“Well, Damn. That’s probably the second most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.” Lee said honestly as he gazed at the scene before him.

Far off in the distance, tall, towering, white-tipped mountainous peaks shot up into the sky. A few taller ones even breached into the thick cloud cover, which seemed to be a constant in the climate. Their slate-gray appearance created an incredible, breathtaking background for the other part. Far below, near the base of the mountains, a thick, lush, and vibrantly green forest was cut in two by a meandering plain filled with fields of grain, simple wooden fences, small streams, and rustic stone bridges and cottages.

From his vantage point, a hill they had just crested, he saw that the clean, well-maintained dirt road soon transitioned into cobblestone. In the nearby fields, livestock lazily grazed and were being tended to by farmers and workers. Some of the animals looked vaguely familiar, but some were utterly foreign and, frankly, quite terrifying.

He could appreciate the small, white, and woolly sheep-like animals, but whatever it was that looked like a seven-foot-tall cross between an ostrich and a velociraptor really ruined the moment.

“There’s a reason the mountain range is my familys emblem. Once we get a little closer, you’ll see the entry gates. They blend in well from a distance.” Jeremy said.

Lee spared him a glance and could immediately tell that he was proud to showcase what was before them.

“It’s alright I guess.” Said Kendri, which drew an elbow jab straight to the ribs out of Jeremy.

Em stood with a slight smile as she swiveled her entire body to turn to and fro, taking in all the sights before her, while Regina sat emotionless in the wagon, barely sparing the beautiful and picturesque landscape any mind. “Get back in the wagon. We’re almost there.”

Jeremy let out a sigh and turned back to hop into the wagon. “She’s right. In an hour, we’ll arrive at the gates.”

Everyone shuffled back into the Wagon, sans Em, and watched the rolling landscape as they slowly trotted toward Felispar.

“Any news on what to expect? Meriah said she set up our arrival, but what exactly did she do?” Lee asked.

Regina flipped through her notebook, and her eyes quickly scanned the contents. “Jeremy’s father, Jeremiah, has been notified and briefed on what is required. A suitable location for teaching, resting, and security has been sequestered or built to facilitate your needs. The mages willing and capable of learning life magic have been notified and ordered ahead of time to start learning the element. Those that require healing have been informed of your arrival and your prices. All in all, things should be pretty smooth once we arrive.”

Lee nodded along. Everything sounded good. Almost too good…

Jeremy’s forceful cough drew his attention. Jeremy nervously wrung out his hands as his eyes darted about. “Um, well—You see…”

Lee pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned back, exasperated. “Jesus… just tell me what the fuck up is this time. Nothing ever works out for me…”

“You know how you… kind of didn’t heal Meriah’s hand immediately?”

“No. That had completely slipped my mind. Did I do that?”

Jeremy finally looked his way in confusion, but all he saw was Lee’s blank look. “Of course, I remember! What about it?”

“She has a petty way of getting payback.”

Em thrust open the back flap of the wagon with an enormous grin as she excitedly waved her hands toward the mountain. “Lee! Look!”

He did, in fact, look, and to his horror, he finally saw the entryway into Felispar. A humongous towering wall blended into the side of the mountain in a semi-circle. Half of the city was within a giant cavernous space dug out of the side of the mountain itself, creating an enormous, overhanging cavernous ceiling. The other half of the city was exposed to the elements outside of said mountain cavern.

It was one of the more fantastical sights he had seen so far, and the city was beautiful in appearance and design, but the banners and the people? He didn’t like the banners or the people.

“Welcome, Mr. Barnes! Worker of Miracle and Genesis of Healing!”

“LEE!”

“CHEAP HEALER!”

“WELCOME!”

Up atop towering walls, Lee saw hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people waving and cheering his name. Spells were flung high into the air, which exploded into bright, eye-catching firework displays, and a large group of soldiers in top-notch steel armor stood just outside the wall in a tight formation. They each saluted their wagon as it strolled by, creating a scene reminiscent of a crowd doing the wave, just… slowly. Alongside the soldiers were an assortment of robes individuals, a few hundred of them waving calmly and some throwing up the former spells into the air.

Lee immediately retreated deep into the wagon and looked at everyone within. All of them nervously avoided his gaze except Regina and Em. Em was too busy waving at everyone up along the walls and smiling at the soldiers, and Regina was busy taking notes.

“So… Whose ass am I taking away? Meriah is a given, but nobody thought to, you know, warn me?” Lee said, voice stern and terse.

“It was me,” Regina said casually.

“You’re dead to me.” Lee spat as he sat down, cradled his head, and covered his ears to ignore the cheering.

“It’s a good way to announce your arrival and inform everyone that you’re well-liked. More people will be willing to be taught by you and be healed by you. Also, Fatalina ordered it.”

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“Tell her the price per soldier just went up.”

Regina’s quill stilled. She turned her head towards him and gave it a slight tilt. “Really?”

“No… Just know that the Healer’s Sanctum definitely knows I’m alive and what I’m capable of now. If anything happens, it’s on you guys.”

“Uh–” Jeremy started.

“Jeremy, if you say some stupid shit right now I’m liable to cast Manual Breathing and Manual Blinking on you for a week.”

He shut up, but Regina said his words for him. “There’s a Sanctum branch in Felispar. They’d know either way.”

Lee rubbed his stubbled cheeks as he thought about that sentence. “So… Why is this the first I’ve heard of this? That seems like VERY important information. Information I would have VERY much liked to have known.”

Regina shrugged. “A branch is about three or four healers, Lee. They alone won’t be able to do much, if anything. Most healers are spread out around the kingdom, and too many in one spot is bad for business. You’re against the Sanctum, not the healers a part of it. Well, not all of them at least. You’ve been around a healer before. There was a healer stationed in Asper, I made sure he didn’t try anything.”

He slowly but carefully inspected Regina to glean any deeper meaning from that statement, but she only flipped a page and continued writing with her quill.

“Inform me about these things ahead of time, and I’m not joking when I say that I do not like this public display and grandiose entrance. Do not do this again.” Lee stated as he gazed out at the soldiers and mages whom he assumed he’d be teaching.

When they arrived in front of the closed, large, stone double doors braced with brackets of dull gray metal with studs embedded into the stone, their wagon slowed to a stop. In front of the closed doors, a small group of well-to-do-looking individuals stood at attention. Their backs were straight, their clothes were clean and elegant, and they wore gentle smiles.

One individual in particular was easy to guess by appearance alone. An older gentleman, maybe in his forties, with long, shaggy, dirty blond hair and a well-groomed goatee, stood at the head of the welcoming party. Above his heart, on his gray formal coat, an emblazoned mountain range made its stalwart appearance. Lee would have bet all of his money (If he had any left) on this being Jeremiah Blight—Jeremy’s father.

A beautiful dark-haired woman stood by his side with an arm wrapped around his elbow. She was maybe in her early thirties, and her long, flowing, brilliant blue dress was modest yet appealing. Lee’s first thought on who she was must have been wrong. So, first, he thought he would do some mental math.

Jeremy is what… Eightteen? Seventeen? Let’s be safe and call it seventeen. His dad looks to be in his forties, which checks out. His… mom? Seventeen minus thirty…two?

Lee gave them both a warm smile as he exited the wagon with as much dignity as he could muster as people cheered for his arrival.

I’ve seen worse. Didn’t people get married really young back in the day?

Jeremy and Kendri both exited, and Regina followed suit. Em stood behind them, waving energetically but with a regal side-to-side wave—One suited to queens.

Taking the lead, Jeremy strode forward and stopped several paces from his father. The crowd quieted and watched as introductions were starting.

He clasped a hand over his heart in a soldier’s salute, then turned and gestured toward Lee. “Father, I have with me Lee Barnes, the Genesis of Healing and Worker of Miracles—one of the best healers I have ever witnessed. Behind him is his traveling companion and dear friend Emthraxiatus Mertalicus Sepheroxus, former watcher of the tower of Breye and stalwart defender of the realm—Brood Mother of the Metallic Vanguard. You may refer to her as Em, for short.”

Jeremy then gestured to Regina, who gave a slight bow in greeting. “This is Regina, General Fatalina Castana's right hand and trusted servant.”

He then lazily flicked his hand toward Kendri, who had the decency not to be drinking from a bottle at this given moment. “That’s Kendri.”

Lord Jeremiah Blight scanned each and every one of them with a slight smile and nod of recognition before he returned to stare at his son. “It’s good to see you too.” He joked.

The woman holding the Lord’s elbow quickly shuffled forward with tears shimmering in her eyes and threw her arms around Jeremy’s neck. She grabbed his head and twisted it side to side while mumbling quietly. Lee didn’t catch most of the conversation but heard what he needed to.

“My baby boy—”

“Eat enough?”

“You’re never leaving again—”

Yup, that’s his mom.

A crowd-wide ‘Awww’ rang out from all of the women as all the men looked embarrassed on Jeremy’s behalf.

She checked him over for a solid ten seconds before slowly backing off and giving him some space. Lee noticed Kendri was about to say something and gave him the classic elbow to the ribs to shut him up. He had always wanted to do that.

Suddenly, a cry broke out from high above. Lee looked up at the commotion and spotted a body falling from the wall. A young man, no older than fourteen, screamed as he flailed and plummeted towards the ground. Multiple nearby mages instantly began casting spells, mainly of the air element, to save him from the fall, but Lee was quicker.

A simple use of his skill, Miraculous Return, brought the kid right in front of Lee on the ground. Instantly, Regina was in front of him with daggers out in a defensive stance as she glared at the trembling, fear-stricken boy.

The nearby soldiers all drew their weapons and encircled their small group. Jeremiah, his wife, and their small group were enclosed with them.

A sudden moment of not knowing what to do filled Lee to the brim. He looked about at the others for an answer, but everyone looked at him for one. He cleared his throat and then peeked over Regina’s shoulder. “You alright—”

Daniel Ruppor - Human: Level: 1.

“—Daniel?”

A shaky nod and the look of a deer in the headlights was his only reply. Lee tapped Regina on the shoulder a few times before she finally transferred her glare toward him instead. “The boy probably just fell…?”

She scanned the tops of the walls and in the location from where he either lept, fell, or was thrust off the wall, a woman was bent over with an ashen face—Likely his mother.

Regina stowed her daggers and exhaled a slightly more-than-average amount of air from her nostrils, causing them to flare. She looked at the boy and spoke with an icy tone. “Don’t do that again.”

“I don’t think he needs to be told that…” Lee whispered.

Jeremiah Blight approached as he calmly took stock of the sudden encirclement of soldiers. “Well, you surely know how to make an entrance.”

Lee was about to respond with a sincere apology when he spotted a familiar form fluttering through the skies. A small yellow bird flapped her wings as she soared downwards in a spiral towards him. “Friend Lee Barnes! Friend Lee Barnes!”

He couldn’t help but smile, but it froze on his face when he saw Meriah up atop the wall from where Kooco had dropped. He pointed a finger in her direction and cast a spell. Suddenly, Meriah’s eyes blinked rapidly as she grew confused and lost her shit-eating grin. She took off her glasses and kept blinking while looking at them, then looked back down to Lee after she put them back on.

Lee cast Words of the Wind, “You’re in so much fucking trouble when I’m done with everything down here. Take this, too.” Lee cast Manual Breathing.

He quickly caught Kooco in his arms as he finally addressed the Lord of Felispar. “Things never go to plan. It’s nice to meet you, and I'm sure I'll be in your care for a while. Thank you for the warm welcome.”

Jeremiah smiled as he cast his hands at all of the people on the wall. “Those are your patients. They came to give you a welcome.”

Lee looked up at the hundreds and hundreds of people atop the walls of the city as the realization of the statement took hold.

“Oh…”