Unexpected Healer Book 2 -- Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jerking awake in the morning at a noise below him, Thaden nearly fell out of the tree.  Thankfully, his mind jumpstarted upon waking up and managed to save himself from the painful fall, and he quickly remembered where he was and what had happened the night before.  As the early morning sun filtered through the trees, a particularly bright sunbeam flashing directly into his face, he stretched and began pulling himself out of the wedged space in between the tree’s branches, before comfortably sitting on one of the larger ones while he continued waking up.  He pulled out some food and tastelessly ate it while he thought about the day ahead – and his plans for what would come after.

Escaping from Ashcleft and getting as far away from those who would recognize him on sight was one thing, but he had to figure out his way forward from there.  He had already determined that he would need to find a map of the wider world so that he knew where he could go, but what was his ultimate goal?  His priorities had shifted somewhat from what it had been before he had been revealed to all of the Contenders, though his survival was still at the top of the list; in order to survive this whole deal with the developmental world of Tarth, he would need to do well on the Rankings, at least according to what he’d learned from Sarah and her group of Contenders, so that he could move on. 

To what he would move on to, well, he wasn’t exactly sure.  He had been told that he would be helping to defend against the Adversary, but he wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.  Theoretically, if he did well in the Rankings, his loved-ones would be safe for when the Adversary arrived on Earth – which, to most, was motivation enough.  For Thaden, who didn’t really have anyone back home that he cared about overly much, his motivation was discovering more information about the Assimilation System and how it related to everything, because quite a few things he’d been told hadn’t exactly added up.  In other words, there was some screwy data that he’d been given, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it to see where the discrepancies lied. 

But those kinds of answers would have to wait for the far future, because he simply needed to exist in this world without being hunted down at all times.  In addition to the being guaranteed to move on from this world, at least from what he inferred from Sarah, being near the top of the Rankings came with additional rewards; he didn’t care overly much about that, though he could only assume that having a higher Rankings meant that he might have better access to the Assimilation System when he moved on from Tarth.  That access was probably going to be important if he wanted to collect the data he needed to figure some things out.

Of course, he didn’t actually know if any of that was true, as there were so many unknowns right now that he was simply floundering under his ignorance.  While he’d gained some knowledge from his interactions with other Contenders, there was likely even more that they knew that he didn’t.  For instance, he didn’t even know how long this whole developmental phase was supposed to take; was it only a year?  Five years?  Twenty years?  It was something he knew he’d have to learn in order to make plans for the future.

As he began to think of other things he needed to know and the list started to outweigh what he did know, he abruptly shook his head as he realized he was just wasting time.  He’d have plenty of time to figure it out later, he figured, and he really needed to get a move on. 

Before he climbed out of the tree, he took the time to change out of his current clothes, which were ripped and blood-stained from the escape from Ashcleft, and he put on a set that he couldn’t remember wearing at all since the Contenders arrived.  It was a simple V-necked shirt of checkered white and pale yellow, with strings that helped tie together the V-shaped collar; the pants were an unassuming light tan, slightly dirty from when he’d worn them before the Contenders arrived, and were rugged enough to be able to withstand a bit of abuse. 

In other words, the relatively bright colors were at odds with the normally dark clothing he had worn around Ashcleft.  He didn’t dare to put on his Dark Abyss Robe of the Dead, as it had been seen by a few of the Contenders, nor did he wear the Casket Ring of the Undead – which he’d received after clearing the Maximal difficulty of the Mausoleum of Despair – because it reduced his Personality stat.

Dark Abyss Robe of the Dead

Rarity: Rare

Class Restrictions: Control, Support

Level Restriction: 15

Physical Damage Resistance: 2

Magical Damage Resistance: 5

+15 Mentality

+2 Physicality

+2 Celerity

-15 to Personality

+50% Summon Duration for Undead Summons

Casket Ring of the Undead

Rarity: Epic

Class Restrictions: Support

Level Restriction: 30

+40 Mentality

-10 to Personality

+95% Chance that all Undead will ignore your presence unless directly attacked

Both items, in fact, negatively influenced his Personality stat, and if he was going to be traveling through towns and cities on his way out of the area, then he didn’t want to call any undue attention to himself.  He also decided against wearing his Shadow Necklace of the Grave, the only other piece of equipment that he’d found that he could actually wear, because it helped him blend into the shadows.

Shadow Necklace of the Grave

Rarity: Rare

Class Restrictions: All

Level Restriction: 45

+5 Physicality

+5 Celerity

+5 Mentality

Makes wearer 66% harder to detect in low-light conditions by blending into the shadows

Normally, that would be useful for passing through an area unseen, but that wasn’t exactly what he was going for.  While it wasn’t impossible, it would be difficult to pass through any towns or cities without being seen, and if he was noticed sneaking about, blending in with the shadows, some of the people – not just Contenders – might take notice.  It would be especially difficult if he wanted to stay in these places for the night, bought food from merchants, or even ordered additional traveling supplies or sets of clothing – which he was already planning on doing.

This was his chance to start anew someplace else, and he figured that if he had to do it, he might as well embrace the change.  Instead of wearing dark clothing, acting mysterious, and being as standoffish and aloof as possible – which was what he felt the most comfortable doing, and those who knew of him in Ashcleft also knew that – he would instead try to be a little more outgoing and personable.

It would probably the be hardest thing he’d ever done, and he felt stabs of anxiety even thinking about it, but he needed to be as far from his old life as Thaden – or as the world knew him, #32599999-E – as possible, and that meant his personality being as unlike his previous self as he could manage.  That didn’t mean he was striving to be a charismatic, lovable goof or a dashing figure that all the ladies swooned over, both of which made him mentally gag at the thought, but he would try to be nice and talk to people, incorporating himself into the Contenders just as if he was the same as they were.

The key was blending in without standing out too much.  Just enough of a personality change to seem normal. 

And the first step to seeming normal was to have a normal name.  With his ability to change his name and Level thanks to one of his Achievements, he could be anyone he wanted to be and at any Level he wanted to be at.  Wracking his mind for something average and normal, as he had shared his real name multiple times to Contenders in Ashcleft, he finally remembered a name that fit both of those criteria.

Christopher.

Growing up through Elementary School, Middle School, and High School, there were at more than a dozen Christophers that had been in his grade – and his school typically only had about 500 people!  It had gotten so bad that more than half of them ended up being called by their last names, though there were others that had variations of their first name so that they could more easily be differentiated.  He remembered with a slight chuckle how one of the Christophers had ended up being called “Crispy” all through High School because his last name was Pacheco, so Chris P. ended up being mashed together into one word.  Then there was a “Christo”, just a plain “Chris”, another was the full “Christopher”, and a last one insisted on being called “Christoff” for some reason. 

Regardless, the name was common, normal, and average – exactly what he needed.  With a thought, he actively changed his overhead name tag to Christopher, followed by changing his Level to 8.  Based on what he’d seen of the Contenders in Ashcleft, this was about average for their Levels, and while he could’ve made it higher or lower, he thought that this was adequate enough for his purposes.  If he was lucky, no one would look twice at a Christopher who was Level 8; just a run-of-the-mill Support Class who had done well enough to keep up with the pack.

Just to make sure that it was average and normal enough, he brought up the notification from the Assimilation System regarding the Rankings.  Thaden ignored his place at the top as he found that he could mentally search through the entirety of the Support Class Rankings with a mental thought, and he brought up a massive list of Level 8 Contenders.  A quick glance at it showed at least two dozen Christophers at Level 8, so he was satisfied that he would blend in quite well.

#32599999-E (Christopher)

Lifewarden

Level – 45 (Level – 8)

Progressive Internal Combat Knowledge (PICK) – 57/13,300

Adventurer Coalition Rank: Bronze 450/450 RP

Health – 310/310

Mana – 1,670/1,670

Physicality – 31

Celerity – 16

Mentality – 167

Personality – 11

Fortuity – 111

Spells:

Lesser Resurrection (Single Cast)

Lesser Aura of Life (Reserved)

Lesser Regrowth (Channeled)

Lesser Protective Barrier (Single Cast)

Lesser Healing Circle (Channeled)

Lesser Mana Rejuvenation (Single Cast)

Lesser Damage Shield (Single Cast)

Major Repulsion Field (Channeled)

Major Regeneration (Single Cast)

Major Absorption Field (Channeled)

Major Mass Healing (Single Cast)

Major Mass Regeneration (Single Cast)

Major Protective Guards (Single Cast)

Major Cure Physical Affliction (Single Cast)

Major Death Ward (Single Cast)

Major Cure Mental Affliction (Single Cast)

Major Support Sprite (Single Cast)

Major Defensive Sprite (Single Cast)

Major Health Reduction (Single Cast)

Major Negation Zone (Single Cast)

Major Health Augmentation (Single Cast)

Major Absorb Health (Single Cast)

Major Dampeners (Single Cast)

Major Healing (Channeled)

Access Slots: 9

Competencies:

Support Spellcasting Competency (Level 682, 91%)

Stronger Healing Advancement

Afterglow Advancement

Instant Gratification Advancement

Ready To Go Advancement

Defensive Spellcasting Competency (Level 695, 42%)

Even Harder Protection Advancement

Extended Protection Advancement

Double Team Advancement

Natural Regeneration Competency (Level 11, 18%)

Goes Both Ways Advancement

Mana Management Competency (N/A)

Achievements:

Monster Hunter I (WF)

Monster Hunter II (WF)

Monster Hunter III (WF)

Monster Hunter IV (WF)

Monster Hunter V (WF)

No Fear I (WF)

No Fear II (WF)

No Fear III (WF)

No Fear IV (WF)

No Fear V (WF)

No Fear VI (WF)

One Foot In The Grave (WF)

Party Savior (WF)

Dungeon Delver I (WF)

Dungeon Delver II (WF)

Dungeon Delver III (WF)

Dungeon Slayer (WF)

Quester I (WF)

Quester II (WF)

Quester III (WF)

Quester IV (WF)

SPECIAL Agent I (WF)

SPECIAL Killer I (WF)

SPECIAL Killer II (WF)

SPECIAL Assassin I (WF)

Class Act I (WF)

I Don’t Play Well With Others (WF)

Dungeon Addict I (WF)

Dungeon Addict II (WF)

Dungeon Addict III (WF)

Big Game Hunter I (WF)

Big Game Hunter II (WF)

Big Game Hunter III (WF)

Dungeon Expert (WF)

The Dead Should Stay Dead (WF)

Stay There… I’ve Got This (WF)

Bonus Traits:

Natural Regeneration Competency (From One Foot In The Grave)

+10% Permanent casting time decrease for all Support-based spells (From Party Savior)

As a party leader, you can choose to delve through any difficulty of any dungeon without having to complete them in order (From Dungeon Slayer)

When inside a dungeon while solo, you receive +5 to Physicality, Celerity, and Mentality, as well as +10 to Fortuity  (From I Don’t Play Well With Others)

33.3% Chance to double-cast support spells (From Lifewarden)

33.3% Chance to reflect 5% of prevented damage from defensive spells (From Lifewarden)

When fighting solo, all your stats are increased by +5 (From Monster Hunter V)

When facing a monster 10 Levels or more above your own, receive a +5 increase to Physicality, Celerity, and Mentality (From Big Game Hunter III)

When inside of a dungeon, you receive a 25% increase to all stats (From Dungeon Delver III)

While inside of a dungeon, you receive an increase of +10 to Fortuity (From Dungeon Expert)

You can choose to alter your name tag to a different name and/or Level (Stay There… I’ve Got This)

With his Character Report showing his new name and Level, he took a deep breath before climbing down from the tree he was in – after looking for any monsters, of course – and it wasn’t long before he was back on the road heading toward the town of Hewndar.  He kept out an eye behind him as he jogged off and on for the next few hours, passing relatively quickly through the relatively pleasing landscape.  It was about mid-day when he finally started spotting a multitude of monsters that he recognized as being similar to the ones around Ashcleft, including Grass Wolves, Emu Strikers, and Venomous Snakes.  It was when he saw that last monster that he jogged around a stand of trees near the road to see a very familiar-looking walled town ahead of him.  It was familiar only in the fact that it looked almost identical to Ashcleft as far as its size and shape; the landscape around it was different, as it was all grass and trees rather than fields, which changed the low-Level monsters nearby, but it was otherwise so similar that he thought that Ashcleft had somehow been transported there.

As if making his way around the trees blocking the town’s wall from him also opened him up to the world once again, he saw other people for the first time since escaping the Contenders that tried to kill him.  Only now did he realize how empty the road had been, as no one had been traveling along it in either direction, which he thought was strange; regardless, he was seeing people now.

And each and every one of them were Contenders.  There weren’t a ton of them, only about 15 or so, and all but a pair of very nervous-looking Level 1s grouped together were traveling away from the direction he was coming from, heading off to places he wasn’t sure of.  They ranged in Level from 6 to 10, which made him feel even better at his own Level choice, as it appeared to be right in the middle.

Other than a few curious glances his way from the departing parties of Contenders, none of them paid him much attention.  After a brief hesitation in his step after initially seeing the all the people after his experiences in Ashcleft, he did his best to stride confidently toward the town as he was just another traveler.

As he got closer to the walls, he saw a Town Guard atop them look at him briefly before his gaze moved on, and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.  He wasn’t sure if he expected the Guard to have some sort of ability to see through his name and Level change, but in the end it didn’t matter; he wasn’t even sure why he was worried about one of the locals recognizing him, because they weren’t Contenders. 

He was so caught up in relief as he continued walking toward the open gates that he was startled by a scream to his left.  As he stopped and recovered from the shock of the scream, he instinctively covered himself with both of his defensive Fields, before looking to see the source of the scream.  One of the Level 1 Contenders he had seen before was on the ground, bleeding profusely from multiple wounds along his arms and his face, the sword in his hand having tumbled away.  Next to him was the second Level 1 and she turned around to flee from what looked like a 3-foot-tall tumbleweed.

Thorny Bush – Minimal

Level 1

The woman, who looked like could be a Mage of some sort, fled in terror, leaving her party member behind bleeding out on the ground.  Thaden quickly stepped in front of her even as he cast Major Mass Healing and Major Regeneration on the fallen Fighter, forcing her to scream and fling herself to the side, tripping over her own feet to avoid hitting him.

“Help your partner; I’ve healed him, but he’s going to need your help to kill that monster,” Thaden told her, helping her up.  She babbled in her panic, saying something along the lines of, “I can’t do it.  It’s going to kill me!” and he realized what was going on.  These two were likely some of the “broken” similar to the ones he’d helped at the Coalition in Ashcleft; the notification the day before was likely some sort of wake-up call for them, and they somehow made the decision to at least try and Level-up.  Unfortunately for them, there probably weren’t any other Contenders their Level, and all the other parties were already full.

Putting his hands on her head only caused Miranda, the frightened Mage in front of him, to scream louder, but he quickly cast and recast Major Cure Mental Affliction on her dozens of times in the span of a few seconds.  Meanwhile, out of the corner of his eye he saw that the Devin, the Fighter, had gotten to his feet and was looking at his healed wounds in wonder, but he was quickly struck by some painful-looking branches full of thorns as the Thorny Bush caught him unawares.  Thankfully for him, Thaden’s Afterglow Advancement was active and was still healing him at 1% of his max Health every 5 seconds for 60 seconds, and added to Regeneration, there was no real danger of him dying anytime soon. 

Unless he didn’t fight back and his partner didn’t help, of course.

Turning his attention back to Miranda, he stopped casting the Cure Mental Affliction spell as she seemed to have calmed down, and was staring at Thaden with a confused expression on her face.  He gently turned her around and pointed at Devin, who tried to run from the Thorny Bush but tripped and fell over his sword, leaving him wide open for additional attacks. 

She finally seemed to get it as she started to hesitantly move toward her party member, but Thaden wasn’t going to stick around too much longer.  He wasn’t here to play white knight and save everyone, but he didn’t mind helping when he could to ensure that people didn’t die needlessly; especially when he could see these “broken” Contenders at least trying.

From his position, he found that his Major Cure Mental Affliction could reach the Fighter being whipped by thorny branches, so he spammed a few dozen of the spell at him, seeing him gradually calm down from the absolute panic that had gripped him.  Once he saw that happening, Thaden turned around and left, not wanting to stick around to answer any questions or receive any thanks from these Contenders.  

He’d helped to prevent them from dying and hopefully removed the majority of the sickness that had invaded their mental states; he didn’t want to be caught up in helping them further than that or being sucked into joining a party with them.  He wasn’t heartless, which was why he helped them in the first place, but he was already determining to pick up supplies for his journey and then leave as soon as possible.  As much as he’d like to stick around and stay at either an inn or at the Adventurer Coalition building there, he was still too close to Ashcleft for his peace of mind.

Without a look back, he strode through the gates of Hewndar, completely oblivious to the fact that the two Contenders he had just saved were staring at him in awe.