The Strongest Spellblade

I wasn’t brought out of bed. My mother showed up with the soul fruit and handed it to me. The spikey green fruit felt heavier than it had previously, even though I knew it weighted the same and was the same size as the first one I had eaten. A truly priceless treasure and my mother was giving me a second one. I quickly began to eat it swallowing everything.

“Ug, my stomach, I don’t feel well,” I said and hunched over as my entire gut cramped.

“Greater Cure. Stabilize Soul.”

The pain just kept getting worse. My entire gut felt like it was twisting in on itself. “What is the problem?” I heard my mother ask.

“The soul fruit is causing his soul to become more unstable. His health is stable, but his soul is fluctuating heavily. It is impacting his body,” Healer Castelle said. “Stabilize Soul.”

“Help,” I gasped out.

“It is fine, my son. Endure and become stronger,” my mother said. I was in pain, tremendous pain. It felt like my body was going to be ripped in half.

“BLAAAH,” I couldn’t stop myself and threw up the breakfast I had before eating the soul fruit. My mother was next to me holding onto me. I puked all over her light armor.

Instead of getting upset, she was far more analytical than I could have ever imagined. “There are no soul fruit pieces here,” she said.

“It was absorbed by his soul. Once consumed it isn’t taken in by the body, but the soul. Right now his soul is incredibly unstable, but it isn’t breaking apart. That is impacting his body heavily,” Healer Castelle said.

“Do something,” my mother ordered as I dry heaved.

“There is nothing to do but wait. I told you I didn’t know what would happen. He isn’t dying, but there is an adverse reaction.”

“How do you know he isn’t dying?” my mother asked.

“His healing points aren’t dropping. If his soul broke apart, he would die in under a minute. If his body was breaking apart, his healing points would drop,” Healer Castelle said. But I was in a tremendous amount of pain. I dry heaved again. My entire body felt like it was trying to rip itself apart.

“Well he clearly is in pain,” my mother said calmly.

“I know! But you don’t just stuff a kid with everything you have and not expect something bad to happen! Now let me focus while I think about what is happening, dammit!” Healer Castelle shouted at my mother.

She didn’t say anything back as my dry heaving got worse. That was when I began to cough heavily. “What in the System’s name,” Healer Castelle said.

“What is that black stuff?” my mother asked.

“I don’t know! His healing points are dropping. Greater Cure. Stabilize Soul. Get me a Mana potion.”

“Here, use this one,” my mother said.

“Greater Cure. Stabilize Soul.Health Analyze. What…impossible. Greater Purify. Greater Purify.”

“What is it?” my mother asked as Healer Castelle began breathing heavily after using so many high tier skills in quick succession.

“I have a guess but give me a moment. I need to draw some blood,” he said. I kept dry heaving and coughing. I felt a prick on my arm.

“Well?” my mother asked.

“I need a moment. Let me focus,” he told her and she didn’t say anything else. A minute went by before Healer Castelle spoke up again.

“I just checked his Alchemical toxicity. The soul fruit is forcing the Alchemical toxicity out of your son’s soul. That black stuff is the Alchemical residue, mostly from the Mega Elixir,” Healer Castelle said.

“I thought it was part of the soul itself?” my mother asked as I tried to listen in even as my body was wracked with pain.

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“It is! Your son’s stable, for now. My skills will hold long enough and he won’t die immediately. I need to think. This is an unknown reaction. He already had a soul fruit. The stats and skills and the original soul fruit are all something adventurers have done in the past. No one would eat a second green soul fruit so close to the first. Also, the Alchemical toxicity was completely off the Rumbart Scale, as high as it can go and then some,” he said.

“I have a guess, but it is just a guess. Soul fruits can’t harm, they just make the soul more receptive. They can even strengthen classes linked with a person’s soul. Your son’s age, level, and the original soul fruit, already made his soul as receptive as possible. The new skills and how quickly they leveled is proof of this. A soul fruit can’t harm. It strengthens and makes the soul adapt. But there is no measuring scale for this,” Healer Castelle explained.

“So, it is forcing the toxicity out of his soul, interesting,” my mother replied. “A shame I didn’t get another Mega Elixir made and find some more soul fruits.”

“Foolishness, but his soul is purging the Alchemical toxicity into his body. It is poisoning him. The problem is that I have no idea how long this will go on for. It could go on for a day, a week, a month, or even a year.” If it was a year, I would rather die. I dry heaved again and began coughing up black stuff onto my bed. The smell was horrific.

“Keep him alive and he will be fine. No matter how long it takes,” my mother said.

“My Mana is running low. I had to use my strongest skills and had to take a potion previously. I also need to sleep. Your son needs to sleep, eat, and drink as well. But with his soul in turmoil, his body is affected. If this goes on for more than a day, there are very serious risks,” Healer Castelle explained.

“Then he will just have to endure it and become stronger. If necessary, could you keep him alive for two weeks?” my mother asked.

“Maybe? Depends. It won’t be easy or simple. And you would owe me, not just my regular fee,” Healer Castelle replied.

“As long as my son remains alive, I will owe you a debt. Two weeks. I will make preparations. We will leave together immediately,” my mother said.

“Immediately? Where to?”

“The Five Star Institute of Healing,” she replied without hesitation.

“That is a month away, even with the fastest magical carriage.”

“I will pull a carriage myself, since I am faster. And when I need to rest my Squires will do so. Have the servants pack whatever you want to bring. We will not be coming back here for a long time,” she said.

“Your son will need clothing and his other stuff,” Healer Castelle said.

“I will have Tutor Damian handle all of that. He will be your assistant for the next two weeks,” my mother said and then leaned over me. She patted my head.

“Endure my son. Endure and become stronger.” I couldn’t reply as I coughed up more.

“Insanity. I knew this was all insanity. Well, I will keep you alive for two weeks. After that, it is out of my hands,” Healer Castelle said.

I wasn’t able to pay attention to anything when I was moved and stuffed in a carriage. It wasn’t magical in the slightest. One problem after another. If I survived this, no more Alchemical products, since this had to be worse than death.

It set off rapidly. I felt exhausted but couldn’t stop dry heaving and coughing. “Can’t you put him to sleep?” Damian asked.

“No. He would choke to death. The toxins are emerging across his entire body, but they would clog up his lungs and airway. I am more worried about dehydration,” Healer Castelle said. I could only barely listen in. “His mother his lucky, I actually like him and hate seeing people die. Think of a way he can get water into his digestive track.”

“What about cutting him open pouring in water into it, then healing it closed?” Damian suggested. Don’t cut me open! I couldn’t say anything as I couldn’t stop coughing.

“As a last resort. His healing points are fluctuating a lot. I would rather not bottom them out unless there is no other choice,” Healer Castelle said.

“A tube of some kind. Down his throat and into his stomach?”

“The coughing is too much.”

“This never happens?”

“No. Skills can fix almost everything. But you need the right skill. I can’t address the root cause, his soul expelling all that Alchemical toxicity into his body,” Healer Castelle said.

“Since he can use Soul Sense, could he try and help speed things along?”

“No and that is incredibly stupid. Justin, don’t listen to what he said. You poke your soul now, it is liable to explode, and your body along with it. While the soul fruit won’t kill you, your soul is highly unstable at the moment. Don’t mess with it in any way.” All I could do was try and nod before my gut twisted and I dry heaved once more.

“Can you keep him alive for two weeks?” Damian asked.

“It won’t be easy. I am hoping this stops in a day or so, but I have no idea. It could end tomorrow, it could end in a year.”

“What about measuring the Alchemical toxins that are coming out of his body?” Damian suggested.

“You can try, but Alchemy is incredibly complex. You would have to know the amount of Mana in the Mega Elixir and then find some way to convert that into this black sludge. Who knows if it contains other impurities from his soul. If he survives, I tremble at the possible outcomes. But he has to survive first. Greater Healing. Greater Purify.”

For one brief moment, I felt better. I went still, breathing heavily. Then the pain stuck me again and I dry heaved. “Don’t worry Justin. Your mother will get us to the Five Star Institute of Healing in no time,” Damian said.

“You will have to keep him clean. I need to meditate to try and recover as much Mana as possible and rest in between sessions. Check with me every hour and I will reuse my skills,” Healer Castelle said.

“Will that be often enough?” Damian asked.

“It is the best I can do. I want to avoid taking potions for as long as possible in case there is an emergency. Once an hour should be enough to ensure he remains stable. At least she is going to the only people who might know how to keep Justin alive.” I coughed up more black sludge. Being alive hurt, it hurt so much. My mother was wrong. She was wrong. So wrong.