Tyler Kimball - Lessgently
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Pallesia: Chapter 144 - Drop right in.
🕑 Added 2024-05-25 01:51:45 +0000 UTCThe following day, Lee strode into the communal room on the second floor, energized from sleeping in an actual bed and ready to get to work. When he opened the door, the first thing he found was breakfast laid out in a mini-buffet for all to enjoy. It was early, nearly six in the morning, so he wondered who went out of their way to buy, set up, and get ready for such a fantastic start to everyone's day.
The answer was revealed when Gina, his new assistant, walked over to place some drinks on the table. She hadn’t noticed him yet and fiddled with the placement of the pitcher of what looked to be milk. He watched on silently as she moved it back and forth a few millimeters until she was happy with its placement.
It was then, when she was smiling and admiring her work that she noticed Lee standing near the doorway.
Lee smiled teasingly as he walked fully into the room to join her. “A perfectionist?”
Gina looked slightly embarrassed at being spied upon but answered nonetheless. “A little bit. I like order. I think it helps when I'm working.”
Lee smiled and sat down at the table while looking over the breakfast spread. Scones, donuts, bagels, strudels, oats, oatmeal, and a few other typical; breakfast staples were his choices. He grabbed a little bit of each and started to eat as he chatted with his new assistant. If they were going to be working closely together, they should probably get to know one another a little better. “So, what made you want to work here?”
Gina was watching the door for any other early risers as she answered. “Why would I not want to work here? To be an assistant to a healer is a prestigious position—coveted by many. Though, I will say the screening for individuals was unique. But, It makes much more sense now.”
Lee swallowed a bit of strudel. “I’m sorry to say, but I didn’t even know what to expect when I arrived. I didn’t think I would get…” He waved around the room. “All of this.”
He moved onto a donut, a long john with cream filling, as he continued. “What was the screening like? What made it unique?”
Gina gave a slight smile as she thought back to the near past. “Well, for one, they consistently asked about how we thought about the defenders of our kingdom. That was definitely not an expected topic for an assistant position. Another one of the requirements was to be common-born, which was also a surprise. They wanted someone who lacked absolute decorum and wouldn’t be so stiff and formal.”
She looked away from the doorway and had a question of her own. “I only know what I’ve been told about you, but is there anything specific that you think I should know?”
At first, Lee was going to say no. Upon further thinking, he did think that she deserved to know the stakes of the position she was filling. There were risks. “The Healer’s Sanctum and probably a host of other groups don’t… appreciate what I’m trying to do. My ultimate goal is to spread healing magic everywhere while healing those I can along the way. As you might guess, the Sanctum isn’t very fond of that. They probably want me dead. So, your position is not without risk.”
He met her eyes and spoke with all seriousness. “If you want to be let go, then go ahead and say so. We’re talking about your very safety. That is not something to take lightly. No hard feelings if you think this isn’t for you.”
There was an awkward silence at the sudden heaviness of the conversation, and Lee felt a little bad to be bringing this up at nearly six in the morning…
“I won’t say that I’ll defend you if things come to their worst, but I don’t think I’ll quit until that time comes to pass.”
Lee understood that completely. No further words were needed.
Lee finished eating his breakfast and decided to ask about the day ahead of him. “Do you happen to know what the plans for today are? I assume there are more people to heal and that they’re come in today, but I thought that maybe you’d know better?”
Gina smiled and went over to the kitchen counter to grab her clipboard. It appeared everyone had one around here. She returned and flipped through the papers attached, before talking about her plans. “After learning about how you operate and what is expected of your work… I took it upon myself to create a schedule. I hope that it’s to your liking. First, in the mornings, you will heal those who arrive and check on any of our in-patients. At around noon, you will break for lunch, and then afterward, teach a class about healing magic in the auditorium. Afterwards, If more people need healing, then you can deal with them then, or you can teach another class. After five is a break for dinner… Then, I have it so that you’re adaptable. You can either take the night off, or tend to patients if its serious. Do you have any questions?”
Lee stood, peeked over her shoulder to read from the papers, then gaped at the details.
She made this in one night?! After we ate?! It was midnight! Oh, gods… She went and got breakfast too!
Slowly, Lee turned his head to inspect his assistant. “Do you ever sleep?”
Gina scoffed. “Only when required or I’m unable to stand.”
He filed that information away and then looked back to the papers. He shrugged. “It all seems fine to me. You’re the assistant, I assume you know what you’re doing. We can always deviate if and when it’s needed. I’m sure the portal is going to break all your plans, but I don’t know where or when it will appear. Patients will arrive, and they most likely won’t be able to wait… I assume they will be serious, life-threatening injuries. I hope I’m wrong, though.”
Suddenly, the door to the communal room exploded inwards, and Gerald scampered inside hurriedly. As soon as he laid his eyes upon Lee, relief flooded through his entire being and he collapsed onto his knees.
Lee stood stunned by the rapid and sudden entrance. It didn’t last for long, as he grew alarmed by spotting the blood-stained attire of the priest. He surged forward and used Medical Attention as he approached.
HP: 100%
Seeing the prompt, Lee started to put some of the pieces together. Either he had just killed a man without taking a hint of damage, which was unlikely to the extreme, or his mystery portal had appeared and his first patient was in dire circumstances.
Lee knelt and supported Gerald as she spoke. “What happened?”
Gerald was an older gentleman and not in the greatest of shape. Lee wasn’t one to preach about being healthy, as he looked like a meaty skeleton, but if his guess was correct…
Gerald gasped for air as he muttered. “Ran… Here… Portal and patient… Temple…”
Lee nodded, as he understood. “The portal is in the temple and someone needs help. Make sure Gerald is okay while I run to see what I can do.” Lee told Gina as he cast Swiftness on himself and felt the surge of speed take root.
He started off slow, as this was his first time under the effects of Swiftness while he could withstand its effects, but quickly ramped up to max speed as he sprinted down the hall into the lobby, then down the west wing toward the temple.
He estimated that he was as fast as an olympian from Earth, but that might have just been the adrenaline getting to him.
The temple doors were already open and a bloody handprint could be seen on its ornate wooden exterior, marring the delicate craftsmanship depicting the gods.
Lee quickly slid through the door and scanned his surroundings. The first, and most obvious thing in the room, was the nearly fifteen-foot-tall circular pane of pitch-black void with the edges of rainbows. It was directly behind the small podium set up at the far end of the temple for a priest to hold sermons.
The second thing was the broken, battered, and bloody body of a male knight who was unconscious in front of the portal. As Lee sprinted up to the man, he used Identify, Medical Attention, and tried to glean any information he could about what had happened.
Tearle Eldon - Human - Level: 47 Paladin of Virtue
HP: 7%
Diagnosis: Unconcious. Mortally injured.
Injuries: Concussion, Skull Fracture, Multiple Fractured Vertebrae: C6, C5, C3, TH 1-7. Multiple fractured Ribs, Collapsed Lung, Internal Organ Damage: Liver, Spleen, Kidneys. Internal Bleeding, Fractured Femur, Fractured R Ulna, Fractured R Radius, Compound Fractured R Humerus, Multiple Ligament and Tendon Damage, Multiple Varius Lacerations and contusions.
Mana Sickness.
“Jesus…” Lee uttered as he read through the much too detailed list of injuries.
Lee was about to cast Mend Wounds, but barely managed to register what was labeled at the end of the prompt, after injuries.
Mana Sickness?
Not knowing if using a spell would harm the man even more, Lee opted to use his ability Healer’s Touch. He flicked on Healer’s Beacon and stayed near the man for as long as was needed.
In real-time, Lee watched as the man jerked and spasmed as his body went through the process of healing—A feeling he was much too familiar with. As he never cast Anestheliosurge, he could very well imagine the man begging and pleading that he was unconscious, if he wasn’t already. The searing white-hot pain of bones snapping back into place was unforgettable, and Lee wouldn’t wish that one his worst of enemies… maybe.
It took much longer than normal to fully heal the man, probably accounting for a large amount of constitution in the Paladin of Virtue’s build, but once his Medical Attention stopped outputting injuries and labeled Tearle as 100% HP, Lee knew his job was done.
Lee paced back and forth with a slight amount of nerves as the adrenaline that fueled his arrival had started to die off, along with the effects of his speed-boosting spell.
He flicked his eyes toward the Paladin, taking in the ruined, chipped, and dented silver armor, the empty scabbard on the ground to his right, and the grim-looking scar that cut across his face diagonally, stretching from his temple to the corner of his lip.
“Who the hell are you… and why were you brought to me…?” Lee whispered as he waited for the man to wake.
It was at this time that Regina, Gina, a tired and winded Gerald, and Em strolled into the temple and bee-lined straight toward him. Regina had the lead, and her gaze was locked onto Tearle with absolute focus. Gina was out of her depth but tried to appear calm and collected. Gerald immediately went to a nearby closet and started to pull out cleaning supplies, and EM looked at the fallen paladin with visible awe and admiration.
Em scuttled over and started to prod the unconscious paladin's shiny silver armor, but Lee smacked one of her legs to her dismay. “You have your own armor, don’t mess with his. When he wakes, he’s going to be so fucking confused…”
“Wuh….”
The groan came from the floor, and Lee ran a hand down his face in exasperation.
He really needed to keep his mouth shut.
Comments
James Faulkner
Tftc!!
Academic Geek
TFTC!
Wintermelody
Thanks for the Chapter
