Chapter 399

Cain takes the few minutes he needs to merge with a copy of Kone and write out the advanced Druid-only spell [Area Heal] before they leave the temple compound and head out to see the spot where the healers that come from the temple do most of their work. The building is one with a fairly average climate, though it has a smell of stone and ozone like the high mountains. The open front room has dozens of healers of various specialties assembled as well as their assistants and trainees, all getting ready for the first meetings of the morning, both here and at their patient’s homes.

This is one of the professions that actually travel outside the village, visiting farmers and others who might need their help in the region, and the primary reason that the stories of the dangers of the awakened zone are told so often. Both to train their new healers in the danger of the outside world and to encourage others to act safely, to reduce the healer’s workload.

Cain stops by the door and watches, looking for a suitable candidate. It doesn’t take long, because one particular bunny stands out from the rest. He is almost to adulthood, well beyond the age when he would have normally activated a system, and he is holding a magical sewing needle in his hand. If he had the potential, that would have activated his class options.

Before the day has officially started, he is practicing his suture technique, one of the handy first aid skills that will reduce bleeding and makes the healing easier or can even save the injured person’s life if nobody with a system is around. Cain strides over to the diligent acolyte with the book in hand and a smile on his face.

“I have decided, you should use this book.” He says, handing it over without elaboration.

The young man looks confused, but opens the book anyhow, automatically activating it and making it disappear. His face goes blank as the system interface opens for him, just as Cain hoped. Having one healing spell is better than no healing spells, but being stuck with no system and one spell, he wouldn’t be able to cast it very often.

His sudden immobility has attracted the attention of his teacher, a burly older bunny kin woman with jet black ears who comes over to tell him off until Vala stops her.

“The boss gave him a skill as a gift and it looks like it activated the system for him.” The demon explains, catching the attention of the other healers.

“Why would he do that? Skill books are exceptionally precious, especially healing ones. Nobody gives them out without expecting something in return.” The practical woman states in a serious voice.

“Oh, he wants something, but it won’t cost anything. I am pretty sure that this is more in the nature of a practical joke than an act of charity.” The pale-eared acolyte escort giggles softly, watching her compatriot gain a class.

She gained the Truth Seer class a few months ago, and one of her first visions was of Cain in the past. Since then she has only had a few more visions, but they have all been about past events that have been misunderstood in the current time.

The first patients of the day have come in while they were waiting, a young mother with sick children, and a young worker with a broken hand. The acolyte looks around, finally able to see again now that the class selection is finished, and notices they are open for business. He focuses hard and casts [Area Heal] bringing everyone in the room up to near peak condition.

The skill is very powerful, but he is still level 1 after all, and the healing is based on INT.

It’s enough for the others, and the patients though. They all crowd around him rubbing his ears for luck. All the companions and the acolyte turn to Cain with a smirk on their faces.

“So that was your grand plan? Give someone area healing to make everyone pat their head because I complained about you doing it?” The acolyte asks.

“Oh no, nothing so simple. There is a very good chance that he is going to activate the [Healing Aura] skill soon, either naturally or through a quest. If the Great Bunny smiles on him, he will recreate the legend of petting bunnies for healing.” Cain declares proudly, making the healers burst into laughter.

“Do you perhaps follow the Laughing God? That seems like the sort of thing he would enjoy.” The matronly senior healer asks.

“We have an understanding, I believe.” Cain agrees, not going into details on all the strange and amazing things that have happened since he arrived in this world.

“We should get going soon though if we are going to get into the Awakened areas today and start our search,” Vala suggests, seeing that it will be a while before the healers recover and finish congratulating the member that they thought would never gain a class.

“Good point, come along little bunny. We will drop you at home on our way out of town. Just keep those visions of yours active and you might see us again, we put a lot of effort into keeping life interesting.” Cain declares, leading the way back to the temple.

There is no exit to the city on the side closest to the awakened area, at least not one with a path, so they simply head straight out into the bamboo forest that separates the temple from the awakened zone. There are a lot of people in the forests near the village, harvesting the bamboo for a wide variety of uses, knowing that it will grow back in a single season to the point that it can be harvested again.

Further in the bamboo gets much larger, until near dark it gives way to a coniferous forest that has a rather sinister feeling. They must have entered the awakened area without noticing. For some reason, Cain thought it would be like a physical barrier, either visible or something that he could feel. Instead, the barrier was marked by a change in the trees and the feeling in the air.

There are no signs of civilization anywhere near them, and Cain realizes that the scale on the map they gained from the temple is much different than the one that they got from the City. They only made it half as far as Cain was expecting them to cover in a day. That is both good and bad news though. Good because it gives them more time to hunt awakened beasts, bad because now they need to set up camp in the wilderness.

A few more minutes brings them to a small hill with a clearing, so they set up out in the open where they can see anything that approaches. That leaves them open to flying monsters, but Vala and Laura have an eye open for them and can intercept if necessary.

Before settling into sleep, Cain grants his companions the [Crushing Tentacles] ability, so they will all have a ranged Mythic attack and control ability if they are attacked. The bunnies couldn’t tell them much about the difference in durability between the ranks, only about the damage reduction that he already knew. Only an actual fight will tell him the difference.