Chapter 2: So You're a Priest?
1299 Words
They had been fighting for a while when Robb eventually reached them.
Several arrows remained in the bipedal dragon, which was charred by magic. The Soldier's shield was deformed and rugged all over its surface, which implied it had been hit by some violent impacts. His faulds had a piece torn out of them, and his thighs were bleeding, staining his trousers.
The Archer was in no better condition, with a deep claw mark on his shoulder.
However, it was the red-haired Mage who was in the worst condition. Her back bore three claw wounds, and her robe was stained in blood. Her face was pallid, and she looked like she could fall over at any moment. If that were to happen, things would not end well for her. All she could do was hold on until the dragon was slain.
What a grueling battle!
Robb wondered if he should help them kill the dragon.
If he did, one hit would suffice. Bipedal dragons are only mid-level monsters. It would be like taking candy from a baby. But... there was another issue to consider.
For instance, in the gaming world, if a high-level player sees another group of low-level players attacking a quest NPC, and walks over and kills the monster with one final hit, all of them dropped loot would be his. (The settings of the game he used to play meant that the final hit determines the EXP and all of the dropped items.)
That would be foul play!
Those low-level players would definitely get mad about wasting all their efforts for no loot and an incomplete quest, and they would certainly use all of the curse words in their arsenal on the foul player! And the next thing you know, they'll be calling you names on the world chat channel for the next hour.
But, there isn't any last hit to steal EXP and the corpses of monsters in the real world, so there's no need to worry about that. But then again, it's also easy to cause a misunderstanding when you rashly strike someone else's prey. What if the adventurers' guild in this world has some weird rule about who owns the monsters they kill?
Robb kept himself at bay and asked, “Excuse me, can you tell me the way to the nearest town?”
The adventure squad had no time to answer his question. The Soldier, with his one-handed sword and shield, was watching the Bipedal Dragon's every move, and the Mage was preparing her magic. The archer turned his head and replied to him, “Not now. Stand back. Don't get involved.”
“Alright then, you guys look busy. I’ll just wait over here” said Robb with a shrug.
“Loki, God of Fire, hear my prayer...” Chanting a magic spell, the red-haired Mage held back the pain in her back. The bipedal dragon is also a creature with a degree of intelligence. As soon as it heard the sound of the spell's chant, it immediately roared and charged toward the red-haired Mage.
The Soldier hurriedly held up his crooked shield and stood between her and the dragon.
With a great “bang”, the Soldier went flying into the air along with his shield.
"Grant me the power of fire... Flame Blast!" The Mage finally finished her spell, and a fireball fired out of the tip of her staff. It struck the wings of the bipedal dragon wings, and with a mighty “boom”, the fireball exploded, dealing a large amount of fire magic damage to the dragon.
The bipedal dragon roared in pain but still didn’t fall. It raised its other wing and swung hard, hitting the red-haired Mage square on. With a helpless grunt, she was knocked flying into the air.
She wasn't like the soldier who had a shield and armor to protect his body. That must've hurt. Robb could even hear the sound of her shoulders and arms cracking.
The Mage landed right in front of Robb. She coughed up a mouthful of blood and failed to get up.
The Soldier shouted. “Zick, go check on Cheryl...”
So the Archer's name is Zick. He shot three arrows in a row, forcing the bipedal dragon to fly back into the sky again. He then jumped next to the Mage, only to discover that Cheryl's left arm had been twisted and deformed. The fracture looked really bad; her left arm was a complete mess.
Before he could stop himself he yelled, “Oh god!” “Cheryl is in serious trouble. This isn’t gonna work. We have to retreat! Find a Priest to cure her, or else she’ll lose her arm forever.”
“Damn it! I guess we'll have to abandon the quest.”
“Watch out for the dragon...”
As they talked, the bipedal dragon pounced again. The Soldier rushed ahead, followed by a fusillade of arrows fired by the Archer, who had no choice but to leave the Mage. Having lost the firepower of the Mage, fighting the dragon would be more difficult now, and they were fighting with a retreat plan forming in their minds.
Meanwhile, Robb, who'd been watching the entire thing, squatted down next to Cheryl and said, “Just so you know, miss, I’m not the kind of guy who meddles in other people’s battles. I really don’t want another fight on the chat channel. But right now, you’re in a serious condition, and out of the spirit of MMOs, you wouldn’t mind if I boosted your HP, would you?”
“What... What spirit of MMOs... What HP?” Cheryl had no idea what Robb was talking about.
He then said, “What I mean is, I’m going to cast a healing spell on you... Is that okay?”
Cheryl nodded with great difficulty, “If you could... I'd... I’d really appreciate it...”
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She was too weak to speak and was in urgent need of healing. Be that as it may, she had a few doubts about what Robb had said. The man in front of her was wearing strange clothes and had previously claimed to be in the mountains to collect herbs. He looked nothing like a Priest at all. Did he really know how to heal people?
Speaking of which, only clerics who faithfully believed in the God of Light Baldur could cast healing spells, and this man in front of her didn't look anything like a cleric either.
As she brooded over her doubts, Robb raised his hands and cast a soft and divine light upon her, which wrapped around and permeated her entire body with a feeling of warmth. There could be no mistake, this was none other than the restoration magic of divine power - a healing spell.
The wounds all over her body began to heal at a speed visible to the n***d eye. Her fractured and deformed arm soon regained its original shape, and even the three claw marks on her back disappeared as well; her back was restored to its original white and rosy form.
As the pain disappeared, Cheryl stood up, looking incredulously at Robb next to him, “You... you really know how to heal?”
Robb shrugged and replied, "I happen to know a thing or two.”
“Oh my!” said Cheryl. I can’t believe you're an actual Priest. You totally fooled me. Oh, sorry. Where are my manners? Thank you is the first thing I should've said. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead already.”
Robb replied, “Don’t just stand there talking to me. Your companions are pretty screwed without your magic support right now.”
- Writer
