Combat Healer Ch. 06

"Shock," I said simply.

"Shit," Mel hissed, likely understanding the implications.

Despite its name, shock was a fairly powerful spell, being even more powerful than the basic spell for a fire mage - Fireball.

However, there was one minor issue.

"No wonder she almost died so many times," Mel commented. "There's no option for ranged attacks."

"Nope," I agreed somberly. "She practically had to be touching the monster to attack it. Of course, the unique spell I have helped a ton, and thankfully it costs very little essence to use. Otherwise, there's no way we would have survived." I paused. "Of course, we absorbed the monster's essence after killing it, but we still cut it close way too many times."

As was common knowledge, essence regenerated naturally over the course of a day, and I quickly developed a high recovery rate in the Dungeon, but every fight pretty much spent all our stored essence, resulting in a close call every single fight, only for us to absorb just enough magical energy for the next unavoidable fight to the death.

"I'm starting to understand how it was possible," Mel admitted. "But it's still a miracle you're alive."

I nodded, focusing intently on Sylvia's quill now, my mind beginning to feel lost as a stream of memories really began to fill my thoughts, causing a somberness to settle over me as I recalled the relationship I'd developed with that beautiful elf. As well as all the intimate times we'd spent together, finding hope in each other, even despite the hardships plaguing us every day.

Mel must have sensed the sadness because her tone was sympathetic as she responded.

"So where is she now?" she wondered.

I sighed. "I don't know," I admitted. "Just when we reached the final room, we were attacked by some kind of monster and barely survived. It was dark, so I never actually saw the creature. I just..." I paused to swallow, surprised that sharing all this was really hitting me hard. "Well...umm, we won. But we both got hurt really bad. We were both dying." I focused more intently on Sylvia's quill, feeling like her strokes had slowed down. I swallowed again. "I didn't have enough essence to save both of us," I admitted quietly.

Mel sniffled. "Oh Allie," she said almost inaudibly. "I'm so sorry. It's not your fault. You did what you had to do."

I shook my head, knowing she was misunderstanding, though I wasn't ready to explain the whole situation out loud just yet. It was too much for me, to admit how the experienced changed me.

After spending so much time together with that girl, after becoming so close with her, we actually exchanged vows, promising to marry if we ever made it out of there alive. But it wasn't an arrangement of hope. She did love me, just as I'd fallen deeply in love with her, both of us suffering when the other was nearly killed, repeatedly.

If anything, keeping the other person alive had become the goal we primarily strived for, rather than our own self-preservation. She constantly defended me, and I always healed her first, even if I was hurt worse.

But there was little real hope, since after endless days of suffering, neither one of us truly believed we were ever going to make it out. Our only goal was just to survive. One day at a time, one hour at a time, for months.

Thus, we did our best to live our lives within hell, as if that was just our new existence now.

The problem was, once we finally took the risk to consummate our relationship for the first time, I developed a unique skill. And when I told her what the skill was, she was at first excited...thinking it was a sign from the gods...

But when I told her what I was pretty sure it did, she forbid me from using it.

Because it would forever link our lives, and if she died, then I would die...

She couldn't accept that.

She knew she might be the one to really die, between the two of us, and she couldn't accept the idea that her own death might take my life too. She already blamed herself for me being stuck in the Dungeon with her, since I wouldn't have chased after her if she'd just stayed put, so she wasn't willing to risk her death resulting in mine.

However, after the final monster was defeated and she was dying in my arms, I'd actually been completely out of essence, having no idea where the slain monster was in the darkness, and knowing there wasn't enough time anyway. Not for either one of us.

My healing magic completely ineffective...

But that's when I gained the skill Eye of the Goddess.

And suddenly, I understood what it would truly mean to link my life to hers.

I could save her...

I could save her!

It would only cost...

My own life.

I cleared my throat, trying to collect myself as I corrected her assumption. "Umm, no, I didn't heal myself." I paused. "I healed her."

Mel was quiet for a long few seconds. "So then...you both survived?"

I sighed heavily, glancing at her, surprised that her gold eyes were a little teary. "I used up all I had, and healed her. But yeah, I guess I survived too. Obviously." I sighed. "However, when I woke up, she was gone. The doors to the outside world were open, and she was gone." I paused when I saw the realization register in her eyes.

"She abandoned you," she whispered. "Left you there."

I nodded, returning my focus to Sylvia's quill. It had stopped, but she began moving it again, flipping pages through the tome slowly.

Mel spoke up after a few seconds. "Maybe she thought you were dead?" she suggested.

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter. That was like six years ago now."

Of course, I didn't want to admit to Mel just how much that abandonment left me broken. Especially after everything the elf girl and I had gone through together. Because I didn't want to admit to my new girlfriend that it still affected me even now.

The girl I'd loved so deeply...the girl I'd literally died for...left me behind.

Even if she did think I was dead...I couldn't imagine her doing that.

And yet she did.

Mel sighed heavily. "What was her name?" she wondered. "Have you ever considered looking for her?"

I focused on her gold eyes in surprise. "You think I should look for her?" I repeated, my tone skeptical.

She shrugged. "I mean, you went through hell together. How could you not?"

"Mel, she left me," I said in disbelief. "And yeah, maybe she thought I was dead. And yeah, I admit that I did initially search for her some, but no one had heard of her and I wasn't exactly in any condition mentally to be traveling the countryside to try finding her." I sighed. "Besides, I'm not sure that seeing her again would be something she wants." I scoffed. "Shit, she would be twenty now. Might already be married to someone." I grimaced at the thought, even though I had no right to at this point.

Yes, it was true that we did exchange vows, and yeah I'd been confident in how she felt about me, but I wasn't nearly as confident that all those feelings translated to normal life, when we weren't surviving hour-by-hour in hell. For all I knew, seeing me might just be a painful reminder of the torment she suffered.

And for all I knew, that might be the exact reason why she abandoned me.

Mel was frowning. "Okay, she was fourteen when you knew her, and she's twenty now. Does she have any identifying features? And what's her name? Surely you know that, after spending so much time together, right?"

"Mel," I said in disbelief. "We just started dating. Can we just focus on us please?"

She scoffed. "Allie, just answer the questions. I'm not saying I want you to jump in bed with her, but if we come across someone that looks like her, I don't see any harm in verifying if it's her or not."

"And what if we did come across her?" I asked seriously.

Mel shrugged. "You're my human now, Allie. And I just want what's best for you."

I frowned at that, uncertain of what she was implying. I then sighed as I focused on Sylvia's quill, still making notes as she always did in her methodical way. It looked like she was almost done flipping the pages, so I decided to just give in, and tell Mel what she wanted to know.

"Fine," I sighed. "Obviously, she'd probably be short for an elf, even as an adult, but she also had purple eyes."

"Oh," Mel said in surprise. "That's rare. Doesn't the Queen have purple eyes?"

I shrugged. "That's what I've heard, but the Queen doesn't have any children. And the girl would have told me if she was from a noble family. Pretty sure she was just from a common merchant family."

"Oh, I wasn't suggesting she was related. I was just surprised that her eyes were purple. So, what was her name?"

I grimaced, focusing on Sylvia's quill, realizing I hadn't spoken the name out loud in over five years. "Umm, her name is Elizatay Mariona."

Sylvia's quill abruptly halted, her entire body rigid.

I blinked a few times, only to realize she must be finished when she abruptly closed the book and stood up. She then quickly disappeared out of sight for a moment, before reappearing with a black cloak covering her silver dress, the outer garment just as elegant, but useful in protecting her finer clothing from becoming soiled when she traveled through the streets.

Her tone was sharp. "Everything is in order. I may permit you to borrow it again. Are you returning it now because you intend on leaving the city today for a quest?"

I was shocked by the question.

She never asked me about my plans. She never asked me anything. "Umm, no. I just figured I wouldn't have time to read any more today or tomorrow."

She nodded. "I must depart on an errand. Please leave."

I frowned at that, her demand sounding much more normal, coming from her.

But still, I felt uneasy as I began turning to leave. Why in the hell had an errand come up that was so urgent? Had she been about to leave when we arrived?

She must have picked up on it.

"Mr. Rosengard," she said sharply.

I glanced back at her. "Yes ma'am?"

Her tone was firm. "Despite the strong displeasure your presence brings me, you are undeniably responsible for bringing back some of the most fascinating artifacts, and are also a consistent source of gold by choosing to rent some of the books and items I have in my possession. It pains me to say it, but I appreciate your patronage and hope you will continue to visit, as the need arises."

"Umm, sure," I replied simply. Did she really just compliment me?

She nodded. "Now please leave."

I turned to do so, Mel having a bizarre look on her face as she also turned to lead the way, hurrying up the stairs to get back to the street level. It was just as we got to the top that I heard Sylvia slipping out of the metal door down below and locking it behind her. However, my attention quickly shifted to Mel when she abruptly held her arms out as she spoke loudly.

"Okay, Kiz'mezle, or whatever your name is. Pat me down, feel me up, or whatever! I did not steal anything!"

Kizmel just looked at her and rolled his eyes, clearly not amused. "Not like there's anywhere you could hide anything."

Mel laughed at that, her entire attitude suddenly carefree. "Then clearly you've never seen a woman steal. I could shove a whole turkey down my tits and you'd never know, not to mention what I could shove up my-"

"Okay okay," the elf snapped. "I get the point. Now be on your way."

Mel just laughed more, clearly enjoying herself, and apparently looking forward to us spending the rest of the day together. "Okay Allie, what's next? It's not afternoon yet, so I guess we visit the nearest market and hang out a little?"

"Sure," I agreed, holding out my hand when she offered hers. "We can get a few spicy Sizzles to chew on while we look around, and maybe I'll even get you a small gift."

"Oh man, you want me that bad, huh?" she laughed, seeming the most relaxed and open I'd seen thus far. It was almost like she was a different person right now, like she was finally showing me the real her, when she was truly happy, excited, and overall didn't have a care in the world. I also kind of wondered if maybe me sharing with her about a sincerely traumatizing experience actually kind of made her feel more endearing toward me.

Needless to say, I rolled my eyes in response to her comment, knowing what she was implying. That I was trying to get her in bed with the offer of food and gifts. "I'd like to treat my girlfriend out to a nice date, yes. And hey, if it scores me a few points, that's great too."

She laughed some more, the sound quickly becoming my favorite sound in the world.

However, when I glanced over my shoulder as we got to the end of the wide alleyway, I saw Sylvia speaking quietly to Kizmel with a concerned look on her face. Which was possibly the most expressive I'd ever seen her, aside from seeing her irritated.

I turned my head away when her piercing icy blue eyes glanced at me, but I couldn't help but feel like something was off as Mel and I stepped onto the main road and began making our way to the nearest market square.

Unsurprisingly, Mel wanted to know more about what happened after the events I'd already told her, so I began recounting how I ended up in a small village where I didn't know anyone, just spending a few years trying to recover, and eventually decided to venture further north to make some money healing those who had been affected by the Scourge.

I then shared more about how I met my teammates, going into more details about the exact circumstances, only to put that story on hold when we reached the market square.

Mel of course was excited just to be in a new place and to see exciting things, so she didn't notice when a significant realization finally hit me.

That nagging feeling in the back of my head.

The one that let me know I was missing something huge.

When I first began telling Mel my story, prior to arriving at Sylvia's vault, I'd admitted that I suspected it was possible that the Queen might be responsible for hiding the fact that a major Scourge Outbreak occurred in the Atacama Valley. Because I knew what I'd experienced, and yet no one seemed to know about it. Everyone believed that the last time such a thing happened was nearly a century ago.

But I knew differently.

And if it was true that the Queen was going to extreme measures to hide the truth...

And if it just so happened that Sylvia could hear me with those sharp ears of hers...

Shit.

I mean, Sylvia hadn't heard me say where that Dungeon was, but maybe I'd said enough for her to figure it out...

And what if she had, in fact, figured it out.

Then what if that meant she'd just heard me talk about the exact same Scourge that the Queen wanted to keep secret?

Fuck.

Fuck, this was not good.

-

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Submitted: November 10, 2022 to Literotica (Copyright 2021 Kaizer Wolf)