Elaria stumbled out of the other side of the portal, shocking a group of nearby villagers who hadn’t been prepared for a huge glowing portal to suddenly appear in the middle of their village, right when they’d finally cleared the slime infestation which had been plaguing them for weeks. They cowered away from the bloody girl as she collapsed to her knees while supporting a giant wolf in her arms, the canine in a far worse state than her. All of a sudden there was a worried cry from nearby and a familiar little girl sprinted into the street, running over to Elaria as the portal behind her disappeared into thin air as abruptly as it had appeared.
Before the girl had a chance to speak, Elaria asked between hurried breaths, “Is there a healer in your village? Luna needs immediate attention.”
The little girl nodded, seeing the sorry state of the wolf was enough for even an inexperienced village bumpkin to tell that they needed medical attention. Elaria just hoped that whoever the physician was in this village, they had the experience to at least alleviate the threat on Luna’s life. With nothing to do while waiting for the girl to return, she opened her status to think about how to distribute the stat points she’d accumulated during the dungeon run. One thing was certain, Elaria knew she would be focusing far more on magic than any other field of combat or study.
The sheer utility of mana was unrivalled by any other combat style or supporting vocation and she felt it was a waste to assign too many of her precious points into other stats, especially as they had become much harder to obtain, the XP cost of levelling rapidly ballooning the stronger she became. The decision was easy in the end. She considered her old friend luck, but it just didn’t seem worth it to invest in the potential of getting some rare or wondrous item from her personal ability when magic was right there and constantly saving her life. Two points went into intelligence and the other on dexterity.
[https://i.imgur.com/Le28oM2.png]
Obviously Elaria had realised her mana pool had skyrocketed after the creation of her Resonant Mana Body, though seeing it as a number really hit home how much of an upgrade it was. Also, since she’d merged her mana veins with her physical body, there was no longer a separation between the two storages and it was a single digit. Even the sheer scale of the number didn’t really encompass the impact of the change. It made everything about her magic and casting her skills quicker, more efficient and versatile.
Her bonus stats had also increased by a decent chunk, presumably the effects of the gear which had dropped after defeating the lionsmane hydra that she didn’t have time to check previously. The Chain responded promptly when she inspected the warm, furry cloak and the tough yet flexible scale chestplate and she was able to see the breakdown of stats provided by each as well as the details of the enchantments.
Reflective Lionsmane Cloak (Unusual)
Equippable Item
A warm cloak crafted from the tough fur of a lionsmane hydra that will keep you warm in cold environments. It has been enchanted with reflection, providing passive resistance to physical and magical attacks on the wielder.
+1 to Strength, Fortitude and Vitality
15% Damage reduction
Fireproof Scale Mail (Unusual)
Equippable Item
A sturdy and flexible chestplate elegantly crafted using the tough scales of the lionsmane hydra. These hardy scales provide the wielder resistance against all flames while equipped.
+2 to Fortitude
+1 to Agility
+25% Damage Reduction from flames
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
They both provided a much needed boon for the rather reckless girl - damage reduction. The cloak a lesser amount but from all sources of damage, the chestplate a greater reduction but only against flames. Considering up until now she’d only received stinking body parts or the rather useful beast cores when defeating monsters, it was a welcome change. Though it may be a long time before Elaria was able to find another dungeon to raid, especially one with an evolved boss monster; that was a phenomenon she’d never even heard of prior to facing it herself.
However she had plenty of materials and once she turned in the missions from the guild, hopefully a willing blacksmith in Cloudvale would be able to forge her some equipment to fill any gaps in her loadout. At the moment she looked extraordinarily stylish and rather fearsome to the average person, the thick fur cloak draped over her shoulders atop the imposing chestplate of tough scales, the as yet still sealed Eye of Zolaris hanging loosely around her neck and the nifty cowboy hat to top it all off.
Light footfalls alerted her to the return of the girl, who was dragging a shrivelled and greying woman who looked more raisin than human behind her while shouting encouragement. The wizened elder looked as if she could barely see more than a metre in front of her, so Elaria was sceptical about her ability to treat Luna, but clearly the girl had faith in this physician of theirs considering she’d seemed so confident earlier.
“Grandma, grandma! This is the hero I told you about, the one who killed all the slimes,” the girl exclaimed while smiling brightly at Elaria, “Can you help her pet?”
The ancient woman stood stock still, a weather worn statue. For a moment Elaria thought the old bat had fallen asleep while standing, but eventually she released a deep sigh and stretched out both arms, palms open and directed at Luna.
“Lay the wolf on the ground, dearie, I should be able to stabilise her condition at the very least and prevent her falling into death’s clutches,” the girl’s grandma said, her warm and friendly tone putting Elaria at ease for the first time in a while.
Exhaustion from her battles in the dungeon had piled up and threatened to drag her into sleep at any moment, but she was curious about how healing magic would work and wanted to watch the old grandma in action to see if she would be able to replicate her abilities. If she was successful then they wouldn’t have to risk facing another critical situation where one of them needed urgent care without the certainty of knowing where to find it. The elder’s hands began to glow with soft golden light and her eyes closed in focus.
Elaria’s keen mana sense was able to see as the woman’s internal mana travelled down her arms, twisting and writhing as it left her hands to join together in complex structures before entering Luna’s body and suturing wounds, healing bruises and mending broken bones. It was a rather beautiful sight, definitely not something she would’ve been able to replicate had she encountered such a skill earlier on in her journey but as it stood now it shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge to cast such healing spells herself if it was necessary once she’d practised a little.
After nearly two minutes of constant channelling, the old woman finally lowered her arms, beads of sweat glistening on her wrinkled forehead from the exertion. It seemed most people were nowhere near as skilled as Elaria when it came to mana manipulation, though that was to be expected in a backwater settlement like this which was even less developed than her old home Reissdown Village. People who didn’t become adventurers or join the military didn’t progress far even after a lifetime of effort. Even having access to such healing abilities was a rarity, perhaps the old woman had a personal ability that had allowed her such insight into magic.
Most of Luna’s most grievous wounds had been healed and all that the unconscious wolf needed now was some rest to regain her health, something Elaria was in dire need of too. The little girl suggested they stay at her home until they were ready to depart and she readily agreed, heaving Luna onto her shoulders to ease the weight of her colossal companion and following the girl and her grandmother back to their house.
After a simple yet hearty meal of bread and stew Elaria collapsed onto a comfy pile of furs and straw that functioned as a bed and let the tender embrace of sleep claim her. Nearly nine hours later she awoke with a start, eyes on a swivel as she looked out for a danger that wasn’t there. The brutal life of an adventurer was already beginning to have a mental toll on her as her body seemed to be operating on a much greater level of stress than previously. She felt a wet tongue licking her face and recoiled, though a jubilant smile crept across her face when she turned to see Luna wide awake, tail wagging and looking far healthier than the day before.
Elaria leapt out of the bed and embraced her furry friend. “I’m so glad you’re okay Luna, I was petrified when I saw how wounded you were during your battle. You put on such a mighty display though, I’m proud of you,” she whispered.
The wolf simply barked approvingly and lovingly rubbed her head against Elaria’s. She looked around the house but couldn’t see any signs of the little girl or her grandma, clearly they had already woken and gone about their daily business. Hopefully she’d be able to find them to offer her thanks for their help before she made her way onwards to the River Klarn to finish her other mission from the guild before she reached Cloudvale.
It hadn’t taken long to spot them, the girl had been at a merchant’s stall selling fruits accompanied by her grandmother, haggling with a weary looking man who eventually succumbed and sold them his wares at a discounted value, perhaps simply happy to be able to work again after the slime infestation had been dealt with. Elaria made her way over and profusely thanked the elderly woman for healing Luna and told them of her intentions, much to the young girl’s dismay.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure that you’ll be able to follow in my footsteps one day if you truly have the ambition and drive to become an adventurer,” Elaria offered as parting advice before mounting Luna and bounding into the distance. After an hour or two of journeying the banks of the River Klarn came into view, the sound of the stunningly clear water rushing past relaxing her agitated mind.
Despite this being one of the narrower parts of the river, it was still massive, with the distance to the other bank being at least fifteen to twenty five metres at a guess. The sturdy stone bridge had been fortified with magic and Elaria could see the traces with her mana sense. She knew from the stories of the village chief back home that builders could gain access to skills that allowed them to imbue materials with mana if they became skilled enough and that allowed real creativity when it came to the architecture of Teron.
Around ten paces onto the cobbled bridge, Luna came to a sudden halt, surprising Elaria. The wolf began growling in warning and she realised why when a colossal slab of fat and muscle clambered out from underneath the bridge, blocking the path ahead.
“Who dares travel my bridge without paying the toll? Offer tribute or face my wrath,” roared the stinking troll, flashing rotting teeth as its oppressive stench reached her nose and made her gag.