Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 46B2 - Prepared for War

David emerged from the large portal behind Maja. As the portal closed, her legs gave out, yet her smile didn’t fade.

“That was… intense,” Maja muttered, and David agreed silently.

It was the first time he had seen her conjure such a large portal, yet she had done it despite her Mana Core being strained and nearly empty. Still, she had succeeded in bringing Ashville’s residents to the Dwarven Sanctuary.

“I am glad you returned,” Torb’s voice rang out as he approached them.

Torb wove through the masses of native humans and stopped in front of him. David nodded in response and looked around, scanning the life signals in the Sanctuary. He felt Torb’s gaze linger on him and heard him mention something about his restrictions being lifted. Did Torb really think he cared about that?

David nodded again before walking away. He checked his direction momentarily, then strode through the familiar streets until a towering wall obstructed his path. The urge to smash the wall threatened to overtake him, but instead, he leaped atop it. The eyes of many lingered on him, but he ignored the voices ringing in his ears and climbed the nearest tower.

Sitting atop the rooftop, a heavy sigh escaped his lips as his gaze drifted to the empty plains ahead. Most of it—if not all—would soon become a deadly battlefield. The land would be destroyed, charred beyond recognition, only to be rejuvenated by the blood and remains of those fated to die.

Many would perish. Monsters, ferocious beasts, domesticated creatures—dwarves, elves, humans, tirac, and countless others. Nobody would be spared.

Death. It was everywhere. It had always been. But now, it was more present than ever.

He sighed again, feeling anger trying to grip his soul, attempting to fuel him, to influence his actions. But while he desired to follow his instincts, David knew how foolish that would be.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. Fighting the Grand Horde without control over his emotions would be reckless. It would end him—once and for all.

David shifted position, sat cross-legged, and began meditating, activating [Meditation] alongside [Mind Palace]. Maybe that was all he needed to retain his calm.

The night passed quickly, and he got to his feet, feeling a little better. He could not rid himself of the confusion that clung to him like a blood-sucking leech, but it felt as though the leech was now a part of him. Just like the part of him that seemed to have gone missing.

Is it just me, or does everything feel… duller than before? David wondered.

He leaped from the tower, landing softly.

Squinting, he searched for Zachariah’s strong life signal, but he couldn’t find it. Was the regressor not in the Sanctuary? That was troublesome. David groaned softly and returned to the plaza, where humans and dwarves alike were waiting.

“What’s happening here?” he asked a warrior, likely at the Bronze Rank.

The warrior kept looking ahead as he responded, “Where have you been that you don’t know what’s going on? The leaders are negotiating.”

Negotiating?

“Why?”

The warrior flicked his head toward David in irritation, but before he could reply, his eyes widened, and he froze.

“Why are they negotiating?”

Maja had mentioned that the Dwarven Sanctuary made a proposition, but he couldn’t remember what it was about.

“T-The Prime Champion offered to take us in. In exchange, we are to fight the Grand Horde,” the warrior stammered, shuddering as he added, “Apparently, the monsters we fought near Ashville were only a small part of the Grand Horde.”

David already knew that much.

“Well… and now Lukas and the others are demanding armaments, Skill Runes, permanent lodging, and other things for us. They’re saying we could leave this region if we wanted, while the Dwarven Sanctuary is bound to this place. Though, I don’t really know how true any of that is,” the warrior said.

David gestured for him to turn back. In the meantime, he sought Torb’s life signal and found it among other familiar ones in a large room ahead. He walked through the masses of dwarves, humans, and other races, closing in on the room where the leaders had gathered. Whether they were negotiating or devising a strategy mattered little.

As he approached, the dwarves guarding the room shuddered, their faces twisting. But they did not block his way. Instead, they stepped aside and opened the door for him.

Stepping inside, he recognized several familiar faces. They noticed him, momentarily at a loss for words. But they did not hesitate for long and resumed their fierce discussion.

David listened halfheartedly, his attention drifting. He caught Maja smiling at him, pulling her chair aside to make enough space. Retrieving a wooden chair from his cramped necklace—an action that drained his Blood faster than some overclocked Skill Runes—he joined the heated conversation at the round table.

“I don’t think we’re asking for too much,” Lukas said calmly, though his fingers drummed relentlessly on the table. “You asked us to come to the Dwarven Sanctuary because you need our help. But that is also why we want access to the natural Rift, like every other permanent resident. You’re also the one who offered us Aspect Armaments and all the equipment we need to gain enough strength to fight the Grand Horde. But is it really too much to request to keep the weapons if—you should know how low the chances are—if we survive the fight against the Grand Horde?”

Lukas’ voice grew louder as the words poured out of him. His life signals were in disarray, and to David, it looked like the swordsman was about to leap across the table and shake Torb and his people.

“We don’t want to keep all the equipment you offer, but we will not fight for free. If you bar us from the prehistoric Rift and refuse to give us anything in return for risking our lives, we will leave.”

The swordsman shrugged and added with a sly smile, “We can always settle in a town several kilometers behind the Sanctuary, wait for the Grand Horde to obliterate the Dwarven Sanctuary, and then defeat the rest of the Grand Horde using the intel we’ve gathered from fighting a portion—more than two thousand monsters—of the Grand Horde.”

David raised an eyebrow and glanced at Torb, who seemed to be seething.

Understandable. The whole situation was a mess. What were they doing there in the first place?

“Not even the permanent residents have full access to the Rift. Under normal circumstances, they have to register and wait, ensuring the Rift isn’t too crowded. You may not understand the reasoning, but it does not matter. I will not grant you any special privileges regarding the natural Rift. That would stir unnecessary trouble,” Torb commented, trying—and failing—to look calm. “And in the first place, Ashville’s residents are not that powerful. Scouts of the Dwarven Sanctuary scanned the battlefield to—”

“You’re spying on us?!” Lukas jumped to his feet, his fist crashing hard against the wooden table. It didn’t break, which surprised David. He tapped the wood and channeled Blood into it, trying to understand what made it so special.

That wasn’t particularly interesting, but it was certainly better than listening to Lukas and Torb argue. Unfortunately, their voices continued ringing in his ears even as he focused on the table.

“Spying? We cannot be bothered. There are more pressing issues than spying on your little town. Our Scouts were deployed to locate the Grand Horde, discover its strengths and weaknesses, and—that much should be obvious—assess their numbers and Ranks. Of course, they scanned your battlefield as well, trying to determine what must be done to eliminate the Grand Horde once and for all,” Torb said, sounding calmer than before. “And the Scouts verified that the majority of the strongest monsters were killed by Intent, Blood-empowered attacks, and… well, brute force. Many were squashed to death, though we don’t know why.”

David looked up to see Torb staring at him, but he simply shrugged and pointed at Maja. She flinched, her face turning red.

Lukas cleared his throat. “Regardless of the circumstances, we want more in return for risking our lives for the Dwarven Sanctuary. We have many young and elderly citizens who cannot fight. Some may have useful Classes, but I’ve heard enough about the pricing in the Dwarven Sanctuary to know that most of us won’t be able to afford it. Thus, the magical armaments and permanent lodging in the Dwarven Sanctuary are the least we should receive in return for facing death head-on!”

David heard a groan nearby as the heated conversation continued.

Melach?

He tilted his head, not expecting the elf to be present. Melach’s life signal hadn’t been there earlier—or at least, David couldn’t recall sensing it from outside. Something about him felt different, too. David channeled Blood into his modified eyes and studied the elf’s life signal more intently. It had changed, and so had the elf.

Melach was stronger than before. His life signals weren’t any weaker than Torb’s.

Not bad, David thought. Not bad at all.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

The conversation continued, but the situation only worsened. He couldn’t see Torb and Lukas reaching a conclusion anytime soon. If anything, they were likely to keep arguing until the Grand Horde arrived.

That was not feasible.

“How about everyone take a deep breath?” David interjected, releasing a trace of Bloodlust.

Everyone tensed up instantly, which was amusing. Some reached for their weapons, while Melach and two other Mages had already gathered their mana.

"Good. Everyone is listening." He ignored the tension hanging heavily in the air and smiled. "We don’t have all day. The Grand Horde is coming, and we’re wasting time negotiating."

He gave Torb and Lukas a displeased look and continued, "Let’s make it simple. Ashville’s residents will be given the same rights as everyone else. However, since the Prime Champion requested to combine forces with Ashville, compelling them to leave their beloved homes, they will receive lodging for a few months—free of charge.

"I’m not too concerned with the equipment situation, but I doubt Fortress wants to lose the Dwarven Sanctuary. That being said, the Sanctuary should provide magical artifacts to Ashville’s residents. However, these are only loans—unless they kill a certain number of enemies, contribute to their deaths, or heal a certain number of wounded.

"I don’t care how you do it, but you need to work together." David sighed and continued, "The Grand Horde is massive. It’s shrouded in a poisonous fog, denser and more potent than that of the small horde. Removing the fog will be the first hurdle. Defeating more than 20,000 monsters will be just as troublesome, if not worse. If we don’t unite our forces, everyone will die. We need to strengthen our defenses, or we will die. Everyone. After all, the walls may guard us temporarily from the monsters’ charge, but they will not block the poisonous fog."

With that, David got up. He was tired of listening to their nonsense. "Get your act together, or death will be all we have in common."

***

David inspected the changes around him from the highest point in the Dwarven Sanctuary. The streets had been expanded, making way as prehistoric creatures and workers moved about. At first glance, it seemed as if no one knew where they were going, yet their chaotic movements had an underlying order.

Workers rushed to the walls and the second-to-last line of defense, where dozens of large-scale weapons had been installed. They ran around restlessly, looking as if the end of the world awaited them. David didn’t know much about catapults—especially not magically altered versions—but they launched heavy projectiles akin to Maja’s dense ores a great distance without the aid of gunpowder. Instead, these artificed catapults used unique propellants. David sensed several Fragments, mostly Power, embedded in the catapults. They didn’t look particularly special, but the dwarves seemed confident. From the looks of it, they were certain the catapults and their projectiles—dense shards of some metal held together by a magical solution—would be a major factor in their victory against the Grand Horde.

David hoped they were right, but he was not confident in the catapults—or the ballistae, for that matter. He shook his head after watching several bulky dwarves work on one ballista, making some final adjustments. For a moment, he wondered if they were trying to destroy it rather than fix it. At least the workers were doing something.

David counted more than a hundred Mages and Hunters spread across the wall. The wall leading to the soon-to-be battlefield was wide and long, but the large-scale weapons required significant space as well.

One push is all it takes to kill them in the dozens, he thought, shaking his head. What a mess.

At least the plaza had been transformed into a massive open sickbay. Most Clerics—the oldest and weakest—were deployed there. They didn’t have to worry about anything other than tending to the wounded, though David doubted many would make it that far. Not until the battle neared its end. freёnovelkiss.com

He shrugged and looked outside. As he infused Blood into his eyes, David could see the edges of the monstrous cloud inching closer—verdant green, which looked oddly majestic at first glance, but was deadly poisonous.

Life signals sprang to life, but not from within the poisonous cloud. It was still too far to see anything in detail. The life signals belonged to various men and women, some also from prehistoric monsters, running back and forth, switching between the first lines of defense.

The first two lines were out of the long-range attackers’ reach, and it wasn’t until the third line of defense that the catapults and strongest Hunters would hit a mark—but that was the point.

David called the first three lines of defense the "detonation zone" because that was essentially what they were. All kinds of traps had been installed there, including explosives and various intriguing tools.

He was about to turn away when he saw the last lines of defense protecting the siege weapons and the Dwarven Sanctuary begin to shift. Massive stones had been placed to form two crude walls. Though large and heavy, they weren’t properly connected—by design. Their sole purpose was to slow the enemy and serve the Sanctuary’s personal Portaligist.

David sighed. “Why is she still working?” He cast [Blood Blast], sending a blood-red projectile whistling across the Sanctuary. It struck Maja in the back of the head, making her spin around and drop the stones she had been moving.

“You should rest and salvage as much energy as possible,” he added.

He was sure she hadn’t heard him, but Maja must have understood the meaning behind his ‘slap.’ She repositioned two stones before teleporting beside him.

“You look relaxed,” Maja said, taking a seat next to him.

Relaxed? David wasn’t relaxed, but he wasn’t tense or frightened either. He had no idea how he was feeling. One thing, however, was certain—he wasn’t as excited as he used to be. Was that temporary? He couldn’t tell.

“My job is done. The idiots have been tended to.” He shook his head.

Apparently, close to three hundred combatants—mostly dwarves and elves—who hadn’t been busy reinforcing the defenses and ensuring the Grand Horde wouldn’t swallow them in one go had left the Sanctuary to grow stronger. Some had domesticated more prehistoric animals, which David commended. Others, however, had spent the last few days differently.

“I still don’t understand why they did that,” Maja muttered, shaking her head.

“I can,” David shrugged. “But they were lucky I was there to heal them. Or that they returned in time.”

The dwarves and elves had ventured into one of the Giants’ Rifts for reasons David had yet to learn. Close to a dozen dwarves had died, while the survivors—dwarves and elves alike—returned with grievous wounds covering their bodies. He had spent the last day and a half healing everyone, ensuring they were in peak condition for the impending battle.

“Now that I’ve healed them, they’re stronger than ever. Whatever they did there, it worked. And from the looks of it, they’re satisfied with the result,” David said nonchalantly.

Apparently, the death of a few dwarves had been deemed a worthy exchange. Maybe it was. After all, everyone had grown significantly stronger, including Melach and Torb. The odd pair was more powerful than ever—possibly even on par with him.

Then again, it didn’t matter if they were stronger than he was. Their abilities were different, and it wasn’t like they had to fight each other. They were on the same side, and now that the Grand Horde was closing in, everyone was in peak form. Thanks to his skills, of course.

The last few days had changed a lot. Their chances of survival had improved, but would it be enough to defeat the Grand Horde?

Thinking of Zachariah, David shook his head. They didn’t need the regressor for this. Fighting alongside him would certainly make things easier, but they could manage without him. The others had gotten stronger—but so had David.

Healing the severe wounds, lost limbs, and other afflictions of the Dwarven Sanctuary’s residents had accelerated his growth. Alongside pleasant nights filled with [Meditation], of course. His updated status screen made that clear.

Name: David Stears

Primary Class: Lifeweaver

Rank: Silver IV

Secondary Class - [Herald of Origin]

Rank: Silver III

Body: Low(-)(Superior)

Mind: Low(-)(Advanced)

Soul: Middle(-)(Superior): 32 Droplets

[Modification: II]

[Laws: III]

[Legacy Skills: I]

[Class Skills]

[Lifeweaver: IV]

[Weave of Life]: [Tier-2 VII]

[Equivalent Exchange]: [Tier-2 II]

[Blood Patch]: [Tier-1 VII]

[Sacrifice]: [Tier-3 I]

[Monk: II]

[Meditation]: [Tier-1 XVIII]

[Reinforce]: [Tier-1 XIV]

Body: Elite– V(0.42%)

Energy Pathways: Average– VII(71.15%)

[Serene Ego: II]

[Mind Palace]: [High: Basic]

[Soul Domain]: [Low: Basic]

[Herald of Origin: II]

[Indomitable Will]: [Lowest: Advanced]

[Primeval Pulse] [High: Advanced]

[Skill Runes]

[Tier-1: IX]

[Aether Slash]: [Tier-1 III]

[Heightened Vision]: [Tier-1 IV]

[Symphony Control]: [Tier-1 V]

[Blood Armor]: [Tier-1 VI]

[Blood Blast]: [Tier-1 VI]

[Purify]: [Tier-1 VII]

[Healing Sphere]: [Tier-1 XII]

[Blood Aegis]: [Tier-1 XII]

[Blessing]: [Tier-1 XIV]

[Tier-2: II]

[Sacred Aura]: [Tier-2 II]

[Greater Restoration]: [Tier-2 VI]

Attribute Points: 0

David smiled at the newly organized interface. It was more structured now, though also a lot to take in. Inspecting it reminded him of how much he had grown since the start of the integration. The level-ups for Lifeweaver, in particular, had been long overdue. He’d worried that the Familia missions and the removal of the Ant Colonies hadn’t affected his Classes—but fortunately, he’d been wrong.

His Source had expanded to contain 32 large Blood Droplets—purer than ever after Soul had been upgraded again—and his spatial necklace weighed heavier on his shoulders than ever.

He snickered at the last part, hoping the necklace would help him. Or Maja, to be more specific.