Trash: Chapter 178 The Fire Team (Patreon)

Chapter 178

The Fire Team

There is a concept in the medical field referred to Perfect Synergy, this is generally noted during a MASCAL, or mass casualty event. Such events can range in scope from anything from survivors of a house fire, a multiple car pileup, an earthquake, or any singular event that will produce more casualties that can be realistically seen by a normal staff. During those times teams that have worked together for years come together and end up operating under extreme duress, pulling off what could only be described as miracles. Working so hard and efficiently to see everyone, that when you stop to look back at how the end result was achieved it is calculated that the sum of the parts, i.e. the nurses, doctors, and staff that made surviving the MASCAL event possible, are often determined to be smaller than the whole. That is to say, that each member of the team was a force multiplier, that the individual efforts of each team member was able to amplify and enhance not only their own efficiency, but the efficiency of those around them.

I’ve read about such events. I also like to believe I participated in a Perfect Synergy event, when I went to help hurricane victims, that were caught in the flooded aftermath. All of this is to say that I knew such events were possible, and I feel that I had been part of a similar event in my past life. But I never imagined that I, or rather my flames, would be responsible for sparking a Perfect Synergy event. Yet, that is exactly what happened.

Running forward, sword and body ablaze with my Healing Flames* glowing brightly around me, I realized something. Flames burn. Yes, in hindsight, such a thought should a given. But rather, what I did not expect, and what I could not foresee was the effect that my flames had on the living.

Charging forward, I knew my flames posed no real danger to the living, as I used them to heal my own injuries in my last battle. That is why I did the same thing here, charging forward, and making sure to check on the downed and immobile ROW officers and university staff members who were unable to move. As the only healer in the group, I knew it fell upon me to be able to heal the injured and hopefully enable us all to get to safety. That is why, despite it likely being the dumbest idea possible, charging into a group of people with your hair literally on fire, I did it anyways.

As expected fire burns, and people have been known to catch fire when flames are hot enough. What I did not expect however was this to be a rallying event of sorts. See up until this point, it was clear that the team was losing. There were four fighters up, with the remaining six members of the investigation team either down or trying to free those that were otherwise immobile.

Getting closer, I could see pulsing vein-like protrusions sticking out of the neck of the fallen. I didn’t know, nor did I want to know what they were going through. If it was anything like I felt with my own recent incident, then it was clear that those tentacles were likely trying to disable the injured members and get them to willingly delete their system assisted skills. I’m still not entirely sure how these veins are able to produce mind altering effects, but I know that having years of experience and work towards mastering certain skills wiped away in seconds could be devastating. That is why I made those people my priority, as I knew my flames were particularly effective against these intrusive spirit veins.

With little regard for the wellbeing of the other faculty members who were able to move on their own, I pushed my way inside the perimeter, brushing against one ROW fighter who quickly caught fire from my slight touch.

“Ah-AHHHHaH!” The ROW officer cried out in fear as my green flames quickly overtook him. I almost paused but realized that these flames would not hurt the living and instead pushed my way through and past the other university faculty members who were attempting to provide aid for their fallen comrades. My shoves also set them on fire as well.

“Ah, what?” The faculty members cried out. I just ignored their cries of pain and instead focused on the downed patient who with, but a touch also caught fire, though their fire was both more intense and seemed to take longer to envelop their bodies. As I was working, I could see from my periphery the way the one scientist to my right looked at the glowing flame on his hands with a mixture of awe and wonder.

“The miracle flames?” The shoved away scientist declared, then staggering to his feet he went over to Lt. Keller and attempted to show off his burning hands. I’d almost assume he was trying to put out the flames that were now covering his body and seeming to burn away spots of dark ichor that had stuck to his clothes.

“What?” Lt. Keller declared, annoyed at first at the interruption, but then seemed to pause as he looked at the burning green light of flames. Then I could almost feel the moment he turned his attention from the crazed scientists and towards my still burning form.

As for me, I was focusing on keeping my flames going. Cycling my Golden Life Ratio Mana Regeneration* at full blast, trying to use it to keep my secondary pool of just Life Mana saturated, all while using my regular pool of mana to be converted into holy energy, the second fuel source needed to keep this flame going. In a way, my having two different fuel sources made both the creation and maintenance of my Healing Flames* that much easier, as it was just a matter of my body mixing the two elemental sources together at the right consistency that kept these flames going. Of course, this meant that I would only be able to keep the flames going so long as my normal mana pool had mana to pull from, but that was secondary to the combined healing and defensive nature that this fire was providing.

The defensive nature of this skill was apparent almost immediately, for thick protruding spirit vines had wrapped around the area, trying to pull resources from the downed faculty members, while likely setting up an ambush like attack against the other members of the team. Yet, my flames seemed to search for those exact sources of corruption, reaching out and incinerating any traces of spirit ichor in the area. And fortunately, there was a ton of the residue that had apparently built up over the years.

I watched as the flames contacted the wet substance and caught fire the way kerosine would, the way dried wood, and marshmallows would. Within seconds, my flames had spread from me, to the people that I first touched, then to the debris on the ground, and ignited in a giant green bonfire of flames that surrounded everyone.

“Come on me, let us take advantage of this miracle!” Lt. Keller shouted, his words causing the other ROW soldiers, that had been distracted by my green flames to turn and face the enemies around them.

Fwoosh! I could tell the exact moment that the ROW soldiers used a holy attuned Skill, for that was the moment the green flames that had brushed up against their auras exploded to life and coated their bodies in thick greenish-golden flames.

“Holy fire!” One of the ROW officers exclaimed, as they charged forward, slashing at spirit veins that were the size of fists. Veins that had up until a moment ago been nearly impossible to deal with.

“Miracle flames!” A second voice corrected, before they too charged forward striking and slashing at each vein, before slashing their way forward, towards the center of the room, where the source of this corruption seemed to emanate from.

Watching the team slash forward, I saw the black leather chair at the heart of the nest of vines. Vines that burned away, to reveal an old rotten corpse covered in a somehow still recognizable lab coat. All this time that the team was hacking and fighting their way through this corrupted mess, I was not idle as I triaged the prone victims. Running my burning fingers under and around the neck and spine of the fallen, checking for injuries. I felt more than once, what almost seemed like a slimy slug brush up against my fingers, before melting and dissolving away in a sickening manner. Then tracing the path that the slug dissolved from, I found open wounds. Wounds that my burning fingers began healing upon touching.

“PHHHHH!” I could tell the moment my fingers were effective at finding the injury site, for the victim would suddenly inhale, as if being awoken from a deep painful dream. Then slowly, the mist like fog would dissipate from their eyes, before I could see their consciousness take over. At which point they would stop and stare at me, and seem to be caught in wide-eyed awe. As I was before them, coated in a cloak of green flames, flames that I instinctively knew I had to keep going, especially as the flames were spreading to everyone, and seemingly filling the ROW officers with both confidence and power as they surged their way through the remaining overgrown garden of evil that had been left to grow at its own discretion.

“You okay?” I asked, knowing that I didn’t have time to slowly coax these members back up and coddle them as I might normally.

The person just nodded, then seemingly seemed surprised that they could in fact move on their own, they spoke, “ye-yeah.”

With trembling hands, they then reached up and touched their neck. Well touched my hand that was on their neck, as my fingers were still applying the healing touch to their open skin, and knitting the open wound together. It wasn’t a perfect solution to the injury, as I could still tell that all I was doing was sealing off the wound site itself, not healing the internal damage that would require my Streamline Healing* skill to fix.

“Careful,” I call out, not wanting them to injure themselves by either moving away or getting frightened by the flames that were coating his hand. Then as expected, he feels the tingling sensation of green flames on his hand, and pulls his burning hand forward before his eyes and just stares at the sight for a moment. Then I can almost see the moment his fear holds him still, as the flame begins to quickly flow down his fingers, to his arm, and eventually his still prone body.

“This? It’s Miracle Flames?” The professor says, trembling as he gazes up at his still burning hand. I can almost see the war going on, his want to extinguish the flames, while also realizing that these flames are actually helping him.

“You-you are doing this?” The prone professor asks a note of confusion and reverence in his voice as he asks the question.

I just nod my head, thinking that the answer is obvious.

“Do-do you know what this means?” He stammers out, his mind and body seeming to have a hard time working in unison.

“Yes, that you are going to get out of here on your own two feet,” I reply.

“No – well that too, but it means you have recreated the miracle fire,” the professor exclaims and then seeing that I don’t know what he is talking about, he just turns his head, a feat that would have been nearly impossible a moment ago and rather than expressing joy at the new range of movement, instead just turns to the other scientists and exclaims in a half-delirious state, “miracle flames!”

Then as if he spoke a sacred prayer, the other scientists who are not currently engaged in combat just echo back, “miracle fire!”

***

(Lelia Volica)  

Trust your instincts. These three words can be used to describe how Lelia managed to survive her childhood. Generally these three words often boiled down to doing the obvious, like avoiding violent confrontations, getting out of the area when people were angry, and never doing anything where people could see you.

For the most part, Lelia’s instincts were a direct guide to common sense. Which is why, the times when her instincts tell her to do the exact opposite of what common sense should dictate, she listens.

Logically, her mind knew that flames were bad, that fire was dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

Yet, seeing the green flame created by her commander, Lelia felt herself inexplicably drawn to the flames, as if they were calling out to her. Telling her to touch the flames.

Normally she would avoid these impulses, as it only took her touching a hot stove once to learn her lesson about fire and heat. Yet, the more she looked at these flames. Flames that covered the other warriors, and didn’t hurt them, but instead made the warriors stronger, and more capable of slicing into and through the overgrown garden of evil that coated the upper floor of this facility, Lelia noticed.

Not only did Lelia see the flames make the ROW officers stronger, but it was even brought the other scientist types and faculty members to life. Allowing those that had been immobile moments ago the ability to sit up and begin to move around. Seeing that the flames were typical flames, Lelia found herself relying on her instincts more and more. As her body began to slink forward, like a moth drawn to a dazzling green flame. Until finally she found her outstretched hand touching the flames.

Rather than being burned, or retreating back in pain, as she expected, as logic would dictate, Lelia found herself doing the exact opposite. Instead of being burned, Lelia found her body growing lighter, as the aches she had been feeling from her busy day seemed to melt away. That was from just a touch of the flames. Realizing her instincts were right again, Lelia did the next thing, she covered her whole body in the flames, approaching her commander from behind and just waiting there.

What she was waiting for, she didn’t know, but she knew with every instinct that she had developed over the years, that she needed to be right there, as close to her commander as possible and wait.

Then finally, she saw it, the message that her instincts had been trying to tell her about all along.

Dormant Magical Affinity Awakened: Holy.

Dormant Magical Affinity Awakened: Life.