Treatment

Ugo Bloodclaw had clearly been put in an awkward position by Jinli. His bell-sized eyes widened, his chest heaving as he prepared to erupt again.

Kalei, who had remained silent nearby, couldn't take it anymore. He cleared his throat and raised his voice. "Everyone, what are you arguing about? There's a patient here. Why don't you let me treat him first?"

As soon as he said this, the four people in the room, who had been on the verge of coming to blows, fell silent and turned to look at him in unison.

Ulu strode toward him heavily, excitement in his voice. "You can treat him?"

Seeing a huge fellow with tusks filling his mouth standing so close, Kalei felt a little nervous. But his Night Elf pride kept him from giving in to the urge to run. He pretended not to care and said, "If another Furbolg had suffered an injury like this, it would be very difficult to treat. But your chieftain is strong, so I have a fair chance."

Ulu was delighted. "That's right. The chieftain is strong. Come over. If you heal him, Ulu will fight for you." As he spoke, he reached out a huge claw to pull Kalei toward him.

Good grief. Kalei felt as if a giant pair of pincers had clamped around him. He grimaced in pain.

Fortunately, the chieftain, Ugo, noticed Kalei's discomfort and hurriedly said, "Ulu, don't be reckless."

Only then did Ulu realize he'd acted too rashly. He quickly released Kalei's arm and apologized.

Kalei knew Ulu hadn't meant any harm; the misunderstandings were simply due to their different races. He didn't know what to say, so he headed toward the chieftain.

As he passed Arenia, she gently tugged at him and asked, "Kalei, are you really sure you can treat him? If you're not completely certain, don't try it lightly. You might make things worse."

Kalei understood what she meant and replied quietly, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Seeing that he was prepared, Arenia let him go and stopped trying to hold him back.

Kalei quickly walked up to the chieftain and looked up. Good grief. From a distance, the Furbolg hadn't seemed all that imposing, but up close he was a walking mountain of flesh, radiating immense pressure.

Ugo seemed to sense Kalei's nervousness. In as gentle a voice as he could manage, he said, "Young man, don't be nervous. I exchanged words with your Night Elves when I was young, too. I won't be as reckless as Ulu."

What do you mean, "young man"? I might be older than you. There's no need to pull rank on me.

The thought suddenly put him at ease. He felt as if he'd gone from being a junior to a senior in an instant. It was a strange feeling.

He cleared his throat and composed himself before looking at Ugo. "Excuse me, Chieftain Ugo. I need to examine your condition carefully before I can determine whether the treatment will work."

Ugo took a breath and said, "Our Furbolgs have always listened to the shamans. You're a shaman, so you decide."

I'm not a shaman. I'm a Druid. Never mind; there's no point arguing over something like this.

Kalei sat cross-legged on the ground and gently rested the Crescent Staff in his hand against Ugo's arm. A stream of soft, emerald-green natural energy flowed out, enveloping Ugo's body. As the energy seeped into him, Kalei gradually got a clear sense of what was happening inside his body.

After quite some time, Kalei slowly opened his eyes.

Ulu hurried over and asked, "How is he, shaman?"

Arenia and Jinli also looked at him questioningly.

Though the two of them had been unhappy with Ugo earlier, they still hoped Kalei could heal him for the sake of the greater good. It would help them in the battle that was about to come.

Ugo, on the other hand, showed no particular reaction. The shamans had put him through too much over the past few months, and he'd long since given up hope.

Kalei considered the matter for a while before saying, "I'll try to treat him, but I can't guarantee success."

Ulu was somewhat disappointed by that, but he'd calmed down and didn't show it.

Kalei glanced at them. "Please wait outside. I need a quiet environment."

Arenia and Jinli gave Kalei an encouraging look before leaving the room.

Ulu wanted to stay, but Ugo sent him outside.

After all three had left, Ugo said, "Tell me, shaman. How are you going to treat me?"

Kalei picked up his staff and asked, "Chieftain Ugo, forgive my boldness, but I sensed a powerful life force lying dormant within you. Is it a legacy from the Wild Demigod Ursoc?"

Ugo's eyes widened in surprise. "So you found it. That's right. I awakened part of my ancestor's power, but it was too strong for me to control. Many years ago, a powerful Shaman descended from Ursol helped me seal it away."

Kalei nodded. "I see. That explains it. To be honest, Chieftain Ugo, I'm not strong enough to drive the shadow energy from your body."

"To treat the shadow energy in your body, we'll have to rely on your own abilities."

"But your body hasn't received proper treatment for a long time, and the life force within you has been severely corrupted by the shadow energy."

"So I've thought of a way to deal with it: awaken the life force lying dormant within you and use it to drive out the shadow energy."

"This could go either way. The good part is that your life force will be successfully awakened and drive out the shadow energy, leaving you with a stronger, healthier body. The bad part is that the rampaging life force might consume you and drive you mad."

Ugo was silent for a long time before asking, "What are my chances?"

Kalei replied, "During the treatment, I can use natural energy to suppress that furious power. If everything goes well, I'd say there's a seventy percent chance of success."

"Seventy percent..." Images flashed through Ugo's mind: the elderly and children of his tribe, and the hopeful look in his son Uerga's eyes. At last, he gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said, "Then let's begin, shaman."

Kalei praised him. "Very good, Chieftain Ugo. You've proven your courage."

Ugo grinned. "The Furbolgs have never lacked courage, shaman. But as chieftain, I have to consider more than just myself."

Kalei nodded. "I understand. I'm going to begin. During the treatment, lie still and don't resist."

Ugo said, "Begin, shaman. Whatever difficulties arise, I'll get through them."

When Ugo agreed, Kalei sat cross-legged and meditated for a while, bringing himself into peak condition.

To be safe, he didn't begin the treatment right away. Instead, he took out a seed and cast Entangling Roots, binding Ugo's entire body.

Ugo was tied up tight, but he could tell Kalei meant no harm. He only grunted and didn't struggle or resist.

Once he was ready, Kalei raised his staff and cast Rejuvenation on Ugo twice in quick succession.

Ugo immediately felt much lighter. The wound that had tormented him for so long was beginning to heal, but the shadow energy inside him remained stubbornly in place.

Kalei had expected this. He lowered his staff and focused his mind on the two emerald-green spheres of light. Under his control, they gradually sank deeper into Ugo's body.

As the two spheres of life force entered him, the power of Ursoc's legacy, sealed inside Ugo, seemed to stir from its slumber like a giant beast. It began ravenously absorbing the two sources of energy.

As the two spheres of life force gradually disappeared, the power of Ursoc's legacy within Ugo instantly broke through the seal and erupted inside him.

Under the influence of that inherited power, Ugo's body changed rapidly. His flesh and bones began to grow and heal at a visible speed. His dry fur regained its shine, the skin over his wound quickly closed, and even the wrinkles on his face faded considerably.

But as his body improved, a violent aura began to stir inside him. Under its influence, a faint red glow spread over Ugo's body.

Ugo, who had been as weak and listless as a dead dog moments ago, realized his body had completely recovered. Explosive strength surged through him, and he desperately wanted to unleash it. He completely forgot Kalei's instructions.

He let out a furious roar and tried to sit up. Fortunately, the Entangling Roots Kalei had cast on him hadn't worn off yet, and stopped him immediately.

But against a Furbolg this powerful, Entangling Roots could hardly hold him back.

As Ugo teetered on the brink of losing control again, Kalei hurriedly shouted, "Ugo, as a descendant of Ursoc, defeating your enemies isn't worth boasting about. You need to conquer yourself. Find the courage within you to overcome yourself. Think of your children! Think of your people!"

Ugo quieted considerably when he heard Kalei's words. But as he grew larger and the red glow around him intensified, he became more and more irritable.

He slowly rose to his feet. As he stood, the vines wrapped around him snapped like straw with a single pull.

His towering body struck the ceiling of the stone chamber. His eyes were bloodred, and white streams of air poured from his nostrils. His powerful feet stamped on the ground from time to time, making it rumble.

Kalei felt that once the fellow started moving, he was like a rhinoceros five times as large. It was as if the earth itself were shaking.

Hearing the commotion, Arenia and the others poked their heads inside. When they saw how dangerous the situation had become, they hurriedly urged Kalei to leave.

But Kalei knew that if he left, not only would all his efforts so far be wasted, but he would also offend the Furbolgs here and make matters even worse.

He had no choice but to take a risky approach. He focused his mind, reached out to the natural energy around him, and tried to draw the frenzied life force out of Ugo.

The glowstones in the chamber, the moss growing in the cracks in the stone, and even the motes of dust drifting in the air became conduits for him.

Unexpectedly, this approach worked remarkably well. Druids already had the ability to use gentle natural energy to calm wild natural energy.

The life force in Ugo was no different in essence from natural energy; it was merely purer and more concentrated. With enough natural energy, it could be calmed.

The only problem was that the life force in Ugo had been born within his body and couldn't simply dissipate. Kalei could only use natural energy to draw the frenzied life force out and gather it on his staff.

As the red light gradually condensed on the Crescent Staff, Ugo's condition visibly improved.

After a while, Kalei saw that Ugo's eyes had begun to clear, so he stopped drawing out the energy.

After all that, Ugo was utterly exhausted. He fell over like a boulder.

Ulu hurried over and caught Ugo, then turned to Kalei and asked anxiously, "Shaman, how is the chieftain?"

Kalei was a little tired after casting spells continuously, but to be safe, he still went over and checked Ugo's condition.

After finishing his examination, Kalei forced a smile. "He's fine. The chieftain has only fallen asleep. He's completely healed, and is even better than before. Let's not disturb him. He'll wake up on his own after he rests for a while."

Ulu was so happy he started howling. Fortunately, he didn't recklessly give Kalei a bear hug. He simply thanked him over and over.