Before Piper could ask what was going on, Beatrice stormed forward and thrust her finger in the healer’s face.
“Why aren’t you doing anything for my sister, Eadred?” she demanded, her brow creasing.
“There is nothing I can do,” Eadred croaked. “Unfortunately, your sister and niece have lost too much blood, and Alfred is too far gone.”
With those words, Piper’s entire world shattered. She was going to lose the only people she had in this world. And it was all her fault.
“Don’t tell me there’s nothing you can do,” Beatrice snapped. “I’ve seen you heal a man after he was savaged by a bear.”
“Yes,” Eadred said, giving her a gap-toothed grin. “However, that man was a wealthy merchant. I cannot simply gift you the many potions and poultices required to heal your family. However, I will endeavor to make them comfortable until the end.”
Piper stepped forward. “How much would it cost?”
“I’ll handle this,” Beatrice said, waving her off. She advanced on the healer, forcing him to take a step back. “I’ll pay whatever—”
“I said, how much does it cost?” Piper repeated in a louder voice, cutting off Beatrice. She mentally winced seeing the expression on the woman’s face after being interrupted—it looked like she’d swallowed a lemon.
Eadred peeked around a clearly furious Beatrice to peer at Piper. “Far more than a peasant girl like you could afford.”
“Alfred found something in the ruins today,” she lied. “What if I have something to trade?”
The healer stroked the grey stubble on his face. “It would have to be quite valuable to cover the cost of healing. Saving your family would deplete nearly all of my supplies, and I’d have to send for more. At great cost to myself, you understand.”
Piper took a deep breath and opened her pouch. From inside, she pulled out the aetherstone. The precious gem pulsed in her hand, sending a wave of red light washing over the room.
At the sight of the stone, Eadred’s mouth dropped open. “Is that an aetherstone?”
Piper nodded.
“I’ve never seen one that size before.” Eadred took a step closer and reached for the gem. But as he did, Piper closed her fingers around it.
“Will you heal them?”
“I suppose I could do that in exchange for the aetherstone…” This time when he reached out for it, Beatrice intercepted him and grabbed his wrist.
“You will also give us three gold coins,” Beatrice said. “No less.”
“Three gold coins?” Eadred sputtered. “That’s highway robbery.”
“That is barely one-twentieth of what the gem is worth,” Beatrice continued in a firm voice. “This stone will allow your family to buy an estate in the countryside with enough left over to pay for all the beautiful women you could ever desire.”
Piper clasped the gem close to her body, her gaze flickering over to Alfred, who was wheezing. Was this really the time to haggle? But she didn’t dare interrupt Beatrice a second time.
Eadred frowned. “I supposed I could do two gold pieces.”
“Three or we will take them to the healer in town.”
“Be reasonable,” Eadred protested. “That will require all my coin. I will be unable to buy any new supplies until I sell the aetherstone. And with the current market for gems, you must understand how difficult that will be.”
“We’re leaving, Piper,” Beatrice said. “Get the wagon.”
“Now, now.” Eadred took a step forward, his hands clenching at the open air. “There’s no need to be unreasonable. I can provide you with two gold pieces and six silver. How does that sound?”
“It’s a deal.” Beatrice waved at Piper. “Give him the gem.”
Piper hurried forward and handed the gem to the old man. The second it was in his hands, he clutched it close to his body. Then he scurried away and deposited it in an ironbound chest near the wall.
After the gem was safely hidden, he moved around the room, collecting bottles and other strange objects. He even took a pair of bones that glowed with a soft light. Once his arms were overflowing with healing objects, he moved to stand beside Alfred.
Eadred gently lifted the big man’s head and pressed a vial full of a red liquid against Alfred’s lip. He poured the entire vial into the big man’s mouth before repeating the process with one full of a yellow liquid. Finally, he tapped the bones against the spear wound and spoke a few unintelligible words.
Finished with Alfred, he moved over to Ophelia next. She received the same vials filled with red and yellow liquids. But the healer didn’t use the bones this time. Instead, he placed what looked like moss on her neck wounds. Then he hobbled over to Ethel and repeated the same process.
Within seconds, all of their breathing had become steadier, and some of the color had even returned to Ophelia’s face. Meanwhile, Ethel began to stir as if she were in a fitful dream.
“Is… that it?” Piper asked. “Will they be alright?”
“I’ve done everything I can for them.” Eadred hurried back over to the ironbound chest and reopened it. From inside, he pulled out a leather pouch and poured some coins into his palm. Then he slunk over to Beatrice and pressed the money into her outstretched hand.
The woman’s brow raised as she glanced down at the coins and then back up at Eadred. “I believe the deal with six silver pieces.”
“Oh my,” Eadred said. “How many did I give you?”
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Five.”
“Infernus knows that was an honest mistake.” The old man returned to the chest, where his sons had gathered to stare at the pulsing aetherstone. He shooed them away before taking another silver piece out and returning to Beatrice. “I believe this will do?”
Beatrice nodded and took the offered coin. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
As soon as the exchange was finished, Piper hurried over to Ophelia’s side. Of everyone, she was worried about her friend the most. She’d looked like she was on death’s doorstep during the trip to the village.
But now she looked almost completely recovered. The flow of blood from her neck wound had stopped, and her cheeks looked pink again. When she reached down to check her friend’s pulse, it was strong and steady. The healing magic in this world was amazing—assuming that you could afford it.
Piper settled down in a chair next to Ophelia and took her hand. This was the second time she’d almost lost her only friend in this world. She frowned at that thought. In truth, Ophelia was her only friend in this or any other world. It had been hard to make friends when she couldn’t even get out of bed.
She was joined shortly by Beatrice, who leaned over to examine her niece. With a satisfied sound, she moved over to her sister next. Then the blond-haired woman walked over to Alfred, and her lips curled down slightly.
Of the three, he’d been the most severely injured. But he was also the strongest, with the highest physical stats. Piper expected he’d be back on his feet in no time.
She stayed with her friend as the healer’s sons moved between the patients, checking on them. This almost reminded her of a hospital when the doctors made their rounds. Of course, this place was little more than a simple one-room hut with a dozen beds, but it still felt surprisingly familiar.
Finally, after a few hours, Ethel began to stir. The woman pushed herself up in bed and looked blearily around the room until her gaze locked on Piper. “Where… am I?”
Piper half rose to her feet. “You’re in the healers' hut.”
Ethel pushed a strand of blond hair out of her face, her braid having become loose, and looked around. “What happened to me? I remember a sound outside the longhouse. And… maybe a knight?”
Beatrice stepped forward and clasped her hands in front of her. “The farm was attacked by vampire brigands. You remember that, don’t you?”
“It was…?” Ethel trailed off and held a hand up to her forehead. “Everything is so fuzzy.” Her eyes shot wide open. “Ophelia! Where’s my daughter?”
As Ethel struggled to get out of bed, one of the healer’s sons rushed over and pushed her back gently.
“Ophelia is fine,” Piper said quickly. “She’s over here with me.”
“Piper?” Ethel asked, sounding confused. “Weren’t you and Alfred exploring the ruins today?”
“We saw the smoke and came back as quickly as we could.”
“Smoke?” Ethel’s face crumpled. “What happened to the farm?”
Beatrice gently patted her sister’s shoulder. “The farm is fine. You don't need to worry about anything right now.”
“Are you sure?” Ethel murmured as she lay back. She muttered a few more words and then closed her eyes. A moment later, the sound of soft snoring filled the room.
Piper leaned back in her chair and yawned. Her eyes felt grainy, and her eyelids were growing heavier by the second. At some point, the room had grown dark, which meant the sun must have set. She wasn’t sure if it was from the blood loss or everything else that had happened, but she was exhausted.
Beatrice must have noticed how tired she looked, and she came over to stand beside her. “Why don’t I take you to my house so you can get some sleep?”
Piper shook her head in reply. “I want to stay with them.”
“There’s nothing you can do for them right now,” Beatrice said. “And you’ll do no one any good if you’re too tired to stand tomorrow.”
Looking around the room, she waited until the healer’s sons were out of earshot. Only two remained in the room, while the elderly healer had disappeared several hours ago.
“We need to get out of here,” she whispered to Beatrice. “What if Ransford comes back soon? Every minute we wait here, we’re in danger.”
“Most likely, he’ll head to your farm first and not the village,” Beatrice said. “That should buy us all some time. Assuming he doesn’t plan to cover up the incident entirely. The duke frowns heavily upon vampires harming humans.”
“If he wants to cover it up, won’t he just kill us?” she whispered back, her voice rising slightly. She lowered it again when one of the men looked in her direction.
Beatrice frowned slightly. “You may be right. Regardless, none of you can travel now. We’ll have to wait until morning to make any plans.”
“We have to leave,” she insisted. “Every second we waste means that Ransford could be getting closer.”
“And what if they require more healing?” Beatrice asked sharply. “What if the potions haven’t healed them completely? I won’t let you put my sister’s family at risk because you want to hurry the process.”
Piper pressed her lips together and scowled. “I still say we should go.”
“A few more hours won’t hurt,” the blond-haired woman said in a softer tone. “I promise I’ll help you figure out what to do come morning.” She walked over to one of the empty beds in the room and retrieved a thick woolen blanket. Then she returned and wrapped it around Piper’s shoulders.
She stifled another yawn and drew up her feet to sit cross-legged on the chair. She would stay awake until she was sure everyone was out of the woods.
Since she needed to keep herself busy, she pulled up her character sheet. During her demonic rage, she’d received numerous notifications but hadn’t bothered to check them until now.
Piper Ashcroft
Race: Shadeling, Level 15
Class: Deceiver (Epic), Level 10
Attributes
Strength – 46
Dexterity – 34
Stamina - 13
Vitality – 24
Perception – 3
Swiftness - 2
Magic - 2
Mana - 95
Mana Regeneration – 95
Free Attribute Points - 100
Racial Skills (5/10)
- Demonic Blood, Level 6
- Demonic Fury, Level 1
- Demonic Intellect, Level 6
- Quick Claw, Level 9
- Tail Strike, Level 9
Skills (10/10)
- Ambush Detection, Level 4
- Animal Caretaking, Level 5
- Archery, Level 6
- Cooking, Level 6
- Enduring Casting, Level 10
- Identify, Level 1
- Gardening, Level 1
- Running, Level 11
- Stick Wielding, Level 1
- Subterfuge, Level 2
Spells (3/10)
- False Face, Level 4
- Truth Shroud, Level 6
- Veil of Lies, Level 5
Piper quickly noted that she’d gain 5 levels in her race and 5 levels in her class during the battle. That had given her a whopping 100 free attribute points to assign. But she could worry about placing them later.
She skimmed over the other information, seeing that she’d gained 1 level in Demonic Blood, 2 levels in Quick Claw, and 1 level in Tail Strike. As for her skills, she’d received 2 levels in Archery and 2 levels in Enduring Casting.
Meanwhile, for her class, she’d gained 2 levels in False Face, 3 levels in Veil of Lies, and a staggering 5 levels in Truth Shroud. She was also surprised to see that she’d been offered a new spell. Focusing on the text, she brought up the description.
Umbral Terror, Level 1
The mere sight of a demon often causes a mortal to flee in abject terror. This spell allows you to bombard the mind of a single target with horrifying visions and whispers for a short period of time.
Learn this spell? (Yes/No?)
Selecting ‘Yes’, she was grateful that the notification hadn’t expired. This was a powerful new spell that would come in handy if she had to face the vampire and his henchmen again.
After a few minutes of going over her character sheet, she leaned back slightly and pulled the blanket tightly around herself. Each blink was becoming longer than the last, but she refused to fall asleep. Someone had to watch over the family in case Ransford showed up.
If only they had cola or something with caffeine to help her stay awake in this world. The few times she’d drunk it back on Earth, it had made her buzz with energy. Right now, she could probably drink three cans of the stuff.
Piper stretched, her head drooping slightly. She decided to just rest her eyes for a moment, but the second she closed them she fell into a restless slumber.
In her dreams, a man with a charred face chased her through an endlessly burning farm, while dead men with their throats torn out lurched around like macabre marionettes. All the while, a massive black dragon watched with red hourglass eyes from a great distance.