Illuminaria [LitRPG Fantasy Healer Adventure]

Joe and Sal watched Kenda skimming across the surface of the harbor. Under her feet was the third shield they had tried. She was hanging onto two fifty-foot ropes that had each been tied to the end of a ten-foot pole. The long rod Kenda had taken out of her storage ring, supposedly a staple item every adventurer needed to have.

While the shield was their wakeboard equivalent, Finn was their speedboat. The aklhut, pole in his mouth, raced from one side of the cove to the other, sometimes in powerful straight rushes, interspersed with wide loops. After one such crazy swoop that sprayed the shore with seawater, Kenda whooped for joy, and the growing crowd on the beach cheered with her.

The fisherfolk, who at first were not at all happy to see one of the net-pillaging monsters inside their harbor, warmed up as the spectacle progressed. Both Joe and Kendell's brother were laughably bad at their beginning attempts at shield-boarding, Joe's new name for the sport. He lacked Dexterity. [Steadfast] prevented him from slipping off the shield, but it did nothing to help him stay upright. Strength was the tall artisan's problem. Forcing one's legs straight and maintaining a hold on the rope required a fair degree of brawn.

Kenda had both, and as an eighteenth-level adventurer, she had them at near-superhuman levels. Like everyone who tries waterskiing, she fell on her first dozen tries, but Joe and Sal could see her getting better after each run. She finally found her balance by anchoring one foot through the arm loop on the shield. Now, she and Finn were flying through the surf. The two of them were egging each other on, pushing to see just how far they could take this new sport. They had figured out how to jump Kenda off Finn's wake and how to maintain speed on the turn when they reached the end of the harbor. Mojo desperately wanted to try it as well, so Kenda was letting the little guy ride on her shoulders for her last few runs.

Joe knew he planned on asking the inventive guild leader, Myllo, to come up with something better than shields for future sessions. He had started with his [Sag Shield] because it was magical and, being made of hide, lightweight. Unfortunately, it was not designed to be dragged through the ocean bearing a human's weight. The poor item was ripped apart and was now ruined. Joe pulled out his ward testing shield, and while it was strong enough to withstand the battering, it was metal. The first wipeout sent it flying, where it proceeded to sink to the bottom of the bay somewhere. Kendell had a wooden shield that she had enchanted with some potent reinforcement magic. It was still heavier than water but not as dense as metal; it sank slowly enough that Finn was able to recover before it vanished on them.

Unlike a speedboat, which had a straight, even pull, they were attached to a sea-beast that shimmied his way through the ocean. That wriggle made it even more difficult to stay upright. Eventually, Joe gave up trying to think his way through the puzzle and just let the wildness take the reins. For the first time, some of his body's morphing was abrupt enough to pull a few muscles, but by the time noon rolled around, Joe had found the stance and balance he needed.

Sal never did figure out how to stop face-planting into the waters of the bay, but the good-natured glass crafter was determined he'd get it next time.

They broke for lunch. Sal convinced Kenda to head home for a family meal, while Joe had other plans. With [Pack Master] running strong to keep the akhlut on his best behavior, he brought Finn to the fish market. Needless to say, this caused quite a stir with the merchants, but when Joe showed he was willing to buy as much cheap fish as they were willing to sell, attitudes changed rather quickly. Joe also picked up hints on how his heightened reputation with the city was working for him; everything was just a bit cheaper, and people were more agreeable today, even though he was in the company of one of the banes of Coral Bay.

When the fishmongers found he'd take all their old stock that was ready to be trashed, he managed to gather a mighty feast for the huge, hungry chimera.

The best part turned out to be the kids. A number of young folk working the market asked if they could touch the orcasque predator or say hi to the shug-monkey on Joe's shoulder. Through the empathic connection he shared with his companions, Joe could tell that Mojo was overjoyed by these requests, which trickled over to Finn. Mojo flooded the big guy with his love of attention and pats. In a matter of a minute, the brute went from wary of the little humanoids to a big warm mush.

Many of the older fisherfolk came over to meet the akhlut, too. Even though these beasts were normally a royal pain in the rump, tearing their nets and stealing their catches, it was hard not to be a bit amazed by their beauty and presence. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for them to meet one of these chimeras in a safe way.

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As he watched the fisherfolk marvel and greet the mighty cetacean hunter, Joe noticed something odd: the curse of endless hunger affecting Finn was gone. Well, not fully gone, more like driven into remission. It still lurked within the beast, but Joe could tell the big bruiser was not starving for the first time in its recalled existence. Joe knew part of the suppression came from his proximity to his bound companion, and the massive meal surely helped. Yet the final piece that seemed to seal the curse away was Finn gaining the acceptance of these people. Somewhere inside the akhlut curse was a component of being unwanted. He was not sure what this fact meant, but he was certain that it was the key to breaking the curse.

Joe set a new goal for himself. Once the dread valley of Glen Cumha was dealt with, he would use his Baleful Warder class to free the akhluts from the torment that was eating away at them.

That thought made him realize he really needed to get ready for the upcoming mission to Margen's Morne. He had gone over his options with Kenda during their time together. She hadn't minded him grilling her for ideas. As a matter of fact, she had insisted on it. Abilities and builds were her passion after all.

They had agreed that Joe should hold off on making final choices until he cashed in his favor of a trait from Corran Liogen. The trait could give him more attribute points and also change what he might be looking for, depending on the abilities it strengthened.

The one thing they both agreed on was that Joe needed a better shield, either a magical item or a shield skill. [Casting Claw] essentially gave him another hand, or two if he dual-cast it. A shield would give Joe more defense with very few drawbacks. Baleful Warder had one shield skill that Kendell was a huge fan of, but it had one large drawback.

A shield that did nothing to stop physical attacks seemed pretty pointless, but the savant disagreed. Joe already had some good physical resistances. A universal weakening of directional magical attacks was not a common ability. This meant that every spell attack that hit the shield inflicted less damage. The better part, according to her, was that spell effects like petrification, stun, sleep, and such were also diminished, giving Joe a better chance to resist the effect. With Joe's {Storm} resistance, for example, he could walk through lightning webs, taking little damage and not becoming entangled.

Kenda suggested Joe talk to Puqmup, the guild's quartermaster, to see if there was a shield item that would complement the spell. If so, he should grab it and the skill before the excursion into the Vale of Lament.

Since he was heading to buy from the guild anyway, she recommended that he should be ready to make upgrades to his most used skills, namely [Healing Touch], [Morphic Form], and [Crystal Mind]. His primary healing spell was fine for most people, but to heal high Vigor targets, like himself, Tezeno, and Finn, took several uses. As for the other two. Joe had those spells running almost constantly. Advancing the pair would be direct boosts to his mind and body.

Additionally, upgrading [Basic Warding] would help him learn more wards, which was something he really wanted to expand. When he had time, he could see himself scribing wards for fun. It felt like drawing, something he was pretty bad at but still enjoyed, and solving puzzles, another favorite pastime, rolled into one activity.

Kendell convinced Joe to buy the crystals for them now so as to have them on hand when and if he had the open attribute points to advance them.

[Morphic Form] was not a standard skill, so they would have to try something creative to advance it, some other way than Joe training the hell out of it to get it to advance on its own. Kenda suggested that Joe might want to try a skill called [Adapt Body], since it was the closest spell she could think of to his primal body-morphing skill. There were many spells to manifest specific changes or to fully transform into something else. The list was smaller for minor adjustments, and just one she could think of for on-the-fly alterations. Joe decided he'd grab the crystal and see if the wildness liked it before using it.

Thinking it was time for him to start his preparations for the upcoming excursion, Joe led them out of the fish market. His companions both received one last pet before they left the fisherfolk behind. In a few minutes, the trio was back on the beach.

"Ok, big man," Joe intoned. "You be good out there. Try to leave the fishing boats alone and see if you can get your podmates to do so, too. I'm going to be busy for a few days, but when I get back, I want to look more deeply into your hunger curse." He thumped the thick hide on the beast's shoulder while trying to sense how much the chimera understood. Like Mojo, Joe was pretty sure Finn comprehended the basics of what he was saying, the concepts at least. The reef hunter trilled a two-toned chuff and bumped his head into Joe's chest. He then gave the shug monkey a fond snort before heading for the ocean.

Joe and the broodling saw the sea-beast launch himself out into the ocean. Mojo let loose a sad chirp, watching his new playmate swim away. As the black fin slipped under the surface of the bay, Joe turned and headed for the guildhouse, while the little guy riding his shoulder sighed and kept his eyes peeled on the waves, looking for one more sight of his big black-and-white buddy.