Healer Arc 2 -- Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rivella looked across the table at the pale-skinned, fur-less Human as she tried to reconcile what she was visually seeing and what the System was telling her about this individual.  Initially, when she’d first seen him, he appeared as if he’d just come from the fields, dirty and exhausted-looking, which she later learned was exactly where he’d been; the fact that he had been working out there as a Platinum+-Ranked Coalition member was a mystery, as was just about everything else about him.

The Adventurer’s Coalition Leader for the Felith Branch had never actually seen anyone with a Rank past Diamond, though she was aware that they existed… somewhere.  So to see someone of such an incredibly impressive Rank there in her town felt like it was a mistake, but she couldn’t deny what he eyes were telling her.

Thaden – Adventurer Coalition Member

Rank: Platinum+

Human

Level 1

Plain to see in his nametag, a benefit of working directly for the Adventurer’s Coalition, was Thaden’s Rank of Platinum+, a designation that was enforced by the Assimilation System, itself.  There was absolutely no way to fake something like that, as they would have to somehow trick the System – which was impossible.  The Assimilation System was all-knowing, infallible, and powerful, and while it didn’t interfere with worldly matters very often, it would know if someone was trying to manipulate the details of what a nametag showed to everyone.  Coupled with the fact that the revelation of Thaden’s Rank had been a result of interfacing with the Codexical Access Point, there was yet even another reason not to doubt that Thaden really was the real deal. 

Yet, she had difficulty with the fact that he was only Level 1.  While Thaden had explained that “something” had happened when he was transported nearby, where he was found dead in the jungle, she’d never heard of someone losing Levels before.  He had claimed to have come from a developmental world as a Contender, but that didn’t explain how he managed to keep his Rank in the transition, nor why he was only Level 1.  It was all quite confusing, but Rivella didn’t bring it up any more than her simple questions.

Why?

She couldn’t exactly explain it, but apart from the System telling her that everything was on the up-and-up, there was a confidence in the small, fur-less Human that spoke of having incredible power; if not at the moment, then in the past.  The Branch Leader knew that someone would have to be extraordinary to reach that Rank, because from what rumors she’d heard, achieving Platinum+ Rank meant that they were highly trusted by the System, allowing them to practically speak with their voice and act on its behalf. 

Rivella wasn’t sure how much of that was the truth and how much was speculation, as she didn’t know anyone who had actually met someone of Platinum+ Rank, but she would rather err on the side of caution.  As far as she was concerned, someone with such a Rank was equal to an Assimilator in power, if not even greater; they had the authority granted by the Assimilation System to do pretty much whatever they wanted in the System’s name.

Which brought her to why such a person would come to Felith.  And not just come to their humble little town, but wouldn’t announce themselves immediately, instead of spending months earning enough coin to register with the Adventurer’s Coalition.  She’d done some research into Thaden after she had brought him to his room the night before, and the more she learned about what he’d done since he arrived, the more her confusion increased.  Her assessment of the high-Rank Human was further muddled when she accessed the CAP, trying to figure out why it seemed to have lost power after Thaden used it. 

While she wasn’t able to run a full diagnostic on the Access Point, she had learned that it had attempted to evaluate the Human’s Class and was unable to identify it, which had led it to pulling in additional resources to dive deeper into the issue.  That was further exacerbated when it tried to solve the same incongruities between his Rank and his Level that Rivella was still experiencing, before eventually granting him a Secondary Class – put it wasn’t a Profession Class, as it should’ve been.  Instead, it was a second Primary Class, which was unheard of; such a thing, however, could only be granted by the System itself, so the Branch Leader figured it was the System’s attempt to fix whatever had happened when the Human was transferred into the area.

Overall, nothing really added up, but with the System’s blessing on this strange, Level 1, Platinum+ Rank individual, there was nothing she could—or wanted—to do about him.  All she could do was do her best to treat him with the respect and assistance that his Rank practically demanded.

Rivella leaned forward, watching the Human sit back with his hands folded in his lap, appearing as comfortable under her gaze as if he was among his own kind.  She’d seen numerous other races pass through the area throughout her career with the Coalition, and invariably each and every one of them had been at least slightly frightened of the Netherines that inhabited the town; this man, on the other hand, didn’t seem intimidated in the least.

“Why do you think I’m here?” he asked in response to what she’d just asked, watching intently for her reaction.

That is a valid question – and I have to think about how to answer it.  As far as she was concerned, there was absolutely no reason for anyone high in the Ranks of the Coalition to visit the area, and particularly the town of Felith.  Is he searching for some sort of corruption in the Coalition here?  While we’re fairly lax here in following each and every single rule, I don’t believe we’ve done anything egregious that would need intervention. 

If he wasn’t sent here because someone was doing something so heinous that even the normal hands-off policy of the System couldn’t ignore it, then what could—  No.  It couldn’t be that, could it?  I don’t see how it could be; I haven’t seen any evidence of the Adversary focusing on the area, after all.  Then again, I suppose we wouldn’t know until it was too late, would we?  But if that’s truly why he’s here, how was he supposed to handle it by himself?  He’s just a Support Class, after all.  Unless he was separated from his Party when he arrived here?

“I can only assume that you are here on the Assimilation System’s business,” Rivella eventually responded.  “Has there been a surge near here that I haven’t heard about?  If so, where is the rest of your Party?  You couldn’t have been the only one the System sent here if there is something like that threatening us.”

That was the only reason Rivella could come up with that would explain a Plantinum+ Rank’s presence.  An unexpected surge by the Persistent Adversary, which could take the form of a multitude of high-Level NESTs or worse, behind the front lines could be the reason the System thought they needed the assistance of someone as important as Thaden.  Normally, the Faction Army handled the majority of the surges, which typically occurred along the borders of their territory, where the Adversary temporarily takes control of the area; in the case of sudden surges in Adversarial energy in other areas that only saw a comparative “normal” trickle of energy – such as Felith – there we special Raid Parties that would be dispatched by the Factions to take care of them.

But it was obvious that Thaden wasn’t from the Densartis Faction.  It would’ve been clear on his nametag, and while such an absence might be an issue in areas where the Faction army operated, as it could be a sign that they might be an enemy, that didn’t matter all that much to the people of Felith and the surrounding environs. 

“That’s a fair assumption,” Thaden said after a few seconds of staring at Rivella, before sighing.  “As for any Party that I may have come with, I didn’t have one; it wasn’t necessary, as I was strong enough to handle anything on my own.”

“Really?  As a Support Class?” she asked, completely shocked.

He nodded.  “Yes, my Class was—and still is—fairly unique and extremely powerful.”

“Wait… do you think it was the Adversary that caused your Level to be reset down to 1?” she asked, as an epiphany flowed through her mind.  Everything was suddenly making a bit more sense.  “I wouldn’t put it past the evil machinations of the Adversary to be able to do something like that, especially if it knew that you were coming to stop them.”  That has to mean that there really is a threat to the area.    

Thaden shrugged, but he didn’t deny that it was possible.  “That could definitely be what happened, but I really don’t know; I showed up dead, if you remember, and I don’t recall all of what occurred to bring me to that state.”  He waved around himself at the Coalition.  “I attempted to reconnect with the Coalition before all of this, but when I arrived, I was basically stripped of anything in my Inventory; I was turned away because I didn’t have enough to register, and no one here would believe me.  What made it worse, Unfortunately, was that my Class spells were so powerful that I couldn’t cast anything once my Level was reduced, so I was unable to defend myself – and was therefore unable to complete my goals.  Thankfully, by recently reconnecting with the Coalition and reinstating my Rank, the System was able to correct some of those issues, putting them off until later, but I will still have some problems being on my own until I grow stronger.

“Will you help me organize a Party so that I can gain some Levels, which will ultimately help me to achieve my objectives here?” he asked, leaning forward while looking her dead in the eyes.

It was almost automatic that she nodded her head in response to his request.  “I think I can do that.  We don’t have anyone that is as low of a Level as you are, but we have some newer members that would still be beneficial for you to join.  Give me a little time to set things up for you.”  She hesitated for a few seconds, before she asked quietly, her voice pitched low enough that no one could hear it from elsewhere in the lobby, “How long do we have?  Before whatever you came here for becomes a problem?”

Shaking his head, he sighed.  “I honestly don’t know.  A lot was lost when I arrived here, and I’m still trying to piece things together.  As soon as I know anything definite, you’ll be the first one to know.”

It was a bit of a non-answer, but she supposed that if the Adversary really did attack him while he was being transported to the area, jumbling up his memories and access to any of the System’s Quests seemed like a minor additional effect compared to reducing Thaden’s Level back to 1.  “I understand.  Is there anything else I can do for you before I get started on your Party?”

“Actually, yes.  Do you have any equipment that I can borrow?  I literally only have these makeshift clothes that you see me wearing right now.”

Rivella thought about it for a few moments, wondering if the Coalition vault had anything that would be appropriate.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of anything that a Support Class could wear, as any equipment suited for those Classes were hard to come by – which was normally fine, as Netherines rarely ever chose to be a Support Class, especially when there were much better options for their physical nature.  Sadly, she shook her head.  “I don’t believe so, but I will certainly check.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.  Other than that, once there’s a Party that I can join, I would love to hear more about the surrounding area, such as what dungeons are nearby, and what kinds of monsters I should expect to see once I leave the limits of the town.”

Rivella made a mental note to have one of her subordinates provide all the information Thaden needed, as she worked on securing him a Party – after submitting all that she learned to the CAP, as she felt that it would be important to pass on why he was there in the first place to some of the other nearby Branch Leaders.  While she didn’t want the threat of a surge by the Adversary so far from the front lines to be true, she’d rather everyone be as prepared as possible for such an occurrence.  She would also reach out to some of her contacts in the Densartis army to see if they had heard anything, and to see if they could get any additional support.

Getting up and leaving him to finish whatever he was doing, she headed for her office, already calling for Benalio to attend her and start running some errands.  Her subordinate was already in a bit of trouble for failing to see how important Thaden was, and she was going to get to the bottom of why her staff turned him away in the first place soon after he arrived.  She’d heard vague rumors about him at that time, but no one had communicated to her that he wished to register with the Coalition; it was partially her fault for not having the proper oversight, as she had been quite busy with other matters over the last few months, but all of that was going to change.  It had to, if they were all going to survive a potential surge.

Because if they weren’t prepare, and Thaden hadn’t recovered at least some of his strength that he supposedly once possessed, then they might all end up being in a massive heap of trouble.