Book 2: Chapter 66 (Patreon)

Orrin continued training with Madi and Daniel over the next few days. He even received permission from Silas to bring Amir along on a few monster hunts.

At first, Lord Catanzano was against another person joining, but when Orrin explained Amir was not affiliated with the Hospital and would be healing Madi’s injuries for free, he relented. He uncharacteristically gave Orrin advice to pass along to Amir as well.

Mostly the information was about specific areas of town that he could heal without consequence or other [Healers] that had been able to carve their own niche. Orrin made sure to write the names down so Amir could visit them later. However, the most surprising topic that came up wasn’t advice at all.

“If your friend is resolute in his path, I would be willing to take him under my house’s protection,” Silas said, not even looking up from his paperwork. The poor guy was practically swimming in requests, orders, and backlogged grievances. Madi had complained he didn’t spend enough time sleeping and had taken to bringing him dinner in his study. “He would serve for a time healing my men each week or when needed but would be under my protection. The Hospital would likely want to talk with him but there are no specific laws that he must join them.”

“That’s… kind of you,” Orrin responded, scratching his neck. “I don’t know what his plans are, I just know he wants to help people.”

“Commendable, but unless he has someone willing to take care of scheduling healing sessions, deter the Hospital from sending investigators after him, or keep him fed when he starts healing every person with a sob story for free, he’ll be dead or broke in a few months.”

Orrin clenched his fist. “Maybe a lord of Dey or even the new [Hero] could put in a word to the Hospital that the new [Healer] in town is off limits?”

Silas glanced at Orrin and spread his hands over the papers in front of him. “I have other things to do than get into a pissing contest with the Hospital. My offer remains the same. He would need to work as a [Healer] for my house for a time but I won’t call on him too much. If he escaped the notice of the Hospital, then he’s likely too low a level for them to worry about. Let me know what he decides.”

Orrin had told Amir, who promised to think about it. They met up a few times but Amir never seemed eager to meet with the lord of Dey. The third day after Silas had made his offer to Amir, Orrin brought him along on a monster extermination.

Normally, local scouts found various high experience monsters for the trio to hunt. The information would get relayed to Silas, who would send a guard to show them the area. Lately, he hadn’t been able to afford a guard and they’d only been given a general direction. Neither Daniel nor Madi minded having Amir along. He always brought cookies and coffee, making the treks through the woods or fields more of a retreat from the constant training. Working with them, Amir was able to gain six levels in [Healer] in just a few days.

After meeting Madi, Amir asked to meet Silas. Orrin didn’t ask if they’d made a deal, mostly because he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not.

Orrin was sure that Amir was more excited to be spending time with Madi than gaining levels. He had a crush on her that was obvious to everyone… except Madi.

Orrin didn’t spend all his time leveling. He also continued to practice his [Way of the Water] skills. Madi in particular was fascinated with the magic that was not magic. The water droplet moving between his hands didn’t cost any mana to manipulate and it irked her that she couldn’t figure out how to do it.

“It makes no sense,” she complained. “I’ve seen attack skills that throw fire or some other element but it always uses mana in some way. The closest thing to it was this performer at a festival when I was younger. He could move the wind without mana. My father said it was a scam but now that I’m seeing this…”

Orrin was hesitant to go back into Styx’s training. He’d spent so much time in the last session trying to get the single bead of water to stay between his hands. Somehow, he knew the training was only going to get more difficult.

Instead, Orrin focused on his other skills and spells. He worked on [Camouflage] while his friends looked for him in an elaborate game of hide-and-seek. Madi figured out a way to use her spells to ‘see’ his heat signature, proving that the spell was not foolproof. It only worked when she was close though, which gave Orrin some hope.

He also hit a major hurdle with his increase stat skills. Specifically, he maxed out [Increase Will] to its ten thousand mana used marker. He had been watching the counter closely and smiled for a full two seconds as the numbers turned over with his last cast of the spell.

“What the hell?”

[Increase Will]   (10,000/10,000)

(1/4 Completed)

“One of four what?” Orrin shouted at his screen even as he realized the obvious answer. He’d been looking forward to the major increase. The first [Increase Will] had given a plus one bonus. The second had doubled and the third level had doubled again to plus four. He’d made a bet with Daniel that it would go to plus eight at the next level. Daniel thought it would just be another two added on or plus six total. None of it mattered in the long run, as Orrin could boost his stats to give a total of 100 points in any stat but the saved cost in casting time would have been nice.

“What’s going on there, buddy?” Daniel slowed down his attacks with a warhammer and rested on the stick part.

“Skill problems. Go back to destroying your boulder,” Orrin commanded.

Daniel grunted as he picked the large hammer up and started swinging at the rock brought into the courtyard specially for him.

At the end of the day, he didn’t get an upgrade to [Increase Will] and felt disheartened. He stopped spending time on the other three increase spells and sulked for a day before Madi flicked him between the eyes.

“Get over yourself. You can already make us stupid strong. Don’t give up.”

Orrin rubbed his forehead and flicked her off but he did restart his daily casts. He wasn’t even disappointed when he maxed out [Remetabolize] and it gave no option to upgrade.

Finally, Orrin made some skill purchases from the Store.

[Diagnosis]— ascertain   the target’s ailments. (5 AP)

[Purify]—   remove abnormal statuses (8 AP)

Would you   like to purchase for 13 AP?

Yes or No

[Purify] was the first skill that Orrin had wanted to buy upon seeing the new list of healing spells. If it worked like he thought it would, he could boost anybody to level 100 in all their stats and not have to worry about the crash after. When he had overboosted his party in the Aqua Chambers dungeon, they’d all gotten statuses of Fatigued, Dizzy, Brain Fog, and Nauseous. He was sure these would qualify as abnormal statuses. If he could cure them, there was no downside to boosting his party before each fight and getting rid of the side effects after.

[Purify]—   remove abnormal statuses 20 MP

It didn’t even cost that much mana… well for him at least.

[Diagnosis] was the skill that Lyra had suggested as the base for other healing skills. Orrin tested the skill out and found it to be similar to [Identify] and [Analyze] in a way. He could see a white light around the injury on a person while using the skill. It didn’t use mana to activate and Orrin played with it for a few minutes, punching his hand against the wall and healing himself with his lowest level [Heal Small Wounds]. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like if he used [Diagnosis] first, the healing spell recovered more health.

In the middle of testing out his new skill, Orrin felt unusually tired and sat down hard.

Daniel found him teetering on the edge of his bed.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I feel woozy,” Orrin slurred.

Daniel pushed his friend back and tucked him in. “Did you buy a physical skill? You look like shit, dude.”

Orrin realized it as soon as Daniel voiced the problem. He didn’t have experience in skills that used up a person’s stamina and hadn’t noticed the signs that [Diagnosis] was draining him. He closed his eyes and napped.

When he woke up, the afternoon had passed and Daniel was snoring.

“Damn it.”

Orrin tried to go back to sleep but his energy had returned. He snuck out of the room and made his way down to the kitchen. He was starving and knew where the cooks kept all the good stuff.

He giggled as he imagined Madi’s face the next time he pulled out some tasty treat from his [Dimension Hole].

“— sure he’s still alive?”

Orrin paused on the top step of the stairs and activated [Camouflage] on instinct. Silas’s voice was a bare whisper. Whoever he was talking to kept their voice even lower and Orrin could make out only murmurs.

“I can’t do that. If I did, it would look like I sanctioned it and –” Silas either lowered his voice or moved further away into his office.

Orrin crept down the stairs, trying to avoid each creaky step he could remember. He made it down the hall and waited outside Lord Catanzano’s office.

“— kill him.” The other voice was male but not one of the guards that Orrin knew. That wasn’t too surprising though, as Silas had taken over a large portion of Wendeln’s forces and had guards outside the manor that Orrin had never met even before that.

“Even if it comes to that, there is nothing I can do. My hands are tied. He tried something rash and it failed. I cannot and will not risk the entire city over one boy gone mad.”

Orrin leaned closer to the door. Silas kept his voice lower and he’d barely heard the last bit.

Does that cup thing on the wall work? I’ve only ever seen it in movies. Do I even have a cup? As Orrin searched his mind for what kind of cups he had in [Dimension Hole], he put his head too close to Silas’s office door.

The door that was slightly ajar.

The door that was now creaking open from the light bonk he’d given it with his head.

“Who’s there?” the guard inside was already at the door, pushing it open.

Orrin boosted his dexterity and made it around the corner at the last second. He held his breath.

“Ellis, who is out there?” Silas asked, his voice carrying further with the door open.

The guard, Ellis, paused before answering and Orrin’s heart was beating so loudly he cast [Calm Mind] on himself. “Nobody. It must have been a draft.”

“Close the door and get in here. We have to figure out what to do about him. I don’t want to have him killed but he knows too much about—”

The door closed with a thud. Orrin made his way back to bed, forgetting about his hunger. He sat and thought, wondering if he should wake up Daniel. They could probably get out of Dey if they left now. He was sure that Daniel would want to bring Madi. They’d have to convince Madi that her dad was trying to kill one of them again.

Orrin put his head in his hands and had to cast [Calm Mind] on himself for the second time in one night.