Chapter Eighty: Aftermath

Zhao Xu went around and helped each of the fallen people up in turn, but those who had lost consciousness still did not awaken. He also took the opportunity to check on Roya.

Roya’s health was probably among the highest of those present, yet even he barely survived the wraith’s blow and was now hovering on the brink of death. His condition hadn’t stabilized, and he was awaiting someone with medical skills to lend a hand.

Zhao Xu possessed healing spells but couldn’t be bothered to invest skill points in medical abilities. He simply wanted the capacity, not to make a name for himself as a healer. Yet when he saw that it took nearly five rounds—thirty seconds—for the four to finally regain consciousness, Zhao Xu began to realize the difficulty of spell saving throws; depending on who cast the spell, its effect varied greatly.

With only a +3 Intelligence modifier, when Zhao Xu cast Color Spray, the saving throw difficulty would be just 10 plus 1 (spell level) plus 3 (Intelligence), making DC14. With such a spell, at least half the Maple Leaf party should have remained conscious rather than being completely wiped out.

But precisely because the Maple Leaf group had all fallen unconscious, he dared to produce the Divine Candle—a sacred artifact.

The most basic use of the Divine Candle allowed a cleric to light it while preparing spells, and thus be treated as two levels higher when gaining divine magic. For example, Zhao Xu could prepare spells as though he were a level 3 cleric. If he lit the candle while casting, he could also cast as a level 3 cleric. Each candle lasted four hours, effectively letting Zhao Xu act as a level 3 cleric for four days.

However, the Divine Candle could be consumed in an instant to unleash the ninth-level spell “Gate,” which was an excessively potent ability. An ordinary person, upon obtaining a “Gate” spell scroll, would require the Use Magic Device skill to employ it, but with the Divine Candle, a mere match sufficed.

Before the Age of Cataclysm, Divine Candles had once been widespread; powerful beings from other worlds were constantly harassed, forced by mysterious powers to rush from place to place to resolve crises. This mounting resentment eventually influenced the will of the world, making Divine Candles not only hard to manufacture but also turning them into forbidden items.

The 8400 gold price quoted before the Cataclysm was only twice the production cost of 4200 gold; it did not mean one could truly buy them at that rate.

Zhao Xu dared not use it lightly; even when he met the druid earlier, what he held in his hand was not the Divine Candle, for this thing was trouble incarnate. Had Roya not collapsed, nearly dead and unconscious, and had the caravan’s attendants not scattered in panic, he would certainly have sought another solution.

The natives of Arthur were not the kind who kindly handed out quests, nor would they applaud you for your outstanding character. Players flaunting their wealth and then being robbed by wandering locals was never news. He did not want to arrive in Butan or Kaso City only to be betrayed and sold out.

One Divine Candle may not suffice to stir massive forces, but the channels behind it spoke volumes. Sometimes, being weak as a player was a kind of peace.

Nonetheless, Zhao Xu felt a pang of regret after the recent expenditure. He would never summon a seraph—a mighty angel—just to fight a wraith for laughs. He chose the Divine Candle because only it could drive away the wraith at the cost of a small portion of its power.

The only price was that, for this candle now only eighty to ninety percent of its original length, the next time he tried to cast “Gate,” the success rate would only be eighty to ninety percent.

“Ah, it’s gone again,” murmured the priestess as she awoke, her voice dreamy. She was still a bit confused, thinking her recent stiffness was simply a new experience after resurrection.

When she looked carefully at the surroundings, the night was similar to before. With a hint of shock, she said, “The resurrection stone has new effects now. Maple Leaf, look—we actually resurrected right where we fell!”

She shook the nearby figures, only to find they had not yet recovered from the stunned state.

Suddenly, she snapped awake. “Wraith!”

Full of terror, she swept her short neck around, but there was no sign of the wraith.

“Wake up. The wraith is gone,” Zhao Xu said helplessly.

Her behavior was a textbook example of wasting opportunities, able to turn one round of enemy control into two.

“Priestess, do you have medical skills? If so, go and treat the leader over there—see if you can stabilize his wounds.”

“Of course! Mage, you know, before I got divine magic, I used medical skills to restore everyone’s condition.”

Hearing this, Zhao Xu merely smiled. This seemingly clumsy priestess was apparently not as useless as she appeared.

With the boost from medical skills, players could receive double the natural recovery. Eight hours of care would restore 2 HP, and a full day’s rest would restore 4 HP. It was meager, but better than nothing.

Color Spray itself only imposed negative status effects, so Zhao Xu was not worried about the players dying suddenly.

After a while, the other three of Maple Leaf’s party slowly awoke. Under the priestess’s unexpectedly effective medical care, Roya’s wounds stabilized, and he regained consciousness, though he was unable to move much and would need some time to recuperate.

When dawn finally arrived, Roya dragged his battered body and gathered the remaining members.

Many who had witnessed the wraith up close last night felt their strength, agility, and constitution—the three most sensitive attributes—diminished. This dreadful curse destroyed the minds of most; even Roya’s trusted followers only dared return an hour later to check the situation.

Some had their attributes reduced to zero and fell into helpless paralysis or even death.

By morning, four corpses covered with white cloth lay on the ground.

But Zhao Xu was no saint; he only had one use of the candle, and could not always bring it forth to shield everyone. Moreover, by the time everyone was dressed and ready to set out, the battle was already largely settled.

So Zhao Xu could only quietly pray for those warriors who lost their lives in the night, hoping they could return to the divine realm of their gods.

Moreover, the circumstances met the emergency shelter principle of the Adventurer’s Charter; the players’ escape was justifiable and would stand up in the court of the God of Justice.

After regrouping, Roya never asked Zhao Xu for details, and the entire team regarded him with a subtle reverence.

After last night’s turmoil, much of the damaged cargo had to be dealt with on the spot, freeing up an empty wagon. The four Maple Leaf players thus benefited from Zhao Xu and shared the empty carriage with him.

Once everyone was settled and the coachman whipped the horses to start, they all turned their curious gazes toward Zhao Xu.