NOVEL WEB Chapter 3
Kyle hadn’t made it very far before he realized something was wrong – very wrong. As an E Grade human his body was as strong as a top-tier athlete’s, even with his class specializing on mana manipulation. He had attributed his exhaustion and pain to be a lingering effect from surviving the blast and the grief at losing his grandfather, but just a couple hours later he felt his body’s condition continuing to deteriorate. He should have been able to maintain a walking pace like this for the bulk of the day with no negative effects, so this was deeply concerning.
“C.H.A.D.D., can you run a diagnostic on me? Something is… wrong.”
[CERTAINLY DR. MAYHEW. CENTRAL HEALTH POLICY IS TO REMIND YOU THAT ANY PRESCRIPTIONS MUST BE AUTHORIZED BY A THIRD-PARTY PHYISICAN, HEALER, OR ALCHEMIST. THE RESULTS OF THE DIAGNOSTIC MAY BE SHARED WITH CENTRAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT, AND THE CENTRAL AUTHORITY IF ILLICIT SUBSTANCES ARE DETECTED…]
C.H.A.D.D. chattered on for another minute, sharing all the disclaimers and possible repercussions of physicians using their diagnoses for access to strong pharmaceuticals. Eventually the drone finished, and began scanning Kyle. Moments later with a hum, C.H.A.D.D. projected an image of Kyle’s body. Average height, fit, with short brown hair, Kyle was what most would consider average looking. He had olive skin and sharp features. It wasn’t his appearance that gave him pause though, it was the mapping of his mana pathways.
What would typically reflect a steady flow of mana circulating throughout his body instead showed chaotic torrents that ebbed and flowed in random sequence, causing minor but consistent damage to his body. It was this slow wear and tear all throughout his system that was draining him, and he recognized quickly that in this condition he wouldn’t be able to make it more than a few days.
He used his HEAL ability on himself, but it was far from an effective solution. The skill worked by manipulating his mana to encourage regenerative effects within an area of the body. While it was effective at what it did and could be used to great effect against large traumas, it was simply too costly to be used on every area of the body at once. Not seeing another option, Kyle sat on the ground, crossed his legs, and entered meditation.
In his mind’s eye, he saw a void with an outline of his shape in the center. Within the shape he saw a small network of bright spots where his navel would be, all encompassed in a larger circle. From there seven “arms” branched out, spinning in a lazy circle. Perpetually moving, these arms were a representation of the seven fundamental attributes. Vitality, Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Willpower, and Perception. This was the center of his mana cultivation, and as he continued to focus on it the motes of light became clearer. On the interior of the circle, he focused on the bright spot in the center, and words entered his mind.
KYLE MAYHEW. HUMAN, HEALER. LEVEL 20
From that large central point, he saw a well-defined pattern emerging off to one side, which he knew was the representation of his HEAL skill. Just beyond that, he saw three indistinct grey orbs. There were the skills he was so proud of unlocking just the day before. However, given his circumstances the two he had spent countless hours of study hoping for would no longer be of use to him. Sighing, he dismissed MICROSUTURE and BIOWEB.
These skills would have surely landed him a large raise and a position in a much more specialized part of the medical field, but if he was going to survive, he would need to keep his body in one piece. It wasn’t an exciting skill, nor was it a skill he had even considered given his other options, but now Kyle saw that it was the perfect skill to help him handle the constant damage to his body. Feeling modestly comforted, Kyle focused on the third orb and willed the surrounding motes of mana to infuse it. REGENERATION was learned, and Kyle instantly activated his skill. Even though he was in his center, he felt a gentle soothing across his body as mana was converted to rejuvenating energy.
The mana cost was relatively low, even sustained, but it felt like the healing would more than make up for the damage caused by the chaotic mana in the air. It would be much less effective in treating acute injuries, but it was the perfect solution to counteract the slow, deteriorating effects of the unregulated mana. Satisfied that his body’s condition would continue to improve, Kyle shifted his focus to the arms swirling around his center, representing the seven attributes bolstered by his cultivation. While he observed their perpetual rotation, he received an impression of his current progress:
VITALITY: 29
ENDURANCE: 29
STRENGTH: 23
DEXTERITY: 25
WILLPOWER: 55
INTELLIGENCE: 75
PERCEPTION: 60
FREE ATTRIBUTES: 4
Kyle paused to reflect on his current progress. Humans grew well-rounded, but the Healer class he had focused on the mental attributes, to the exclusion of the physical. His high Intelligence let him manipulate mana with fine control, while his Willpower allowed him to manipulate a greater quantity of mana. He had invested virtually all of his free attribute points into Perception over the last couple years to assist with his goal of precise internal medicine, but at this juncture none of those attributes seemed like they’d give him much of an advantage in the here and now.
He thought about Strength and Dexterity, but quickly dismissed them. They would help him to move heavier objects and move his body more nimbly, but that was hardly a primary concern at this point. He settled on splitting his 4 remaining free attributes between Vitality and Endurance. Improving his vital energy would help his natural recovery and take some strain off the REGENERATION skill, while the investment in Endurance would improve his overall toughness. He had few enough points in each that two points invested would still be a meaningful difference, and felt confident that once he was past his current trials his primary attributes as a healer wouldn’t be in danger of lagging behind. He watched the remaining motes of light flow into two of the rotating arms, and then slowly drew himself out of meditation.
Kyle opened his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin as he saw C.H.A.D.D. hovering barely an inch away from his face.
[DR. MAYHEW, YOU ASKED TO BE KEPT INFORMED IF A NETWORK CONNECTION WAS ESTABLISHED?] Excitement quickly replacing surprise, Kyle confirmed. “Yes, did you find a connection? With which branch? What do the recent reports say?”
[UNKNOWN. AT THIS TIME THERE HAVE BEEN NO NETWORK CONNECTIONS ESTABLISHED. THIS UNIT WAS SIMPLY CONFIRMING STANDING INSTRUCTION.]
Kyle blinked, disappointed and more than a little confused. “C.H.A.D.D., how are your systems holding up?” Kyle realized as he asked that these drones run on ambient mana, and that the drone was likely taking internal damage similar to him.
C.H.A.D.D. floated silently for a long minute before responding. [DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE. PROCESSING POWER AT EIGHTY-SIX PERCENT. DATABASE ACCESS FUNCTIONAL. CORE FUNCTION AT NINETY-THREE PERCENT. MOBILITY FUNCTION AT SEVENTY-EIGHT PERCENT.] Kyle was at least encouraged that the drone was operational for now, but did give it one more request.
“C.HA.D.D., run a diagnostic on yourself every 24 hours and give me a report of your core functions, as well as the previous log. I want to be kept informed of your condition.”
[YES DR. MAYHEW.]
Victor DeRosa was having a bad day. He sighed as he looked at the sandwiches on his plate, the small edges of crust left on the bread. As if it wasn’t bad enough that the blasted world was ending, his assistant STILL wasn’t able to properly cut the edges of his sandwiches. With resignation, Victor took out a small knife and cleaned up the cuts. Two perfect triangles of bread with a creamy nut spread and fruit preserves. He took a bite, grimacing at the ratio. No, this assistant simply wouldn’t do.
It was unfortunate he had to fire the last one two months back – but embezzlement couldn’t be tolerated, even if the sandwiches were simply divine. He finished his meal and settled into his chair as he thought about the next steps. The capital in Cathwick was gone, and no communication had been established with any of the other large cities. He had a team of mages that had erected a barrier to keep the harmful mana out, but at the current rate it would be months before the mana network could be reestablished and running in a meaningful way.
As the third in command of the Central Authority, he had prepared to eventually have to run the show – he just hadn’t anticipated an event like this. Still, there was room to improve efficiency and he knew that he’d be up to the task – saving the world one small step at a time. He looked in the mirror and spotted some crumbs in his otherwise perfectly trimmed beard, a streak of silver in the long dark hair. Quickly brushing them away and into the trash, Victor looked out at his city. Nierburg survived better than he, or anybody expected. And he would ensure that out of the ashes of this tragedy a new and better Central Authority would rise.
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