Chapter 127: Holy Healing

The young paladin channeled divine power, and a soft, pristine white light bloomed from his fingertips. It flowed over Joann, the wounds knitting together rapidly under the soothing radiance.

Joann felt a warmth suffuse his entire body and could not help but let out a comfortable moan. However, his brow soon furrowed again, worried about his legs, which still refused to obey him.

Captain Daniel noticed the change in his expression, reached out to touch Joann’s legs, and comforted him with a smile, "Don't worry, it’s just a dislocation; it will be better in a moment! Little mage, what spell was that rocket you fired at the lizardman?"

"That was the magic of a 'fire-breath potion,' Sir Knight. I am not yet capable of learning the 2nd-level arcane spell required to craft such potions—ouch!"

A sharp, sudden pain in his ankle forced a gasp from Joann, and he looked at Captain Daniel in astonishment.

"Hehe, sorry for causing you pain," Captain Daniel said, a mischievous grin appearing on his handsome face as he winked. "But that brief agony was necessary for your recovery. Now, try standing up and taking a few steps."

Joann tentatively moved his legs and realized his dislocated joints had been reset. He then understood that Captain Daniel had been deliberately making small talk to distract him, taking the opportunity to reset the joints while his attention was diverted—had the captain warned him, Joann would have tensed his muscles, complicating the treatment and causing himself far more pain.

Joann stood up with the help of Daniel's hand and tried to walk. His ankle still throbbed, but it was at least functional.

By this time, Major George Vassa had learned from the Tyndall brothers that they were from Delin Town and were heading to the military camp to seek reinforcements. Major Vassa explained that he had seen a purple column of smoke rising from the forest while on patrol and had led a team to investigate out of curiosity, luckily saving the messenger squad from Elder Bashong’s pursuit. Had they arrived a moment later, the distress letter from Mayor Tyndall might never have been delivered.

"I thank my Lord Tymora for her protection!" Major Vassa prayed devoutly upon hearing of the coincidence.

As someone who was broadly an agnostic, Joann found the Major's behavior difficult to understand. After asking Captain Daniel, who could never keep a secret, he realized that George Vassa was a devout follower of the Goddess Tymora. Tymora, the "Lady of Fate," was one of two sister goddesses in the world of Vares who held the divine portfolio of "Fate." Her followers believed that every cause has an effect and every effect has a cause; if one happened to be lucky, one must thank the goddess for her favor.

Joann was not entirely convinced by the philosophy of the Church of Tymora, but he knew she was a goddess leaning toward Lawful Neutral. The paladins of the Lady of Fate were mostly of the Lawful Good alignment, and from a religious perspective, Major Vassa would likely find it unbearable to sit idly by while Delin Town suffered.

After moving his sore ankle a bit, Joann remembered that Wess was still unconscious and asked the kind-hearted Captain Daniel Fairfax to treat the lizardman as well.

Daniel readily agreed to the request, but after carefully examining Wess, he shook his head with a wry smile. "The wound on this lizardman gentleman's back is not fatal; the real danger is that the wound is infected with poison. My paladin rank is not high enough; my divine magic and 'Lay on Hands' can heal wounds but cannot neutralize toxins. I'm afraid I cannot help."

"The short sword that stabbed Wess was coated in a virulent poison called 'Blue Hissing Tears.' He has been in a coma ever since. I don’t know how much longer poor Wess can hold on," Joann sighed.

Mr. Kellandil’s medical books contained the preparation method for "Blue Hissing Tears" and its antidote, but unfortunately, it was impossible to procure the necessary herbs nearby. Even knowing the recipe, he could not save him.

Daniel smiled, patted Joann’s shoulder, and told him not to worry. "Although I cannot cure your lizardman friend, Major Vassa can, and he is always happy to help others escape the torment of illness."

Daniel turned and walked over to George Vassa, briefly explaining Wess’s symptoms and Joann’s analysis of the poison. The Major immediately came over to treat Wess without a second word. As his fingers lightly touched the lizardman prince’s feverish forehead, a surge of sacred energy flowed into Wess to purge the toxins.

Watching the Major treat Wess, Joann gained a deeper understanding of the "Paladin," an extraordinary profession that bridged the gap between cleric and warrior. The iconic paladin skill, "Lay on Hands," could do more than just heal physical trauma; as the paladin’s rank increased, the ability grew in power. Take George Vassa, for example: as a 9th-level "Tymoran Paladin," the "Holy Light" he released could not only heal wounds but also dispel fatigue, remove diseases, and neutralize poisons.

Under Major Vassa’s diligent treatment, Wess, who had been unconscious for a full day, quickly woke up. Though still physically weak, he was instructed by the Major to eat easily digestible food to regain his strength, after which they were invited to rest at the military camp.

Considering Joann and his companions had no mounts, Major Vassa arranged for his cavalrymen to give them a lift. Captain Daniel Fairfax offered to share his horse with Joann, and the young mage accepted the kind gesture with some embarrassment. Before mounting, Joann thoroughly searched Elder Bashong’s body, but unfortunately, there was nothing of value except for the broken wand.

This wand originally held ten charges and would automatically recover some energy each day. It could release "Summon Nature's Ally II," consuming one charge to summon animals like hippogriffs, crocodiles, or black bears. Under normal circumstances, summoned creatures could only last for three minutes, but Elder Bashong had used a metamagic feat called "Extend Spell" when crafting the wand, doubling the duration to a maximum of six minutes.

"Summon Nature's Ally" was a nature spell exclusive to druids and rangers. As an arcane caster, Joann could not use the wand even if it were intact. He had originally intended only to pry off the sapphire embedded at the top to use as a spell component, but while analyzing the wand with runes, he received an unexpected surprise. Although he could not use the rune analysis function to learn divine nature spells, he could learn the metamagic feat "Extend Spell" that Bashong had left behind—after all, metamagic feats were not restricted by profession and were the same for both divine and arcane casters!

After a three-hour ride, Joann and his group finally arrived at the military camp. It was established at the junction of the Alf Forest and the Brass Mountains; along the way, the vegetation had shifted visibly, transitioning from dense forest to meadows covered in sparse shrubs.