Hyperion Evergrowing

Chapter 57: Respite

Level up! Class [Forest Deer] is now level 10!

For being the reason your herd was alert and ready, leading to them surviving an ambush you have gained a level!

+1 to [Alacrity]!

Congratulations! You have reached the level cap for your [Forest Deer] class! Would you like to evolve? Y/N

Warning! You are vulnerable while undergoing beast evolution!

The deer couldn’t read. Obviously. Though being tied to a thin tree with rope while the humans cleaned up after the attack did give it plenty of time to try.

And fail. Animals couldn’t exactly control or manipulate the system. Other than by accident. The deer, hanging there helplessly wasn’t an exception to the rule. It instinctively blinked away the window like it had done to all the others.

Fortunately the system operated mostly autonomously for lower level beasts and monsters. This was one of the reasons why certain prompts would be automatically accepted after a certain duration.

One could consider the restrained animal a sort of accidental power leveller. Not deliberately mind you, but being in the proximity of a certain monstrous tree seemed to reward a constant trickle of minor experience.

The answer is surprisingly simple. Plant monsters, almost without exception, naturally release a small amount of excess life-force into their surroundings. It’s one of many minor innate abilities the monster type possesses, another example being the ability to drain vitality, even without an associated skill.

This is why the environment around monstrous plants tended to be vibrant, even overgrown with vegetation.

Animals innately gained a small amount of experience by being well fed, safe and healthy. Among a few other objectives. A continuous stream of all three sources over months gradually led to levels going up.

After an hour, as the morning sun rose over the horizon, its daughter plodded up to it. Both deer stared dumbly at one another.

Why are you like this, mother? The gaze of the younger deer seemed to say.

I regret nothing. Was the silent reply.

===

The man bit down hard on the thick strip of fabric in his mouth as the pain of having his severed leg reattached shot up his nervous system. Golden light suffused the wound, binding it and quickly restoring the limb.

His eyes flickered as exhaustion swept through every muscle, drawing the man down into the embrace of unconsciousness.

Leif felt himself nearly topple over, but managed to catch himself. If he fell he would likely crush the now sleeping man. It wouldn’t do to accidentally kill his patient.

The spriggan was wrung dry, everything hurt. Seven people, expedition members and nomads both lay out before him in a large animal skin tent. These were the most severely injured from the attack.

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Almost three dozen had received minor to major wounds, but they would survive using healing pills until he could get to them. The expedition’s supply of which was now all but gone.

Leif was once again cloaked, apparently Hera had backups, though the blade had stressed the fact they were limited in supply. The vegetative growth spurred by [Embolden Vegetation] had fallen away, twigs and branches had withered and most of the newly sprouted leaves had fluttered off in the hours after his usage of the skill.

He wasn’t sure why the growth wasn’t permanent, but he was glad it hadn’t been. He preferred being able to be covered up, it allowed him to pretend he was something else.

Not that it would help much anymore, most of both camps saw me uncovered. He mused darkly.

But the thought wasn’t as bitter as he would have suspected it to be. Many had baulked at his appearance, but a healer was a healer, nobody was stupid enough to chase him off.

An elderly woman shuffled into the tent, her wizened face was creased with wrinkles and her silver hair was tied up in a series of large buns. There was a slight iridescent sheen to her hair, making it seem to glimmer in the dim candlelight of the tent.

She was followed by a child, no older than six or seven. Long purple hair, almost identical to the nomad man who was called Samil. Leif couldn’t tell if they were a boy or a girl, and at the moment he was too tired to care. The child scampered up to Leif and held out a cup with both hands.

“Wotah!” They said, beaming, several missing teeth showing. Before twirling and running out of the tent, arms flapping behind their back. Distant cries of “Wotah, wotah!” could be heard, gradually vanishing into the distance.

If Leif could raise an eyebrow he likely would have. The elder smiled gently and slowly sunk into a kneeling position next to an unconscious nomad woman. She ran wrinkled fingers through the younger woman’s hair, a soft blue light built in her eyes and ran down her face like bioluminescent tears.

Two drops fell onto the sleeping woman’s chest, where they seemed to unnaturally ripple across her bandaged torso.

The spriggan had caught glimpses of this woman, who he could only assume was a healer, throughout the night. Though only after the attack as she bustled around directing people and calmly soothing away fears. They hadn’t had time to exchange words, not due to a lack of desire mind you.

“You should drink.” She said, moving onto the next patient. “My powers do little for physical wounds. But they can beat back disease and infection. Should perk you right up as well.”

Leif nodded, then awkwardly raised the cup to his mouth. Or the small slit in his mask-like face that counted as one. A single sip seemed to drive back the darkness, Leif felt his vision clear and his mind refocus. He took another sip.

Both healers remained in silence as the woman worked, she tended to each casualty with equal care. Once she had finished she knelt before Leif and dipped her head in a partial bow. “Thank you, honoured one.”

Leif didn’t know how to respond to that. He just gawked at her from beneath his hooded cloak. The elderly woman continued. “This one is Kala, spirit healer and descendant of Lila. My sincere gratitude for aiding in our wounded, you have saved many lives.”

“Uh, you're welcome?” Leif said, this wasn’t exactly what he had expected to happen.

The elder straightened and smiled, laugh lines showing on her aged features. “I hope one day you have many descendants. They will be a proud and virtuous people, I am sure.”

Leif nearly spat up the water he had drunk. He felt it surge up from whatever he had in place of a stomach and fought to keep it down.

Kala snickered in amusement at his reaction. “In all seriousness dear. I am genuinely grateful to have another healer on hand. Without you, I fear many who live now would have had a far more grim fate.”

“Is there no other healer? I’d have thought they would have been fairly common?” Leif asked, having regained his composure.

“It is rare, I'm afraid. To be offered a class capable of healing isn’t uncommon, but it’s usually self healing with limited applications in the restoration of others. It took years of careful work to push my own abilities in that direction.” Kala replied, her gaze briefly going distant.

Leif frowned internally. He supposed it was true he seemed to be the only healer within the expedition camp. “Why? Why is it so rare? I mean, there are several people in your camp with knowledge of herbal ointments and medicine.” He said, gesturing to the injured within the tent. “Why not actual healing skills?”

Kala’s smile waned. “The ability to heal thaumatically, as the academics you travel with would put it, is dictated by aptitude and mindset. Not just anyone can light themselves on fire and gain an associated pyrokinetic class or skill. It takes time, effort, and more than a little luck.”

The spriggan nodded thoughtfully, he supposed it made sense.

“And even when someone obtains a healing class, their power is dictated by the aspects their skills have.” Kala continued. “I am a water aspected healer, I can cleanse and purify, but restoring severed limbs…” She motioned to the man Leif had reattached the leg of.

“Actually I’ve been wondering about that. What exactly are the differences between these aspects? I have blood, and now life aspected skills. But they both heal? I can’t tell the difference.”

“Hmmm. Do you not have a spell skill?” She asked.

“I do not.” Leif said, then paused. Actually he had several notifications he hadn’t looked through yet. Maybe he would receive one from his latest level ups?

“If you wish to learn, I can teach. My knowledge may not be generally applicable to your path, but any little bit can help. We healers must stick together, besides…” She smiled. “I think our groups will be moving down south together for the conceivable future. This time with a night watch that doesn’t get blackout drunk.”