Unexpected Healer Book 2 -- Chapter 34

Chapter 34

There was a line to get into the Crestline Gorge, which was situated inside a pass in the mountain range that surrounded the Ragewater Sea.  It actually led into the mountains and was sealed off on the other end, with the entrance having a massive distortion that extended from one side of the gorge to the other, which he recognized from other dungeons – though this was, by far, the largest he’d ever seen.

He stopped Gregory and the party about a quarter mile away from the line they could see in the distance, which was lit up by magical lights that someone had set up for the Contenders waiting for their chance to enter the Gorge.  It wasn’t full dark yet, though gauged that it would be in about 30 minutes; with enough light to see around them, he asked them all to step to the side so that he could discuss something with them.

“What is it?” Gregory asked, and Thaden could tell that he thought their new temporary Support Class was starting to get cold feet.

“Before you invite me to your party, I just wanted to warn you about something, and to ask you not to share it with anyone else – especially any of the Guilds.  Do you think you can do that for me?”

Gregory folded his arms over his chest and looked at Thaden suspiciously.  “I’m not sure we can agree to something like that without knowing what it is.  If it’s something that could get us into trouble, then we definitely can’t.  Did you anger a Guild and get blacklisted?  If so, we can terminate the Contract Bond now and go our separate ways, because partying with you could land us on that list, as well.”

“No, nothing like that,” he said, shaking his head.  “It’s more of a protection for myself; it shouldn’t affect you at all… unless someone talks about it.”

“Now I’m intrigued,” Melindra interrupted, putting her hands on her hips as she stared at him.  “What could it possibly be that makes you so worried?”

“Can I trust you not to say anything to anyone about this?  I’m deadly serious here; if some others learn that you know about this, it could end badly for you if they think you might know where I am.  If after you learn this knowledge, you decide you can’t keep it to yourself, we can dissolve the Contract Bond and we’ll never see each other again.  If you do think that you can keep that promise, then I guarantee that you won’t regret it.”

As far as threats went, it was a bit of a weak one, but there really was a danger to them if they shared some of Thaden’s secrets.  Probably not as big of a danger as he was making it out to be, but he was sure that there were people out there that would do anything to secure his help – or to know where he was so that they could kill him and eliminate him from the Rankings. 

All four of them shuffled around for a few seconds, looking slightly uncomfortable at the conversation.  Finally, Gregory spoke.  “Fine.  I give my temporary promise not to say anything, but I reserve the right to change my mind after you show us whatever this is all about.”  Melindra was right on the heels of his statement, agreeing as well, followed by Carlos not that long after.  David took nearly a minute to finally decide, but he also reluctantly agreed.

“Good enough.  Go ahead and invite me to your party.  Just a word of caution, though; don’t freak out and call attention to us.”

Gregory sent him the invite to join his party through the party interface window, and just as he accepted, Melindra asked, “Why would we freak out—holy—”

She was left speechless as she was suddenly bent over in pain, accompanied by David, both of them breathing heavily.  Gregory looked slightly uncomfortable, while Carlos appeared largely unaffected.  “What is going on?  What did you do to us?” the party leader asked threateningly.  At least he kept it to a whisper instead of shouting it, for which Thaden was appreciative.

“It’s an ability of mine which give you extra stats,” the Lifewarden said quickly.  “Check your Character Report if you don’t believe me.  It’s affecting Melindra and David a bit more because they’ve never really had a lot of Physicality before.”

As he looked at each of his new party members, he also saw something about their nametag that was unusual. 

Gregory

Human

Level 20 (Perceived Level: 43)

Thaden instinctively knew that only he and his party could see the “Perceived Level”, and it even looked faded and a bit blurry to himself.  Level 43, huh?  From what he remembered, the Perceived Level and even the amount of boosted stats were dependent on his Emboldened Leadership Competency, which meant that it would improve over time.  But 20 Levels less than his own was still quite impressive, especially as it more than doubled their actual Level.  Of course, it was only relevant for dungeon access and monster loot, but that could still be advantageous in the right situation.

For their situation here, at this particular dungeon, their Perceived Level didn’t matter at all since they wouldn’t be getting any PICK or loot anyway with Thaden in their group. 

“I have 50 extra Physicality, Celerity, and Mentality?!  How is this possible?” Melindra hissed while she attempted to stand upright, still obviously getting used to her body as it adjusted to the additional Physicality.  She was already looking better after just a few seconds, but he had probably quadrupled—or more—that particular stat and it would take at least a short time to fully adjust if his own experiences were any indication. 

“Yes, I think we deserve an explanation, Angelo.  And what the heck does this ‘Perceived Level’ thing mean?  And why do you not seem to have one?” Gregory asked. 

“I can’t explain anything out here; it will be safer to do it in the dungeon where there is no chance of being overheard,” the Lifewarden responded.  “Now, decision time.  Do you think you can handle this much information and not share it?  If not, like I said before, I can leave the party and we can dissolve the Contract Bond, and you’ll never see me again.”

They all stared at him as Melindra and David seemed to finally adjust to their temporary stat boosts.  Of course, once they started walking around it might take them a little longer where they weren’t falling over themselves, but that would simply come with practice.

“There’s more?  And this isn’t some sort of trick and you’re a psychopath trying to kill us all in the dungeon?” the party leader asked disbelievingly after nearly half a minute of silence.

Thaden chuckled at the question.  “No, I’m not trying to kill you all.  And yes, there’s a bit more.  But I need your decision now, as it will be easiest to part ways here than after we get into the dungeon.”

It wasn’t the most foolproof or secure of secret-keeping, the promise not to speak about what they were about to see inside the dungeon, but he was fairly certain this was the best scenario he could’ve asked for.  They didn’t even know about the money or loot that he was going to offer them for going through with this; their decision would be entirely based on what they were seeing now, which was intriguing enough to make them consider going through with everything. 

Even if they agreed to complete the Minimal difficulty of the Crestline Gorge, followed by the Medial difficulty, that didn’t mean he trusted them not to blab – though he hoped they would keep all of Thaden’s secrets they learned about to themselves.  If they did spill the beans, he wasn’t planning on sticking around Ragewater for long, as there were no dungeons nearby – from what he remembered – that would qualify for the SPECIAL Quests he was going to be pursuing.  It would be nice to be able to work out of the city since it had many amenities that the towns didn’t, but he would be fine even if he never visited it again.  Plus, there was a third city out there in the Region that he would likely be checking out at some point, if only because there were some prospective dungeons relatively nearby, if not as close as the Magma Dungeon had been to Forgestone.

“Will all of this help us get into a Guild?” Melindra asked. 

“If what you are needing is the fee to enter the Guild, then yes.  I 100% guarantee by the time I part ways with you in the future, which I want to be upfront with you will be happening, you will have enough to get into a Guild.”

That seemed to decide it for them.  “I’m in, then.  I promise that I can keep my mouth shut,” the dark-haired woman stated formally.

Carlos agreed with similar words a few seconds afterward, followed by Gregory.  David, just like before, hesitated nearly to the point where Thaden thought he was going to have to start over somewhere new, but he eventually nodded.  “If it gets us into a Guild, where we can finally Level-up, then I guess I can keep whatever I learn to myself.”

“Good enough,” the Lifewarden said, before turning to Gregory.  “Alright, let’s get in line while everyone adjusts to your boosted stats, and I’ll go over more when we get inside.”

As they walked over to the line leading into the Gorge, both Melindra and David tripped and fell a single time as they continued to learn what had changed due to their new Physicality stat, but they quickly figured out how to walk.  By the time they queued up, they were almost back to normal. 

If only they didn’t look uncomfortable and suspicious, glancing at Thaden out of the corner of their eyes every few seconds, as if their temporary Support Class was a bomb that could go off at any point.  Thankfully, it was still dark out around the area despite the magical lights set up around the designated line space, and no one seemed to particularly notice.  Everyone in his party was silent, unlike some of the other parties in line who were contributing to a general murmur of conversation and interspersed with soft laughter, so they stuck out even further. 

That was perfectly fine with Thaden, though, because he didn’t want his party to start talking about things they shouldn’t, even if they had given their word that they wouldn’t. 

It took about 30 minutes for them to get to the front of the line, the tense atmosphere between them loosening somewhat as boredom set in after a while, though they still didn’t say anything to each other as they waited the 3 minutes from the previous party entering to enter it themselves.  While multiple parties could be inside the dungeon simultaneously, there was a short cooldown before they could enter depending on the dungeon, and this one was apparently only a handful of minutes.

As a group, they walked into the ripple and there was only a slight hitch as Gregory, as the party leader, chose the Minimal difficulty for them to enter.  There was no popup notification detailing Thaden’s ability to choose whatever difficulty he wanted because he wasn’t the party leader, so that was one less thing that he’d have to explain later. 

You have entered the Crestline Gorge Dungeon (Minimal Difficulty)!

Crestline Gorge Dungeon

Current Difficulty: Minimal   Medial   Maximal

Recommended Party Size: 5

Recommended Party Levels: 10 - 20

On the other side of the distortion, Thaden looked behind him to verify they were inside the dungeon, which was confirmed when he didn’t see the people waiting in line on the other side.  But that wasn’t the only difference, as instead of it being the dark of nighttime in the Gorge like it was in the outside world, the sunlight coming from above the gorge’s walls looked to be locked in a perpetual state of dawn, giving them enough light to see by, but with shadows lurking along the edges of the mountainsides. 

As for what was in between the two cliffsides on his left and right, there was a lush belt of green vegetation that lined the entire valley, with short soft grass composing most of the “floor”, and dense trees that formed the “walls” of different areas within the Gorge Dungeon.  Instead of rooms or caves, the entire dungeon was open to the air, but from what he’d heard Gregory mention on their journey from the city, there was an invisible wall above the trees that prevented someone from simply jumping or somehow flying over the tree walls, and the vegetation was virtually indestructible – so no cutting or burning their way through. 

The entryway was devoid of monsters or traps, as most dungeons were, but Thaden was sure that just ahead through a narrow pathway between the trees they would find their first obstacles.

“Alright, now spill it,” Gregory said, lining up with his fellow party members as they faced him with their arms determinedly crossed over their chests. 

“Yes, what have you gotten us into here?” Carlos asked, which was echoed by the others. 

Thaden took a deep breath before he said anything.  While he’d already rehearsed what he wanted to tell them once it was—relatively—safe to do so, it wasn’t the easiest thing for him to do.  Granted, he wasn’t going to be revealing everything, but what he needed to share was nerve-wracking enough that it took him a few seconds to center himself. 

“Well, first off, there is something that you need to know before we start making our way through the dungeon.  You won’t be receiving any PICK from any of the monsters you kill in here… nor will you receive any loot.  But—” he said, holding up his hands to stop their immediate protests, “I’ll be providing each of you with a payment that should surpass any loot that you might otherwise miss inside the dungeon.  I can’t do anything about the lack of PICK, unfortunately, but I will provide another small payment to make up for the missed PICK.”

“How much?” Gregory asked immediately at the mention of payment.

“How does… 15 gold each sound to you?”

The four of them looked at each other for a few seconds and then nodded.  “More than fair.  What’s the catch?”

“Ah, the catch.  Well, aside from not telling anyone about this whole situation, as well as what you might see or experience, I need another favor from you, as well.”

They all stiffened with wariness radiating from their bodies.  “What type of favor?” Melindra asked tersely.

“Nothing untoward, I assure you.  I just need you to run another dungeon after we’re done with this one.”

“There aren’t any other dungeons we can safely delve without Guild approval, which we don’t have yet.  I’m not sure we’re comfortable going further away from the city.”

Thaden shook his head.  “You won’t have to.  We’d be delving through this one again.”

“Why?  What purpose would that serve to complete the exact same Gorge a second time?” Gregory asked, clearly confused.

The Lifewarden smiled.  “Not the exact same dungeon—”

“You want us to attempt the Medial difficulty, don’t you?” Melindra cut him off, figuring it out before any of the others.

“You’re almost correct.  We’re not going to just attempt it, but complete it.”

“That’s impossible, even with these miraculous boosts to our stats and your added healing… you do heal, don’t you?”

Thaden nodded.  “Of course.  And it isn’t impossible, especially with what I can bring to the table.”

“Why should we risk our lives trying to complete the Medial difficulty?  Even those who’ve completed the Minimal difficulty haven’t even attempted it yet, given that its minimum Level is 25.”

“How does another 75 gold and some powerful gear sound?”

Carlos snorted in disbelief.  “Bullshit.  There’s no way you have that kind of money.  Who are you, anyway?”

Thaden sighed.  He wasn’t going to be spilling those kinds of secrets, but he had to convince them that he was serious.

“That isn’t something that I can share, but let me prove to you that I can back up what I’m promising.”  Taking 200 gold from his Inventory, he brought it out in one of the sacks that had been provided with some of the Quests rewards he’d received.  It was actually quite heavy, and he tossed it to Carlos, since he had more than enough Physicality that it wouldn’t knock him over. 

“What the—?” the Fighter said as he caught it, staggering slightly at the surprising weight.  “This is… this…”

“Yes, that’s 200 gold in that sack, and there’s more where that came from if you agree to do this.  You shouldn’t be in any particular danger if you go through with this, as I can most likely keep you all alive without any problems.  If we run into surprises, I can resurrect you all and take the lead if I have to.”

“What?  You?  Are you saying that you don’t need us?  Then why are we here at all?” Gregory asked, staring at the bag of gold that Carlos was still holding like a baby in his arms. 

The Lifewarden tried to assure him.  “I do need you, though.  I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t necessary.”

“What sort of sense does that make?  I just don’t understand—”

Melindra cut off her party leader as she spoke her thoughts out loud.  “He obviously doesn’t need us to complete this dungeon, which means he could do it solo.  So why us?  The only thing that makes sense is that he needs to be in a party to complete a dungeon on Minimal and then Medial difficulties.  Why would that be necessary?  If I remember correctly, most of the Evolution Assignments revolve around party roles, so it’s entirely possible that this is one of the requirements for Support Classes.  I never really paid attention to that because I had no desire to be a healer, but it makes the most sense. 

“But that leads to the question of ‘why now?’  He would have until Level 63 to complete the Assignment, so what’s the hurry?  The only logical conclusion is that he’s already progressed as far as he can and has hit a roadblock, meaning that he’s already at Level 63.  But that would be impossible, because there’s no way anyone would be anywhere near that Level yet.  Unless, of course, he was an anomaly such as that individual from the Rankings a few weeks ago.  Progressing from Level 45 to 63 in that time isn’t a stretch, I would assume, so it’s entirely possible that Angelo is actually—”

“Please don’t finish whatever it was you were about to say,” Thaden interrupted sternly.  

Crap.

“So, what do you think?  Ready to get going and finish this dungeon?  I wonder if we can set a record for completion time?” he continued lightheartedly, trying to deflect them away from what Melindra was saying, though he knew it was likely a useless by this point.

A bit of fear flashed over their faces for a moment, as the realization of who he was—even if unconfirmed, they were likely 99% sure of it by this point—hit home. 

Surprisingly, it was David who spoke first.  “Screw it.  I don’t care who you are.  If you say you can do all of this, giving us enough gold to not only safely get into a Guild but to provide us with enough to live on for a long time, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the butt.”

There was silence after his words, before the three others in the original party burst out laughing.  “It’s ‘look a gift horse in the mouth,’ David, not in the butt,” Melindra corrected him, still chuckling.

“Oh.  I guess that makes more sense, though what exactly a gift horse is or why you would want to look at their butt or mouth is beyond me.”

After the tension broke, the four of them looked at Thaden for a moment before Gregory waved toward the pathway that led further into the dungeon.  “Alright, hotshot, let’s see what you can do for us.  I’m looking forward to seeing what we’ve been missing all this time without a Support Class in our party.”

Since he’d never really had a chance to flex his abilities as an actual healer in a party, Thaden couldn’t help but agree.