Chapter 33: Abduction

That's right.

The Anna before him was the very same one he knew—the one whose greatest label was her healing spells that always came with side effects.

In his past life, he had once promised her that he would find a solution, but before he could fulfill that promise, he had to watch helplessly as she was swallowed by the Calamity of Arcane, turning into nothingness before his very eyes.

*In this life, I will definitely help you find the root cause of your spell's deficiency.*

Gavin made a silent vow in his heart.

"Ah!"

Vic let out a scream and jolted awake from his coma.

*Crack! Crack!*

Two consecutive sounds of snapping bone rang out.

One was at the site of Anna's recent repair of his broken leg; without even touching it, the newly set bone snapped once again.

The other came from Vic's chest. His body, which had always been somewhat hunched, had miraculously straightened up—the congenital kyphosis common to the goblin race had been cured.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Mr. Goblin! I didn't mean to, I... I... I'll cast Dispel for you right away..." The young priestess was truly crying this time. Through her tears, she fumbled frantically through her backpack, clearly searching for a scroll of Dispel Magic.

"Wait, wait! Haven't you realized that the side effects of your healing spells aren't purely bad? There's a positive side too," Gavin interrupted hurriedly, fearing that Anna's Dispel spell might also strip away the beneficial effects. "Look, isn't he better now?"

As he spoke, Gavin had already reached out to reset the goblin warlock's broken leg and poured a potion of *Cure Light Wounds* down his throat.

The newly awakened goblin warlock let out another "Ah!", his eyes rolled back, and he lapsed back into unconsciousness.

Even a man of iron could not withstand such a beating, let alone a heavily wounded man.

"Really? The side effects have a good side?" Anna, who had been drowning in self-reproach, failed to notice that Gavin's technique for setting bones was even more skilled than her own.

"Of course. Look at his chest. Have you ever seen a goblin stand so straight? You cured his racial kyphosis," Gavin said, pointing at Vic.

"It seems so!" The young priestess's large, round eyes widened. She didn't know whether to cry or be happy; after all, this was the first time someone had acknowledged her flawed healing spells, even if only partially.

"Your situation is very special. I can't make any guarantees, but I know of a super powerful mage. Have you ever heard of Elminster..."

"Elminster? You know the legend of the North, Elminster?" The young priestess's voice jumped several octaves.

"Something like that!" Gavin replied vaguely. He knew the old mage Elminster was famous, but he hadn't expected him to be *this* famous. After all, the communication facilities in this world couldn't compare to Zhang You's era.

However, this worked in his favor; it made it easier to bluff.

"If we could enlist the help of Archmage Elminster, the problem I have would surely be resolved," Anna's eyes shone with excitement. "Can you really reach him?"

"That... I can try," Gavin didn't rule anything out. "It's just that Mr. Elminster is currently living in seclusion in the Shadowdale. It's unlikely he would make a special trip to the High Forest just for your sake..."

"We can go to Shadowdale to find him!" The young priestess blurted out without thinking, but immediately realized her mistake and apologized repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! How could I... how could I be so selfish, asking you to travel all the way to Shadowdale for my sake? After all, the road is full of dangers..."

"Come to think of it, it's quite a coincidence. We are only passing through here; our destination is Tivan. We are already very close to the Dale. If there's time, I wouldn't mind accompanying you to Shadowdale," Gavin revealed his true intention. "However, is it convenient for you to travel far? Would your parents and teacher allow it?"

"That's true!" Gavin's words poured a bucket of cold water on Anna's heated head, leaving her conflicted.

After all, she had never traveled so far, nor had she said goodbye to her parents. Would they think something terrible had happened to her?

Should she go back and tell them? But would they allow her to go to the Dale?

The High Priestess and the others wouldn't be back for some time; could the adventurers wait that long?

If she missed this opportunity, would she ever find a solution in the future?

Gavin added a subtle suggestion from the side: "If you're afraid that leaving without notice will worry your parents, you could send them a message through a merchant caravan to tell them your situation and your decision. I believe they will understand; no parent wishes ill upon their child."

This suggestion became the last straw that broke the camel's back. The young priestess's expression turned resolute as she made the boldest decision of her life. "If the adventurer does not mind, I am willing to join your party and travel to Tivan with you. Although my healing spells have side effects, the healing potions I make do not have such flaws. I promise I won't become a burden to you."

"It would be our honor to have a priestess accompany us," Gavin naturally wouldn't continue to undermine himself. "Let's introduce ourselves properly. I am Gavin Nort. This is Vic. And may I ask your name, Miss Priestess?"

"Anna. Anna Carben. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gavin, Mr. Vic." Anna extended her small, fair hand, marking her successful recruitment by Gavin.

"Let's end this fight!" Gavin said to Vic, who had woken up again.

Vic, who had been twisting his body to observe his changes, stopped moving. He nodded and, understanding the intent, began preparing his most powerful offensive spell—*Fireball*.

When the blazing fireball shot out from Leomund's Tiny Hut, the gnolls and hyenas outside were destined to become dead dogs.

Aside from the one gnoll who had previously had his spine snapped by Gavin and was still wailing and crawling on the ground, the rest were either killed by the fireball or fled in panic into the wilderness.

Even Leomund's Tiny Hut was affected; it flickered a few times and shattered on the spot.

"He's yours!" Gavin pointed to the gnoll in the distance, who was crawling away in terror and confusion, and said to Anna.

"Really?" The expression on the young priestess's face wasn't refusal, but eagerness. She picked up her heavy morningstar and small round shield.

This was another trait of hers that Gavin admired: although she was a priestess of Ilmater, the God of Suffering, her compassion wasn't so overflowing that it extended to creatures like gnolls, who were notorious for their atrocities.

"Do you have any healing charges left?" Gavin asked.

The young priestess was a bit confused but answered truthfully, "I have three *Cure Light Wounds* and four *Cure Minor Wounds* left."

"With such a good practice target, why not use them now? What are you waiting for?" Gavin suggested.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Anna's eyes lit up, and her spirits instantly rose.

Perhaps because the target was a monster and there was no psychological burden, the young priestess's tension vanished. One healing spell after another landed precisely on the gnoll.

*Ah!*

*Awoo!*

*Ah!*

*Awoo!*

When the first healing spell landed, a flicker of unbelievable joy appeared on the gnoll's ugly, dog-like face. But in the next instant, joy turned to terror; his chest was swelling at an incredible rate.

The spell had just healed his spine, only for him to find his arm was broken.

Another spell healed the arm, and the spine snapped again, seemingly even worse than before.

The gnoll was being driven mad by the torture. By the time Anna finished all her healing spells, he was lying stiffly on the ground, staring at the sky with hollow eyes, having completely lost his will to live. He didn't even bother to dodge Anna's descending morningstar; in his eyes, death had become a release.