Healer Book 5 -- Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The four remaining Aelveen stood in front of him, their expressions constantly shifting from anger to shame, and none of them would even look in his direction.  He felt like he was some sort of teacher chastising some misbehaving students; in this case, the mistakes they had made ended up with one of their number dying.  Fortunately, after searching through the rest of Sadia’s front pocket, finding a single toe of Fer’la’vina she hadn’t unloaded onto the pile, they managed to have just enough of everyone’s body to Resurrect them fully.

Of course, such a Resurrection was slightly uncomfortable for Thaden, given that none of them had clothing once they were brought back, but with access to their Inventory again, they were able to clothe themselves quickly enough.

“So, do you think you’ve got that all out of your system yet?” he asked, annoyed at their attitudes.

“What exactly happened to Gen’or’fein?” Tac asked instead of answering the question. 

Thaden described what he’d seen of Gen’s last moments.  “Truthfully, I’m sorry that he didn’t survive; he seemed like a good guy, even if I didn’t know him long.  As much as I would’ve liked to search for more evidence of his body, it was all I could do to gather up your remains and get out of there before the dungeon collapsed.”

He didn’t tell any of them that it had been a close call, and that he nearly didn’t have pieces of them all, as he figured there wasn’t any reason to. 

“As for the attack that killed him, it was used against me too, and it was scary enough that I definitely don’t want to be hit by it, even with my protections.  Can any of you tell me what exactly a Legion Commander is?”

The Omenic Drifter, unfortunately, had a fairly good idea after his brief conversation with it, but he wanted to see if the Wardens would volunteer any information.  At first, he didn’t think they would say anything, but then Fer cleared her throat and finally looked at him in the eyes rather than staring off in a different direction.  “Legion Commanders are typically in charge of large contingents of monsters, and are able to control them to some degree.  They’re extremely dangerous when encountered in the wild, and it is very concerning to see one of them inside of Tarth.  From what I’m aware of,” she continued, looking at Tac for confirmation, “no Legion Commanders have ever broken through to a developmental world, so their danger and abilities that they might have here are unknown.”

That was more than he expected them to share, and it also somewhat matched what the Adversarial monster had told him.  Thaden debated passing along the knowledge he’d learned, as he wasn’t sure if they would believe him if he said he got it from the same thing that had permanently killed one of their number; in the end, though, it was too important not to share. 

“Well, about that…,” he began, even as he tried to organize his thoughts.  “I spoke with this Legion Commander and learned some things.”

While the other 3 Aelveen stared at him as if he’d just grown another head, he heard Che mutter, “Just more proof that he’s an agent of the Adversary.”  Thaden ignored that, as he’d already heard it all before from them when he was busy teaching them manners in the dungeon.

“You told Fer’la’vina that you… communicated with these entities before,” Tac said, his attention now fixated on Thaden.  “How exactly is that possible, if you…” he then asked, before trailing off.

“If I’m not an agent of the Adversary?  Honestly, I don’t know for sure, but I believe it’s the same thing inside of me that has you all so convinced that I’m rotten to the core.  I can’t explain what it is—” even if I have a suspicion it has to do with my unique Mana abilities, “—but all I ask is that you give me the benefit of the doubt before you pass judgment.  That’s what I’ve asked from you since I first brought you back to life in the dungeon, and it’s what I’m asking from you now.  As much as you don’t seem to believe me, we’re on the same side.” 

At least, I think I am; the more I learn from these Adversarial monsters, the more I’m questioning everything.  But the fact of the matter is that the Adversary seems to be planning on killing more people, and that’s something I can’t stand by and let happen if I can do something about it.  Unless I find out otherwise, I’m on the side where I don’t let the people die.

The Aelveen were silent for a moment, each of them engaged with their own thoughts, though Lyn’ar’deia seemed to be staring vacantly ahead.  He remembered seeing her with Gen’or’fein in the Horde Siege, so he supposed that they might have been friends—or perhaps more; either way, she seemed the most affected by his death, though she fortunately didn’t appear to be blaming Thaden.  Instead, the few furtive glances he’d seen her give were directed at the 3 Wardens.

“Very well.  I will withhold judgement,” Tac said abruptly, staring down Che when she began to protest, “until we’ve seen more proof of your claims of innocence.  I cannot consider the elimination of the Legion Commander as ‘proof’, as we didn’t see it happen, because there is still a possibility that you moved it somewhere else and then came back here to Resurrect us.  Do you understand my reasoning?”

Thaden nodded slowly, thinking about it from the Warden’s perspective.  His actions could definitely seem a bit suspicious, even if he didn’t intend for it to be that way.

“That being said, I would be interested to hear what this… Legion Commander… had to say.”  The Omenic Drifter nearly chuckled when the incredulity bled through the Aelveen’s words, but he managed to hold it in.

“In short, I learned two things.  The first is that the Adversary is apparently doing well in establishing what it calls connections to Nexus Points, which I gather are another name for the dungeons inside of Tarth.  It seemed to believe that there were too many for the Wardens to contain—” he saw the surprise on their faces, “—and yes, it seemed to know exactly who you were without me saying anything about you.  Regardless, the main point is that there are likely more dungeons being affected by these entities, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.

“And secondly, the Legion Commander seemed to hint that he wasn’t the only one of its kind here on Tarth – and that its purpose was to create armies of monsters in the dungeons they are inhabiting.”

“Why?  What difference does that make?” Fer asked, clearly confused. 

Thaden looked at her, unable to believe she couldn’t put it together.  “Why do you think?  So that it could send those monsters out of the dungeons to start killing people indiscriminately.”

All 3 Wardens shook their heads.  “That’s impossible,” Tac clarified their response.  “Monsters within a dungeon cannot be released that way.  There are safety protocols built into the dungeons that prevent that type of thing from happening.” 

Thaden thought about that for a few seconds, before he shook his own head in denial.  “But it can happen,” he explained.  “I helped to complete a SPECIAL Quest related to The Mausoleum of Despair after I first arrived, which was issued by the System in order to prevent an outbreak.  So, unless you’re saying that the System lied, then monsters emerging from dungeons can happen.”

“It’s not possible for you to have done a Quest like that; Outbreak SPECIAL Quests are only issued to inhabitants of the world before the Contenders arrive, as the influx of energy in their arrival stabilizes the dungeons to the point where the System enforces the safety protocols.”

Ah.  I was wondering why I hadn’t heard of another Quest like that since the other Contenders arrived. 

But what Tac said triggered something in his mind.  Speaking slowly, both because he was still putting it all together and so that they were forced to pay attention, he said, “But what happens if the System doesn’t have access to these so-called ‘safety protocols’ anymore?  You’ve already witnessed that the Adversary can alter some, if not all, of the properties of the dungeons they inhabit, so why do you think they couldn’t change something to allow the monsters to leave?”

“No, that’s still not—”  Tac automatically began to refute what Thaden was saying, before he halted in mid-sentence.  The Aelveen’s eyes then seemed to want to bug out of his head as an expression of horror overcame his face.

The other Wardens, as well as Lyn – who was finally paying attention – didn’t take long to figure it out as well.

“The Adversary isn’t just trying to establish control over the dungeons; it’s actively trying to kill every single person living on Tarth,” Fer whispered loudly, as the truth of what was going on finally got through to her.  Thaden wasn’t sure exactly what they were expecting from this whole Adversarial invasion, but they obviously hadn’t been briefed on the possibility that the entire world might eventually be overrun with monsters that the System had no control over and were too high of a Level for the Contenders to defeat.  The Wardens were powerful, that wasn’t in doubt, but they couldn’t be everywhere; if they let it get to that point, the entire world was doomed.

“I’m sure that you know what is at stake even more than I do, because I still don’t really get all of this confusing System and Adversary nonsense, but I do know that I don’t want the people—at least, most of them—from this world and my own to die.  So, what do you say we let whatever issues you think you may have with me go for now, while we figure out what to do about this invasion?”

All of the Aelveen were stunned at his words, but what they were shocked at wasn’t what he thought that they would focus on.  “System and Adversary nonsense?  How can you even say that?” Che demanded, stepping forward threateningly before she visibly restrained herself.  “The Assimilators should have explained what is at stake during your—”

“Training?  Is that what you were about to say?  Well, I’m sorry if I didn’t have any Training!” he yelled back, his temper almost completely frayed by this point, as yet another reference to what he was now considering a brain-washing exercise otherwise known as Training.  “Your glorious Assimilation System fucked-up when I arrived, so I was stuck here on my own for months before the other Contenders showed-up, with absolutely no idea of what I was doing here or what I was supposed to do.  Did you know that I didn’t even know I could access my messages until there were so many that it nearly killed me?  No?  Or how about the fact that I didn’t even know I had an Inventory and was supposed to extract loot from all the monsters I killed?  Yeah, I didn’t get any of this ‘Training’ you speak of, so no, I don’t really understand all this stuff about the System and the Adversary, thank you very much!”

Thaden realized he was breathing heavily and nearly hyperventilating by the time he finished his mini-tirade, his frustration over his entire experience on Tarth venting out of him all at once.  He struggled to regain the calm that he usually relied upon to get him through the nightmare that was a world full of death, dungeons, and monsters; it was only when he felt a soft paw on his arm that he began to relax, and he did his best to smile over at Sadia’s understanding eyes. 

“That… explains a lot,” Fer said after a moment into the silence that followed his outburst.  “Why the Assimilation System cannot seem to find you, the strange abilities that you seem to possess, and even the traces of the Adversary that we can feel inside of you.  You’re part of the System, but also not; everyone can connect to it and receive its benefits, but new Contenders aren’t officially part of it until they go through Training and arrive on a developmental world.  In other words, the System can see and evaluate the things you do, which is why you receive Achievements and participate in the Rankings, but it's otherwise blind to who exactly you are. 

“And if the System was blind to you from the beginning, then it is entirely possible that you are blind to the Adversary, as well.  Both have contributed to who you are, whether you wanted it or not, but neither can claim you as their own.”  She paused as she looked at the other Aelveen, before taking a deep breath.  “I no longer believe you’re working with the Adversary… but you also aren’t working with the System.  That doesn’t mean that you couldn’t be a threat in the future, as you’re some sort of independent entity stuck in between the two opposing powers and as such you could suddenly change your mind, but as of now, you’re technically not a threat to the System.  And if you aren’t a threat, then perhaps you might consider being an ally?”

The other two Wardens looked at Fer seriously for a few seconds, as if evaluating their feelings on the woman’s statement, before turning dispassionately back to Thaden.  Lyn just stared at the Omenic Drifter in as disturbing of an expression as possible, making him feel uncomfortable at the desperate, pleading hope that shone in her eyes. 

“Sure.  Again, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time.”  He hmphed with annoyance, before letting it go.  They were finally starting to see that he was on their side, and he wasn’t going to jeopardize this outcome by expressing his further frustration.  “Anyway, now that that’s settled, what’s the plan?” he asked, specifically looking at Tac as the Party Leader. 

As much as he was glad that they weren’t going to try killing him and somewhat trusted that he wasn’t trying to do the same, he still had no desire to lead a party of powerful Wardens around.  He would certainly help where he could, but they were the ones who had the specific job of keeping the world safe, so he would defer to their instructions.  For now, at least.  If they started making stupid decisions, he would probably have to step in to keep them from dying again.

Tac cleared his throat.  “Well, first, we need to establish communication with the Charee Wardens also assigned to the Region so that we can divide up our responsibilities.  As this was the most-impacted Region, at least according to our intel before we were sent here, we’ll need to split up the entire area so that we can ensure every dungeon is inspected and any concerning Adversarial concentrations eliminated.  We’ll have to work quickly in order to prevent the possibility of a Legion Commander releasing a dungeon’s monsters upon the unsuspecting world, as well as to stop the Adversary’s spread inside of those dungeons that have yet to be compromised.”

The Aelveen Party Leader was confident in his words and actions, putting together a comprehensive plan to combat the Adversary in the Region.  It certainly sounded better than Thaden wandering around and randomly helping out whenever he felt a touch of the Adversary in a dungeon, especially now that he knew that the threat they posed was more than he or Sadia had anticipated.

“But first,” Tac went on, looking at his fellow Aelveen, “we need a short time to rest and recover from the experience we had in there.”  He pointedly looked at the still-opaque entrance to The Badlands dungeons, before letting his exhaustion show in the lilt of his shoulders, and the haunted look in his eyes. 

Thaden supposed that dying and being Resurrected over and over in a short period of time could both be exhausting mentally and physically, as well as the psychological impact that losing a fellow Party member would have, so he didn’t really blame Tac for looking like he was about to collapse.  When he looked at the other Aelveen, they either didn’t let down their guard or weren’t as affected by the experience; regardless, he could still see signs of fatigue in all of them. 

While they might be on a tight schedule now, as they hoped to catch any of the dungeons before the Adversarial entities caused an outbreak of monsters, it wouldn’t be beneficial to go into it in the state they were in right now.

“You all can fly, right?” he asked, and they nodded.  “Then let’s get out of this desolate place and find somewhere more hospitable.”

Taking out his Wyvern’s Flight Cloak, Thaden wrapped it around his neck and told the others to follow him.  He might not be the Party Leader, but he had the feeling that he was more familiar with the Region that they were, at least based on things they had mentioned; as such, it was up to him to find a place to stay.

He immediately considered and then discarded the idea of going straight to the city of Darkwood Vale, as it had been his original destination before he checked out that last dungeon, but decided against it.  He’d already had enough of arguments and trying to assuage the concerns of others to last a lifetime, and he could just see more of that if he was to go to a city full of Human Contenders and Charee, most of whom probably had never seen an Aelveen in their lives.  He’d probably eventually bring them there, but it would probably be later when his temper wasn’t still on the verge of snapping again and the Aelveen weren’t ready to collapse from extreme fatigue.

Therefore, he took them a bit north and east, to a spot he remembered on the maps he’d studied in the Guild.  This time, he wasn’t randomly going around looking to try out a Medial difficulty Intermediate dungeon; he had a specific area in mind that he thought would be a pleasant escape from the arid area around the last dungeon.

“Here we are,” he said, pointing toward the lush grass, flowers, and various stands of trees around the landscape where he took them.  It was a nice, pleasant meadow that looked straight out of a magazine, and he could see the Aelveen relax immediately upon landing.  Whether or not they were the same as the mythical Elves from the stories on Earth, they seemed to enjoy the sheer nature of the place. 

It was also somewhere that was a bit of a distance away from the nearest towns, and as such wasn’t busy at all.  It also probably had to do with the fact that its Minimal difficulty Intermediate dungeon, located in the side of a nearby hill, had a Recommended Level of 200 to 210.  If he was correct in his assumption, then the Maximal difficulty of such a dungeon would likely be right in his range.

“You all rest up here for a while; I’ll be back,” he told them as soon as they retreated to the nearby trees, leaning up against them as if it was the most natural thing in the world – and perhaps it was, at least to the Aelveen.

At his words, they immediately looked alarmed.  “Where are you going?  We should stay together,” Tac insisted.

Thaden waved toward the dungeon entrance, which fortunately didn’t have the taint of the Adversary upon it – as far as he could tell, at least.  “Don’t worry; I’m just going to go solo that dungeon real quick and then be back.”

“That’s too dangerous; you can’t possibly—” Fer immediately told him, just before her jaw snapped shut.  “Never mind.  You obviously know what you’re doing, judging on what I’ve already seen you do.  Good luck; I’ll be right here, not dying,” she added with a smirk.

He chuckled a little at that.  “Alright, then; you all stay out of trouble, you hear?  Once I get back, hopefully you’ll be rested enough to go looking for some more entities of the Adversary to kill.”

As the others just stared at him as he raced away, he eventually came to a stop with Sadia standing next to him right outside the dungeon entrance.  “Do you think I made the right choice saddling myself with them?” he asked.  “Be honest.”

She didn’t have to think about it for long.  “Yes, absolutely.  It’s better to work with them than against them, and they have finer senses for any concentrations of Adversarial energy than you do, so it should go much faster.  I just hope that it will be enough.”

“And if it isn’t?”

Sadia sighed, shaking her head.  “Then it really doesn’t matter what you do, since we’ll probably all be dead.”

With that “encouraging” statement, Thaden walked into the dungeon entrance.

Chapter 23: https://www.patreon.com/posts/120501814