Chapter 15
Sow
As my sickle cut through the stalk of ethereal wheat, potential from the manâs corpse surged into me. Light flared across my skin, then dimmed just as quickly, leaving only the faint warmth of its passing.
I felt the absorbed potential spiral inward, drawn toward a hidden reservoir the resided somewhere deep within me. The sensation continued to build, until all I could feel was the warm glow of life that churned within my being. It was intoxicating.
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Domain Ability: [Spirit Well] (Domain: Divine) (Common)
A tool of potential, Spirit Well allows practitioners to draw in and store Spiritual Potential (SP) within an internal reservoir. Stored SP may be manifested through the use of skills and abilities. Maximum SP is determined by one's Spirit attribute.
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Skill unlocked: Spirit Harvest: (Rank 1: level 1) - Harvest spiritual potential from an available source. Potential harvested in this way will automatically be placed in a users internal reservoir. Excess potential will be lost.
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My thoughts slowly regained clarity as Blueâs head pressed gently against my own. He nudged me again, harder this time, as he did his best to push me in the direction of Hershel and Neil.
And just like that, I was running.
Hershel!â I cried, as I dropped to my knees beside him. I quickly inspected his body and found a nasty wound that continually poured blood out from his side.
âSam? That you young-in?â Hershel asked weakly, his voice faint and barely audible.
Choking back tears, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. âYeah, old timer, itâs me, just hang in there a little longer, alright?â
I pressed my hands firmly over the wound, trying to staunch the blood that continued to seep out from his side, its warmth soaked into my palms as the manâs life literally slipped through my fingers.
Focusing my will, I began to draw upon the potential that I had just absorbed from the dead man nearby.
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Path Ability: [Sow] (Domain: Divine) (Legendary)
A tool of potential, Sow allows the user to amplify various forms of potential.
Skills: (Unlocked through use of ability)
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As I activated my ability, the stored potential within me began to stir. It built in my chest, surged down my arm, and pooled in my bloodied hands. Then, like opening a floodgate, I released it into the wound, hoping sheer volume would make up for my lack of control. Ethereal light rippled across Hershelâs body, and was drawn into him through the point where my will met flesh, just as Iâd seen Father Elias do back in Wheat Hollow.
I wasnât a surgeon. I knew very little about the human body, and I worried that my lack of understanding could cause Hershel to heal improperly. What if the wound outside healed but the internal damage did not? The panic inside me continued to run rampant as I desperately fought to save a man that I had come to consider a close friend.
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Skill unlocked: Mend Wounds (Rank 1: level 1) - Amplify the vitality within a target in order to rapidly heal injuries and mend wounds. This skill scales with Spirit.
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After using what felt like a little more than two thirds of my stored potential, I pulled my hands back to check for changes in Hershelâs condition.
To my great relief, I watched as the faint glowing light began to knit the torn flesh back together. The skin grew rapidly, as if months of recovery had been accelerated into just a few moments. I couldnât see what was happening internally, but I desperately hoped that the organs inside were experiencing a similar effect.
âHershel, just lie still a moment, I need to go check on Neil.â
I quickly moved over to Neilâs collapsed body, not waiting for Hershelâs response.
As I drew close to Neil, I could see his skull had been caved in slightly on one side, much like the man who had been kicked by Blue. His hair was damp with blood, and upon touching it, I had to stifle a sudden surge of emotion. What if it was too late? Damage to the brain was not something most people came back from. If this wasnât treated soon, it was very likely he would die or be permanently disabled in some way.
I placed both hands around his head and held him firmly in my grasp. Once again, I drew upon the spiritual energy stored within my body and willed it to cover Neilâs head. I poured out every ounce of healing I could, until I felt the well of power within me suddenly run dry. I watched anxiously as the fractured skull underneath began to move and snap back into alignment.
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âBy the steps of my father!"
I turned around to find Hershel streaming expletives as he stood to his feet, hands prodding where the wound had been just moments before. His look of wonder was quickly replaced with despair as he saw me cradling his grandsonâs body in my arms.
âIs he⦠is my Neilâ¦â Hershelâs voice broke as he struggled to stifle the sudden emotion rising within him.
âIâm not sure..I did what I could, weâll just have to hope itâs enough.â
My body trembled as I held Neilâs still form and Hershel shook with silent sobs as he tried to manage his rising despair. Neither of us were willing to speak out of fear that it might somehow impede Neilâs recovery.
As I sat holding Neil, I felt his body stir and his hands pushed out against my arms that held him close.
âHey....Sam, why are you holding me? I like you and all but this is a bit odd.â
Neilâs words broke the tense silence surrounding us, causing Hershelâs sobs to grow louder as he watched his grandsonâs eyes flutter open. The old man ran over and enveloped Neil and myself in a protective embrace. His clothes smelled of blood and tobacco, and his body shook with unrestrained emotion as he held his us in his arms.
I knew I should feel something in this momentâ¦relief, anger, fearâ¦.but everything felt just out of reach, it was as if I were a spectator watching myself experience the events that were taking place. Despite the disconnect, I knew this wasnât the time to dwell on my feelings. We had to be sure no one else was coming to finish what these two now dead men had started.
Hershel finally released Neil and I from his embrace, and then looked at me with a face full of concern. âSam, are you okay, son?â
I stood up next to Blue, giving the donkey a well deserved scratch on the head. âHonestly, I donât know how to answer that. I think we need to pack up and get as far away from here as we can.â
Hershel nodded in agreement and pulled his grandson to his feet. When Neil tried to move, he stumbled, struggling to keep his balance. His feet refused to stay underneath him and my mind couldnât help but compare it to watching a newborn colt take its first steps.
âWhatâs wrong with my legs?â Neil said, as fear and frustration began to fill his voice.
A new wave of concern filled my thoughts as I realized the healing hadnât been enough to fully repair the damage he had received to his brain. I immediately attempted to reach within myself and draw from the pool of potential that I had already exhausted. As I probed the depths of the reservoir, I found that there was nothing left to give.
Thinking quickly, I turned on my heel and looked at the body of the first man I had cut down with my sickle. The ethereal stalk of wheat still stood proudly from his corpse, though its size was noticeably smaller. Despite everything, and however inappropriate it felt to think it, I couldnât help but find the shimmering wheat beautiful in its own twisted way.
I ran over as quickly as I could and drew my sickle through the remaining fragments of potential lingering over the man. As the power flowed into my reservoir, I noticed it was substantially less than what I had gathered from the first man. I guessed that, due to the delay in the harvest, only a small fraction of the lingering potential had been salvageable.
As I continued to move around the camp, my heart pounded with urgency. âHershel, get him on the wagon. Iâll grab everything else.â
Running around the campsite, I did my best to quickly gather our supplies as I threw armfuls of our gear into the back of the wagon. I took a moment to kick dirt over our fire, its remaining embers hissed and sputtered as I smothered them out of existence.
I couldnât help but stop and look at the two ruined bodies that had once been the bald cutthroats. My disassociated mind took notes, analyzing them with cold precision. Blood still oozed from the deep gash my sickle had carved in the first manâs throat, while the other lay in a motionless heap, one eye bulging unnaturally from the impact to the back of his head. They were bad men and they had met bad ends.
For a moment I considered looting their corpses. They had been traveling with the merchants' guild, after all; they likely had their fair share of coin and goods stashed on their bodies. After a moment's consideration I decided against it, I didnât want to stoop to the level of these monsters by taking coin from the corpses of my fellow men.
Once the camp had been sufficiently packed up, our group made haste down the main road in order to put distance between us and the bloodshed weâd left behind. We chose to travel in the dark for some time, guided only by the pale light of the moon that occasionally peeked out between the clouds of the overcast sky.
We travelled through much of the night in silence as Clyde sleepily trudged along the well worn road towards Salt Brine. The sound of his hooves made a steady rhythm as he pulled the cart forward along the moonlit path.
âSo what exactly happened back there?â Neil asked, breaking the silence while rubbing his sore head. âI think I might have a concussionâ¦everything keeps spinning.â
Strangely, I didnât feel any emotion as I shared all the details of what had happened. Even when I spoke about killing the men, my tone was flat and matter of fact. Neil, on the other hand, was far more expressive, looking back and forth between Hershel and l as I shared how my ability healed the two of them from critical injuries.
âHoly hells,â he said, looking to his grandfather. âI think Sam might be a little more than a complicated farmer.â
Hershel simply nodded his agreement.
âNeil, you should lie down and get some rest,â Hershel said with a weary voice. âYouâre Gran and mother are going to kill me for letting this happen." I watched as Hershel visibly shivered, "especially your Gran."
Despite Neil's protests, I took on the role of the bossy older brother and nudged Neil to the back of the wagon. After a few more complaints, he finally gave in and soon lay sleeping on the supplies we had thrown in earlier. As he slept, I placed my hand on his head and let the remaining potential I had reaped flow into his skin.
As I applied the healing, I felt a familiar but much milder sensation of progression take root in my consciousness.
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Notice: Skill: Mend Wounds is now Rank 1: Level 2.
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As we continued to travel south, clouds gradually gathered in the sky overhead. Their dark forms made the night feel even more oppressive as they blocked out the faint light of the moon entirely, causing the road to fall into near total darkness. Rain soon began to fall, prompting us to pull off our path in hopes of once again finding shelter for the night. Traveling while tired was already an arduous task, but traveling in the rain, at night, was just downright miserable.
âOh by Cultivationâs salted sack, of course it would rain now,â Hershel grumbled, pulling a pinch of tobacco from his pocket. âWe need to find shelter, or weâll have bigger problems come morning. Sam grab a lantern, I canât tell my left cheek from my right in this dark.
Upon his request, I moved to find my lantern in the pile of supplies I had hastily thrown into the back of the wagon. After a brief search and a few strikes from my tinderbox, a light soon shone into the darkness around us.
Nearby was a small cluster of broad leaved trees with thick branches that stretched out in all directions. We hurriedly guided the wagon beneath their dense canopy and went about setting up camp once again. Hershel unburdened Clyde and Blue while I managed to secure a tarp between the nearest tree and the wagon. The heavy fabric was slick under my fingers as I worked to create a dry place to sleep until morning.
âIs it safe for us all to sleep?â Neil asked, as he groggily moved off of the wagon and underneath our shelter.
âWeâve done all we can,â I said, doing my best to stay awake on my feet. âAt this point, Iâm too tired to care.â
All three of us lay down in the makeshift camp as rain poured in thick sheets outside the treeâs sheltering branches. We had survived the night, and for now, that would have to be enough. I silently extended my thanks to The Path and gave in to the sweet release of sleep.