Lee and Hank walked down the busy streets of Emerson toward the large colosseum off in the distance. He hadn’t exaggerated when he realized Emerson was a replica of Selldun. The offices, buildings, streets, everything was the same. After asking Hank if he knew why this was the case, Hank said. “Soldiers aren’t very smart. If we learn the layout of one of the fortress cities, we’ve learned them all.” Which was a fair statement. It wasn’t something Lee would have thought of, but he could admit when an idea was sound.
Since Lee had nothing to do as he awaited Fatalina to ask him for help or for someone to find the portal which he had a sinking feeling didn’t actually exist, Lee took it upon himself to do what he did best—heal.
Just like before, wounded soldiers were laid about on cots. Their wounds were neatly covered, cleaned, and taken care of as best as they could manage. This was a testament to his mark on the world; one he could see with his own two eyes. Lee had no doubts that without his boring, monotonous lectures, that the scene before him would be here.
After spending an hour healing some of those nearby, he’d gotten a nice little notification.
Path of the Merciful. 1/5
Improve the quality of life of 250 sapient creatures.
250/250
Reward: 1000 XP
Path of the Merciful. 2/5
Heal 50 sapient creatures within five minutes.
0/50.
Reward: 1000XP
Lee read his new quest and scoffed aloud, earning him a few head turns from those waiting for their turns nearby. Seeing as he was in the middle of a few hundred injured people and that he had an area of effect heal, this step was going to be trivial.
Less than five minutes later, the expected notification popped up for him to read.
Path of the Merciful. 2/5
Heal 50 sapient creatures within five minutes.
50/50.
Reward: 1000XP
Path of the Merciful. 3/5
Neutralize a threat to an entire community without causing any harm.
0/1
Reward: 2500 XP
Annnnnd there was the roadblock he expected. He got one free pass for the last one, but this step wasn’t going to be completed without some very niche circumstances falling into his lap. Seeing as he wasn’t going to complete this step anytime soon, Lee continued on his healing. During the process, Lee occasionally used Mend Wounds, as with his newer repeatable quest, any spell he cast was equal to one XP. It was tempting to spam spells until he was low on mana, but if this new lease on life had taught him anything, having the ability to cast spells was a blessing. So, Lee always made sure to have above seventy-five percent mana at all times.
As the hours passed, the colosseum of healing slowly but surely emptied. Occasionally, a new soldier would enter from outside of the colosseum, asking to be healed from some old war wound or coming by because they felt under the weather. Apparently, word had spread from those treated already. Quickly, Lee took care of those without even stopping the current treatment from the soldiers lying in the cots, as he could heal as many people as he wanted as long as they were in contact with him or Healer’s Beacon.
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Hank stood by and chatted with a small group of soldiers. When Lee caught sight of them, they laughed loudly and smiled at one another with misty eyes. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but from the outside looking in, it looked like a group of old war buddies talking about the past. When Hank noticed his attention, he raised the wooden cup he held in his glass upwards in a toast and patted his knee, his way of saying thanks.
By the time Lee finished healing everyone, the sun was just beginning to set. While using Create Water to rid his hands of the few specks of blood which still always managed to get on him, Lee walked over to Hank and awkwardly slid into the group of old timers sharing stories. Everyone in the group noticed him and gave either a nod of acknowledgement or a simple glance, but they didn’t pay him much attention until the current story, which was about them killing a group of elves and barely making it back out alive, ended.
“And what about you, Mr. Healer? You got any stories?” The dark skinned man in his forties who had just finished his story asked.
Lee shrugged as a woman slid over a wooden barrel for him to sit on. He gave her a nod and sat down on the offered seat. “Well, what kind of stories do you want? Healing stories?”
Hank knelt near his feet, using the spout on the bottom of the barrel he sat on to fill the wooden cup he had with a yellowish green liquid. He grabbed another, filled that as well, then handed it to Lee. After a single sip, Lee could tell that he’d just been given alcohol—not a very good one at that. Since Lee’d been poisoned from the Wraithwhisper, he knew for sure that he could get drunk, as alcohol was a poison. Hank patted him on the shoulder roughly, then gave a recommendation. “Healer stories are good. Why don’t you tell us about the worst you’ve had to heal?”
Lee didn’t even need to think about what that was. The scene was engraved into his mind. “Had to heal a guy getting petrified. His brother had to use his great-axe to chop off his shoulder and open his chest cavity to chop off the petrified parts.” Lee slid a finger across his own chest, indicating the line which was cut. “You don’t ever want to see another person's heart beat right in front of you. The guy also went full constitution.”
The winces and grimaces after finishing that statement was enough for Lee to know that they understood where this was going. “Yup. Took a few swings. I’m sure you all have some memories which will stay with you for the rest of your lives. That's mine.”
Hank tsk’d and took a quick swig from his cup. “You’re pretty shit at storytelling, but that sounded unbelievable. Can you heal anything?”
“Depends on your definition of heal. I can’t stop curses, but I can do all physical wounds or illness. Don’t expect me to bring people back from the dead though. Death has them in his grasp, and he’s a stubborn one that won’t let go.” Lee joked, but the shifting of eyes and unspoken conversations going on around him made him a little uncomfortable.
Hank noticed this and said what everyone was thinking. “You have Arcani’s eyes. You’ve met the gods?”
Lee took a sip from his cup, the flavor of the alcohol growing on him. “Yes. My eyes were a gift. They used to be blue.”
Another soldier, an older man with a salt and pepper beard, spoke next. “What are they like?”
Looking around, Lee realized what was happening. To these people, the gods were litteral gods. Beings of unfathomable power who they worshiped. To Lee, they were really powerful people like his uncle. It would be like meeting Thor, Jesus, the Budda, or any of the gods from Earth. Of course they were interested. He wasn’t sure how religions worked here, but it was hard to be atheist when you could meet them.
“Well, Arcani is a tease. Do you all know what she looks like?” Lee asked, getting a mix of nods and shakes of the head. “She’s a High Elf, a race which doesn’t exist anymore to my knowledge. She has the same rainbow eyes as me and she’s beautiful, more beautiful than anyone you’ve ever seen. She’s very carefree, jovial, and kind.”
“Shane, the God of Travel, is kind as well. He’s a human too. He looks a little older, around your guy's age. He cares for everyone, whether you be a human, elf, dwarf, or even one of your defenders—’monster’ people.”
Looking around, Lee saw more grimaces at the mention of the defenders. So, he decided to put in his beliefs. “They’re people, just like you and me. They’re just different. Trust me, I’d know. My best friend is an Arachne.”
The dark skinned gentlemen looked taken aback, nearly sputtering and choking on his drink. “Your best friend is a spider?”
Lee grinned from behind his cup. “Yup. A metal one. She’d beat your ass, that’s for sure.”
Everyone nearby laughed at the man’s expense, but Lee thought that he deserved that for calling his friend a simple spider. To his credit, the man shook his head, mock exasperated. Lee decided to continue onwards about the gods. “Death is… scary. He is the absolute end. A skeletal figure who wields a scythe. From the conversations I’ve had with him, he is very direct. Gentle, accepting, all-knowing, but direct. I nearly shit my pants the first time I met him.”
Some more laughs rang out, but then the woman who had slid him the barrel to sit on spoke up while clutching her simple wooden necklace around her neck. It looked like an idealized version of the sun, with an eight pointed star lining the main sphere. “Have you met Burstina?”
“I haven’t.” Lee didn’t know what else to say to that, as he couldn’t just ask what Burstina was the god of. He assumed it was that of the sun, but if it wasn’t, he was going to look like the biggest idiot known to mankind, elvenkind, dwarvenkind, all-kind.
The same woman looked a little downcast at the answer, but she asked another, deeper question. “Do you have any advice?”
Looking around, all the nearby soldiers were looking at him in askance. Looking over his shoulder toward Hank, Lee raised a brow in his direction. “Uhh. I’m not a priest or anything like that—in case you were looking for spiritual advice. But, if you want the advice of a young man taking in your kingdom… be kind. Not just to humans, but to everyone you meet. Everyone has lived a life, been through difficult times, and has had to struggle at some point. Those elves you killed had families, reasons, wants, loved ones… What I’m trying to say is that everyone is special. When you go back to your homes, stop by to see your defender and thank them for keeping your families safe while you were keeping them safe from Bardum here on the front lines. A simple thank you will go a long way for them. I’m sure you know how most people treat them. It’s shameful to say the least. It’s not their fault that they were born that way. Put yourselves in their shoes and see things from their point of view.”
Lee finished off his cup of alcohol then stood as everyone processed what he said. “I think I’ll leave you all here with your stories. Try to be kind. For example, I came here to heal all of the soldiers on my own free will for no pay. Of course, you don’t have to go to such extremes like me, but even a ‘thank you’ or holding a door open for someone is a good place to start. I should go find Fatalina and see what there is for me to do. It was nice to meet you all.”
As Lee walked away, he heard Hank speak a single sentence to the group. “Thank you all for fighting for freedom.”