Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 2B3 - Rewards

Waiting, as it turned out, was Maja’s way of saying that the dwarves wanted to see Fortress.

“Fortress prepared a ‘gift of gratitude’ for you.” Maja smiled faintly as she added, “But I think it would be best to consider it a reward for protecting the Dwarven Sanctuary.”

David raised an eyebrow at that and nodded. He was happy to see Maja well and livelier than usual. She was not injured, appeared more relaxed, and, most importantly, Maja was stronger than he remembered. The sparks of life within her had transformed into a blazing fire.

But while he was happy to see her, David didn’t know what to expect from Fortress.

“You will receive a reward from the Familia as well. But don’t get your hopes up. The reward is nothing grand, since the Dwarven Sanctuary is not a System Sanctuary. There was no Panthea to protect, after all,” Maja explained when David didn’t move. “Apparently, the Pantheon does not really like the Poisonous Beast God, and they’re happy you got rid of one of its offspring.”

So Zephir is the Poisonous Beast God?

David rubbed the ridge of his nose, his eyes narrowed as the implication settled.

Was the Great Horde also Zephir’s doing?

He wondered. It seemed plausible, which did not improve their situation. Not really.

David winced, but gestured to Maja. “Bring me to the dwarves to get it over with.”

Maja chuckled lightly and reached for his shoulder. Energy surged through her, and the space around them twisted.

Used to the sensation, David didn’t resist as they teleported to the Familia, where he was greeted by familiar faces and strangers alike—all dwarves. He nodded toward them and turned to inspect the Familia. It had been damaged in battle but was already back looking like nobody ever scratched it. As expected from the Pantheon’s workforce.

What am I supposed to do now?

David turned to Maja, about to ask her—or one of the countless pairs of eyes fixated on him—but the answer came to him before he could.

‘You have come.’ A deep but familiar voice resounded in his head as a pristine light descended upon him. It crashed down out of nowhere, carrying the smell of the mountain and a dense earthy hue.

Cheers and excited roars broke out around him, but the intense pressure muffling the noises reduced them to whispers in his ears as Fortress’ will engulfed him.

What do you—...

The pressure on him increased momentarily, swallowing his mind as Fortress’ hoarse voice filled it to the brim.

‘I do not have much time nor Essence to spare for you. Regardless, I wish to thank you for protecting the Dwarven Sanctuary. You protected my people, and that means a lot more to me and my people than you may believe.’

Basked in a pristine, yet semi-translucent earthy light, David could not help but frown. If Fortress had so little Essence to spare, did he really have to act like this? It felt way too ostentatious.

But as he thought about it, David agreed that it made sense. It was apparent why Fortress ‘rewarded’ him like this, where everyone could see the divine presence—Fortress’ presence. It was pretentious, yet it seemed to work on the dwarves.

‘I do not need you to understand my actions. But you should know that I am honest with you. Protecting the Dwarven Sanctuary means a lot. Thus, I shall reward you appropriately.’

David raised an eyebrow and remained silent, even as the light engulfing him dimmed considerably.

‘I shall reward you with knowledge. With a hint, to be precise, Fortress thundered in his mind.

‘Ask the Regressor about William and the Cohorte. He bears the answers you seek.’

The Dwarven God’s will pulled back and left David’s mind.

Was that it? He was supposed to ask Zachariah about the Cohorte and William? In the first place…what was the Cohorte?

Maybe that was all Fortress could say without strengthening them.

David was far from satisfied, but it wasn’t like he’d expected anything grand from Fortress in the first place. The Dwarven God had used up his influence on the Earthen Union to make Torb his Prime Champion and to create the Dwarven Sanctuary. It was already a surprise Fortress had recovered enough Essence to talk to him, albeit David struggled to understand the reasoning.

The muffled noises around him grew louder until they thundered in his mind, and it didn’t take long for Fortress’ presence to fade completely. It no longer weighed down on him, the pristine hue dispersing into the surroundings, resulting in another series of excited roars and cheers.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

But there was more. A notification popped up, and a pouch materialized where the hue had dispersed.

The pouch fell to the ground with a loud tinkling noise, and David stepped closer to pick it up. It was heavier than expected, a faint grin blooming as he opened it to see silver and gold slates.

That’s quite the fortune, David thought, storing the pouch in his spatial storage, which was attached to a new chain. His eyes then landed on the system notification.

[You basked in the presence of a God and experienced his wisdom, generosity, and sincerity.

May Enlightenment fill you with joy and determination.]

Weird message.

David shook his head and cocked a brow at the countdown that materialized as he dismissed the message.

[Enlightened: 47H:59M:59S]

That would come in handy. Precisely, it was better than the currency pouch and Fortress’ wisdom—though the latter was still confusing. He’d have to talk to Zachariah sooner rather than later.

“The currency pouch is exactly what you need,” someone to his right said, and David turned to see a dwarven woman approach. She was short, even for a dwarven woman, and had more facial hair than most women—more than even many of the men of her kin. A thick, black bush covered the lower half of her face, but she looked kinder than the rest, her emerald eyes glimmering with superior intelligence.

“I am a member of the Dwarven Sanctuary’s Familia.” She bobbed her head subtly and introduced herself with a toothy grin. “My name is Rhetania Bergloth, and I will be responsible for your interactions with the Familia. If you have a problem, wish to talk to other branches of the Familia, or have any other issues, feel free to talk to me. I can help you acquire everything you desire!”

The last part sounded odd, but Rhetania was, for now, the most pleasant to work with in the Familia. Not that it meant a lot. He barely knew the dwarven woman, but she seemed brutally honest and straightforward. That was more than enough to topple his interactions with the other branches of the Familia.

“Nice meeting you. I’m David Stears,” David grasped Rhetania’s calloused hand and shook it firmly.

“I know,” she responded, still smiling.

She was a bit weird, but so was he. A bit of weirdness was exactly what he—and probably everyone—needed.

“Why do you say the currency pouch is exactly what I need? I’ve been busy the last few days, but I’m sure I’ve yet to be paid for my spoils of war. Once I find out who cleared the battlefield, it won’t be a problem to earn a fortune—maybe not as much as Fortress gifted.”

Even if the corrupted monster corpses and undead weren’t valuable, they could still be used to concoct a wide variety of potions. Regardless, David was fairly certain the Giant carcasses and whatnot were worth a lot, undead or not. And he’d killed lots of strong monsters from the Great Horde, which ought to earn a fortune.

“The currency pouch is exactly what you need because the Familia rewards you with a discount for your next purchase. You can apply the discount whenever and wherever you want, but it will only work once,” Rhetania explained, clearly ignoring David’s question. “It is a 10% discount that applies to all goods. No matter what you wish to purchase, it will be 10% cheaper.”

It wasn’t the greatest discount, but it was better than nothing. And once used with the wealth given by Fortress, his remaining slates, and the money he’d earn in the near future, it would surely be worth it.

No Enlightenment Orb?

Defeating the Great Horde and the Sacred Beast was not directly a Familia Mission, but it would have been nice to acquire more enlightenment experience. However, since there was no Panthea that could have been damaged, receiving even that was already more than David could have hoped for. That left only one issue.

“The discount is nice and all, but why are you ignoring my question? Where is the Mythical Electra’s body and the corpses of the monsters I’ve slain? I’m fine with selling the remaining corpses, but I have enough slates and don’t wish to sell the Sacred Beast’s carcass,” David clarified, his eyes narrowing when the corner of Rhetania’s lips twitched.

The Sacred Beast’s scales ought to be useful. They were more durable than any material used to create armaments for Silver Ranks. Even those at the Gold Rank were likely to struggle finding scales, meat, fangs, and venom glands as tough and potent as the Sacred Beast’s—especially at this time into the integration. It would be months, maybe even years, before materials like the Mythical Electra’s scales would be easier to come by.

“The Artificers have the Sacred Beast. You will have to talk to them if you want it back,” Rhetania said, her confident smile crumbling as she added, quieter, “As for the monster corpses… well, the Sanctuary sold them to the Familia, claiming everything. They were in dire need of resources to rebuild the damaged defenses, you know?”

David did know, and he did understand. But that didn’t mean he liked it.

He sighed deeply, his eyes drifting to the countdown.

To retrieve the corpse, he’d have to find the Artificers, but he also needed to talk to Zachariah, though he had no idea where to find the Regressor.

Two days won’t make a difference, will they?

Since the right to my spoils of war was violated, David took a deep breath. Did he want to anger the dwarves? Not really, but they stole from him after he nearly sacrificed his life for their sake. He demanded justice.

“I can use the Rift again whenever I want, right?” he asked, turning to the dwarves who had yet to leave. His eyes lingered on a familiar sea of vibrant life.

It stepped forward, weaving through the dwarves, whose overflowing excitement had died down visibly, revealing Torb in full glory—filled with life and stronger than ever.

“I need all the Origin Essence of the prehistoric Rift for the next two days. That’s my price.”

“We can arrange that,” Torb approved without any qualms, but something was odd.

It was the first time David saw his dwarven friend since the Great Horde’s attack, yet Torb looked… embarrassed? Why, though? Was he embarrassed because they stole his spoils of war? That would make sense, but David doubted the Prime Champion cared too much about that. Torb wouldn’t look like that if that was the problem. So what was the issue?

David considered asking, but he doubted the dwarf would say anything. Not right now with so many dwarves around.

“I appreciate your effort.”

A thin smile slipped out, the thought of growing stronger lingering on his mind.