Eliona's War 1: Hesitant Healer

Chapter 57

If it hadn't worked, Severance was pretty sure he'd be Reviving back in the city center. He shook his head wordlessly.

A health bar flashed vibrant red in the party list.

Severance's head jerked around, eyes narrowing in the source. Saffron, the Champion he'd Revived, stumbled back into a cloud of foul orange smoke, one arm raised to cover his own nose and mouth. The third Chosen, Kova, threw small thin blades after him. Most soared harmlessly into the smoke, but a lucky one or two managed to nick Saffron.

"Mend," Severance softly said, while slashing one fan through the air. Healing winds gusted towards Saffron. It tore into the orange smoke and found its target within. In one surge, Saffron's health soared into orange.

"Whoa!" Awesome Dude trotted around Severance, looking him up and down. Severance gave him a sideways glance, wondering what had the weird Shade so excited now. Maybe he was impressed by the powerful healing skill? "I just realized you got a new coat!"

Or not.

Severance's hand twitched, almost throwing off his next skill cast. "Kopa's going to wake up soon," he warned.

Awesome Dude just grinned. "Don't worry. I'll just put him back to sleep. It's all good."

"Mend," Severance sighed. There was a 50/50 chance that it wouldn't work again. But whatever. He was more than happy to let Awesome Dude deal with his own mess. As for his own part, Saffron was now safely in the green.

He then glanced at Awesome Dude's arm, a hint of frown in his expression. Things were under control at the moment, so he might as well take care of that. It looked awful. Awesome Dude's entire arm had turned grey and it looked more dead than alive. The wound itself was entirely black, oozing a gray pus instead of blood.

The flashing indicator beside the Shade's name in the party list indicated it was a poison debuff of sorts, but what kind of nasty poison exactly did Kobha have on his blade? Severance had never seen anything like it.

"Mend," he murmured, and watched as the gentle light swirled around Awesome Dude's damaged arm. Like usual, it soaked into the affected flesh, closing the blackened wound. Yet it didn't seem to touch the gray cast left behind by the injury. Neither did the poison debuff fade from Awesome Dude's name.

Severance frowned. Maybe he could try-

The world lit up in a brilliant flash of light. A wall of heat slammed into him, filling Severance's vision in soundless white.

When he next blinked, he lay flat on his back, staring up at swirling gray smoke while an acrid burnt stench filled his nostrils. A few flecks of snow floated in his vision. He had to blink a couple more times to be rid of them.

Dazed, he pushed himself to a sitting position. What just happened?

"Sev! You gotta get up!" Awesome Dude's voice sounded so far away. And then it wasn't, because Awesome Dude was right there in front of him, facing away from him, both claw blades desperately holding off what could only be a giant meat cleaver. Whatever had knocked Severance flat had gotten him as well, because he looked rough, with clothes torn and blood seeping down his face.

Both Awesome Dude's and Siegfried's health bars were orange and dropping fast. Saffron's sat empty, grayed out. He was officially dead. Again.

Severance glanced up, saw the wielder of the meat cleaver snarling, and he scrambled to his feet. His jaw almost dropped at the sight of several more Chosen swarming into the street.

That wasn't good.

Awesome Dude threw off the cleaver with a grunt of effort. "Venom Claw!"

He slipped in under the cleaver and swiped his claws through the Chosen's large belly. Flesh split apart, a sickly burst of greenish mist rising from the wound.