Joe felt a bit wrung out. Not physically but it was the tiredness you felt after completing a rough exam or after a stressful event. He was mentally weary. The boy and Buckle were having a mush session so Joe took a minute to shake off the cobwebs in his head. When the fogginess cleared, he looked at the pair and spoke.
“Hey, guys. How is everybody?”
“Thank you, sir. You saved Buck!”
“We both did. If you hadn’t gotten him out of there I don’t know if I would have been able to help him in time. My name is Joe. What is your name?”
“Rhiley. My name is Rhiley Dellham.”
“Nice to meet you Rhiley. And you too, boy. Ok let me up,” Joe said, giving the dog a gentle nudge over. “So Rhiley. I’m a stranger to this area. What town is that?”
“That’s Crowfield. Not really a town, sir. It is just a village.”
“No need for the ‘sir’, Rhiley. Joe is fine. Unless that will get you in trouble with your parents. It was sirs and ma'ams when I was in school too,” Joe disclosed, earning him a smile from Rhiley.
“Is that where you learned to heal, Mister… Joe? In school? Did you go to one of the academies?”
“Nope. Buck is the lucky recipient of my first healing ever. I just picked up the ability a minute ago.”
“Are you a Newcomer?”
“Well, I am definitely new to the area but why do I get the impression that Newcomer means something more to you than just a foreigner?”
“Newcomers are those who have been brought to Illuminaria through a Valkyrie Gate. They are warriors and scholars from another world.”
“Well I’m no warrior and not much of a scholar but the rest seems pretty on the nose. Does this happen a lot? You know, people being reborn here in your world?”
“Not really, you are the first one I’ve ever seen but a little while before I was born the One Above told everyone that Newcomers were arriving. That got folk all riled up. Now everyone knows about Newcomers. I’ve been waiting to meet one.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Rhiley. Why are they called Valkyrie Gates? I didn’t come through a gate as far as I know.”
“One of the first Newcomers was Heimdall the Hunter. He named them. It has something to do with being carried to a new world after you die.”
Joe had never considered changing his name but he guessed there was probably an option for it somewhere in his player screens. Joe knew the name Heimdall well. It was the name of his favorite Norse god, the guardian of the Bifrost bridge into Asgard and the one who always saw through Loki’s tricks. Joe assumed in this case it was an alias instead of the real surname of someone departed. Joe got the feeling he skipped a couple of the player set-up options due to his unexpected panic attack.
As he thought about player screens, he remembered that he had a few that had popped up while he was working on Buck. Giving them his attention he read:
You have successfully completed [Save Buckle]
Do you wish to accept your quest rewards now?
“Yes, please,” Joe thought. A few feet away one of the two balls of floating light that had appeared when he was healing Buck popped. A potion bottle, filled with an ivory liquid, flipped up into the air and landed by Joe’s feet. Joe picked it up and an identifying window opened.
Item [BiteBark] (Common - Consumable): This potion will thicken your skin, giving it the toughness of tree bark. You will gain moderate resistance to Piercing, Slashing, and Bleed physical attacks for 1 minute. One use.
“What did you get?” Rhiley asked.
Joe read the text out loud. While it was clear that Rhiley could not see the help screen, he seemed completely comfortable with the idea of someone interacting with an invisible object. Joe had so many more questions but another new notification appeared at the edge of his vision.
Achievement: You completed your first quest. You have gained 1 unassigned attribute point. Your actions have awarded you the following choice of Traits:
[Martyr]: You chose a path you did not want for the betterment of another. When you use an ability to help an ally you can sacrifice up to 10% of your Health to add up to 10% to the ability’s effect.
[Mystic]: Muscles are good but magic is better. +10% mana recovery
Joe was pleasantly surprised. It looked like there were rewards for completing landmarks as well. He looked at the two options and easily made the choice. He was already having regrets over picking a class that was so party dependent, he did not want to make it more party specialized. Also, MAGIC! Why would he pass up an opportunity for more magic?
You have selected [Mystic]: +10% mana recovery
There was another one of those glowing balls so he figured he should grab that one too. He looked and there was one more window hovering at the edge of his vision.
You have successfully completed [Let’s Get Started]
Do you wish to accept your quest rewards now?
When he acceded, that ball of illumination popped as well. Instead of a single item, this orb sprayed a handful of coins, a small satchel, and a large wooden staff into the air. Joe managed to get a hand up but the staff still cracked him painfully on the arm as it spun to the ground.
“Ok, as much as I like the nod to Diablo, that is going to get old quickly. Rhiley, can you help me find the coins? There should be ten of them.” Finding the gold pieces in the tall grass was a bit difficult, made harder because Buck thought he should help search too. When they had them gathered, Joe looked into the satchel to find what looked like a fantasy first aid kit; plenty of bandages, soft cord for making splints, a needle, and thread, as well as some tins and packets of herbs. Joe added the [BiteBark] and the coins to the bag and picked up the staff.
Item [Common Quarterstaff] (Light Weapon): This staff-style weapon adds 10% to physical attacks you make with it. It also increases your ability to parry melee weapon attacks by 10%.
Joe was getting quicker at processing the text in the windows that flashed at the corner of his eye. It was almost as if he was absorbing it, more than he was actually reading it.
“Not a bad start.” Turning to the boy beside him, Joe asked, “So Rhiley, what is there to do around here?”
“Well, you could come and meet my mum. Since you are a healer, maybe you can help her.”
“Of course. Let’s go. I’m happy to see what I can do. Just remember I have been a healer now for maybe ten minutes, so I don’t want to get your hopes up too high. What happened?”
“She cut her hand last week and, even though she put a poultice on it, the cut just won’t heal. Now it looks all swollen and oozy.”
“It must be infected. I may be able to help. Is there a doctor in the village or a temple? Someone or someplace where people can get healing.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“We have a temple. Rhepe the Harvester, Raynj the Herder, and Ayl the Brewer all have shrines there. They sometimes will perform healing but they tend to use their blessings mostly on the crops and livestock,” Rhiley explained. “The only other healer around is the Witch of Brandy Mere. Mom won’t go to her. She thinks the witch is the one who cursed her cut in the first place.”
“Did she?”
“I don’t know. My mom and Granny Growlbee have been fighting for a long time, so maybe.”
“If it’s a curse then I really don’t know what I can do. What do they fight about?” Joe asked as Rhiley led him up onto the porch.
The farmhouse was two stories tall, made of light-colored timbers built around a central fireplace. The upper floor was built into eaves with two dormers facing forward; most likely the children’s rooms. Rhiley threw open the front door and waved for Joe to come in.
“I don’t know what they fight about but maybe you can ask her. Mom! Mom! I found a Healer for you.”
When Joe stepped inside, he could see that Rhiley’s mother was obviously very sick. She was bundled in blankets by a roaring fire on a beautifully warm day. Her skin had a waxy look and her eyes were glassy. Joe drew in a deep breath. All of a sudden what he was doing hit him. Healing Buck had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. He now was taking responsibility for someone else's well-being. If he messed this up, he might make her worse.
For years he had been cared for by others. Now he had a chance to pay some of that care back. He had seen that lost look on his fellow patients' faces too many times. The glassiness that comes from being unable to think straight, while something is destroying you from the inside out. The fog often led to the loss of hope. After that things only got worse.
Joe pushed all those memories and doubts away. He now had something beyond all the years of medical training the doctors on Earth had. Joe had magic. He was not using toxins to kill part of her while trying not to kill all of her, He was not cutting out some part of her while trying not to cut out too much or too little. Joe had straight-up, raw healing. It did not need to make medical sense. It just had to work. Joe just had to try.
“Buck up, Joe,” he told himself.
New Quest [Septic Slice]
Sarsa Dellham cannot be saved by ordinary means. Use your skills to save her.
Reward: Talisman of the Medic
“Excuse me. May I help you?” inquired a deep voice from the doorway behind them. Joe turned around to see the farmer at the door with the older sister coming up behind him.
“Da, this is Joe. He is a Healer. He healed Buck. I brought him to see if he can help Mom.”
“Buck? What happened to Buck?” Joe realized that from where the two had been working at the barn, they could not have seen or heard the commotion at the berry patch.
“Hello Mister Dellham. I am going to see what I can do for your wife. Can you tell me her name, please?”
“It’s Sarsa,” Rhiley supplied enthusiastically.
“That is correct,” his father confirmed. “Sarsa Dellham. Whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated, Master Healer.”
Extending his hand, “It’s just Joe, Mister Dellham. I am about as novice a healer as one could ever find, so Master is a bit much.”
“Konren,” The man replied with the grip of a man who had done hard work all his life. It was rough-skinned and strong but there was not a hint of challenge in the grip. Joe let out another puff of a breath and turned to the ailing woman. In the background, he could hear Rhiley begin the story of their meeting by the briars. He tuned out their words and took her bandaged hand. Even through the swathing, he could feel it was warm.
“Hello Sarsa,” he began even though he was not sure she was focused enough to hear him. “My name is Joe, I am going to see if I can mend this wound.” He slid his hand up to the woman’s wrist. He probably did not need actual skin-to-skin contact but he figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
You have restored 38.5% of Sarsa Dellham’s total health. You are unable to determine Sarsa Dellham’s current health. The underlying cause of damage still remains.
Color flushed into Sarsa’s cheeks and she drew in a deep breath. She immediately became more alert. Blinking, she glanced at Joe. Clearly, she had not heard him as a questioning look crossed her features.
“Hi, Sarsa. My name is Joe. I became a healer today and you are my first patient. Well, first human patient, at least. Let’s try that again.”
You have restored 7.7% of Sarsa Dellham’s total health. You are unable to determine Sarsa Dellham’s current health. The underlying cause of damage is preventing any additional healing of this type.
Your skill [Healing Touch] has increased to rank 5.
“I’m afraid that is as much as I can do right now. Let’s get these old bandages off and take a look, all right?”
“Thank you, Sir,” Sarsa replied. “It already feels much better. So do I. I was so tired today. I felt like I was sleeping even when I was awake.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
“Is she healed?” Konren asked his voice heavy with emotion.
“Not fully, no. Sorry. I can bolster her health but the infection is still there. I don’t know how to fix that yet. I only have two spells. The first one I used as much as I could and the other won’t help us. I think I need a Cure Disease-type spell. I am very new to this. How do people get new spells in this world?”
“In this world… ? You must be a Newcomer.”
“I am, and a very new Newcomer. Like just a few hours ago. You guys are the first people I have spoken with since I got here ... not counting a surly knight.”
“Well, we are very grateful for it. Have you eaten? It is the least we can do.”
“First I want to unwrap Sarsa’s hand and take a look. That and food might not go well together.” Looking at his patient, Joe asked. “Are you ready?’
Sarsa nodded and he began to unwind the bandages. As the layers came off, they became more sodden with old pus. They felt oily against his skin, but Joe found it didn’t bother him at all. He let a small chuckle loose when he realized that there was a weird bright side to chemotherapy. He was pretty much incapable of being grossed out by bodily fluids anymore.
When they got down to the puffy skin, they needed some warm water to soak off the last of the cloth. Nella, Rhiley’s sister, brought a bowl filled with water from a pot that had been heating by the fireplace. Together, they eased off the last of the sodden cloth strips. Nella was not so immune to the feel and smell, but she was determined to help her mother. She soldiered through her queasiness and followed Joe’s instructions. Across the room, Konren had a hand on Rhiley’s shoulder watching Joe and Nella work, though who was comforting who could go either way.
The wound had originally been a knife cut, a simple kitchen accident that was quite a bit deeper than a normal knife knick. If Joe had gotten here a few days ago, he probably would have been able to cure it. After looking through his satchel, Joe found that he immediately knew what each of the little packets and canisters contained and what each was used for. He had learned a fair bit about drugs over the years, but this knowledge was something else completely. These were old-world and herbal remedies that he had never seen before. He just instinctively knew their purpose. It must come from his new class.
He had salts that might be able to draw out the infection but the wound had progressed to the point where Joe felt that was a long shot. The veins around Sarsa's hand and wrist were dark under her skin. Still, soaking in the salts would be better than doing nothing. They might help slow things down but Joe was pretty sure she needed a better form of healing than he possessed.
“I’m going to need a bigger basin and more warm water,” he told Nella. “We can try to soak the wound but I think I am going to have to find a stronger spell. Where can I go to look for one?”
“The General Store often has a small stock of skill crystals,” she replied. She scowled while thinking and then continued, “I can't remember ever seeing any healing skills there. Mostly the common stuff like analyzes and detects, as well plenty of agriculture and crafting skills too but I’m pretty sure those are not what you are looking for.”
“What about a temple? In most ga … in my world temples and the clergy were often associated with healing.”
“Maybe in the big cities that is how it works,” Konren stated. “Out here we have our Three, Raynj, Rhepe, and Ayl. They look out for our community as a whole and offer small blessings now and then. They don’t directly respond to mortal wishes. You get whatever bounty They see fit to bestow on ya, if any. I have heard that there is a Southern Goddess of healing but Her temple is far away. Somewhere on the other side of the Malrenet Mountains.” Konren scratched his chin and then continued. “The only other place I have ever seen skill crystals is with the wandering peddlers. That is where Jorgan Bults picked a rare skill, Frost Wall. Granted he only really uses it to keep our meat lockers and mead cellars cold, but the village is sure glad he bought it.”
“How often does a peddler come around?” Joe asked while Nella got a deeper bowl filled with water and Rhiley cleared the small table next to Sarsa’s chair.
“At least twice a month,” Konren replied. “One might be here. I have not been to town since Sarsa’s hand turned bad. Rhiley can show you who to look for. If you two would be willing to take the apples to the general store for me, I’d be happy to let you have the store credit for them, Joe. Both to help if you find something to heal my wife as well as a profound thank you for all that you have already done.”
Joe was uncomfortable with compliments, and so was about to shrug off the farmer's words. At the last second, it dawned on him that the man wanted to express his gratitude for both healings and it would be rude to refuse them. “You are welcome, sir. I am happy I could help as much as I could. Even if we don’t find anything right away, I think I can keep it from getting worse with the spells I have. New skills can only be a good thing.”
“Excellent. Rhiley, I need you also to go to Kadric Tienker and pick up yer mother’s copper kettle. Kadric said he would fix it yesterday so we just need to pick it up. We can heat some water in the pot but having the kettle back would be better. He’ll have a job for you to cover the cost of the repairs. Do that once the Healer does not need you any further.”
“Ok Da.” the boy affirmed. Turning to his new friend, Rhiley asked “Ready, Joe? I can’t wait for you to see Crowfield.”