The Gate Traveler

I decided to stay for two days to regenerate my mana fully. The first night we spent near the former jurber nest, but the next day, I relocated us to the nearby rest stop. I liked the stump-chairs and the log tables. It resembled the first rest stop we visited with the caravan, but was further off the road and hidden by some trees. I spent the first day breathing in mana with total concentration to regenerate faster, and noticed that there was much more mana in the air. I didn't know if it was the mana released from the jurbers or if this location was better. Either way, my mana was at 2680/4200 by the evening of the first day.

After I made us dinner, I took out my guitar and began playing. In a short while, I heard hooves clopping and a carriage. I got up and saw a big fancy carriage pulled by four horses and an escort of six riders in fancy uniforms.

Oh no, more nobles!

I began to break camp quickly to leave, but then I heard a pained cry and frantic shouts, so I went to investigate. Two men were carrying a crying pregnant woman on a stretcher, and a young man beside her was shouting frantically at everybody and looked like he was about to faint. I approached the man, extended my hand for a handshake, and said, "Hello, my name is John, and I'm a healer. Do you need help?"

"Blessed Spirits. YES! My wife is having the baby too early and is bleeding."

"I will help her. Don't worry, breathe."

I diagnosed the mother and realized she wasn't doing so well. The baby was premature and in distress, and the mother was losing a lot of blood. Turning to them, I explained the situation, my tone serious but calm.

"The baby is premature and in distress," I said, locking eyes with the husband. "And the mother is losing a lot of blood."

The husband paled, his hand tightening around his wife's. "What can we do?" he asked, voice trembling.

"I need to cut her open to save the baby," I continued, glancing between them to gauge their reactions. "She won't feel it. I will put her to sleep with a spell."

The mother nodded weakly, her grip on her husband's hand faltering. The husband looked torn but resolute.

"Do it," he said, voice steadying. "Save them both."

I quickly summoned my biggest picnic table, covered it with a plastic sheet and a regular sheet on top, and asked the husband to help me undress her and transfer her to the table. He wasn't happy about the undressing part because of the guards. So I summoned two of my bookcases and put them as a partition, and he relaxed and helped me undress her and move her to the table.

I moved quickly, casting Clean and Purify on everything. Flowed Anesthesia into the mother, ensuring she wouldn't feel any pain. Split my mind, stopped the bleeding from the uterus, and began the C-section.

With precision, I made the incision, revealing the baby inside. Grabbed the blood so she wouldn't bleed out, and carefully lifted the baby out. A quick diagnosis revealed a problem in her respiratory system. Splitting my mind into three, I sent healing waves into her to aid her lung development, but they remained underdeveloped. I Rubbed her back until she cried and sighed with relief.

Once the umbilical cord stopped pulsating, I tied and cut it. Cast Clean & Purify on her before wrapping her in a soft towel and handing her to her father, who looked ready to faint.

"If you feel you're going to faint, tell me," I instructed him, casting Fortify Life Force on him just in case. He looked a little perkier, the color returning to his face.

I went back to the mother, diagnosed her again, stopped the bleeding, removed the placenta, and, holding the cut closed with my hands, healed her. I also cast Fortify Life Force on her and another two Healing Touches, just in case, and stopped the Anesthesia. She continued to sleep, and I let her be.

I returned to the baby, checked her, and saw she was better. However, after all the healing, she needed nourishment. Of course, I didn't bring baby food; why would I? So, I had to wake the mother up and tell her to feed her baby. The mother was also in a state of dehydration and starvation. So I told her to feed the baby, and her husband would feed her. He gave me a startled look but didn't argue.

I handed her a bottle of water. "Drink all of this," I instructed gently. She took it and drank eagerly.

Once she finished, I asked, "Do you need another?" She nodded, so I gave her a second bottle. She drank it down and then looked up. "I'm fine," she said, her voice stronger.

I took out a takeaway box with grilled salmon and vegetables. "You need the B₁₂," I explained, turning to her husband. "Feed her, please."

Judging by their expressions, they never heard of B₁₂.

She tried to protest. "I can feed myself."

Shaking my head, I clarified, "Healing takes a lot of nutrients from the body. You and your baby need the food now to complete the healing process."

She paused, then nodded, accepting the situation. Her husband, looking more enthusiastic, fed her.

I stood there looking at the domestic picture. She was nursing the baby, and her husband was feeding her and telling her how amazing she was and how beautiful their daughter was. And I felt a strong pinch in my heart. Sophie and I decided not to have kids early to concentrate on our careers, and then she got sick, and it wasn't an option. This could have been us. Happy new parents enjoying their first moment with their child. I missed her so much, but it was getting easier. Maybe because it was almost a year and a half after her death, maybe because I was coming to terms with it. I didn't know, but I didn't feel choked up from grief or with longing, just melancholic.

After the mother and baby ate, I asked the mother her name, Domenica, and the father's name, Aurustine. It turned out they weren't just any nobles; she was a princess, the daughter of the king of Mara, and he was the Heir Apparent of Somer. Their destination was her parents' kingdom, where she planned to have her baby and stay with her mother for a few months. Her bleeding and early labor happened halfway, and they weren't sure what to do until I approached them. They wouldn't stop thanking me and invited me to both kingdoms to be "treated like the most treasured guest." I thanked them and said I might visit.

I remembered my Luck saying something about fortunate encounters and checked.

So, I guess raising my luck was lucky—especially for them. I felt embarrassed about the poor joke but still snickered.

After they left my "Operating room," I cleaned, purified, and stored everything. My plan was to stay at the rest stop tonight, but now I felt like I was encroaching. So I went to tell them goodbye and check on the mother and baby one last time. I checked Domenica, and she was fine, only tired. Cast one last healing and fortifying on her and checked the baby. She was much better, and her respiratory system was in better shape. It didn't just heal. It developed and was almost fully normal, like a regular baby and not a premature one. I was pleased, especially about the fantastic Fortify Life Force spell responsible for this miracle.

Aurustine thanked me repeatedly and gave me a hefty pouch of gold. I tried to refuse, saying it was my pleasure, but he insisted. Finally, I agreed and took the gold. I didn't have a problem with being paid for my services as a doctor, but the magical healing felt different for some reason. I needed to examine this thought and see why. There was no reason not to get paid for a valuable service provided.

I said goodbye to them, called Stretch, who slept through most of the event, took out my bicycle and trailer, and prepared to head out. I wasn't tired, and the two moons, especially the big one, gave me enough light to ride at night.

Before setting out, I checked my persistent red blinking light.

As a tribute to the fortunate encounter, I added the free stat points to Luck. When I added the free points, the red light started blinking again.

Why do I keep getting surprised?

In some books I read, there was a leap when reaching some number with stats, but I had some high numbers, like 44 Wisdom or 37 Intelligence and Vitality, and there was no special effect or anything. Why was Luck different?

I don't understand this system!

It was similar enough to some things I read in some book or other, so it felt familiar, but the minor points of difference kept tripping me up. I should stop expecting things to be one way or another based on what I read and find the intricacies of my personal system.

This system should come with a user manual. This is no way to run a system.

I felt a rebuke directed at me.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist. Just thinking. I'm allowed, right?" I asked out loud.

I felt amusement.

You know what, I'm too tired of the whole thing even to feel surprised.

I got on my bike and started pedaling.