Chapter 420 (1/2)
“Would you like some help washing?” The voice said, drifting through the steamy sauna. The priestess, Arrata, sauntered through the mist, hinting at her feminine curves, and all the more delicious curve of a smile on her mouth...
Ptolemy’s reaction was so violent that instead of just jumping to his feet in the dream, he did so in real life, waking him up from the dream and destroying the wooden bed that was beneath him. As he exhaled slowly, the splinters of the wooden furniture skidded to a stop. Then, slowly, he began to pick up the pieces.
Ptolemy never considered himself a sexual person. But hell, he was a 29-year-old man. Sometimes… sometimes you had urges, right? Even if they were for weird, blind alien women. It was… normal.
...right…?
After doing his best to clean up the mess of the shattered bed, and folding his sheets, Ptolemy kneeled, said a small prayer, and prepared for his day. He started today like every other day; starting with 1 hour of focused Meditation, Ptolemy would then use his Skills one by one, trying to apply some of the knowledge that the Ghosthound had brought back with him from the other world. See, if a powerful image was combined with a Skill, it would grow faster, and the effect would be more powerful.
Basically all of Donnyton, upon hearing this, had spent a week learning the Battle Intent Skill, and it was already paying dividends. However, once people had it, a lot of them were content to simply let it grow passively. But Ptolemy struggled so much with it that he quickly got into the habit of practicing daily.
He wasn’t currently the one with the highest Level, but Ptolemy was determined to turn this weakness into a strength. That was the trait that defined him most, the stubborn insistence on working on his weak points, rather than polishing up his strengths. It was why he had chosen to follow his father’s wish of him becoming a doctor, before compromising to a nurse. If he hadn’t done that, then…
It wasn’t as though he was secretly an artist. No, Ptolemy thought with a sigh, he didn’t even have that cliche going for him. Ptolemy… always wanted to be a wildlife conservation officer. To protect animal habitats, to preserve the natural beauty of the country… that was Ptolemy’s dream.
Which was why, when he cast his Healing Circle, Ptolemy imagined an ecosystem. Perhaps a forest, or a small valley with a stream, quite like Donnyton. And what his Healing Circle did was take the damage to that ecosystem and repair it, funneling clean energy into that world.
Whether it was by removing pests, planting new trees, or by reinforcing creeks, Ptolemy saw the body not as one organism, but a complex mix of many, and his healing was just one small way to attack a problem that was much larger than the wound itself. More than healing, Ptolemy hoped that with his Skills, he could improve a patient.
Ptolemy allowed himself a small smile as he finished his Healing Circle image focus, and prepared to move onto another Skill. This System was truly wondrous, for all its evils…
“Hah!”
“You little shit, I’ll knock your face in.”
“Hmph, well it’s good to see that at least your mouth works. Keep your guard up. She may be smaller than you, but she hits harder.”
Sighing, Ptolemy stood. Unluckily for him, he had been placed right next to the outer wall, and it seemed that sparring practice was going on right outside of his room. After making a mental note to finish his practice in the evening, Ptolemy murmured another prayer and went outside to see what was going on.
It was a mistake, Ptolemy knew, but they were a team, for however long this journey lasted, and he could forgo the comfort of his rituals for a short span of time in order to become closer with his teammates. Plus, yesterday was the first time anyone had really asked him about what he did before the System.
Ptolemy knew it was a considered move made by Ace to get closer to him, but he didn’t mind. For all the strength the System gave people, it seemed to cloud their memory, making it impossible to remember the before. Now that the world was so changed, many people thought that nothing could be learned from the past, and were dismissive of those who put a high value on it.
Luckily for Donnyton, it seemed neither Sam, Daniel, nor Mrs. Hamilton were those people. They were shrewd in their governance practices, moving slowly towards a true republic system of government, although most people hadn’t noticed it yet. It was a calculated risk, Ptolemy knew, but he was never one who was blinded by the virtues of democracy. Sure, in the future, when the different factions became entrenched politically against each other, the 10 person council idea might seem foolish, but…
When Ptolemy arrived at the training ground, he saw Thea thoroughly break Ace’s jaw with her hammer, her eyes burning.
“Stop. Give him a bit of space- ah, Ptolemy, good timing. Heal him up, will you?” Alana said, standing on the sidelines with her hands on her hips. Comically, Chrysanthemum stood next to her, trying her best to mimic the human woman behind her back.