Tyler Kimball - Lessgently
patreon
Chapter 146 - Art
🕑 Added 2024-06-01 03:39:57 +0000 UTCBusy.
That was the single word that could explain what Lee felt at all times of the day for the past week. There had been little to no time for any personal endeavors to break up the monotony, such as his enchanting or spell work. All there was time for was teaching, healing, dealing with portal shenanigans, and Em.
After six days of treating patients nonstop, the number of sick and injured people began to finally settle down. He could actually take a break and have a real lunch instead of a quick bite to eat, fetched by his wonderful blessing of an assistant, as he stormed down his hospital’s hallways. While it was nice to help those in need, the stress of dealing with worried families, children, and gruesome injuries wasn’t something that was sustainable. He gained even more admiration for healthcare workers he knew from Earth… but he wanted to focus on his own well-being now that the patient backlog had finally been cleared.
Teaching had at least been less stressful, but droning on and on about the same topic to a group of different people every single day was tiring. In every single group of newfound healers, the same questions were asked repeatedly. He understood the reason. They had genuine questions and concerns and didn’t realize that he had answered the same questions over and over. It wasn’t their fault… but it was exhausting.
The schedule that Gina had made earlier? Yeah, that didn’t last a single day. Out of the seven days that had passed since Tearle, the paladin, appeared, five more fatal patients have popped through his portal.
All of them had been humans so far, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out the similarities were between any of them. When Tearle had appeared, Lee thought that maybe those with blessings, favors, or maybe even another anointed would be the ones coming through the portal. This wasn’t the case.
So far, he’d had a level forty seven god-blessed paladin, three unclassed level ones, a level two, and a level thirty-two tamer who Lee found supremely interesting. The class of tamer was definitely on his research list, as the woman who appeared had bonds with several different creatures who did her bidding. Well, he didn’t get to see any of them, as she appeared alone, but that’s what she said, and he was inclined to believe her.
Tearle had quickly repaired his armor, bought a new weapon, and tested his portal for a return trip. He found that it indeed sent him back… but If it sent him back to exactly where he was previously, Lee didn’t know. But, it did send him somewhere. The same for everyone else who had miraculously appeared in his temple nearly every single day. They all stayed for at most a day, some even mere minutes, before trying their luck with the black and rainbow portal which swallowed them whole.
For the first time in what felt like forever… Lee had some free time. Currently, it was around ten at night and he sat at his tiny desk situated in his private room. He quickly looked at his recent gains and released a weary sigh as he flipped open a notebook to write down some ideas about future synthesization.
Name: Lee Barnes
HP: 350/350
MP: 500/500
Level: 29
XP 3294/10000
Titles:
Genesis of Healing*
Miracle Worker*
Class: Miracle Worker.
Profession: Otherworldly Academic
In Magic's Favor.
STATS:
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 30
Wisdom: 30
Intelligence: 40
Luck: 10
Unused Points:
Skills:
Spells:
Abilities:
Skills:
Identify, Mana Sense, Stealth, Mana Manipulation, Speed Reading, Mana Dispersion, Medical Attention, Miraculous Return, Healer’s Beacon, Hidden Miracle, Alter Status, Dauntless Will, Antithesis of Healing, Life’s Guidance, Mana Infusion, Teaching, Spacial Spell.
Spells:
Basic: Earthen Strike, Gale burst, Wall of Winds, Orb of Light, Darken, Conjure Water, Blind, Swiftness, Water Wave Wall, Wall of Earth*, Aquavista, Musical Melodious Memory, Words of the Wind, Homing Light, Sonic Boom, Howling Cyclone, Depth Pressure, Water Walking, Minor Telekinesis.
Advanced: Mend Wounds, Icicle Spear, Touch of Remission, Purifying Light, Void Sphere, Bulwark of Ice, Death bolt, End of the Unwanted, Anesthesilosurge, Create Ice, Weave of Reflection, Renewal, Widespread Renewal, False Data - Life, False Data - Death, Air Conditioning, Strengthening, Reaping Field, Manual Blinking.
Expert: Glacial Cascade, Spear of Eternity. Mortality’s Embrace.
Master:
Synthesized 3/5: Drop of Life, Sphere of Annihilation, Hailstorm Blizzard.
Abilities:
Language Comprehension, Healer’s Touch, Hidden Cache, Arcane Synthesis.
He had gained three levels from his healer’s class quest and was very close to unlocking his new class quest. He should cut back on using Healer’s Touch and finish it off. With his new stat points, he promptly put four into constitution and five into intelligence.
Path of the spellcaster.
Cast spells on one hundred different targets. (97/100)
Reward: 1000 XP + Class Skill.
Knock knock
Lee clenched his eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes?!” He asked loudly.
Like a scene from a horror movie, his wooden door’s handle ever so slowly bent downwards, signifying someone on the other side entering. After a barely audible click, the door swung gently inwards, emitting a slow groaning creak into the darkened room.
Lee watched on, supremely unenthused, as the grunge form of Em crawled and pulled her way into the doorway, before her spider abdomen thunked on the doorframe, stopping her approach.
With glinting widened eyes, she looked up from the floor and spoke her peace. “I have awoken…”
Lee looked on blankly, having gotten used to Em’s recent pestering and eccentricities. For the past week, she’d been thinking of paladin titles and becoming nocturnal—which was apparently her preferred time of being awake, as nobody bothered her about her form. “What can I help you with, Em? Weren’t you with Kooco?”
Kooco and Meriah had shown up right after Tearle left, with Kooco pretending to be gravely injured with the only healing remedy being ‘A healer must eat my delicious eggs…’ They were staying here in the hospital in some of the employee rooms for the time being.
Seeing that Lee wasn’t up for her antics, she scooted back, most likely scratching more floorboards, and righted herself outside his room. “I require art supplies. I have found a new calling.”
Lee raised a brow and crossed his arms as he leaned back into his nice, cushy seat. “And?”
She narrowed her eyes and spoke haughtily. “I require funding for my impending endeavors. Also, I would like you to accompany me to the shops as my retainer.”
Lee sighed. “Em, I finally have some free time… I’d like to be by myself for a night. I’m exhausted.”
Lee materialized a singular gold coin from his Hidden Cache as he was now property rich, and flicked it toward Em who caught it with ease. “That should be more than enough for your needs. I’m sure Gina would go and buy your things if you don’t want to go out alone. I know people around here have begun to accept you, but not everyone in this city knows about you. Be careful if you do go out.”
Em frowned, but accepted that he wanted some peace and quiet. “I’ll have Gina go fetch me my supplies. So… Paladin of Art? Yay or nay?”
“Nay, but have fun with making art. I’ll be sure to judge your creations. The walls are pretty barren around here. Maybe we’ll hang some up…” Lee turned back to his desk and reopened his notebook as Em slinked away in the dead of night… face a weird shade of pink, not that Lee noticed.
Lee spent the next few minutes writing some ideas about further synthesis spells are potential elements before his tired eyes betrayed him. Not a minute later, he was sleep at his next, snoozing the night away…
—----------------------------------------
Lee awoke with a start as he blinked his bleary eyes. He gave a stretch and grunted as his back popped from the awkwardness of sleeping sitting up. Thankfully, with no aches and pains thanks to his Healer’s Touch, no doubt.
Before Lee made his way to the temple to check on the ever anxious Gerald, (Those portal appearances aren’t doing him any favors when it comes to his age.) He decided to do a quick check-in with Em, just to make sure she wasn’t destroying anything like some of her other sudden hobbies.
A paladin of cooking was a terrible choice… He should have put his foot down before she had tried to cook.
Inside the darkened auditorium, where Em lived, he found Em turned away from him. She was hunched over as she sat on a few of her larger cushions, obviously working on some art.
He sneaked over and peeked around her to see what she was working on… then stood rooted in place. With rickety movements, he tried to fade away unseen, but he accidentally kicked a paintbrush thrown away on the floor in his escape.
In the large, quiet room, the sound of the paintbrush skidding across the floorboards was loud and echoing. Em instantly swirled around and looked on in horror at the retreating Lee. She scooted over to block his few of her… art. “Did you see…?”
Lee, now suitably caught in the act, jerkily nodded with a forced smile. “It’s okay, Em. Everyone has their pref—”
Metallic webs materialized from thin air and spun Lee up in a cocoon of steel. With a jerk, he was suddenly flipped upside down and immobilized. Em covered her face with her hands in genuine embarrassment as she mumbled to herself.
Lee dangled, unconcerned for his safety, but very much concerned about this upcoming conversation. “I can pretend I didn’t see anything…?”
Em gave Lee a fierce glare through her fingers, and he knew right away that excuse wasn't going to work. He shifted in his cocoon, which was oddly comfortable for it being metal, as he thought about how to proceed. “Lot’s of women are interested in that sort of stuff, Em.”
“Lies!” Em hissed.
Lee shook his head. “No. I’m actually serious. I wouldn’t lie to you about that, Em. But rest assured, we’re not hanging that up in the hospital.”
Em, realizing that he had seen everything and wasn’t looking to run away, released Lee from his comfortable embrace. He plonked down to the floor in a heap, but he only fell a foot at most. Lee brushed himself down as he inspected Em art with only a tad bit of judgment.
On a well crafted easel, in miraculous paints, a depiction of two men staring romantically at one another was in the process of creation. One of them had a hand held up, caressing the cheek of the other in a sweet embrace.
It wasn’t Lee’s cup of tea, but he would admit that it was not the first time he’d seen this type of art. It was quite popular with quite a few women back on Earth. He saw no reason for it to be any different around here.
One thing was for sure. Em actually tried very hard on the artwork and did a much better job than Lee could ever accomplish. Perhaps she had painted in her tower back in Breye? This was very much not a beginners first attempt.
Em stared at him as he judged her artwork with conflicting emotions. Ever so slowly, Lee slid his eyes to the nearby bookshelf and then rapidly scanned the spines with reckless abandon for any nefarious book titles.
Em caught on quick, and shouted with a red face full of embarrassment. “OOOOUUUUTTTTTT!!!”
Lee fled with his metaphorical tail between his legs as he dodged paintbrushes and random books which soared past him from Em’s vicious flinging. Once outside the room, he slammed the door and heard the thudding of books and whatever else was near Em with some heft bang across the door.
Lee swiped his brow and looked down the hall to find Regina staring at him unimpressed. Her arms were crossed as she tapped her foot rhythmically in annoyance. “Good Morni—”
THUD
A final piece of artillery from Em’s barrage slammed into the door.
Lee coughed to clear the awkwardness in the air as he pretended nothing happened. “So Regina, did you have something to discuss with me on this beautiful morning?”
Regina flicked her eyes to the door, but must have decided that she didn’t care about Lee and Em’s squabble. “Lord Blight would like an audience. I’m to escort you to their premises.”
Comments
Wintermelody
Thanks for the Chapter
Academic Geek
TFTC!
James Faulkner
Tftc
