Illuminaria [LitRPG Fantasy Healer Adventure]

39 - Perks of a Resident Healer

As he put Mojo down to explore, Joe watched the old man head for the door. Halten's steps were clipped, and the soles of his shoes shuffled noticeably across the floor. Using his woundsight again, Joe saw Mister Rigg's knee joints were glowing with the same angry arthritic red as his knuckles.

"Hey, Halten, would you allow me to do something for you?" Joe asked.

"And that'd be?"

"I'm a healer. Mind if I tend to your aches?"

"Really?" the elder replied with a long drawl. "Well, that would be quite a welcome to the Abaaka House. Seems like all my tenants lately either came old or got old on me, except you two and young Mahq, who lives with his grandparents right downstairs." Halten pointed a finger downward, which gave Joe an opening to take hold of the whole hand.

Joe's skills had improved considerably since his first day and his healing of Maidina. He worked from the inside of the inflamed joints outward instead of the other way around, as he had with Missus Spooner. This used less mana and soothed the arthritis far more effectively. Halten's aura blued up quickly. The red vanished. The weary gray of constant pain brightened as well.

The old sailor groaned in happy relief. "Oh, now that is a blessing. Every now and then, I take myself over to Cliffside and let Mercy Suku take the aches away. She's got plenty of needy folks to tend to, so we try not ta overload the good woman." The elderly man scratched his cheek and added, "If you'd be willing to do that for Catstaffs and Runkbadok, maybe even Senrella, I'd be willing to drop yer rent by a gold a month. You could also expect some damn good meals while yer with us."

"I like the sound of that."

As they headed down the stairs, a whisper on the wind reached Joe's ears. "I told you this was a good spot for a zephyr."

Joe turned and nodded back at his smug-looking companion. When they finished the steps, he asked Halten, "Can I sit on the edge of the fountain while you let them know I'm here and willing to give out free healing?"

"That'll do. It's plenty sturdy enough for sittin'. Let me get Runk, first."

The old sailor walked to the lower door opposite the last empty apartment. He gave the wood a good rap and called out loudly. "Heya, Runk. Come on out. Founders Day came early."

When the door opened, it revealed an incredibly odd-looking being. The man had monstrous features, and his skin was covered in tiger-like stripes. It hung loosely from his body, suggesting an older age. He had a hunch on one shoulder and a downward-curved horn coming off one side of his head. Joe recognized the race as one of the chaotically-aligned Nu, but he had only gazed at one in passing before. As the man approached, Joe's [Assess Wounds] took over, and all he could notice from then on was how much the poor man was suffering.

Through Joe's woundsight, the man's body seemed to be in an unfinished state, a bit like a toddler. Everything —muscles, bones, organs — looked unset, as if they were still growing or changing. Joe would have bet the horn and the stripes were new to the man. The body underneath did not reflect the existence of either characteristic.

The hump was something else. It was a huge mass of tissue that didn't know what it wanted to do except grow, and Joe guessed it had been doing so for years. The hump had twisted the nu's spine, causing pain with every movement. Even walking across the short distance from his door into the atrium was clearly a chore.

Joe jumped up and moved to him. "Hello, Mister Runkbadok. Let me help you."

"Just call me Runk," the nu stated in a rich, baritone voice.

Joe started healing before he recalled that he had not yet asked for permission. He focused on the man's back. He first targeted the places where the hump was pressing the bones together. Many places where there should have been cartilage cushioning the man's skeleton were empty and rubbing together. Joe was able to generate some new gristle while simultaneously easing the pain.

As the landlord had, the nu groaned when a large chunk of his pain vanished.

"Where did you come from, Murrcian?"

"Um. I'm not actually a follower of the goddess of Mercy. Just a freelance healer," Joe replied. "Oh, and your new neighbor. I just rented the back apartment on the second floor."

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"Well, you sure know how to make yourself a welcome addition to our humble habitat, kiddo," Runk intoned. He held out his hand, and to Joe's surprise, it was just as fearsome-looking as his own clawed paws. Runkbadok's hands were less hairy than Joe's, but his nails were longer, twisted spirals, like narwhale horns. He had spiked nubs popping through the skin on his knuckles. Joe took the savage hand in his own and gave it a strong shake. The twisted elder grinned broadly at the shared taloned clasp, clearly following Joe's thoughts.

The orator turned to Mister Rigg, and, in the comfort of an old friendship, scoffed. "You just gonna stand there ya old skinflint, or are you gonna go get Berti and Ord?" He tipped his chin out to indicate the apartment under Joe's new place. They must be the grandparents Helten had mentioned.

"You ungrateful abomination. Here I bring ya a healer and all you do is ride my back." Halten actually blew a raspberry at Runk before sauntering off.

Joe chuckled and, in a low voice, asked, "Old friends, I take it?"

"Yeah, but don't tell him that," the nu whispered back with a wink. "Grousing with that old sailor is some of the best fun I can muster nowadays. Though today I may just go for a walk, now that my back is feeling fine."

"Just don't overdo it, sir. This was more of a patch job than a full repair."

Joe could see how much was still wrong with Runkbadok's back, yet everything he tried failed to unmake that huge mass. The bundles of fat and twisted muscle seemed like something Joe's healing should easily be able to repair. Yet Joe couldn't figure out how to return the nu to health. It was as if the man's twisted body no longer knew what was correct. Joe could accelerate healing, but if the body didn't know what it should be, he could only guide it so much. He eased as much of the striped man's discomfort as he could before admitting he would have to call it quits for the time being.

"Not to worry, young man," Runkbadok consoled. "That bulge has been there for many a year. I'm quite used to Mister Lump riding upon my back."

"Still," Joe replied, staring at the tenacious mass, "I should be able to fix it. It's fighting me somehow. Give me time and I'll figure it out. Even if you are used to it, I think you'll be happier being able to stand up straight again."

Joe received a pat on the arm before the old nu turned to exchange another round of good-natured raillery with Halten, who had returned with an older couple, Joe guessed to be in their late sixties and a young man who might be just breaking into his teen years.

Joe tended to Berti and Ord Catstaff. They, like the old landlord, had a garden variety of ailments that age carried with it. After the frustration of failures with Runk, it was nice to have his healing magic work as it was supposed to again.

As he performed his skills, he noticed Mahq, the Catstaff's grandson, walking about the atrium. As he wandered, Joe could see the plants moving slightly as the youth passed by. The leaves turned towards the boy, and vines seemed to lift and extend in his direction. It was as if the young man were a magnet. Or maybe the sun itself, and the flora nearby, was stretching to reach him. Mahq seemed oblivious to the greenery's efforts; he just ambled around the courtyard humming to himself. As Joe looked back along the path the boy had walked, he noticed there were more bright blooms of flowers where Mahq had been behind him than in front of him.

It wasn't until Mahq turned around and headed back toward Joe that he realised the boy was holding a certain delighted monkey-dog in his arms. Mojo was beaming as the young man hugged and carried the small broodling around.

Joe was holding Ord's hand, and the older man noticed his surprise. "Ah, yes. Mahq always had a way with plants and animals. Natural born druid."

"Do you mind me asking then, why he has not alleviated your arthritis pain?" Joe asked.

"He just can't seem to understand people the same way he does wildlife," Berti supplied with a wistful expression as she looked towards her grandson. "We had brought him here to learn at Rallana's side. That was Halten's wife. There are a few other druids in Fort Coral, but none of them understood Mahq as well as Rallana did. Even so, she could not seem to teach Mahq the bridge between people and wildlife."

Joe sensed something underlying Berti's words, but he did not comprehend what it was until Mahq stepped up to him. The young man wore his clothes loosely, and while he was clearly aware of Joe, his gaze did not meet eye to eye with anyone. He wore a far-off expression, even when speaking to his grandparents.

"The garden likes him," Mahq uttered in a flat voice, giving the subtlest of shrugs in Joe's direction. "He has no roots yet, but he is full of life. Is Mister Rigg keeping him?"

"Yes, Mahq," Ord replied. "He will be staying at the Abaaka House with us. Say hello to Joe, Mahq," the elderly man stated in a firm yet kind voice.

The young druid's eyes flicked to Joe for a moment before he looked away again, murmuring, "Hello, Joe. My name is Mahq."

"Hi, Mahq. It's very nice to meet you." Joe was not sure if Mahq was on the spectrum, but Joe had spent plenty of time with people who saw the world in different ways. He typically found the best bet was just to treat everyone with gentle manners, and things tended to work out.

"You will break many things. It is your nature. Stagnant water needs to flow. There are hunger spirits in the air, and the rain is coming early tomorrow," the youth informed before turning and heading back to the apartment below Joe's, taking Mojo with him.

His grandparents thanked Joe and followed the young man, promising to return Joe's pet, which Joe shrugged off. Mojo seemed quite content to be with the boy. He was happy to let the two of them hang out together.

After a few minutes, Joe found himself alone in the flora-draped courtyard. Halten and his striped friend had left a while ago. Hah'roo had drifted off at some point during his healing. Like him, she probably wanted to get a few things for her place this evening before the market closed up.

Which to Joe sounded like a good idea, too. It was getting late, but there were a few things he'd like to grab. The room looked clean, and he had a charm to scrub anything that wasn't. Even so, new sheets and pillows seemed like a good idea. Also, a few groceries. He wanted to have some basic staples on hand, eggs, flour, rice, and such, as well as some stuff to make a good first breakfast with in the morning. After determining that his companion was welcome and happily playing with his new friend, Joe headed off to see what sort of shops were in the area.