Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 70B1 - Torb’s Tale

“That’s about 13 Silver slates,” David whistled as he watched Torb pocket the last slates.

“Actually~,” the dwarf cleared his throat with a smug smile, “it’s exactly 13 Silver-, 86 Bronze-, and 53 Iron slates. Plus the Familia’s reward—and, of course—”

His head flicked to Melach, who had yet to let go of the blazing staff.

The elf stared back at Torb and snarled, “I already told you I’m not taking my share. If your greed-filled mush of a mind thirsts for more, you can also take my share for the next few trips—desperate fool!”

David could have intervened, but he chose not to. It wasn’t worth the effort—some things were better left for them to resolve on their own.

“I still want my share, though,” he said, reaching for one of the leather pouches in Torb’s hands. The dwarf pulled back. That was uncalled for.

David’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “You can take back what I owe you, but you will give me half of Melach’s share if you do not give it to him.”

He didn’t wish to play dirty with friends. However, that privilege only counted if they remained fair: “If you take Melach’s future shares, I will get half of them, too. Also, if you keep acting like this, I will have you pay a transportation fee for everything I carry for you.”

Torb gave in, his scowl deepening as if he loathed the entire team. David wasn’t sure if that was meant to affect him, but it didn’t work.

He received one of their pouches plus half of Melach’s share in a smaller pouch. He returned the Bronze slates Torb had loaned him and turned to Melach with the small pouch.

“Do you want it?”

Melach glanced at the small pouch briefly but shook his head. “The magical armament is worth a small fortune. If I can find an Artificer in Arc, I might be able to upgrade it.”

Right, the elf had an elemental gemstone. With it, the blazing staff would become an even deadlier weapon—something David could already picture Melach wielding with devastating precision.

David nodded and returned the owed Bronze slates to Melach.

He doubted an Artificer’s work was cheap; it might as well cost an arm and a leg. However, Melach seemed determined to solve this problem on his own.

David pocketed the small fortune and double-checked his updated interface. Their return to the Familia was rewarded with Bronze and Silver slates and another session with the Enlightenment Orb. This time, it was far more pleasant. So were the changes his interface underwent.

Name: David Stears

Primary Class: Lifeweaver

Secondary Class - [None]

Rank: Bronze III

Body:Lowest(-)(Intermediate)

Mind: High(+)(Basic)

Soul: High(+)(Basic)

[Laws]

[Law of Blood]: [Low(Minor)]

[Class Skills]

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

[Equivalent Exchange]: [Tier-2 II]

[Skill Runes]

[Restore]: [Tier-1 VI]

[Purify]: [Tier-1 I]

[Holy Touch]: [Tier-1 XI]

[Blessing]: [Tier-1 I]

[Blood Aegis]: [Tier-1 II]

[Symphony Control]: [Tier-1 I]

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Attribute Points: 0

[Cleanse], [Bless], and [Oasis of Harmony] were no more. David was surprised about the former’s Tier progression but considered it a stroke of fortune. The Enlightenment Orb’s sessions must have worked their wonders.

The three Tier-0 Skill Runes progressed to the next Tier and transformed into [Purify], [Blessing], and [Symphony Control]. The influx of information was intense, but his first rodeo with the Enlightenment Orb had been worse. By a large margin.

It was also nice to see [Blood Aegis] and [Restore] rank up, but the greatest surprise was the Law of Blood. It went from Lowest to Low!

David didn’t recall the notification and had no idea if it was possible to manifest dismissed notifications. However, he could check his Source. He closed his eyes and imagined the Source.

David found it and scrutinized the little energy reservoir intently.

He knew it! Something had been odd when he used the Law of Blood to aid the recovery of Blood. Using the Law of Blood had been much easier and less taxing, but he’d dismissed that thought, attributing it to adrenaline and pressure pushing him to new heights.

But with newfound intel came discoveries. He pinpointed a few letters etched on the Source that hadn’t been present before. David didn’t recall some letters, or the dim glow they now emitted.

He focused entirely on the Source, the letters etched into it, and the Blood stored within.

The drops are larger, aren’t they?

It might not look like much, and David was sure he would have missed it under normal circumstances, but the more he focused, the more obvious the changes became.

The Blood droplets were slightly larger and felt stronger, more potent. The improvement was subtle but undeniable.

David’s eyelids fluttered open, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. “Are we done here?”

“I guess,” Torb grunted, his eyes lingering on the pouches resting in David’s hands.

David wanted to ask him to stop acting like this, but he held back. Instead, he stored the pouches in the spatial necklace, which barely drained its energy reserves now that most Kobold corpses had been removed and sold.

“I sure hope the Earthen Union awakens soon. You should call your parents and tell them to sort their mess without your help,” David commented matter-of-factly.

It shouldn’t concern him—it wasn’t his business—but Torb’s attitude and actions affected the whole group. The dwarf had to get his act together, or his antics would damage their relationship, crack it, and eventually destroy the group.

Torb’s lips parted, his eyes narrowing in defiance, but David stopped him with a gesture. He sighed, frustration building as he told himself he wouldn’t intervene. But his lips parted and he started speaking his mind anyway.

“Let me finish first, Torb. Please.” He sighed again. “This cannot go on. I don’t know what happened between you and your family, but you joined the Protectors to pay your family’s debts. You’ve already done a lot more than most would have done. Yet, despite everything you’ve sacrificed, your family took on another loan? A loan big enough to involve your Patron God and make him tell you about it? That doesn’t make any sense.”

David rubbed the back of his head, his frustration boiling over.

“I’m not telling you to abandon them. All I’m hoping for is that you make a decision. If you keep supporting your family, you’ll have to accept your fate without fighting for every iron slate, without making them feel bad for taking their share of the loot. We’re a team, and we should work together. But that only works if every member of the team does their part. We can help you, just like we help each other in combat, but we can’t fix your family for you. They see you as their personal bank. That’s not okay, and you know that. You have to change it.”

“My sister was dying,” Torb said flatly.

David stopped mid-thought, his mouth snapping shut.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but Fortress confirmed my sister’s condition. He saved her, but the price was…steep. My family doesn’t want to weigh me down. Fortress told me they didn’t want me to know about it. However, I know better—they don’t have the means to repay Fortress. That’s why I decided to—” Torb sighed deeply, cutting himself off.

“Oh, fuck you,” David jabbed a finger at Torb and groaned. “Now, I feel like an asshole.”

“Because you are an ass,” Torb added, though the corner of his lip tugged up slightly.

David groaned and shot a glare at Melach, who avoided eye contact and spun around, smirking. Bastard! It’s only because of you!

David restrained his desire to pounce on Melach and shake him until he confessed. Instead, he smiled wryly at Torb, his embarrassment growing.

“So…your sister is fine now, right?”

The dwarf nodded. There was clearly more to the story, but David knew better than to push further—at least for now. Torb could share more about his family and his sister’s health when he was ready.

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“How much do you need?” David asked, feeling awkward even as the question left his lips.

Torb squirmed slightly, but the question seemed to pique Melach’s interest. The elf turned back, adding, “And when do you have to pay it back?”

That was another good point.

“Fortress requested Ray Nectar from…from the Sun Palace.”

“What the hell?!” Melach cursed aloud. “Did they resurrect her from the dead or something?”

“Not exactly…” Torb winced. “A Death Wyrm got to her.”

David frowned deeply. He had never heard of the Sun Palace or Ray Nectar. Even the Death Wyrm sounded unfamiliar, though he could imagine it was something nasty.

“How?!” Melach’s voice was sharp with disbelief, but Torb only sighed.

“Let’s talk about the ‘how’ later,” David intervened. “How much are we talking about? How expensive is this Ray Nectar?”

Melach glared at him as if to shout, Shut the hell up.

Fortunately, the dwarf was a little bit nicer, though his answer didn’t help in any way.

“Nectar is priceless.”

Well. Fuck that.