Rules of Biomancy: A LitRPG Healer Fantasy

Where servants normally nodded at him as he passed, being around the Earth Mage meant that the people would stop in place and bow, waiting for him to pass before continuing with their duties. It was a strange experience, so different from what Elijah experienced on his lonesome, but Alin seemed to not notice it at all. An effect of living such a mythical life for years perhaps? With enough time, you truly could get used to anything.

When they reached the top of the spiral stairs, the guards silently opened the door to the King’s Chambers without hesitation. Alin joined in first and Elijah followed along quickly, observing the scene inside while the door was closed behind him.

As it turned out, they weren't the only ones invited.

“Alin!” Mason exclaimed, standing from his chair as the Earth mage closed the distance and hugged the King tightly. “I’ve missed you, you old bastard.”

“Missed me? I’ve visited you every other day for years, and you dare say that you have missed me?” Alin replied in a mocking tone, the two old men sharing a deep laugh as they hugged once more. “It’s great to see you on your feet, my friend. Looking like a toothpick hasn’t hurt your feelings, I hope?”

“I still have the charm you could only dream of,” the king assured the Earth Mage, making the laughter start up once more. It did quiet down when Elijah finally reached them, the two separating so Mason could shake hands with him. “And, you, my friend, are a delight to see once again. I see you’re a little more tired than yesterday night. A lack of sleep on your end?”

“If the reports I got sent this morning are true, our Royal Healer doesn’t know the word ‘sleep,’” the fourth person in the room jokingly supplied, causing Mason to laugh once again while getting back to his seat. Alin was hurriedly invited to sit by him, while Elijah was directed to the other side where the fourth man was sitting. A hand was pushed out towards him because of it. “Where are my manners? I greet thee, the man who made my father rise again. I’m Phillip.”

Crown Prince Phillip Newell, first to the throne and a monster in battle.

Elijah was quick to respond to the prince in kind, looking the younger man over. He was only a head or so taller than him, and broader as well though that width wasn’t close to what his father had boasted. The Crown Prince took more after the Queen, with a more lithe build while also having enough magical potential to challenge the aura of Alin. And, that lack of extreme muscle meant little when the Prince’s Affinity was put into question.

Self-reinforcement, that allowed for feats of strength normally limited to the legendary warriors of old.

“Sit, now, sit!” Mason encouraged, a snap of the king’s fingers making servants arrive from the door within a second, carrying trays of food that were put down on the table. Nothing too extreme, and certainly not the royal dining experience that Elijah feared, as it was mainly bread, meats, cheese, and various types of fruits. Nothing too heavy, though that was also so that the king could eat without fear of losing it all again a few minutes later. “Now… eat! It’s been too long since breakfast already.”

“Father, I distinctly remember you ordering to be brought a bowl of grapes which you devoured just an hour ago,” Phillip commented, the Crown Prince being shushed for his efforts. “Just saying.”

“They barely counted,” Mason fired back. “And with these sticks for arms, a little extra couldn’t hurt.”

“More calories wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Elijah agreed, not adding on the fact that the large appetite of the King wouldn’t last for many more days. The current speed came from so long without proper thought, the mind craving more stimulation than ever, but soon the stomach would catch wind of what was happening. While it could accept food, and the flora was likely improving, the treatment it had gone through for so long stopped it from adjusting well to higher amounts. The body, though desperately needing the food, would soon be unable to take it all in. “And it would be even better to avoid liquors.”

They both still remembered the brandy from the day before.

“... One act of good at a time,” the King replied, grabbing a few glasses and distributing them among the group. “My son, will you be having this drink with us? I remember how you handled your alcohol last time we drank together.”

“That was two years ago, father,” Phillip countered, accepting the glass and putting it down behind his plate. “I suffer no such weakness anymore.”

“Are you sure?” Alin questioned. “I recall being told about you having a terrible hangover just a few days ago, after celebrating a little too much during the night.”

Though the Prince was close to thirty, the banter had him red-faced in just a few minutes, the Earth Mage and King having little mercy for the youngest. Elijah didn’t join in too heavily, simply enjoying the opportunity for the food at the castle. While he didn’t dislike the bread bought at the street vendors or the ones that they baked themselves, eating that which came from the Royal Kitchens was a pleasure he was sure he would be doing as much as possible in the coming months.

“Now for a taste of the heavenly drink,” Mason announced when the food was gone, tea and snacks being brought out while he raised the extravagantly detailed bottle into the air. It was half-empty, opened years ago, yet the green liquid within looked just as deadly regardless. The effect of the high alcohol content stopped it from going bad.

And the magical residue contained within the liquid likely helped stop it from oxidizing as well, Elijah studying the small part filled into his glass. He refused to get too much since he would have to return to his work later, but the others suffered no such weakness.

“I never thought I would get to drink this lantern oil again, yet here we are,” the king proclaimed, the prince holding back a laugh while Alin just shook his head while wearing a soft smile. “Cheers to you all.”

Elijah, knowing better than to bottom the contents, sipped at the absinthe. It burned at his tongue instantly, the heat traveling down his throat and then through his entire body before returning to his head and making him feel like sweating. The magical residue had truly been a sign of mystical enhancements, the drink of the Fae feeling like a direct opposite of this. Where Cleo’s poison of choice made you relax to delightful levels, this made the opposite occur.

“Just as terrible as I remember,” Mason said with a sigh, the King’s cheeks red with heat as he put the empty glass down on the table. Beside him, the crown prince was doing his best to contain his coughs, while Alin seemed to be silently enjoying the drink, going as far as to take another sip of it. “You’re an anomaly, Alin. Is your body truly not made of the same rock as your cane?”

“I am still flesh and blood, last time I checked,” the Earth Mage replied cheekily, going in for a third sip while the others could only look horrified. That is until Elijah noticed how the liquid was consumed. With each sip came an increase in the Mage’s Aura, as the energy was all compressed into the top of the man’s body. Specifically the mouth, the throat, and the start of the stomach. It was as if…

It can’t be that simple.

Elijah took a second sip, letting the liquid sit on his tongue as he forced his Mana to envelop it. A second needed to pass for him to get a hang of it, a second where the burn tried to burn his internal organs into coal, but afterward, it became… pleasant. That edge, that fire, all of it was gone in favor of an incredibly rounded flavor that went down smoothly. It was a fine taste on par with the best liquors Elijah had tried throughout his entire life, a commodity so rarely had.

It is that simple.

“Somebody learns quickly,” Alin commented, when Elijah could finish the rest of his glass with nothing but a smile on his face. “I suppose you understand why I enjoy it so much, Elijah?”

“Easily,” Elijah confirmed, looking at the bottle. The small statues of various faces and women, and the detail of each of them, was a hint towards the pricing. The fact that the bottle had been labeled thirty years before, and had come from across the ocean, likewise implied the chance of getting another of them. “If I was more of a connoisseur in the realm of drinks, I would’ve even thought about getting a bottle of this for myself.”

“There’s little chance of that, I’m afraid,” Alin said apologetically. “That was a gift from the Elven King to the late Queen to celebrate ten years of our alliance, one of fifty bottles brewed that year. All others are likely gone already, and they’re only made once a century due to the fruits needing that long to grow.”

“Ah, a shame,” Elijah replied, quickly refusing the suggestion that he bring the bottle with him. They seemed too happy to gift him such a thing when there had been such a fight to drink from it in the past. Letting him have it now just felt… wrong from his side. And especially when the original receiver of the bottle was now no longer among them. “You all have a better chance of enjoying the bottle better than me. I avoid alcohol most days regardless. Tea is my preferred drink.”

“Then you make it hard for us to find a gift on the level of what you’ve given us since that tea you make yourselves can hardly be matched by anything else in this country,” Alin commented, his words catching the attention of the two at the table.

“I did hear mention of that tea blend from Vera this morning,” Phillip mentioned, catching the King’s attention. “Might there be a chance we could try the blend someday? If Alin and Vera both talk so well about it, one must start to wonder.”

“If there’s such a craving, I could grant the chance right now, actually,” Elijah replied, opening the satchel on his side and bringing out a small box. “The plan for these was to sit at my desk, but spending the first few bags here wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

I’m going to run out of these very soon if this keeps happening.

Compliments rang through the air as they sampled the tea, moving on from the luxurious absinthe in favor of a healthier option. Elijah sadly had to reject the offer for a few more boxes to be delivered to the castle some minutes later, as he didn’t have such a thing anymore. They were saddened by that fact, but the promise of more being grown already did alleviate some of those concerns. That he had planted some flowers in the Royal Garden improved the mood even further.

“With such a grand place to grow, I’m sure it’ll be even greater than this divine concoction,” Mason commented, the King laughing as they continued to banter for nearly another hour. When the afternoon started to reach its later stage, and the sun could push through the windows and reach the other wall, the Royal had to excuse himself. “It’s been fun, I promise, but I feel my body starting to tire. Phillip, is there a chance you could—”

“I’m hurt you felt the need to request it at all,” the Crown Prince cut in before the King could finish, rising from his chair and helping the king to the bed. While Mason might’ve been able to walk by himself earlier that day, so many hours spent moving had tired him too much. “Remember to ask for help, should you need it.”

“Weird for you to tell me such things, when I was teaching you that same concept not so long ago,” Mason replied, the two chuckling before the king bid them farewell. “Come by tomorrow again! I’ll see if I can have the two others come along as well then.”