The years spent in medical training didn’t do wonders for a person’s social life, and the additional emphasis on internal medicine magnified that even further. Fortunately for Kyle’s ill-adapted social skills, it didn’t take an expert in human communication to realize that the grizzled soldier, Garth, didn’t trust him. The man was almost a head taller than Kyle, impressive given that Kyle stood just shy of two meters tall. His rust-colored hair was matched by a scruffy beard, although Kyle had little room to talk in that department. Garth’s blue eyes didn’t leave Kyle for a moment as he went from person to person in the small group, treating injuries and trying to ease the discomfort caused by their prolonged exposure to the rogue mana. If it wasn’t for their Guard Array Kyle expected that none of these people would have survived.
These drones, much like the C.H.A.D.D. models, had been designed by Marcus Kulhavey – one of the Originators. Unlike the drones at Central Health, Guard Arrays were designed to put up localized mana barriers to block small projectiles and disperse hostile mana. Other than Garth, none of these civilians had the look of Central Defense employees, but as he went from person to person he found that wasn’t the case. How much civilian support does it take to run a garrison? Kyle considered this, thinking about all the support staff in his own hospital. It’s easy to forget how many other roles there were.
Kyle took his hands off the child in front of him, standing up and looking at her. “Does that feel better?” The young child, Gwen, nodded vigorously before running back into the arms of her mother, a stern-looking woman who gladly scooped her back up, her worried expression softening. Gwen had been one of the worst off with the mana fluctuations, barely able to stay conscious and unable to walk for any extended period without pain. It made Kyle smile to see her up and moving, every bit the energetic six-year-old she should be. He looked at the group, and while there was still a lot of work to be done, all the major injuries and most of the worst-off people with mana sickness had been treated. His own mana reserves running low, he turned to Garth.
“I’m about spent, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more this afternoon.” Garth hadn’t said a word the last several hours he had been treating patients, and Kyle’s eyes drifted to the hilt of the sword strapped to his back.
“If you’d be willing to let me travel with you, I’d be happy to pick up where I left off when my mana recovers a bit?” Kyle kicked himself internally for framing it as a question. His grandfather had always chided him for not being more confident with these things, but with Garth’s stern expression it felt much more natural to ask than to presume he’d be welcomed.
~~~
Garth looked at the young man critically, evaluating his question. On one hand, he’d proven himself to be eager to help and had likely saved more than a few lives with his timely intervention. He seemed genuine and willing to serve. At the same time, however, Garth couldn’t help but think this was too convenient. Right as they get into a dangerous situation a strange man just happens to be nearby, and then he just happens to be a physician with a medical kit. A physician who, to Garth’s eyes, only seemed to have one healing skill, but with physical attributes that weren’t too far off of Garth’s own? Dylan had been a Healer with only one skill and had been assigned to Garth’s unit as a field medic. Only Level 17 despite his age, he too had been eager to jump in and help. And yet he didn’t fare any better in this new world. He died just like the others.
Garth thought back to the events that had led them to this point and cost them the lives of over half their group. He knew better than to expect a convenient savior to come along right when they needed one. At best the man before him was a vagrant deviant, likely well on the path to deviance before the fall. At worst, he was working alongside the group that Carlyle had been a part of. If that was the case and he let him join, Garth might as well be signing their death warrants.
“Appreciate the offer, but I don’t…” He trailed off as he looked past Kyle to where Stephanie was holding Gwen. The woman hadn’t smiled since the day Gwen started getting sick nearly two months ago. Looking at her now it seemed that years of worries and pain had just evaporated as she looked at her daughter. Just past them Dalen was laughing and talking with two of the other young men. By all rights he should have been dead, but he’d been given another lease on life by this stranger. Dammit, I’m no good at being the stern one.
“…never mind. Fair warning though – we’re headed to Nierburg. You’re welcome to join us that far, but once we’re there we’re all going to get put to use doing something or another. That a problem for you?”
The implications of the question were crystal clear to Kyle. Garth clearly understood that Kyle didn’t fit the mold of a standard doctor in a hospital, and also understood there wouldn’t be much of a place for him in a Central Authority hub city in the midst of recovery. One step at a time, Kyle. he thought, meeting Garth’s eyes before responding. “Not a problem at all. I’m here to help, whatever that looks like.” They held each other’s eyes for a moment, each taking the measure of the other. Then Garth nodded and said “Good. I was hoping we’d cover some more ground before calling it a night, but given what’s happened this is as good a spot to stop as any. You’ve earned some rest, but fair warning you’ll be joining me on watch tonight.”
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Garth began giving orders, and the group exploded into a flurry of activity. Everybody knew their role, and before an hour had passed a makeshift camp had been erected, the Guard Array sputtering to life and enclosing them in its pale violet dome. For the first time in months, Kyle didn’t feel the pressure of the strange mana surrounding him, only now realizing how accustomed to it he’d become. With the preparations for the camp well underway, Kyle walked towards the perimeter of the dome and settled into a cross-legged position, C.H.A.D.D. floating along behind him.
The little drone had once again proven its worth, helping Kyle identify where the majority of the damage from mana sickness had accumulated and allowing him to treat much more efficiently than usual. There was another benefit to the work he had done as well – by identifying and treating so many others in need, he felt that he’d made significant growth along his path. Progressing and gaining levels was closely tied to intention and effort, and this more than any other time in his life felt like he was walking a path of completion and purpose. Entering meditation, Kyle looked internally at his center, a smile slowly spreading across his face as the words from his core appeared:
KYLE MAYHEW. ARTHRO-HUMAN CHIMERA, HEALER. LEVEL 40
He had leveled three times in short order, which meant he not only had some attribute points to allocate, but most importantly would gain access to a new skill. While part of him was concerned that his path continued to deviate from that of the Healer, he was also excited to see what his hard efforts these past months had earned him. Settling himself, he focused on the phantasmal orbs that represented his skill choices. His smile faded as he observed the indistinct spheres, getting an impression of the changes each skill would bring. This was much more detail than he had before, but he welcomed it. He wasn’t sure if this was because he hit his level 40 skills or if it was something unique to his new circumstances. Regardless it was a benefit. Refocusing, he looked at the first skill.
HASTE: Kyle saw the new pathways that would run through his body, connecting to the new nerve clusters at his hips, shoulders, and behind his eyes. He had the impression of mana enhancing these nerves further, allowing him to move more freely and better perceive his surroundings when active. This was of particular interest to him, and would go a long way towards helping him survive the types of encounters he’d been thrust into so far. On the other hand, he knew from seeing the injuries firsthand the dangers a boosting skill like this could create. Overuse it and the damage could really add up. Keeping it in mind, he moved on to the next skill option.
PURIFY: This overlay was different, focused primarily on a web throughout his kidneys, liver, and stomach. He got the impression that this skill would be able to enhance the organ function materially, and given the name of the skill he assumed that this one was designed to help him more effectively handle exposure to substances that were toxic to his body. He shuddered as he thought about bug meat, feeling certain his continued consumption of... questionable foodstuffs had led to him earning this skill. Still, he considered the application, feeling confident that if he selected it, with time, he would likely be able to apply the principles to his HEAL skill as well. It could definitely prove useful. With that, Kyle looked at the final orb.
AUGMENTED MUSCULATURE: The final set of pathways was the most unique so far, not looking like an active skill at all. Where the others showed clear changes to his mana pathways, this set showed a shift in the muscle fibers themselves, the mana expanding to allow for a change across his entire skeletal system. The impression he got as he studied it was that this would provide a boost directly to his significantly lacking Strength attribute, helping to bring it closer to balance with his other attributes at the expense of missing out on a new active skill.
Kyle considered the experience he just had. Each of the skills was still an extension of manipulating internal energy, though they were a departure from being a more classical Healer. He knew he had some attribute points to allocate and review as well, but that decision would be largely predicated on the choice he made here. If he chose to select HASTE, he would be further specializing his focus on speed and precision. He would augment the style he was currently developing, but doing so at the cost of more balanced physical attributes.
AUGMENTED MUSCULATURE on the other hand would be to move again towards balance. The extra attribute points wouldn’t totally make up the difference, but would let him strike harder, lift more, and give a big increase to his combat readiness. Lastly was PURIFY, which would be more focused on survival and exploration. His initial impression of the skill was colored by his distaste for the bug meat, but the broader implications of the skill were very interesting. He had already significantly increased his survivability through the change in his race, and this would shore up an entirely different type of weakness. Beyond that, it had the potential to form some interesting synergies with both HEAL and REGENERATION if he could figure out how to apply the concepts.
Kyle stayed in his center for what felt like ages, even though it had likely only been a few minutes. Considering his options carefully one last time, Kyle mentally selected his Level 40 skill.