Chapter 87: Mending

Chapter 87: Mending

Amber blood pooled from the wound where a metre long jagged spike of ice had punctured Leif’s torso and punched clean out the other side. There was a finger deep gash in the side of his head, both his legs were missing to various degrees of severity and one of his arms was mangled to the point of complete disuse. He was caked in a layer of jagged ice, though most of it lay strewn around him.

Leif coughed, gagged, then reached up and yanked the arm length shard of what had once been part of an elemental out of his throat. The amber motes of light from [Shroud of Preservation] drifted down into his body as his cultivated vitality worked on mending him from the inside out. Golden light flickered across his body like flames merrily dancing in a hearth.

The spriggan lay sprawled out in the crater the impact his body had made by crashing into the side of the valley. Icy mist drifted around him, but it was created by the fragments of elemental that were either still embedded within him, or were scattered around the landing zone, Leif was too far away from the valley’s centre to be near any active elementals. Which in his current condition was likely quite fortunate.

His body rippled and spasmed as his healing magics dislodged the splinters, stitched together his plant fibre muscles and closed over gaping wounds in his outer layer of ivory bark. He could feel the somewhat unnerving, though completely painless sensation of his legs regrowing and his arm twisting back into shape.

All things considered, he’d probably been in worse shape before. Or at least, closer to death, relatively speaking. Leif had enough synergistic skills and bonuses to make his body remarkably sturdy, and that was without mentioning the fact [Font of Life] amplified the effects of his cultivated vitality and spell casting the closer to death he became. The fact his reserve of life-force was currently surging through him with more vigour than he had ever seen was more than enough confirmation he had come quite close dying for a second time.

The more he healed, the slower the healing became, but Leif found himself not really caring. Was it annoying [Healing Palm] was still fractured? Certainly, but that skill was more about healing others, with how much restorative energy his body was being flooded with Leif somewhat doubted any more healing would help. Crunching footfalls came from nearby, a moment later Ram was looking down at him from where he stood over the spriggan’s head.

“Alive?” The awakened beast asked, what could have been either concern or a scowl on his aged features.

“You could have warned me they could explode.” Leif said once his body stopped its most recent spasm.

“I thought by the piles of elemental scattered all around the valley it was obvious.”

Leif considered Ram’s answer, in hindsight that was kind of obvious. “You still should have told me.”

The goat looked down at him with a smug expression. “You should have asked.”

“Oh Ram, the great and powerful, please tell me everything of importance you have forgotten to mention.”

Ram scoffed, then knelt down to study Leif’s healing form. “I’ll be damned kid, you sure can heal quick.”

“It might be faster.” Leif grunted. “But one of my healing skills is fractured. Oh, any idea how to fix that? I was waiting for it to fix itself but that doesn’t seem to be happening.”

The goatman stared down at him as if he was an idiot. “How do you normally fix broken things?” He asked, as if that made any sense.

“It’s hardly a tangible thing Ram, skill’s are not like bits of broken pottery you can glue back together.”

Ram crossed his arms. “And why not?”

“Because... Because that’s not...” Leif trailed off. That wasn’t how it worked. Right? Right...

“He’s not a long lost sibling or something?” Leif asked, half jokingly.

Ram didn’t reply for several moments, Leif heard him take a deep breath before speaking. “My siblings are long dead. Of old age I mean, none of them reached the level I did.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” Leif said, sensing the slight tremble in Ram’s otherwise ironclad aura. The spriggan couldn’t read the man’s emotions or intent due to the difference in their relative strength, but in that brief moment something slipped through the cracks. “Could you tell me about them? If you want, I’m not trying to force you or anything.”

Again Ram was quiet as he stared up into the cloudy sky. Leif turned his head slightly and saw the far away look in his eye. “There’s... there’s not much to say. They were just a bunch of goats, though I suppose I was too. There was a tribe of humans who lived on the northern slopes of the mountains to the north east of here. They were a rugged, hardy people.” He said, gravelly voice slightly forlorn.

“Tempest goats can sense storms, and in the north those can be more dangerous than monster attacks or the raids of other tribes. It was a long time ago, and back then I was barely a fraction of what I am now, even still I can remember some things. Warning the tribe of danger, guiding them through mountain passes after heavy snowfall. I was good at it, the best out of all my entire herd, and in time I grew.”

“You levelled up and evolved?” Leif asked, intrigued.

Ram nodded. “I remember leaving, going off to find a place with high mana density, then waking up bigger, stronger, more than I was before. I returned to my place in the tribe, I remember my siblings being unable to compare to my strength, even some of the roaming monsters were no match for me. So I evolved, then evolved again. But humans don’t want powerful beasts living among them, and for good reason...”

He continued after a brief pause. “I was powerful, far beyond any of my kind. And for that they pushed me away. It got easier when I learnt to talk, the strange way some creatures can even without the proper bits. I was a barely aware beast the height of a fully grown man that could shoot lightning, it was never... I was never... ”

“Good at talking?” Leif asked, part of his attention was now on his own mouth, but that wouldn’t stop him from getting in a little jab.

Ram glared at Leif, then his expression melted away into tired amusement. For the first time Leif really saw how old the man before him was, how the wrinkles, calluses and scars weren’t just a guise the beast in human form was wearing.

“Sorry.” Leif said, shifting slightly where he was laying on the ground. “I didn’t-”

Ram waved his words away and grunted. “No it's true, even back then I don’t think talking really helped. I remember my first attempt being so loud the surrounding mountains trembled and people ran away in fear.” The goatman sighed. “Time passed, and when I finally reached level fifty I awakened, and well, the rest is as you see it.”

“Awakening...” Leif said, studying the half regrown hand emerging from his mostly unmangled arm. “I’ve been wondering for a while, but what exactly is the difference between Awakening and Incarnating? I know the general differences, awakened monsters and beasts can gain general classes and eventually transform, but what exactly is incarnating?”

“That’s a good question.” Ram grunted. “I’ll be honest kid, it’s been so long that I don’t really remember. When I reached level fifty... I don’t think I really had a choice. Awakening just felt... right.”

“Maybe you awakened because of your connection to the tribe?” Leif said, though his thoughts drifted to the awakened formian who had done battle over Pherin and Far-reach. Why did she awaken? Is it because of the humans the formians enslave? Is that enough to form a connection, or is it something else?

“One thing’s for certain.” Ram said, slapping his knee. “Incarnates are strong, really strong.”

Leif gave the man a side eye. “Said like someone who has experience getting into fights.”

“You’re damn right kid! Ain't nothing I won't fight. Well, unless it's absurdly strong, I’m not eager to die quite yet.”