The Lineage of the White Wolf — A Recusant Healer

Name’s Bazan. I’m in a party with my old buds, Basura and Sekiros, called the Lineage of the White Wolf. The name comes from me, the strongest of the bunch and a descendant of the sacred White Wolf.

The three of us were relaxing in the Merratoni Adventurer’s Guild lounge. There weren’t many places where beastfolk could live a nice life. Depending on genes, some of us had lots of body hair, some shed a ton, some had tails, and that was most humans needed to act like you were a plague victim. The nicer looking ones were treated like pets.

We had just finished an escort request and were heading back to the inn after making B-rank at the guild when I saw a human I’d bumped into a few days earlier. He was glancing around the place, muttering to himself.

“...it’s a little freaky,” I heard him say under his breath.

I felt like scaring him a bit. “Wanna repeat that? Whose face is freaky?”

“What...”

“Hey, you’re that healer I bumped into the other day, ain’tcha?”

“I-I’m very sorry about that,” he sputtered. “I’ve been working hard since then and finally learned Heal, so I could use it on you as an apology, if you like.”

I hadn’t expected him to be that scared. The damn weirdo was lowering his head and offering to heal beastfolk. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like ragging on the poor kid anymore. It was just bullying the weak, and the White Wolf wouldn’t do that.

“Like I’m hurt enough to need that shit! We’re adventurers, pal,” I snapped. Well, I tried. I was pissed off, so I couldn’t help my tone. The hell was this guy even doing?

Sekiros and Basura finally showed up to save my ass.

“Bazan, he’s shakin’ in his boots. You do something to ’im?” Sekiros asked.

“Oh, I heard ’im talking about adventurers and something being freaky, so it sounded like he was talkin’ trash, but I guess I misunderstood.”

“Hah! Who can blame the guy? Your face is pretty intense.”

“Zip it, Basura. So, what’re you doing here, small fry?”

“Er, uh, well, I was trying to get to the Adventurer’s Guild, but I don’t know the way, so I was doing some sightseeing.”

The moment I heard that, I felt a headache coming on. We were on our way to the slums and this jackass was going the same direction. Folks wouldn’t let him out alive if he went too far, and if he did somehow make it out, they wouldn’t forget his face. Not the best start to becoming a semi-decent healer.

“You were planning on going to the slums lookin’ like that? You tryin’ to get killed? Or tricked into being a slave? Slavery might be illegal here, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get robbed blind and left in a ditch,” Sekiros warned.

“U-Um, you’re all adventurers, I take it? Could you tell me where the guild is? I’d really appreciate it.”

A human, a healer, had bowed to Sekiros. We exchanged glances, then looked back at the kid. Sure enough, he was human.

“You’re a human...right?” Basura verified. “You’re not half-beast or anythin’ are ya?”

“No, I’m a human. Did I say something strange?”

“You know we’re beastfolk, right?”

“I do. This is my first time meeting any.”

“Your first time?”

“That’s right, so I apologize if I’ve done anything ignorant to offend.”

How many times was this human gonna apologize? He reminded me of the beastfolk in the slums. And if this was his first time meeting some, maybe we could get him to owe us a favor. Maybe he could heal some of us. At least, I hoped he would.

“Bazan, this kid ain’t right.”

I clicked my tongue in resignation. “Fine. If we’re your first impression, guess we’ll take you to the guild.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Quit bowin’ all the time!”

“Yessir!”

He looked about ready to start bawling, but all I’d done was shout at him a little. Yeah, there’s that headache...

“You’re gonna make the kid cry, Bazan.”

“He’s got a face only a mother could love.”

“Basura, zip it. Sekiros, you lead.”

Those two jokesters could handle things if they wanted to act like asses. But wait, what the hell was a healer going to the Adventurer’s Guild for?

“Sure thing. By the way, what’s your name, kid?” Sekiros asked.

“Luciel. I’ve just recently become an adult, and my job is healer.”

“Luciel, eh? We’re the Lineage of the White Wolf, a B-rank adventuring party.”

“B-rank? You must be pretty strong, then.”

“Eh, you know. Anyway, no more wastin’ time, let’s get a move on.”

“Yes, let’s.”

“You’re a weird one, ya know that, Luciel?”

Damn right he was. A human healer had just introduced himself to a group of beastpeople...politely.

We saw him to the guildhall and pretended to leave so that we could watch him for a bit longer. No way that twig was planning on becoming an adventurer. Was he putting in a request?

He made it to the reception desk, then started asking Nanaella about something.

“He tries anything, we jump in,” I ordered.

“Don’t overdo it. We’d kill the kid.”

“Let’s not kill the kid.”

“Relax, you two. I know.”

I, er, we wouldn’t let anyone put Nanaella in danger. The Whirlwind wouldn’t either, and no one would dare try with him around. Merratoni’s Adventurer’s Guild was an oddity in that they hired lots of beastfolk.

The Whirlwind, the head honcho, didn’t tolerate racial discrimination. He was leagues above everyone, a man of unreachable talents. And with the Bear Chef and Recluse—legends among beastfolk—here with him, those snobby Healer’s and Mage’s Guilds couldn’t touch us.

Nanaella stood up and left the kid standing there alone. Clearly, this was a plain old guild request and she had left for a reason. If she were running, some of the guys would’ve gone after her to help. She had looked a bit troubled by something, but her smile never wavered. Maybe he wasn’t the discriminating type... Rare with humans. After several minutes, she came back with Brod.

Is...he gonna be okay?

The kid went on explaining himself, as if Brod weren’t exerting that ridiculous pressure of his. I was damn sure he was, though.

“Hey, is that pipsqueak stronger than he looks?” I heard onlookers comment.

“He’s gotta be if he can withstand Brod’s pressure. Maybe he’s a mage.”

Their guesses, of course, were wrong. How would they have reacted if I’d told them he was a healer? The Whirlwind wouldn’t take that knowledge lightly.

The kid had the guts of an adventurer, that was for sure. The contrast between his courage and how much of a scaredy-cat he was piqued my interest.

After he left, the guild made an announcement... Not something often done. Three days from then, a healer was to be stationed at our branch. He was a novice and could only cast Heal, but would take patients of any race or gender for a single silver. New adventurers would get treatment for free.

It was that kid. It couldn’t have been anyone else.

Along with that information was a warning in bold, plain letters: anyone who started a fight with the healer would be punished by having their rank lowered, as well as possibly receiving a fine. Complaints were to be directed to Brod.

As far as announcements at an Adventurer’s Guild went, this one was pretty out there. Lowering a rank as punishment was extremely irregular and essentially meant that the kid was being given VIP treatment. By the guildmaster himself, the Whirlwind, no less, which was the most shocking part.

At any rate, this healer was no ordinary kid if he was willing to heal regardless of race. In a world where folks like us could be denied care or charged extortionate prices, it was a dream come true.

“No doubt about it. It’s that Luciel kid from before he’s talkin’ about, isn’t it?”

“Probably.”

“I dunno, a healer with balls that big? I’m takin’ this with a grain o’ salt.”

The other adventurers all had their own ideas, but we knew for sure.

“At least that means Nanaella wasn’t in trouble.”

“Ya got that right.”

And that was how we met him. Luciel, the scrawny ass healer. Before heading out on an escort request from Merratoni to the Empire of Illumasia shortly after, we made a bet on how long he’d last.

We returned to Merratoni three months later.

“This trip was a long one,” Sekiros said offhandedly.

“That merchant was such a damn penny-pincher,” Basura grumbled.

“Hey, he shut up when we took out the monster, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Oh yeah, who bets that healer’s still at the guild?” I interjected.

“Not me,” answered Sekiros.

Basura thought for a moment. “I think he’ll be there,” he finally replied. A surprising choice for him.

“I don’t think he will,” I said. “Why d’ya think that, Basura?”

“Forget what the healer thinks. No way Brod would let him leave.”

“That’s your theory, eh? All right, drinks’re on the loser once we finish this request.”

Basura and Sekiros agreed, and we made straight for the Adventurer’s Guild.

“I don’t see the twerp, do you? Man, smells like free drinks in here,” I cackled.

Basura clicked his tongue angrily in reply.

“Welcome, Lineage of the White Wolf,” Nanaella greeted us. “Are you here to report in?”

“Hey, Nanaella. You remember that healer who came here three months ago? How long’d he end up stayin’?”

“Oh, you mean Luciel?” she beamed happily.

“No ‘Mister’? Not many have that privilege. So, what was it, ’bout a month?” Sekiros asked.

“Not quite,” Nanaella giggled, her smile growing even brighter.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

“So...” Basura’s mouth twisted into a shit-eating grin. “He’s still here?”

Nanaella broke into quiet laughter for a moment. “I-I’m sorry. He’s actually living in the resting room downstairs.”

“He’s what?!” we cried in unison.

She explained that he had, in fact, been living at the guildhall, and had been drinking a certain substance that Gulgar made all new adventurers try. Every single day. I felt my stomach lurch at the thought.

On top of that, he’d been going up against the Whirlwind, day in and day out, and hadn’t stepped outside in three months. People were saying he was addicted to training.

“Damn, and they’re calling him Defective Tongue, the Masochist, Zombie... Those’re some wild nicknames.”

“You’re talkative today,” I groaned.

“Yeah, ’cause I’m not payin’.”

“Live it up while you can. ’Least the guy seems nice enough. We’ll have to check him out if we get hurt.”

At the time, Luciel was just a weirdo healer to me...to all of us. None of us expected what would happen half a year later.

We were cutting down monsters in a mine on an urgent mission. “Eliminate all monsters pouring from the mine,” were our only orders. They were all small fry, easy stuff. Except for one creature deeper inside.

Sekiros and I coughed our lungs out. That smoke, or flammable mist, or whatever it was the monster spat out had done a number on us.

“Hang in there, guys! We’re almost there! Stay with me!”

“Why the long face?” I wheezed. “We’ll be fine.”

“You think we’ll kick the bucket that easy?” Sekiros hacked. “We’ll sleep it off.”

“No, we’re going straight to a clinic.”

Basura had a rare aptitude for magic (or rare for beastpeople, that is), so he was tougher against status ailments. Sekiros and I shut up and let him take us to a healer, but the result wasn’t surprising.

“Who’re those dogs to me? If you must force my hand, we’ll say fifty gold.”

“What?! Who the hell has that kinda money?!”

“That’s your problem, pal. I’m a busy man. If you don’t like it, leave.”

“Please, there’s gotta be something you can do.”

“Fine. Dogs make for good slaves. That should cover the cost.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“Don’t like it? Then leave.”

The clinic was a bust. Back at the inn, Sekiros and I rested while Basura ran off to the Adventurer’s Guild. The moment he left, I passed out.

A strange warmth washed over me as the haze started to lift.

“They should be okay now. If anything else happens, please bring them...to the...guild...”

“Whoa, easy there. Ya did good, kid.” Brod caught him from falling. “That’ll be two silver from you guys.”

“That’s all? That’s really all?” Basura asked in disbelief.

“That’s all. That’s what he’d want.”

“Who the hell is this healer?”

“A weirdo. That’s who. I dunno what kinda life he’s led, but he busts his ass training. All to ‘survive,’ he says.”

“Does two silver even turn a profit?”

“He says he’s still inexperienced. If you feel like you owe him more, just be there to help him if he needs it.”

The Whirlwind said nothing more and left, carrying the healer on his back.

“Basura? Was that the Whirlwind?”

“Yeah. The guild healer came.”

“So he did. ‘Inexperienced’... You think he got all the poison?”

“Bazan, I’m just gonna give it to you straight. Without him, without that healer, you’d be dead.”

“O-Oh. Wait, what? I would?”

“The Whirlwind said that monster we took out was a mutated gastle. The poison would’ve killed you without the right antidote or cure magic.”

“Huh... Magic’s pretty amazing, ain’t it?”

“I use magic, and magic’s not amazing. The ability to use it, and use it right, is what’s amazing.”

“What’s your point?”

“I told you, without that healer, you two would’ve been dead meat. How many times do you think he cast his spells on you both? I couldn’t even keep count. Over and over, right until he couldn’t... and then he kept going.”

“And that’s...what’s amazing.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t pass out. He just gritted his teeth and kept at it. He was bleeding, Bazan. And for two silver. Can you believe that?”

“We owe him our lives, don’t we?”

“The hell you think I’ve been getting at? Look down on that healer and I’m going to start doubting you. I’ll leave it at that.”

“What was his name again?” Sekiros groaned. “Luciel? I’ve never in my life seen a healer like him.”

“Sekiros, you’re awake?” I asked.

“Yeah. I heard him while I was out. He told me to keep hanging on. It felt like a warm light was wiping away the darkness.”

“I felt it too.”

“We need to thank him next time we see him,” Basura said.

“I know.”

“Right.”

The next day, we did just that.

“You’re alive because you fought for it. Don’t ever give up on life. It’s your only one.”

That was all he said before going right back to sparring with the Whirlwind.

“Is that kid a damn saint?”

“When you look at all that hell he puts himself through, makes you wonder if he might end up like the founder of the Healer’s Guild someday.”

“We gotta be there for him if we wanna repay what he did for us. The Whirlwind said so himself.”

“Right. The Lineage of the White Wolf never forgets a debt.”

I...or rather my entire party was incredibly grateful that we’d met the guy. For three months after that, we watched his progress from the sidelines, cheering him on. Then we finally hit A-rank. And so came our long-awaited date with the receptionists, minus Nanaella...supposedly because they couldn’t leave the guild empty, but I knew it was at least partly because she wanted to avoid marrying and having to quit her job young. Her not being there was a bummer, but it was still a good time. And we had Luciel to thank for being able to experience it.

When Bottaculli started causing shit, I thought we’d finally get our chance to return the favor. That was wishful thinking, though. The whole damn guild already had Luciel on lockdown. The Whirlwind was with him twenty-four hours a day, the Bear Chef double-checked all of his meals, and the Recluse gathered outside intel during his downtime.

The Recluse, in particular, put in significant work. He took out mercs, manipulated info to threaten the guildmaster of the Healer’s Guild, and passed information to Bottaculli’s slaves. In a single month, Bottaculli’s hands were tied. He couldn’t act out in the open anymore.

Luciel, none the wiser, just kept on training. No one told him he was perfectly safe and the danger had passed. Then again, we didn’t either. I mean, the kid was training because he wanted to. Who were we to rain on his parade?

Everyone expected him to end up a full-time, permanent staff member, until Bottaculli pulled some strings behind the scenes to have him sent off to the Holy City, making the Whirlwind turn up the heat even more.

This made chatting with the kid a bit hard, to say the least. Every day, he’d be dead tired but still gave each of his patients his full attention. What the hell drove him so hard? How was his spirit not in tatters at this point? They called him a “masochistic zombie,” but he was only doing it to get stronger. He was dead set on it. But why? Why did he push himself so far?

I would learn the answer to that question on the day we accepted the request to see him safely to the Holy City.

A job had been posted at the guild for an escort to the Holy City. The request came from the guild itself, and the target to be protected was Luciel. The one requirement: parties of C-rank or higher only. There was no pay listed.

“Those who would like to undertake the job of seeing Mister Luciel to the Holy City, please submit a proposal for your escort plan,” Nanaella informed us.

“Please mention the compensation you think appropriate for your proposal, as well,” added Monica, a receptionist Luciel had dragged over from the Healer’s Guild.

It was a bizarre request, to say the least. By wagon, it wouldn’t take more than two days to reach the capital. Any normal job would pay twenty silver at most. But this wasn’t a normal job. Was that the right price?

I decided to ask the guys for their take. “Whaddya make of that request?”

“I don’t think the asking price is what’s important here,” Sekiros said.

“There’re lots of villages between here and the Holy City, yeah?” Basura brought up. “How about we make a bunch o’ stops and get Luciel’s name out there?”

“Like, distinguish him from the other healers, you mean? That feels like using him, though.”

“Why don’t we ask him, then?” Basura countered.

“I’m sure he’d agree, it’s just we probably won’t get the job with a plan like that.” I thought it over for a moment. “So, what’s with him? Why’s he train his ass off, only to heal for basically no pay? The Whirlwind’s not makin’ him, is he?”

“It’s because he knows pain.” I turned around and saw Nanaella. “When he sees someone hurt, he can’t help but want to do what he can for them.”

Monica was with her, as usual. “He hates early deaths. He told me no one deserves to die from anything but old age.”

I had heard those two hung out with him a lot. They’d know him best.

“Sekiros, Basura. We’re going with that plan.”

There were no objections.

A kind-hearted journey for a kind-hearted man. Someday, all those villages might just be there for him. Maybe they’d help him out like he helped others.

I wrote it all down, our village-hopping plan along with our price: two silver. That’s all we’d need. Just enough to cover food and supplies.

The next day, we got the job. I was grateful to the Whirlwind for giving us this chance, and I was gonna repay him by seeing Luciel to the capital safely. No matter what.