John held the gap until the attackers had either been killed or surrendered to the approaching knights, then turned immediately around. Greeting their rescuers could wait until he finished healing their wounded.

Terra, the woman who had fought fiercely to protect them, was lying on the ground clutching her abdomen, the crossbow bolt embedded deeply into her midriff. Bits and pieces of her now useless armour were laying around her, leaving her wearing a heavily dented chest piece and sweat soaked, cream coloured under clothes. Her helmet was so banged up it made John think of a soda can that was crushed. 

“Terra! I am here.” He said kneeling beside her.

“Hey… did we win?” She said through gritted teeth. Her white hair was blood soaked, the pain she was in was clear just by looking at her expression. 

“Yeah, we did. The calvary arrived, with a bunny in the lead.” He said inspecting the wound. The arrow was embedded deep, but the shaft was plugging the hole, preventing blood and ichor from coming out. 

“Good… good… so what is the verdict John-Sama. How long do I have?” She said, her hands covering his, her tone sounding like she thought she was dead already and had accepted the fact.

He smiled. “Well, I am sad to inform you…” He paused, then gave her a big smile. “That with proper diet and exercise, probably another sixty years or so. The next few minutes are going to be painful though. Are you ready?”

“HA HA! Yeah, John-Sama, do it!” She said, laughing at his bad joke, the relief in her voice evident.

John paused for a moment and looked around, finding a few crossbow bolts nearby. He picked one up and examined it. It was straight with a narrow blade, no barbs or other extras on it. He didn’t know much about arrow designs but this one looked like it could be pulled out without causing further damage. 

Providing they all use the same arrows anyways.

He grasped the shaft sticking out of her side and pulled, causing her to yell out in pain.  He didn’t stop, extracting the bolt in one movement, then covering the hole with his other hand. “Middle Heal!” He chanted, healing her again. The wound closed quicker than the axe slash, the bolt hole being smaller and less ragged. 

The immediate threat to her life over, he patted her gently on the head, then moved over to Shallia. The Catfolk was still knocked out, so he burnt some more magic up with another Middle Heal. The wounds on her limbs, once numerous, all closed instantly, the woman’s breathing steadying out. 

He looked up at Iris, who still had Shallia’s head cradled in her lap. “Are you or Quackers wounded?”  He asked.

Iris looked like she was trying to speak, but was interrupted when a ball of feathers crashed into his side. 

“Honk!” Quackers spoke, then nuzzled John’s head with its own, then tapped the top of his helmet with its beak.

“I guess you are okay then you crazy goose.” John said, scratching the animals neck. He looked back to Iris.

“I… I am fine. Just tired. You guys d-d-did most of the f-fighting.” She said, stuttering less than normal. A little less.

“Hey, you feathered a few of them, and you did bring this guy, so don’t sell yourself short. We were not exactly ready for combat like this.” He replied, petting the gooses head. 

“Yeah, don’t sweat it Iris, at least you didn’t need to take a nap mid fight.” Evie said behind him, the woman leaning up against the wall. 

John laughed and moved back to Terra. “Evie, you helped a lot earlier. If it wasn’t for you, we would have been little more than pincushions. Then you did your best to start these fortifications while I was unconscious. I think you did just fine.”

“Thank you” She replied, slowly getting back to her feet.

He checked on the rest of Terra’s injuries, and casted a few heals to finish mending her wounds. He was nearly tapped out of mana himself at this point.

“John-Sama! Are you okay?” Nanaella said, finally coming through the gap. A knight came behind her, surveying the party.

He stood up and hugged her, then kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, just tired. How about you? Any injuries?” He didn’t bother asking about the knights that she was with, that could wait until he knew she was okay.

“Just a wound on my thigh, nothing too serious.” She said, but her leg chose that moment to give out a bit, causing her to stumble into him. She forced a little laugh, but he could see her wincing in pain.

“Yeah, let me look at it.” He said, and knelt down. He could see the tear in the leather where a bolt had penetrated her armour, dried blood crusted around the edges. He stuck his finger inside the hole, finding the wound on her leg, making her flinch a bit.

“Heal” He chanted, closing up her wound. He teetered a bit then, his magic nearly drained.

“John-Sama!” Nanaella said, supporting him. 

“Thanks. Just nearly depleted my mana.” He said, then looked up at the knight. They were wearing full plate mail, the helmet covering their head concealing their identity. “Thank you for coming to our rescue. Do you or any of your knights need healing?”

“There were a few bangs and scrapes, but most are fine.” The knight replied in a clear dignified tone that sent John’s hamster wheel spinning. He knew that voice, but from where? “Let’s get your party out of here and setup a camp outside. We have much to discuss, Healer John Wayne.”

She pulled off her helmet then, her blonde hair falling effortlessly to the sides of her face. Crystal blue eyes, a small smile, and it all clicked for John.

“Commander Lumina?! Where? Why? How did you find us down here?” He exclaimed. Why in the world was a Paladin down here?

Earlier in Meritoni

“I hear you want to find a healer. I know where he is, but that information will cost you.” The man said. 

Lumina just stared at him. “How would you know that?”

The man flicked the hood of his cloak back, revealing a tanned skinned wolfman with a smile on his face. “I make it my business to know things Commander Lumina. Now I will tell you where he is, but I need you to ride out immediately. He is in great danger.”

He stepped forward then, extending his hand “I am the Vice-Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild. Please, call me Galba.”

Outside the Dungeon

It was well into the night when the party finally exited the dungeon, escorted by Commander Lumina and the Valkyries. They made camp near their wagon, intent on returning to Meritoni in the morning now that most of their armour and weapons had been damaged. Terra in particular needed a whole new set of equipment. 

After saying good night, and another quick kiss from Terra, most of the girls found their tents, leaving John, Nanaella, and Lumina seated around the fire, the Valkyries on watch moving off to the side to give them some space to talk.

“So what you are telling me, those men were all part of an underground slavery ring, employed by the Guild Master of the Healers guild and several other healers in Meritoni? And they were coming to kill me and capture my party? All because I heal the poor for free?” John said, shaking his head at the stupidity of it all. 

“Pretty much. Your Vice-Guild Master had learned of the impending attack on you, and was about to send half his guild to your rescue, but he ran into me. After my conversation with Kururu, what he told me lined up with my own information, and I agreed to aid him.

So, since I had my regiment nearby, I came to your aid and his teams are currently sweeping through the now understaffed slavers dens, hopefully releasing people and gathering the information we need to make further arrest. Honestly, I am just glad we made it here in time.” Lumina said, stirring the fire with a stick.

She then looked up from the fire, her piercing gaze focused on him. “Speaking of investigations, I just need to clear something up before we continue. Did you throw fire magic at a group of townsfolk unprovoked while in front of the Healer’s Guild.”

“Ahh, no.” He replied, the question catching him off guard. He nearly forgot about that incident with the days events.

“I didn’t think so, it would be weird if a healer could use fire magic.” She said, releasing her gaze.

“No I can use fire magic, and did throw it at those people. They were pelting us with rocks and bricks though, so I was just defending us.” He finished his statement, pulling Nanaella in closer to his side. “Why? Is it illegal to defend yourself or something?” 

“No, it most definitely isn’t, though if it was a noble you retaliated against, there might have been issues. This is The Republic of St. Shirule though, and as a healer, you more than have the right to defend yourself against pretty much everyone. I just needed to have your statement before I closed the investigation. So you really do have affinities to all magic?” She asked him, bringing her gaze up, but it was softer this time.

“Yeah. Though why do you know that?” He asked. He couldn’t remember if Kururu told her back when he first got his Healers Guild card and first tome, that day far enough in his past that it was just a blur of memories.

“Pope Fluna knows about it, and sent me to bring you to the capitol. She would like to meet with you to discuss some things I am not privy to.” Lumina stated. “We have a carriage waiting back in Meritoni, ready to bring you to the audience.”

The Healer’s Guild Headquarters? Didn’t Brod say I needed to stay out of the church’s sight until I grew stronger? That there was corruption within the church?

“I see. Well I will need to talk with Guild Master Brod, as I am under contract with the Adventurer’s Guild still. I am sure we can work out an arrangement of some sort though.” He said, caging his answer. He felt grateful for Lumina’s timely rescue, but he wasn’t going to agree to leave Meritoni and possibly destroy all of their plans without first talking to the Brod and Galba. He then looked at Nanaella. “Also, we have a wedding coming up, right my love.”

Nanaella, not expecting to be included in the conversation, jumped a bit at that. “Yes! Yes we do.” She said, catching on to John’s intent. 

“I, see. Well congratulations. It is getting late, and you both must be exhausted. Let’s talk more tomorrow.” She said, sounding disappointed for some reason. “I need to go check on the prisoners before retiring myself. Have a good night.”

Lumina stood up and walked away from the fire. John blinked a few times, then whispered into Nanaella’s ear. “That was rather abrupt wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Maybe she was interested in you, and now that she found out you are taken, she is sad that she didn’t move on you when you met the first time.” She replied just as quietly, but he could hear mirth in her voice, obviously joking.

“Yeah, that’s it” He said sarcastically, then kissed her. “Lets go to bed. Sounds like we have a long day tomorrow.” He said in a normal voice.

The two of them crawled into their tent, and cuddled under the covers of their bed roll. John ran through the events of the last couple weeks.

He had gotten engaged with Nanaella, he gained a bunch of spell tomes, and had been put on a mission to grow stronger and to become a force of change for the people of this world. He gained a party of women who all seemed amazing in their own right, new friends, and got to experience a dungeon for the first time.

He also gained enemies, was attacked, a pitched battle that, if he was honest, was a loss, only winning due to pure luck. He needed to grow stronger, gain more skills, and repair his damn body more. 

That wasn’t going to happen here, not yet anyways.

Giving Nanaella a kiss on top of her head, he reached over and touched his backpack and sword. His armour was too far away for him to reach. He wouldn’t really need it where he was going anyways. He hoped. 

“DEN Return!” He said.

The world shifted, turned fuzzy and went black.

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