《Into The Light》 Prologue "I''m really getting too old for this.", Clavius mumbled to himself as he sat in the shade of a sorry excuse for a tree, massaging his sore feet. The tree was hardly more than a bush, roots dug deeply into the cracked soil. Clavius was currently on his way to the city Riva, the last bigger city near the eastern borders of the civilized world. Beyond were only a few frontier villages and the huge forests where the elves resided. Save from a curious few the pointy eared tree huggers kept mostly to themselves, tending to their mother trees and sacred groves. He chuckled. After rescuing a pair of siblings from slavers and bringing them back to their tribe a few decades back he had earned the friendship of a tribe that usually killed outsiders on sight. Their abysmal birth rates meant that elven offspring were considered a miracle directly caused by the Great Tree by the elves and probably worth a not so small fortune on the slave auctions in the capital. He had stayed there for four years before returning to his adventuring life, but Sydor, a young wood elf had joined him, wanting to see the world. Well, 80 years was still considered a youngster in elven society. Their party had gotten locally famous in no time, with the elven ranger as a backline and him as a frontline fighter they had cleared most of the nearby dungeons with ease. He had been their groups paladin, having trained himself a bit in healing and defensive magic while also being proficient with mace and shield. This was also how he had gotten to know and love his wife, Linda. She had saved the two when they got lost in an underground labyrinth, they had gone in completely unprepared, overconfident because of their flawless record and drunk on constant praise. They had been half-delirious from hunger and thirst when she found them and when she gave them some of her food and water before she dragged them out, constantly cussing and spewing insults because of their foolishness, Clavius could have sworn they had met an angel. She had always been their voice of reason, the half-orc that joined not long after being as hot-headed as the other two. This particular friend had, after the death of his wife and following decision never pick up a weapon again, offered him to join him in settling down in one of the younger villages close to the forest. That had been almost forty years ago. Linda, his wife had died from a disease his healing magic had been no match for back then. The services of a highly skilled healer would have cost many times more than they could have afforded. They had travelled to the capital and he had spent weeks begging in front of opulent mansions, swearing he would pay them back. In the end it was all for naught and his beloved wife had withered away before him. Full of regrets he had spent his next years traveling the world alone, stopping in big towns and small villages alike, healing injuries, curing diseases and purging curses free of charge until his light magic had reached levels unheard of before.
Status
Name Clavius Whitefell
Level 207
Health 355/355
Mana 756/756
Classes Paladin, Light Mage
Stats
Strength 53 Wisdom 188
Vitality 68 Intelligence 136
Dexterity 45 Luck 24
Affinities
Light 89%
Fire 23%
Water 8%
Earth 7%
Air 4%
Darkness 2%
Nature 2%
Skills
Healing Magic Master 8 43%
Chains of Light Expert 5 23%
Greater Blessing Expert 3 2%
Cooking Intermediate 2 45%
Meditation Intermediate 1 12%
...
Titles
Traveling Saint, Heart of Light, Oathbound
"A shame I can''t heal old age yet.", Clavius muttered. Done with reminiscing he stopped massaging his soles, and put his worn leather shoes back on, getting back on the road, humming a song he learnt from the elves. It was a happy little tune.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. A couple of hours later, he saw a dust cloud approaching, and half an hour later a horse cart caught up with him. The horse slowed down, and the driver, a man with graying hair, cheerily called to him: "Ho, traveler, are you headed for Riva? Hop onto the seat next to me, it will be nice having someone to talk to besides my horse. This blasted half-desert is making me sick." Returning the greeting, Clavius thankfully climbed on next to the man and they continued their journey together. As is turned out, the man was a peddler who regularly drove from further north and sold various commodities like basic metalware like pots and knives in the villages near Riva, and in turn brought back herbs and other alchemical ingredients, the villages being close to the forest. By chance, Clavius goal, an unnamed village where his former companion resided was one of the villages the peddler would visit. As they both had lots of stories to share, the time passed quickly. The pair got along well and decided Clavius would help with some tasks such as setting up camp and guarding it at night and made good progress, Clavius had saved a good couple of days. Slowly the scenery started changing, the trees got bigger, and small patches of grass started appearing. The surroundings seemed more vibrant and green with every passing hour. It was already nearing dawn when the horse-drawn cart finally arrived at the village, the last few days having been delightfully uneventful. Prologue 2 Clavius couldn''t help but feel intrigued when the first couple of houses came into view. They looked quite sturdy, and strangely most of the windows were filled with a dark, but still mildly translucent amber-like substance. The glow of hearthfires could be seen through those covered windows as if looking through a thin black piece of cloth. It also seemed to double as mortar for the houses. An ancient looking marble pillar stood in the middle of the town, the structure it had supported once long turned to dust. "Always a sight to see, I don''t know if I will ever get used to them damn huts!", the peddler remarked and started pulling Clavius toward one of the largest of them. Muffled voices, laughter and the clanking of mugs could be heard through the wooden doors. "The only inn and it doubles as the town hall, first beer is on me." After having the horses brought into another large building, the stables by the innkeepers son, they finally got to settle down at one of the large wooden tables. After paying a few copper coins for a big loaf of bread, a piece of hard cheese and a steaming bowl of what seemed to be some kind of boar stew the two sat down and enjoyed the food, washing it down with what seemed to be the local variation of beer. It had a strange earthy flavor, but after one got used to it, Clavius had to admit it was quite tasty. The trader was already in his element and quickly got into a boasting contest with one of the villages old-timers, the stories growing more and more ridiculous in direct proportion to the beer consumed. Clavius almost choked on his drink when a big hand landed on his shoulder, he turned around just to look into a very familiar pair of tusks. "Sorry, old friend, can''t have you die from a heart attack, can we? A deep rumbling laugh shook the half-orcs chest. Old age had treated him well, although his thick strands of hair had already begun to gray. "How has life been treating ya?" "Ulam, you muscle brained bastard, you seem to have gained some weight since we last met!" A smile spread across Clavius face. They hadn''t seen each other in ages, but the bond they had formed in the face of countless perils was not one time could tear apart. The friends sat down at one of the quieter outer tables and could finally catch up to each other.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Although Clavius had sent messages from time to time, his ever-changing location had made it hard to get a response. Magical means of messaging had been out of the question for being so expensive. "You know, I''m the mayor of this little town now. Never thought I would be one for doing paperwork. Are you enjoying our shroom beer? Wheat doesn''t grow here, way too wet for that. We only started brewing it 4 years ago. Consider it a local delicacy." "Interesting, but I like it. Goes great with food too.", he stated. There seemed to be another active substance besides alcohol as well, the colors all shone a little brighter, the chairs felt a little too comfortable. Clavius curiously asked about the weird window filling and the black mortar the houses were built with. Ulam cheerily responded: "Its the sap of a local tree which turns rock solid after a couple of hours. Transporting it in its liquid state is almost impossible and the trees apparently only grow in a nearby marsh area. Made building bigger houses a lot easier, shame we can''t export the stuff in its liquid state, that would have been an even greater boon for the town. We have a couple of negotiations going on for the dark amber windows though. Things are finally starting to look up for this town." After talking and drinking for hours they were the last two people still at the inn besides the barkeep, who had already started cleaning tables and washing dishes and was throwing them increasingly impatient glares. "No need to rent a room here, you can go sleep at my place, we have a guest room and tomorrow I will introduce you to my lovely wife, Edda and my daughter Niri. I told them a lot about you already.", Ulam reassured him. "Great, Thanks. I really hope your daughter got your wife''s face and not your ugly mug by the way."Ulam was not easily offended and their roaring laughter filled the streets as they stumbled towards Ulams house at the edge of the village. After fumbling with the lock for a bit Ulam beckoned him inside and showed him the guest room. After the exchange of a slurry "Goodnight, friend!", Ulam left and both fell asleep almost as soon as they hit their respective beds. Clavius last thought before he slipped into unconsciousness was: "Gods, this is going to be a hell of a hangover!" Prologue 3 Clavius dreams were vivid and colorful, probably courtesy of the shroom beer. He was dancing with his wife Linda around a fire, laughing, the mission completed, Ulam and Sydor were bickering in the background, both claiming to have gotten the finishing blow on the River Drake. Everything seemed perfect, Lindas sparkling eyes, the smell of her hair, the warmth of the fire. Yet he could feel that something was out of place. The fire was burning a little too hot now, through the crackling of the flames he could hear faint screaming. He tried to tone it out, move away from the scalding heat and looked back at Linda. Blisters were forming all over her pretty face and the dress she wore had already caught fire. Clavius jolted awake and noticed he was drenched in sweat, his sight was blurry. Still, was the sun already rising? It shouldn''t be that hot this early, of that he was sure. Still half asleep he noticed the crackling had continued, now noticeably louder. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he froze. The screaming was back too, not so faint anymore. Without even putting on shoes, he rushed out the room, only to be met with a horrible sight. A woman, he guessed her to be in her fifties, lay there pale in a pool of her own blood with tooth marks on her throat. He could sense no life in her, and a quick use of his skill Inspect showed him the result he expected, but dreaded. Edda Redfin(dead) No amount of healing magic could bring her back, he knew that. Still a little wobbly on his feet, he stumbled towards the room Ulam had disappeared in last night. Blood splatters adorned the floor, the walls, even the ceiling, and two sets of bloody footprints led out of the room. There were clear signs of a struggle, but the attacking party seemed to have surprised him. He lay on the floor, an arm twisted in an unnatural angle, a deep piecing wound wound in his abdomen and a trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth. Clavius knelt down next to his friend to put both hands on his chest. It felt hot to the touch, sweat and blood had drenched the thin top his friend was wearing. Sending his mana into the man to get a grasp of the injuries, Clavius paled. His friend was more dead than alive, only a soft and unsteady heartbeat could be felt, and multiple organs had been damaged, probably from a poisoned blade. He then slowly but surely worked his way up from the most life threatening injuries, while keeping the heart pulsing with steady nudges of mana. Generally, the more injured a person was, the harder it got to solve with a simple heal spell, bones could heal in the wrong way. Or worse, scar tissue would form inside the bodies, impeding organs from doing their work, or clogging blood vessels. The end result would be a cripple with full HP. He had learned this the hard way. This method took more time and mana, but was generally a safer bet when it came to restoring a person to working condition. First he stopped the blood loss, sealing torn blood vessels and soon a white patch of newly formed skin was closing the stomach wound. One injury after the other was taken care of, until the arm snapped straight and there were only a couple of cuts and scratches remaining. Blood was pooling on the floor, the flickering flames had melted a hole in the amber windows, but Clavius had done what he did best, and his tough friend would survive, he was sure of that. A minor water magic spell brought him back to the land of the waking, and a shiver ran through Ulam. He sat up in a strange machine-like fashion, like a puppet dangling on the strings of its puppeteer. Clavius eyes met those of his friend and he saw only rage and sadness. The hole his wife left in his heart would be filled with blood tonight. Ulam staggered towards the broken door, grabbing a logging axe on his way out, with Clavius following close behind. The healing had exhausted him, his blood and sweat soaked shirt clung to his chest, his head ached. Oh, how he despised this aging body.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Next to the door lay a dead woman, her dress torn open, eyes wide open, her mouth screaming a silent scream into the night. Clavius remembered her from the night before, she had been one of the serving girls. A bitter taste had crawled into his mouth, but he forced himself to continue. Ulam had already reached one of the attackers and unceremoniously split his head from behind. Heads began to turn into their direction, and the bandits howled in anger when another of their troop got his chest smashed in. Clavius could see the unnatural size of their canines. Probably a local Vampire coven trying to bolster their ranks or looking to solve their daily blood needs long term in the form of blood slaves. A horrible fate, death would be a mercy for those poor souls. Shackled in the dark, treated worse than farm animals, drained of blood regularly, never to see the sun again. Ulam was gaining momentum, a veritable whirlwind of death. Soon the area around Ulam had devolved into a sea of blood and body parts, an arrow had pieced his left thigh but such wounds were barely more than an annoyance for a berserker in the midst of combat. Still the cuts started to add up, even though Clavius kept closing up the more serious ones. Remote healing was something else entirely, he barely had a quarter of his mana left by now. All the while bending the light in little ways around his body, another neat little trick he picked up from the fae. Not quite invisible, but the flickering of the flames and the swirling smoke made his figure blur even further, and no one spared him more than a glance. This skill had saved him more than a couple times. Ulams eyes had regained some focus when he had spotted a row of horse carts with cages mounted on top of them, and he was already carving a path towards these, but his movements were already sluggish, he wouldn''t last much longer, and the sun would not rise for a few hours. A coldness suddenly spread from Clavius chest, as if he had fallen into an icy pool. Looking down, he saw the tip of an arrow poking out right where his heart was. Strangely, there was hardly any pain, yet the cold was already spreading down his arms and legs. Healing a human heart with an arrow stuck in it was impossible, Clavius knew that well enough. He tried to tell his arms to pull it out, but they didn''t even twitch. His mind started to wander, and the camouflage spell faded away. He could almost see his wife''s face in the smoke. Even though he was aware that it was probably his brain starting to malfunction because of the blood loss, the old man casted an orb of light, it floated dimly above the battlefield. The glee of the snarling vampires was almost palpable, and Ulam let loose a pained scream, he was losing his second friend this night. Clavius felt a strange sense of calm when the light touched him, the cold was lessening somewhat. He poured the rest of his mana into the spell, and pained screeches could be heard from the vampires. Before his inner eye he heard his wife say: "My dear, I wish I could see the sun one more time." And so the old light mage poured his very soul into the spell, and a sun rose on the battlefield.