NOVEL NEXT Chapter 67: Suspicions
The smell in the air was sterile and clean. The scent of blood and sweat mixed with medicinal balms and clean bandages. There was a pervasive sense of barely contained panic as the number of critically injured had begun to climb.
Climb, that was, until Leif got to work.
“Heal.”
The command resonated through the tent, the very world stirring at its utterance. The bedridden soldier, face gaunt and skin pale from blood loss twitched as golden light flashed. Where what was a near fatal bite wound to the lower neck, muscle fibres regrew at a visible rate and the man’s skin healed over.
His breathing changed from the ragged gasps of a man desperately clinging onto life, to the deep rhythm of an exhausted sleep. He wouldn’t be able to continue the fight, healing magic would often leave the recipient in a near coma-like state for days, if not more.
Aides grabbed the unconscious man and carried him out of the tent to wherever the recovering were being kept.
It had been four, approaching five hours since Leif had begun working within the healers tent. There were three others designated as the outposts healers. Though only one had any actual healing skills.
The other two were proficient with balms and stitches. One was a surgeon by profession, the other having been trained as a battlefield medic. Within his first hour Leif saved four lives, healing the injured soldiers of what would have surely been fatal wounds. Apparently the undead had once again begun assaulting the outpost, though ever since Leif and Hera had intervened the numbers were significantly reduced.
Even then, soldiers fell. Leif overheard two officers talking in low voices about the slowly increasing fatality rate. Several bodies had been carried through the healers tent, hidden under white sheets.
According to the imperial healers, the two men outside working in the quarantine area were priests. Their crystals were able to detect death aspected energies that may be lingering within any otherwise unaware victims.
Every now and again they would enter and double check the recovering patients, at no point did their crystals react. Leif wondered if they actually worked, or if the priests were just waving them around for fun.
Towards the end of the first hour Leif was running low on stored vitality. He had excused himself and made for the battlements. Then, he had located where the sound of battle was loudest before scaling the wall and simply hopping over.
Twenty seconds later he materialised back atop the palisade fortifications with a streak of golden light. Soldiers watched him go, several slack jawed. Below were the corpses of two undead drakes where the spriggan had ripped them in half, among half a dozen pulverised corpses.
Revitalised, Leif had returned to the tent. This process repeated itself four more times. Despite these intermittent breaks his efficiency only improved. While healing he made sure to note the specific injury or ailment, then he tried to guide his restorative energy in a way it would have the most effect.
It wasn’t easy, but after the fifth or sixth attempt he noticed a considerable reduction on the strain the use of his healing skills had on both him, but also the wounded he was treating. It was progress, sure and steady. The experience he had earned, both from healing and combat was also noteworthy. It had resulted in a level.
Level up! Class [Adept] is now level 3!
For restoring the bodies of those under your care and fighting to protect them you have gained a level!
+1 to [Intelligence] +1 to [Willpower] +1 to [Spirit] +1 free point!
And it wasn’t just for him. Around the third hour one of the healers without an associated class had received a system prompt offering them a class called ‘Dedicant’. The class was often granted to those who sought mastery of a trade or profession.
Finally, the continuous stream of injured slowed to a trickle. Leif stepped out of the tent into the crisp evening air. He hadn’t seen any students within the healing tent, though Darius came and found him a few hours into his healing duties. The young man had told Leif that they were being kept away from the fighting.
Best go find where they are. Leif thought, stretching. His wooden body creaked slightly, his plant fibre muscles unwinding as tension dissipated.
===
“I told you that I’m more than capable.” Sieg said, his tone exasperated. “I’m almost level fifty, with my highest levelled class being a combat one. I highly doubt you have many soldiers as capable as I am in a fight.”
The officer, a man with a well oiled if underdeveloped moustache, remained stone faced. “This is an evacuation son, our responsibility is to get any and all civilians out of danger.”
Sieg gestured at the bluff connected to the main camp by the stone archway. More specifically to the still empty docks, absent any vehicles capable of evacuation. “Well, I don’t see our ride to safety anywhere nearby. Does that mean I can assist in the defence?”
The soldier's eye twitched. He opened his mouth to speak when another officer entered the part of camp that had been designated to the expedition members. With every step the firelight of the nearby lit torches flickered slightly, causing the shadows to lengthen and twist. The man Sieg had been speaking to stiffened and saluted.
“I think the student makes a good point.” The approaching officer commented, eyeing Sieg up and down. “The Mekrys Empire needs all the help it can get to defend from external threats. To fight back the foul creatures who threaten our peace is a commendable duty.”
“Sir.” The other soldier said, hand to chest. "The commander strictly said-”
The newcomer waved him down. “Alfredi isn’t here, and the situation has changed since he left to escort the skimmers. Our men are tiring, and another major attack could come at any time. Who’s to say we couldn’t accept any volunteers…”
Sieg studied the higher ranked officer. He was tall and wiry, his face partially gaunt with high cheekbones and severe features. The shadows, flickering in the firelight, seemed to dance unnaturally as the man stood at ease.
The blue and gold trimming to the man’s military uniform gave him away as a man of noble birth. Sieg immediately didn’t like him, he took a step back, his guard rising. In his time in the empire Sieg had come to learn the types of people best avoided. The man before him was almost certainly one of them, there was a feeling he gave off, though Sieg couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
“Dismissed soldier, I have some questions to ask the academy contingent of our little expedition.” He said smoothly, the first man saluted once again and made himself scarce.
Out the corner of his eye Sieg saw Marcus approaching, he subtly motioned for his friend to stay back. He noted the imperial soldier had a metallic earring painted red, a pattern that looked like a spiderweb woven out of blood, or the cracked surface of season up above.
He didn’t recognise the symbol, perhaps it was a guild or some other sort of organisation’s mark. “I wasn’t aware there was anything me or my companions would need to be questioned about.” Sieg said, keeping his face straight. He suspected he could guess what, or who, the officer would ask about.
“Oh, but there is.” The man said with a slight smile. "It’s about the… thing, you brought back with you. The one currently masquerading as a healer.”
Sieg frowned in mock confusion. “If you’re referring to the auxiliary member Hera hired during our outing, then I don’t have much to say. Ask her about him if you want.” He said, crossing his arms. Something about this man was putting him on edge.
“The Academy blade is currently indisposed to questions regarding her latest hiring decision.” The officer said. “Considering she is performing overwatch for the siege we find ourselves weathering. Perhaps you could fill me in…?” He asked leadingly.
“That doesn’t sound like my problem, sir.”
The officer’s smile widened but none of it reached his eyes. “I see, thank you for your…” He said, trailing off. Sieg turned to what had caught the man’s attention. From around a tent walked the topic of conversation, hooded and tall, with the faint golden glow of his eyes peeking out from under his hood.
Sieg looked back to where the officer was but the man had vanished. “Gods dammit. This is the last thing we need.” He muttered, pushing his aura out towards the spriggan, Leif changed course from the large gathering of students and moved to him.
The northman jogged forward and met him halfway.
“What is it?” Leif asked.
“You seem to have drawn suspicion. Or rather, some of the military leadership probably has an idea of what you are and they’re snooping.” It still surprised Sieg how quickly the spriggan had gone from nearly unintelligible to an almost natural sounding voice. He supposed it was old habits kicking back in, though truth be told he didn’t have a clue.
Leif paused for a good few seconds before deflating. “How many lives do I need to save before I get treated like everyone else?” He asked with a sigh.
Sieg grunted. “You could save the whole damn world and there would still be people who hate and distrust you. It’s not a you thing, it’s a human thing. Now come, I didn’t get to see how that plan of yours was executed because apparently we students need to be babied constantly.”