Unexpected Healer Book 2 -- Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Stepping away from the table while releasing the blue spot on the wood, Thaden shook his head in disappointment.  Scooping up his one and only purchase from the tabletop, he put the boots on his feet, feeling their size adjust automatically to fit comfortably.

Traveler’s Boots

Rarity: Uncommon

Class Restrictions: All

Level Restriction: 10

Physical Damage Resistance: 1

+2 Celerity

+15% increase in traveling speed outside of combat

After over an hour of searching through everything in the Contender Market, the Traveler’s Boots he now had on his feet was the only item that he found that he could actually use.  At 35 gold, it was an expensive purchase for what it did, but items that could be used for any Class were apparently in high demand; there were very few that were even available for purchase.  Even though they were expensive, they were worth it; the leather of the Boots was soft and supple with a bit of an odd springiness to it that reminded him of some of the memory foam-filled shoes he’d worn back on Earth.

He had been all set to sink most of his gold into the Market to finally outfit himself, but those dreams were crushed when he noticed that a lot of what was on there were pieces of equipment that were all useless to him.  Even if they weren’t they were all relatively low-Level and were barely better than simple clothing with no stats or bonus traits – which he guessed made sense.  With how many parties of Contenders that were out there, any new gear that they found would likely be used by their members, and they would then sell their used equipment on the Market.  Most of it was priced in silver and copper coins instead of gold, and it was only the items that anyone could use like the Traveler’s Boots that were in such high demand that the sellers gambled on a higher price in order to make a huge profit. 

Thaden was more than happy to provide that profit to them, because there wasn’t anything else he could use.  It was unlikely that many people had the kind of money that he had at the moment, which allowed him to throw his financial weight around a bit – but that mattered for naught if there was nothing for him to buy.

Above all, he had searched for a solution to the dilemma he was having with the Magma Colossus, only to come up empty.  He was hoping to find some sort of consumable item, such as a potion he could throw that might explode and do damage, or even a magical component that might freeze the river of magma that allowed it to heal, but there was nothing of the sort.  The majority of the consumable items he found were Health and Mana potions, though there were a scattering of temporary stat boost potions that would increase one of your stats for 30 minutes to an hour by a few points, and some poisons that were immediately interesting to him. 

He thought that a poison might help, as poisoning a monster could be an answer to his lack of directed damage, but it, too, was restricted behind Class walls to Scout and Control Classes.  To say that it was frustrating was an understatement.

With the Contender Market largely a bust as far as discovering a solution to his Colossus problem, Thaden considered his options.  As far as he could tell, there were six options of what he could do from this point in consideration of his Quest in the Magma Dungeon.  First, he could abandon it, which he didn’t really want to do because he remembered hearing from Boydlen at some point that abandoned Quests negatively impacted his current Rank Progress; he didn’t think it would be too bad considering this would be his first abandoned Quest, but it didn’t sit well on him to give up without at least trying again.  If he was forced to do it, he would, but he still had over a month before time ran out in completing the Quest.   

Second, he could visit the other dungeon on his list, Forest’s Wrath, and hope that he obtained something there that would help him defeat the Colossus.  The problem with that option was that it was entirely possible for him to encounter another healing monster there that would cause him a problem similar to the Magma Dungeon’s Boss, so he couldn’t rely on it to provide him what was needed – if it even would in the first place.

Third, he could check his notifications and use the PICK he’d received from the Magma Dungeon to make himself stronger, and hopefully he would acquire a spell that would allow him to deal damage.  This hope was a real longshot considering that he was supposed to be just a healer, and he’d had no indication thus far that he would ever get an offensive spell.  In addition, if he increased his Level, then the weakest Monsters in the Dungeon would provide him with no PICK and fewer rewards; on top of that, if he managed to Level himself up too far, then if he discovered that his solution was to bring someone along with him to deal damage, they wouldn’t be able to enter as a party if he didn’t receive any PICK from 90% or more of the monsters inside.

Which, inevitably, brought him to his fourth option: convincing someone to come with him that might be able to do damage to the Boss.  If, and that was a big if, he was able to find someone trustworthy to party with, he didn’t have any doubts that he could keep them alive from monster attacked given what kinds of healing and protective spells he had at his disposal.  The problems were whether they would even survive the heat of the environment and even if they were able to handle it, would they have enough power to hurt something that was likely to be 30 to 40 Levels higher than them?  He didn’t know, and finding out would put the other person – or persons – in danger.

As for his fifth option, he could look into tackling one of the dungeons that were on the list that had a snow and ice theme to it in the hopes that he would find something that could damage or freeze the magma in the Boss cave.  The issue there was that the nearest one that fit the bill was around three to four days away on foot, though with his new Traveler’s Boots that travel time would be reduced by 15%.  It was a gamble to venture that far outside of the city, though not in terms of danger to himself, but in interacting with any Contenders he met near the Dungeons; blending into the Contender population would be much more difficult close to some of the smaller towns.  It was doable, of course, but he’d rather not have to try it just yet.

The last option was to visit with some of the Charee crafters to see what they had for sale or could create for him.  From what he’d been told, the local population was better equipped to provide the kinds of things he was looking for, so it would behoove him to at least checking it out before he took any other steps. 

Pushing his other options to the backburner, he summoned the Concierge once again with the hand outline on the wall, and Gharves arrived at his door in less than 30 seconds.  A quick conversation followed by a short wait while the Concierge obtained the necessary information was all that was needed for the Lifewarden to immediately set out into the city, a folded map in his hands.  With the city being so large, the map wasn’t exactly to scale, but on it was listed a number of crafters that did business inside the walls, each with a small description of what they specialized in. 

He immediately disregarded two-thirds of them because they specialized in creating weapons and armor, though he might end up visiting a few of them at some point to see if they had any unusual pieces that might be useable by him.  Instead, he focused on what was left, which included Jewelers, Alchemists, Tailors, and General Enchanters.  The latter profession made him the most curious, though a quick question to Gharves cleared it up; apparently, those who made weapons, armor, and jewelry that were meant as accessories were able to infuse magical properties on their creations that gave them the special stat bonuses and traits he’d seen on other items of the kind, but General Enchanters did everything else.  What that exactly meant, the Concierge didn’t elaborate, only telling Thaden that he would have to visit one to find out.

His first visit was to an Alchemist since it was the closest to the Coalition building, and as soon as he stepped into the shop he found it packed to the rafters with Contenders.  It being so close to the Coalition building was obviously a convenience for those who wanted to buy Health and Mana potions, but it also made the creation and display of many other alchemical creations unnecessary.  Looking around as well as he could in the few minutes he was inside the shop, Thaden didn’t see anything but what could be found in the Contender Market, if a better quality.  He figured that if he visited one a bit further out he might have better luck in finding something the could use.

Moving on, he hit a Tailor nearby in the hopes they would have something magical in nature in a cloth material, which – other than his boots – seemed to be the only thing he could wear, but similar to the other Tailors he’d visited in the past, there was nothing that wasn’t mundane shirts, pants, and robes.  All very high quality and made of fine materials, but none of them were particularly helpful.

A short time later saw him inside of a Jeweler’s shop, and for the first time he was able to find something that he might be able to purchase.  Necklaces, rings, bracelets, anklets, and armlets were all on display behind glass in a dozen cases, reminding him slightly of Jewelry stores back on Earth, but unlike the ones he remembered, these pieces of jewelry had a function other than looking nice.  Similar to what he had observed in the Contender Market, there were separate sections based upon each of the five Class types, as well as two other sections that were for accessories that were good for multiple Classes and for all Classes. 

What was even better was that the Support Class section wasn’t empty like it was in the Market.  What wasn’t great was that the selections there were expensive, though that didn’t matter as much to Thaden as it would to anyone else.  The latter fact was probably the reason why the only Contender he saw in the store was a Fighter in the process of leaving with a scowl of disappointment on his face, leaving the shop all to himself.

“Prices start at 40 gold, so if that isn’t something you can afford, I suggest you go elsewhere,” said the bored shopkeeper, who was leaning on one of the display cases with his chin in his hand as he stared out into space.  The Lifewarden immediately bristled at the rude comment, but then he realized that the man had probably had to say the same phrase to hundreds of Contenders a day, most of whom couldn’t afford to shop there. 

Fortunately, Thaden wasn’t one of them.

“I can handle that,” he said with a smile, stepping forward.  His response caused the shopkeeper to jerk in surprise, his elbow slipping out under his arm as he nearly faceplanted right into the case he was leaning on. 

“Y-you can?  Uh, right, yes…  How may I help you?  Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

The Charee’s demeanor changed within seconds upon knowing that Thaden wasn’t there to simply look around and had money to spend.  There are some things that are universal, I guess; the same thing would happen if I walked into a posh boutique waving a handful of cash. 

“I need something for a Support Class,” he answered as he looked closer at the shopkeeper – or, more accurately, the actual Jeweler. 

Charod – Owner of Outstanding Accessories

Charee

Level 35

The man immediately moved to the appropriate case, waving at the merchandise inside.  “I have all that you could possibly need, though I only have a few choice pieces that would be appropriate for someone of your Level.  What exactly are you looking for in an accessory?”

“What is the highest Level of accessory that you have for a Support Class?” he asked, waving off the jeweler’s concern about his Level – which still stated that he was Level 12. 

“I, uh, can create up to Level 25 accessories,” Charod said after a few moments.  “I only have a few of those on display, however, as the majority of the Contenders range between Level 12 and 19 at the moment, putting such items beyond their current needs.”

“Fair enough.  I have a few questions, if you don’t mind?”

“Absolutely, I’m here to help,” the man replied.

“What kinds of effects could I expect to find on your accessories?”

Charod looked visibly confused for a few seconds before he replied.  “For a Support Class, or any Class in general?”

“Is there a difference?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he answered immediately.  “For each Class, there are specific sets of stats that can be increased as part of the magical effect; secondary bonuses are restricted to enhancements to each Class’s most common attributes.  For instance, a Fighter Class ring might increase Physicality and Celerity and boost their damage with melee weapons by a certain percentage.  For Support Classes, who typically focus on healing or protection spells, you’ll see a larger prevalence in reductions in spell Mana cost or Mana regeneration, while stat increases are typically reserved for Mentality and Celerity.

“Was there something in particular you wish to see?”

Thaden didn’t care about Mana cost or regeneration, as those were essentially irrelevant.  “Do you have any that increase the amount of healing done or the amount of damage that can be prevented from my spells?”

“I certainly do – though only one at the moment.  Right here,” he said, pulling out a ring from the case and placing it on the counter.  “Unfortunately, it requires a Level of 15 to equip, but you can certainly take a look.”

Sunshine Ring

Rarity: Uncommon

Class Restrictions: Support

Level Restriction: 15

+5 Mentality

+15% increase in base healing

Price: 60 gold

The Sunshine Ring was a twisted band of white and yellow with a gaudy sun-shaped gem set in a sturdy mount on top, but it otherwise looked rather unassuming.  Priced at 60 gold, it would be the most expensive purchase he’d made thus far – and it wasn’t even all that good.  A +5 in Mentality paled in comparison to his Casket Ring of the Undead which gave him +40, though the -10 in Personality was certainly a drawback; then again, it was an Epic Rarity ring from the Mausoleum of Despair and restricted for those Level 30 and over, so it made sense. 

The 15% increase in base healing was also decent, but more healing wasn’t necessarily a priority for him.  It would’ve been nice back in the Mausoleum against the Undead, but it didn’t really help him now.

“That is very nice,” he said politely after a moment.  “What else do you have for a Support Class?”

Charod showed him a number of other accessories in necklace or ring form, but none of them would help him or were any better than what he already possessed.  He did end up buying a chain bracelet for 45 gold that gave him few extra stats that he wouldn’t have otherwise, but it’s bonus effect was useless to him.

Apprentice Healer’s Bracelet

Rarity: Uncommon

Class Restrictions: Support

Level Restriction: 10

+2 Mentality

+1 Celerity

+5% increase in Mana regeneration from Mana Management Competency

“What else do you have that a Support can use?  Perhaps something that isn’t designed specifically for Support Classes, but perhaps for all Classes?”

He was shown to another case which held a smaller selection of accessories than the ones for specific Classes, and they also had a much wider variety of effects.  None of them had extra stats, but instead focused on resistances similar to his new Minor Heat Resistance Ring – except that they were all relatively weak.

Weak Heat Resistance Ring

Rarity: Common

Class Restrictions: All

Level Restriction: 10

5% Heat Resistance

Price: 40 gold

The only one in the entire case that caught his attention was a necklace in the back, nearly hidden by everything else.  It had a delicate black chain that had different-sized loops, and the medallion was a misshapen snowflake that looked half-melted for some reason.

“What is that one?” he eventually asked, as none of the other accessories really interested him.

“Hmm… this one?  Oh, you don’t want this one – it’s a failure.”

“A failure?  Why is it in here, then?”  He wasn’t even sure what it meant for something to be a failure.

The owner of the shop looked embarrassed.  “I, uh, keep it in here as a reminder not to reach too far above my capabilities and to take a steadier approach to my craft.  I made it years ago and the folly of its creation has helped steady me in my journey to produce better accessories; all I have to do is think back at how much of a failure it was and do the exact opposite of what I did there.”

“What makes it a failure?” Thaden asked, genuinely interested.

Charod hesitated for a few seconds before shrugging.  “I guess it can’t hurt to tell you.  Normally, when I infuse my magical essence into my creations, it creates a self-replenishing reservoir of magic that powers itself from the ambient Mana in the environment.  It’s why my creations will last forever, unless they are damaged or destroyed, of course.  But with this one… well, I was trying for an effect that was far above my capabilities and something happened during the creation process.  Instead of creating a self-replenishing reservoir of magic, it instead needs a constant stream of external Mana by the user to power it.”

“That doesn’t seem that bad—” the Lifewarden said, thinking that such a think might be perfect for him, but the jeweler cut him off.

“It is when it requires 2,000 Mana every second.”

2,000 Mana every second?  That’s… a lot, even for me.

“Worse than that, the effect was amplified so much because of my mistake that it’s useless for what I had originally intended it for.”

“And what effect were you trying for?”

Charod rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed.  “I, uh, get hot in my workshop and was trying to develop an aura that would reduce the temperature in the area while I worked.  Unfortunately, that reduction in temperature was brought to an extreme level, which means that even if I was able to activate it for a few seconds, it would simply freeze everything around me.  As I said, useless.”

No, not useless… at least, not for me.  What is the chance that this Charee created something years ago that was an absolute failure, kept it around as a reminder of how not to craft his accessories, and then have it on display – and then have me walk in and see it?  I’d say a very, very low chance of that happening… unless my high Fortuity is working overtime right now. 

“Can I see it?”

“What?  Why?  I told you, it’s functionally useless.  It isn’t even that pretty, so using it as simple decoration is a poor decision.”

“I’m just curious.  For how much would you be willing to part with it?” Thaden asked.

Shaking his head at his customer’s stupidity, but not one to pass up a sale since the Lifewarden had already purchased something, Charod pulled out the necklace – which was, to put it bluntly, even uglier up close.  “Like I said, I keep it out as a reminder, so it wouldn’t want to part with it for less than… 100 gold?” he probed, looking at his customer’s face as if gauging how much he could charge.  For his own part, Thaden kept his face impassive as he looked closer at the necklace.

Failed Chilling Aura Necklace of Extreme Cold

Rarity: N/A

Class Restrictions: All

Level Restriction: 1

Directed Mana Requirement: 2,000 Mana per second

Emits a chilling aura that extends up to 75 feet away

Price: ?

“See?  I wasn’t kidding.  Ridiculous, right?”

Ridiculously awesome, yes.  “Was the original effect designed to chill you or just the area around you?”

“Uh, just the area around me.  A powerful friend of mine activated it once for two seconds as an experiment and it started to freeze everything in his room, leaving him cold but unhurt.  The effect faded seconds after he ran out of Mana; if I had to guess, if he had been able to keep it going for another ten seconds or so, it might’ve started to freeze him too as the temperature in the environment dropped to dangerous Levels, but there’s no way to test that theory.”

No way for you to test it; myself, on the other hand, is the perfect test subject.

“Perfectly understandable.  I’ll give you 60 gold for it.”

“I can’t just give it away; it means too much to me.  I’ll take 90 for it.”

“How about 70?”

Charod shook his head.  “80 gold, and that’s as low as I can go.”

Thaden pretended to think about it for a second before he agreed.

I would’ve paid hundreds more for this. 

“Well then, I guess it’s all yours for 80 gold.  I have to ask, as I feel like I would be cheating you otherwise – are you sure you wish to purchase this?”

“Absolutely.  I’m a bit of a collector of the unusual, and this certainly fits.”  The Lifewarden smiled as he passed over 80 more gold, noticing that his funds were dwindling, but he still had more than 300 gold left to spend on further purchases.

“Thank you for your patronage.  If you have need of more accessories, please don’t hesitate to come back!”

“I will.”  He paused for a second before he added, “If you happen to acquire any more failed accessories similar to this one, save it for me and I might just buy it off of you.”

“I hope never to fail that badly again, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

Thaden couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he slipped his new purchase around his neck, exiting the Outstanding Accessories store a moment later.  He could help but think how lucky or fortuitous he had been to find exactly what he was looking for to – hopefully – defeat the Magma Colossus; he was again thankful that he had invested so heavily into the stat despite not knowing exactly what it would do at the time.  Of course, now he knew that it was beneficial for one of his Class’s bonus traits, but when he had at first stuck points in the stat it was basically to try and survive a meeting with the Assimilators as he picked his new Class.  It had obviously worked then, and it was obviously working now—

As he walked down the street with his map in his hands, intending to visit the General Enchanter next, a pair of hands clamped down on his left arm and yanked him into a nearby alleyway.

—or maybe it was all just random chance, and that chance just turned poorly in my favor.