Tyler Kimball - Lessgently
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Pallesia - Chapter 169 - Return to home.
🕑 Added 2024-09-14 19:48:42 +0000 UTCI am NOT happy about this chapter... Expect large changes or additions before it's officially published on RoyalRoad. I'll republish this chapter with a revision note when I make the changes for all of you to read.
Sorry for the wait.
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Soaring through the skies, ramming into clouds, seeing as far as the eye can see, and the freedom it brings was an exhilarating experience, but it wasn’t as magical as it could have been.
Lee was shivering so up high from the sudden cold, his flapping robe slapped him silly, he had to focus every waking moment of flight or else he would do the equivalent of a mid-air wipeout, and even though he logically knew clouds were not fluffy, he was still disappointed by the fact that it was just a big ball of mist. Fly through one side dry and cold, leave the other side drenched and freezing.
When Regina had told him that she’d taken a little under a week to reach him in the past, he was impressed. Since he created his own flight spell, and could realistically easily fly back to Felispar in a single day, his ego might have been a little inflated. After learning of the harsh realities of flight, he understood why it took her a week. Flying was… fun, but it was also insufferable.
After an hour of flying and spotting a settlement up ahead, he angled down toward the ground, landing on the dirt road to the shock of some caravans. Whether it was because he was capable of flight, he looked like an icicle, or something else, he wasn’t sure, but at the moment he didn’t really care.
Each shaky step toward the entrance to what the map called Kitand caused flakes of ice to shimmy off his robe. After disregarding any offers of help and entering the humble town, Lee found an inn, paid for his stay and a hot bath, then conked out.
This cycle continued for days as Lee experimented with flight, growing accustomed to the required amount of focus, learning through experience on how to better shift and maneuver, and learning what concentration meant in the skills description.
As long as he wanted to fly, he couldn’t cast any other spells.
While that ruined some of his dreams of raining down an apocalyptic meteor shower of molten stone while soaring overhead, he had already found a risky, yet workable solution. All he needed to do... Was freefall. While he couldn’t fly and cast other spells, he could stop flying, cast his spells while falling to his death, and then resume flying. It was much, much more difficult to start flying from a fall, but it wasn’t impossible.
For the next two days, Ethan flew, rested, and practiced until he could spot the towering white-tipped mountains of the Evergrande range. It took another hour of much more leisurely flight at a lower altitude to arrive at the familiar gates of Felispar, and he ignored the gates entirely to fly toward his hospital.
He landed on the street in front of his building, smothered down his ruffled clothes, ignored all the gawking stares, and inspected his building. It had seem some damage; nothing major, a few scuffs marks and a charred shutter, but he had been expecting blown out windows, blood, and ongoing battles. With relief, Lee walked up the small stone path and pushed against the doors. With a loud and sudden thunk, he rammed straight into solid wood as the doors were either locked or barred from the inside. As he took a step back, he could hear an audible snort from a random passerby.
Lee knocked loudly, then waited for an answer. After a solid minute, he was about to find another way in, but the subtle sounds of shifting items from behind the door rooted him in place. With a snap the door jolted open with a solid foot and in the gap with a pale face, red eyes, and short black hair, Em peered outwards.
“I’m back.”
Two powerful metallic gauntlets reached out, crushed his shoulders, then heaved him forwards inside. He stumbled forward, off balance from the surprise and forceful nature of the reunion, and caught himself on the receptionist desk. He was about to ask what the hell that was about when he felt a chill run along his spine.
Around the dark, dim-lit lobby, hundreds of small slitted eyes gazed down upon him. From the corners, the rafters, from the desk, to the chairs, eyes pinned him in place.
The quick clanking of metallic limbs on wood was the only warning for a crushing hug from his best friend and Arachne, Em. “Lee! Oh, Lee. You’ve missed so much! Look at all of my new friends!”
Waving his hand and casting Orb of Light allowed Lee to see the source of the numerous eyes, and his guard immediately dropped. For some reason Lee wasn’t surprised by what he saw. “Em, why is my hospital filled with cats?”
All around the room, dozens of house cats lounged leisurely as they idly gazed down around the room, their tails flicked side to side. Some were black as night, others were orange tabbies, calicos, a slew of different breeds he didn’t imagine being on Pallesia at all.”
Em stood tall, her human half rising up so she could loom over him and literally look down her nose. “Well… since I was left in charge, I did some reading on healing. It is said that people who are in pain or dying like animals… or something—I forgot. Nonetheless, I have acquired many and they are now my friends. They are also good scouts and have warned us of the incoming attacks well ahead of time.”
“Attacks? As in multiple?”
Em nodded as she picked up a nearby black cat who ended up being what Lee would call a ‘long boi’. She cradled the cat in her arms and gently stroked it behind its ears as she brought him up to speed. “Right, you weren’t here. So, the Healer Sanctum came along, either in retaliation to your previous slaughter of their members or because they didn’t like you in general. They came for you and threatened the people waiting for healing. Regina killed them, I helped, and then they kept coming. They’ve stopped for the last few days, but it’s always some token force that arrives that I can clean up.”
The stark casualness of murder wasn’t lost on him, but it was still jarring. “So, if we were being attacked repeatedly, I presume that’s why there are no patients? If there are no patients, why are there cats?”
Em slowed in her strokes, then gave him a narrowed eye glare. “They’re staying.”
“That’s not what I ask—”
“You shouldn’t be here.” The harsh voice of Regina echoed out as she left the back hallway which led to the auditorium and the rooms for the employees.
“As this is my hospital, I don’t think you can make that claim,” Lee said, slightly miffed at her stern tone.
“No, I mean that you’re in danger here. The trip from Emerson to Felispar—” She started, only to be cut off just as he had.
“Is short once you can fly. I assume Fatalina wasn’t too happy about my disappearance?” Lee gently shoved away a nearby tabby who kept rubbing against his leg. He liked cats, but this was just obsessive.
Regina blankly stared at him, not bothering to respond to the obvious.
“I thought so. If you want, you can let her know that it wasn’t her in particular. I could just feel the undercurrent of… obligation. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where I am, I’ll always be in danger. Near a war or from other healers. Now, what do I need to do to stop all these attacks and get toward the goal of eradicating the Sanctum?” Lee said.
“Kill a dragon.” Was the monotone response.
Both Lee and Em blinked and spoke at the same time. “What?!” “Fuck yes! Adventure!”
Lee chided Em and uselessly slapped the closest metallic limb, attempting to dissuade that attitude.
With a steady gait, Regina came forward to join them around the receptionist desk. “The dragon that dwells beneath the Evergrande mountains is the apparent leader of the Healer’s Sanctum. He is a known factor—A scourge and pain—but his relationship to the healers was not—until now.”
“I’m going to go ahead and assume that a fucking dragon isn’t something people casually take down. If so, I would think your kingdom would have dealt with it by now,” Lee stated, earning a nod in return.
“Dendros has been here for longer than the kingdom has existed. He’s ancient and reclusive.”
“We get to go dragon-slaying!?” Em basically squealed, a dangerous glint taking hold in her blood-red eyes.
“Not without a plan we aren't,” Lee said, before Em could imagine something heroic. “If this Dendros is over a thousand years old, then they’d squash us like a bug. They’re older than the kingdom… Have you asked the Dark Elves about them?”
“We didn’t even know he existed until a century after our founding. So no, we haven’t. Although, now that we’re in diplomatic relations again, perhaps they have useful knowledge we can use.”
“I’d suggest doing so, because I am not fighting a fucking dragon unless I know we can win—and by we I mean whatever army you’re going to bring to quash him.” Lee said as he mentally debated leaving this damn country to rot and flying away.
Comments
Wintermelody
Thanks for the Chapter
