I pulled out the empty sack from my potions bag and opened it.

Bjoukin dropped the cluster of small white flowers into the sack. "How many does the healer need?" he asked.

I checked the list. "5," I replied.

The ranger cut another stem and dumped it in as well.

Van, Kalistra, and Rijana consulted my handbook regularly as they encountered plants during their search. The four of us managed to find the astragalus and the elderberries. The two elves found the rest of the herbs on the list. However, it took us almost two hours to cross off the entire list. By then, nightfall had arrived.

As Bjoukin started leading our group back, he suddenly glanced at his sister who nodded slightly.

Kalistra, who was walking to my right, grabbed my arm and leaned her mouth to my ear. "We're not alone," she whispered.

I immediately closed my eyes and activated Spirit Sense. I filtered out the auras of my companions since they were standing very close to me. I noticed the evil aura of another human--on a tree branch above us. I cast the Light spell and directed the sphere to appear right next to the spy. "Light SUCCESSFUL. +25 XP."

The cat girl jumped onto a branch and started chasing the spy. Due to her superior speed, the spy was unable to escape.

Finally, the spy jumped to the ground. It was a man dressed in a black ninja outfit. He got down on one knee and said, "I bear a message for Lord Mulligan."

"That's me," I said and took a step forward.

"Tescka said the portal has been destroyed. And the monster you're facing is a vampire that has charmed a number of human mages. She will continue to follow them to discover their hideout and learn of their plans for the undead horde," the messenger said.

"Thank you for your message. How will we find her when we're ready to attack the undead?" I asked.

The ninja rose to his feet and laughed. "Milord, your group is under our continuous surveillance. When you are ready to rejoin Tescka, simply say so. We will lead you to her." The ninja threw a smoke bomb and disappeared.

Van put his hand on my shoulder to draw my attention. "Brother Mulligan, I would like to report this new development to the Archbishop immediately. Please partake dinner and wait for my return," he requested.

"I'm hungry," Kalistra said and rubbed her belly.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "We'll wait for your return at The Wild Boar," I promised.

With our next move decided, Bjoukin led our party back to the city