Chương 18: 1-17 A revealing night

On the way back, Josef brought out the skill gem for Predator's Gaze. There was no good reason to just let it sit in his pocket after he had already received it. He might as well get some use out of it, making the dark path back to the tavern easier on him. For once, he didn't ask Cana how to do it, since he already had a good idea on how it was done. He extended the mana in his body to make contact with the gem, and the system reacted.

Skill overlap detected: ☆☆ Discerning Eyes (Pinnacle) >< ☆☆ Predator's Gaze (Exceptional) Analyzing skills… compatibility detected. Do you want to merge these skills? Yes! Nightvision, here I come. Skill merged: ☆☆☆ Nightprowler's Eyes (Moderate) You stalk the dark, eyes locked on your prey. It will not escape your sight. With low-light vision and an obfuscated gaze, no detail shall hide from your eyes. Your gaze is harder to detect, and those who do will be unable to trace its origin.

As if someone had just flicked a light switch on, the darkness of Highsend's alleys suddenly pulled back, revealing a much brighter outlook on the town's streets. It wasn't perfect, low-light vision didn't allow him to see colors in the dark, but it was a difference like night and day from before. Josef's gait immediately steadied, and he pulled up on Cana's side. He had spent days casting magic and even explored a dungeon, but this? This made Josef feel like a proper superhuman.

Cana immediately picked up on the change in his mood.

"And what's got you grinning like mad now?"

"I just figured out how to use a skill gem," he proudly declared.

"So you used the skill gem from the slime king? What was it? Anything good?" she asked, no doubt interested in what a skill could do that was as precious as the Inspector had made it sound.

"No, not that one. Still not sure if I should use it. It's probably pretty amazing, but it also sounds very invasive. Like, it will make fundamental changes to my body. Not sure if I'm up for that. I'm already the only human… in town…" he trailed off near the end, almost giving away too much as his mind turned to darker thoughts.

"Can't say I understand how you feel, since there's plenty of us lycans around. But I can give you some advice I got from my tribe, if you want?" She waited for Josef to nod before she continued.

"Back home, we would always have a celebration if someone went through a change. The bigger the change, the bigger the celebration. It was always a fun night when someone got a new fur color or grew bigger teeth. I must have been around ten years old when I finally got around to asking why we actually celebrated those changes.

"It was my grandmother who told me that change is inevitable, but not always easy. There were times in the past when lycans found themselves cast out for being different. It took us many years to learn that their differences were a boon to the tribe, bringing us strength we hadn't known before. And the price of those boons was the weight placed on the shoulders of those who earned them. That's why we would celebrate, to lighten their load, to let them know they are as welcome as they were before."

Cana was silent for a moment, as if she reminisced about the memory she just shared.

"I guess what I should say is… Whatever changes you might go through, you won't be alone with them. And then we will eat and get drunk or something."

"That's a nice thought. Thanks, Cana," Josef meant it. The thought of change as being something not to be feared, but cherished, sat surprisingly well with him. Even so, he knew that he would be mulling over this topic for some time to come. Though he still had time to come to a decision. He had no plans to get involved in any action in the coming days, as he was going to focus on healing people. Plenty of time to think things over.

"Wait a second, if you didn't use that gem, which one did you use?" She finally realized, stopping to look at him.

"I got another skill from the Inspector. An… investment in my future growth. That's part of what I want to tell everyone once we're back. Anyway, the gem contained a skill to improve my eyes. I have night vision now. No more fumbling through the dark like an idiot."

"That's… worrying. About the Inspector, I mean. Glad you're no longer stumbling around like a kid. Means we can pick up the pace. Don't fall behind." As she spoke, she picked up speed. Cutting around corners in alleys of Highsend, Josef was for once enjoying the sprint along the streets. The air was a lot more refreshing than during the day, and the gray, moonlight night gave their journey a mysterious atmosphere.

With their new and increased pace, they quickly made it back to the Salty Snake, checking in at the backdoor as usual, where Dizzy would usher them in. Coco was nowhere to be seen. She had already tired herself out when playing with Nibbles, and the kobold had likely already tucked her in. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. As Josef got comfortable on one of the chairs, Cana went out front to fetch Zassa.

He really hoped all those recent interruptions didn't cause trouble for her business, as they pulled her from the tavern quite often. Then again, she definitely didn't work the front alone. One of these days he would have to try to meet the other staff for some introductions. After the lamia had made her way back and got comfortable with them, it was time for Josef to talk. He didn't have a good idea of how to broach the topic with them, but he tried his best.

"Look, I am sorry for being obtuse and keeping secrets from you. Especially after you were so kind to take me in when I was at a low point in my life, alone and scared. Tonight, I learned that I can't keep secrets forever, and that I should reach out and trust my own friends instead of keeping things hushed until a stranger digs them up." Josef took a moment to center himself as he looked into the waiting eyes at the table. Even Dizzy had abandoned her pots for the moment and came near to listen.

"I received a heartstone from a dragon." He finally blurted out.

"Ha, me know! Owe coin!" Dizzy was the first to erupt in a cheer.

"Damn it, shouldn't have bet against a kobold's instincts." Cana spat out as she threw some coins at her.

"Wait what, you had bets running on me?" Josef was perplexed. This is what he had gotten so worked up over?

"Can you blame us, Josef?" Zassa pulled a clipboard from somewhere and crossed some lines off it.

"A mysterious stranger appears in the hour of need, saves our little Coco, and shows off more than just one rare affinity while he is at it. You seem to misunderstand just how rare it is for someone to have even one of those. If the rest of the tavern knew what was going on back here, then the betting pool would have escalated completely. That is the kind of story that gets people riled up."

"Oh right, I think I saw him teleport during our boss fight, so that makes at least three rare affinities." Cana helpfully supplied. The lamia sighed as she continued.

"Look, there are only so many ways this many affinities on one low level man can make sense. Even with the dragons gone, the heartstone still sounded like one of the more conservative speculations. At least compared to something like being born with two rare affinities naturally. With a third one to consider, everything else becomes even more unlikely." Technically speaking, the heartstone alone wasn't to blame for all of those affinities, but his Transmigrator feat was one thing he wasn't comfortable sharing yet.

That part of his background still felt vulnerable and private. Too painful.

"So you met an actual dragon? They're still around? What have they been doing?" It was the lycan who finally couldn't hold back her curiosity about the dragons.

"Kinda. Also kinda. Not much." was Josef's glib reply. That earned him a deadpan stare, so he continued, "Well, to be honest, I can't remember much about my first meeting, other than receiving the heartstone, that is. Turns out dragons have somehow been turned to stone. I received the heartstone with the expectation of going out and finding a way to fix that. Then I was dropped outside of Highsend by magic. You know how the rest of it went." He finished with a shrug. Josef felt like he wasn't made for storytelling.

Maybe he should have put some points into Charisma.

"So the dragons disappeared because they were all turned to stone? How?" It was Zassa's turn to ask.

"At least that one was. I have seen no others. And no idea. If I was told something about it, then I can't remember. Seriously, something likely messed with my mind back then."

"Oh, that is bad. And very worrying…" Dizzy went eloquent in her distress.

"Who would do that?" Josef had the distinct feeling that she wasn't referring to his memory being tempered with.

"Also no idea. I'm really just flying blind, trying to get stronger and better at healing, until I figure something out. One of my affinities is supposed to be useful for that, but I still don't know how to properly use it." For a moment, Dizzy looked like she was about to scold him, but ultimately schooled her expression and calmed down. He knew his plan was somewhat stupid and naive, but what else could he really do in this situation?

If people actually knew what to do about the missing dragons, then they wouldn't have been gone all this time. Only he had that affinity, and it was up to him to figure things out.

"What kind of affinity is it?"

"A completely unknown one. Even the system doesn't know what to label it." Josef answered the lycan.

"Well, I have a lot of friends in strange places, but I don't think anyone can dig up information on something that unique." Zassa admitted.

"Still, if you figure out anything at all, let me know. I will help you in any way I can."

"Same. Same!" Dizzy found her composure again. Hearing about the fate of dragons must have shaken her, as well as the others, but even if the knowledge hurt, at least there was a path forward. Maybe Vasaj was right. Some secrets can't be kept forever. And some are better off being shared sooner rather than later. Many must still hold out hope for the return of dragons, especially among the scalefolk and the beastkin. After all, things seem to have only gotten worse for them ever since they disappeared.

One day, when he was prepared to face whoever would oppose that hope, he wanted to share it with more people.

"It sounds like there is only one thing we can do right now… to have a toast in honor of our newest Drake!" Cana cheered. There was that weird word again.

"Please, just keep calling me by my name. That title feels way too strange for me." Josef pleaded.

"I'm still working through your advice, Cana, but that's one change I'm not ready to embrace yet. Especially not from my friends."

"Oh, fine, then I'll cheer for Josef, the healer," she laughed. Somehow, everyone fell in, and Zassa got them drinks from the front. He had no idea what was in his cup, but it was sweet and warm. As they enjoyed their drinks together, Josef began to retell his encounter with the Inspector, and how he had also figured out that he had a heartstone. Concerns were shared and ideas exchanged, but they ultimately agreed to go along and watch the situation develop, as they continued acting out their own plan.

But if Vasaj ever made trouble, he would regret that day. Dizzy in particular had some very colorful promises on what her ladle would do to that elf's rectum. Today was the first time he had really gotten drunk, as alcohol went down smoothly when it was shared among friends. Tomorrow, he would find out if healing magic fixes hangovers.