Siege State

Tom eventually managed to mollify Rosa by refusing to do more than glance at his uplift before she had agreed to discuss hers. Darius helped by laughing so loudly and for so long that they began to worry he would draw the attention of beasts even through the wardpoles. Rosa became incensed at him, drawing some of the heat off Tom. When she eventually cooled down, she explained the three options she had been given.

The first two options were standard. The first offered a decreased mana cost, and the second offered an increased area for the Smoke Shroud. The third option was where things got a little more interesting.

It offered her the ability for the smoke shroud to cling to and follow enemies within it. Tanya and Darius thought it sounded like an excellent idea, but Tom knew she wouldn’t choose it.

She could already control her smoke via her control skill, and while the uplift would undoubtedly be useful, it was, when it came down to it, something she could already do. She did, however, always have far too many demands placed on her mana, and Smoke Shroud was a particularly mana hungry skill. Reducing its cost would go a long way towards making her more effective in battle.

After Rosa had made the obvious choice, Tom spent an appropriate amount of time extrapolating on how much the reduced mana cost would help her in fights. Eventually, he grinned, preparing to dive into his own uplift with the group. Rosa had other plans, however.

“Darius, have you had any gains?” she asked, not looking at Tom with the kind of determinedness that made it clear she was snubbing him.

Tom didn’t mind, but he certainly wouldn’t be letting Rosa know it didn’t bother him. She would find some other way to needle him if she suspected. To that end, Tom affected a frown.

Darius gave a broad, sunny smile. “I have,” he said, gesturing expansively. A cloud passed through his expression, darkening it. “Though, there are some issues…”

“Well?” Tom said. “What are they?”

Darius’ expression wavered. He heaved a great sigh. “I have manifested two more skills for Healing.”

There was a pause. “Doesn’t sound so bad,” Tanya ventured. Rosa snorted.

“It is not, I guess,” he said slowly. “They are both true Healing skills, though. I think I was hoping there was still some way to come back from this.”

They gave him a moment to wrestle with his feelings. Everyone was well aware of his hang ups around being a healer. Tom eventually spoke up.

“It’s not all so bad, Darius,” he said. “You have proven that you’re a skilled healer, that you can make a real difference in a battle. The monastery will be stupid to overlook your true value and keep you sequestered.”

A slow smile stole over Darius’ face again. It was like watching the sun rise.

“I am quite good, aren’t I?” he said, suddenly cheery. “You are right, of course, Tom!”

He clapped Tom on the shoulder before sitting down again. Once more though, his expression faltered.

“So, what are these new skills of yours?” he asked.

“The first is excellent, for a healer. It is a channelled skill that allows me to heal via touch.”

Everyone made the appropriate gasps of surprise and awe. Tom was happy for him. His mother had a similar skill, though trading a single, larger heal against it not being a channelled skill.

“It will be providing me with some good utility, I am thinking. My Burst Heal is useful, but it has such a high cooldown that I cannot use it often. My new skill will mean I can help anytime I am needed, so long as I have the mana.”

“That’s fantastic news,” Tom said. “They always said at the Academy that channelled healing skills are the most versatile. Single-use active are either slow or costly, and control skills don’t have the same power.”

Darius preened, revelling in the attention. Then his face began to drop once more.

“There is one more issue,” he said hesitantly. “The other skill I have manifested, it is a familiar skill.”

“That’s wonderful, Darius!” Tom exclaimed. “I know the monks don’t like familiars all that much, but a Healing familiar would be an incredible asset!”

“You don’t think I know this? And you should know me better by now, Tom! The monks may treat their familiars like tools, but that is not how I view them!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rosa said. “You may not be as bad as the other monks about them, but you don’t treat your Granite as well as she deserves.”

Darius had the sense to look ashamed. His cheeks burned. Granny’s head slowly bobbed around to focus on him, and she chirped at him around a mouthful of greens.

Darius sighed. “I know this,” he said. “But I am trying to do better. After seeing how well your familiars fight with you, it is stupidity to treat them poorly. And.., I will admit, it is nice to have more friends.”

“Well then,” Tom said. “Doesn’t sound like another familiar is such a bad deal for you after all. Are you worried about how the monks will treat you? Two familiars is not unusual, unless things are different at the monastery?”

“It will be annoying, at best,” Darius explained. “The less familiar skills the better, as far as the monks will be concerned. But no, this is not my concern. It is the requirements for the skill.” The group levelled questioning looks at him. “Take a look yourselves.” He gestured at his wisp.

Tom pulled his own wisp over, curious.

Request status: Darius Gallo.

Status: Darius Gallo.

Ideal Two (Classic): Healing.

Skill One (Classic): Burst Heal (Active).

Mana cost: Moderate.

Cooldown: Moderate/High.

Range: Medium.

Duration: Moderate.

Caster applies a moderate heal to the target. Moderate duration moderate heal over time applied as well.

Skill Two (Classic): Helping Hand (Active (Channelled)).

Mana cost: Moderate.

Cooldown: Low.

Range: Trivial.

Caster can apply moderate heal per second via touch.

Skill Three (Classic): Busy Living (Ritual (Familiar)).

Mana cost: Extreme.

Cooldown: Extreme.

Requirements: One hundred life essence, five light essence, five air essence, five blood essence, five bone essence, five nature essence, and one swarm essence.

When summoned: Familiar can make trivial damage physical attacks. Familiar has two channelled abilities.

When subsumed: Caster gains reduced weight. Caster gains a low increase to health and mana regeneration. Caster gains extreme buff to sense of smell.

Almost as one, the group winced as they read through the description and saw the swarm essence requirement. Darius noticed the reaction.

“Exactly!” he said, gesturing at their faces. “Exactly this! I will never get a swarm essence.”

“Surely the Monastery must have them, right?” Tanya asked. “They must have a supply. They’ll give you one.”

Darius harrumphed derisively. “Swarm essences may be common in the Deep, but in the Proving Grounds, in the Barracho Mountains, they are rare.” He gestured minutely. “Rare beyond rare.”

The rest of the group shared a knowing look. Tanya decided to explain.

“Darius, swarm essences are rare even in Wayrest. Most merchants, even essence merchants, never even see one.”

Darius deflated. “Well.” He paused. “I am guessing I will never summon my familiar, then. The monsters here do not come in large swarms. Nor in the mountains. The Monastery buys any they can get their hands on, but this is not enough to satisfy the requirements for the ritual skills of even our strongest warrior monks. I will be grey and old by the time it is decided to be my turn,” he finished, miserable.

“Surely they will see the benefit of a healing familiar at the Monastery? If they prize healers over warriors, then surely a healing familiar would take precedence over a fighting one.”

Darius shook his head sadly. “This is not the case.I do not think you are understanding how rare swarm essences are for us. I accept that they may not be as common as back in your home, but they must still be more common than they are here.

“When I say some of our strongest warriors are still waiting for theirs, I mean our strongest warriors. And they have been waiting for years. It is to the point where all of the brothers and sisters, and even the acolytes, are gossiping and betting on who will be given one next, and what form their ritual will take.

“As much as healers are holy, battle is where the glory truly is. Killing those profane mana-creatures and sending them back to the God. They will have first choice. It is hopeless.”

With that, Darius turned his face down. Tom watched as Granny began to shuffle and stir, obviously picking up on her summoner’s agitation. She slowly trundled over, and began to nudge at the dejected healer’s arm with her blocky head. He scratched her craggy skin.

“Thank you, Granite. At least I have you, eh?” he said to her, with a small smile. “You are more than enough for one Idealist, anyway, I am thinking.” He began to scratch around under the lip of her shell, and the great tortoise’s head wriggled slowly in delight, her tiny eyes creased in bliss.

Tom thought for a moment, and then made an impulsive decision.

“Darius,” he said, holding out his hand to the man.

The handsome healer looked up, to Tom’s outstretched hand. He frowned. “What is it..?”

He trailed off in amazement as Tom opened his hand, proffering a small object. It was a tiny, beautiful stone. Thousands of fine facets decorated its dark exterior. The morning light struck the opalescent face of the gem and threw back reds, oranges, yellows and pinks. It was stunning.

“What..?” Darius sputtered. “How?” He was completely stunned. For that matter, both Tanya and Markus seemed a little taken aback, too. Rosa chortled at the surprise.

“I have a skill for finding objects. It allows me to sense concentrations of mana. It makes finding essences really easy. Anyway, after the siege, we spent a little time hunting down pockets of orcs that had fled. I found this sitting in a field as we walked. It must have manifested from the sheer amount of orcs.”

“This is too valuable, Tom. I cannot take this. It’s too much. It would cause a scandal!”

“Are you saying monks out on pilgrimages would not take a swarm essence for themselves if they found one and needed it? That’s ridiculous. Take it, man. I want you to have it. You have a way to go yet, but you treat Granny well. I would certainly rather you have this than any of your brothers or sisters, from the sounds of it.”

Darius hesitated. The desire for the essence shone in his eyes. “For Goddess’ sake, I have another. I found all sorts of valuable essences after the siege. Two swarm, many death essences, and they’re just as rare. A few that my alchemist and blacksmith friends couldn’t even identify.” Tom pushed his hand forward again. “Take it.”

Darius dithered a moment longer, then reached out to grasp Tom’s hand. The healer met his eyes. “Thank you, Tom,” he said, and Tom could see the man striving to pour sincerity into the simple words. For his part, Tom simply nodded, smiling.

Darius palmed the essence, then tugged at his shirt at the back of his neck. Tom caught a glimpse of a strange, fuzzily-striped pattern spread across Darius’ back.

He gently pressed the essence to the pattern. It disappeared with a striated flash of light.