Dreamland

I felt something like a sting on my left arm. It evolved a moment later to a lot of stings. Not really painful ones, but just like mosquito bites, enough to wake me up.

I hastily removed my jacket to see what six-legged beast was tormenting me, flaring my killing intent at the same time. Then I realized that I am Cala; no earthly insect should be able to bite me? Was this some magic-enhanced beast?

I did not find any six or more-legged beast on my arm, but there was a redder zone there. Watching carefully, I realized it had a design like a small circular tattoo. What kind of insect could do this?

But the form was vaguely familiar. Upon seeing it, Flo exclaimed:

"Interesting, this seems to be one of the Amazones' runes!"

Flo, with her infallible memory! And I had to admit she was right.

It was a specific rune that I got tattooed on my arm a long time ago when I had the moon supper with their queen. It was never visible until now. Of course, she recognized it, she is my alter ego, and this is another proof of that.

And yet my alter-ego wondered:

"Do you know what that means?"

"You do not know? It is indeed one of the runes of the Amazons and signifies a call to a crusade."

"Are you going to answer it?"

Answer it? It doesn't make any sense. The amazons are not in this reality; that's only a game. Can I explain this to Flo? But then, why did I get it? Or better said: why did it activate?

I hesitated for a moment.

Why did it activate? But yes, this is what I am doing! It is my one girl's crusade! This must be the explanation. My body felt my excitement and activated the rune.

"Well, I answer it in my own way; I'm going to heal these soldiers; that's my kind of crusade, isn't it?"

My mind must have activated the rune. The pain was slowly dissipating, but the red scar seemed to remain. Yes, I was very stressed; that can explain some skin irritations, even if it takes the form of a rune.

I hope everything ends well.

As soon as I entered the green belt surrounding the hospital, I saw a lot of activity.

It had probably been well organized and guarded at first, but now it was almost complete chaos, with about a hundred wounded lying scattered on makeshift beds or simply sitting on chairs or directly on the ground on blankets. Ambulances raced up and down the main avenue, stopping in front of the main entrance. There was a triage, and the lightly wounded were being guided out of the hospital, increasing the numbers in the green space.

Two military jeeps were parked on either side of the alley, narrowing the road, and the soldiers looked at me carefully but did not ask any further questions. They were heavily armed but were not looking tense, only tired.

I went to the wounded who were waiting their turn to be treated on the grass and let Flo start the healing.

It must have been quite a show as she makes me look quite angelic when she heals, all sorts of light effects illuminating my body, skin, and the air around me, depending on the spell.

She was walking fast between the lines, touching them, one after the other, as they looked in awe at me. A short touch followed by a spell, and it was done. One soldier hurried behind me:

"Are you an angel?"

Flo answered too quickly for me to influence her answer. I can tell that she felt amused to be taken for an angel.

"No, a fairy."

His eyes went round with worry:

"Oh! What do I have to do to pay for the healing? We do not have a deal?"

It was funny to see him starting to panic. Flo answered as if she would have expected it:

"This is a good deed I'm doing to a stranger. But I'd do it even if I knew you, so you have to do a good deed for a known or unknown person. Do we have a deal?"

I would even if I knew you! That was an interesting way of putting it. He hesitated for a moment, then answered:

"Yes, we do. Deal."

I thought about my first meeting with her. It seemed so long ago! I did not even think about the fairy stories at the time, but to be honest, she wasn't trying to screw me with her deal, or was she? No... Whatever maybe I'll have to talk with her sometime about this peculiar aspect.

In a very short time, I had my escort; they were following but leaving me enough room to feel comfortable, like devoted guards. People already knew about the payment, and some refused her healing. She just shrugged and went further.

Most of them were enthusiasts. There was a wave of wondering and exclamations as I passed by.

“Can you regrow my fingers? What would this cost me?” - A soldier asked

“The same. You need to do a good deed in the next twenty-four hours!” – Flo said, touching him.

“Ha!” - he shouted, amazed, closing and opening his fist, not believing his eyes.

“What's this with the good deeds?” - I wondered.

“Why not have a little fun?” - Flo giggled in my ears - ”They pay for it; nothing is for free in this world, isn't it? What's wrong with requesting good deeds?”

I had nothing to counter her arguments. Meanwhile, somebody started shouting behind me:

“Hey, you there, what do you do? What have you done? What kind of trick is this?”

Flo ignored him, walking further. There were more who refused. Some even shouted when I came closer, and Flo let them be.

It took me fifteen minutes to walk around the hospital. By that time, I had about fifty persons following me. Several doctors appeared to examine the healed, especially the cases where I had regenerated fingers, pieces of skin, or even limbs.

I thought I would be accepted, but when I wanted to enter the hospital, I was stopped.

I tried to negotiate with the people who stopped me, but while I was talking, an amputee managed to come out of the hospital. He was barely standing, sweat running down his temples as two friends supported him.

“Can you regrow my hand?” - he asked, showing me his fresh, bloodied stump.

"Sure!" - said Flo and added - "But take off the bandages; otherwise, it will hurt you when it heals."

He tried to do that. One of his friends started cutting them while a paramedic yelled at them not to. In front of their stunned eyes, I restored his hand in mere seconds. Well, it took about ten seconds to do it.

“And the payment? Is it still one good deed?”

He was a little late in asking about payment. I hoped Flo wouldn't take it too far, but before I could say anything, she answered with a shrug:

“For a full limb, the payment has to be two good deeds; I think that's only fair, okay?”

He nodded.

"But what kind of good deeds?" - asked one of his friends

Flo replied with a grin: "Anything you three agree is a good deed is a good deed."

I thought she was overdoing the good deed joke, but Flo stood her ground, and I had to let her have her fun.

After this, there was no way they could keep me out of the hospital, and I started my walk inside it. A young doctor who had been watching me from outside asked me how I was doing it. Flo answered as if telling him a very important thing:

“Simple, pure white magic healing!”

“Pure white magic?”

“Yes!” - she answered with her very candid blue eyes. I had blue eyes now.

He didn't comment on that but came up with a more reasonable question:

"If there are impurities in there or shrapnel, as is often the case here, do you take them out?"

Flo shook her head.

"The healing process would push the impurities out, but if the wound is already closed or the shrapnel is stuck in a bone, it has to be manually removed to make sure it doesn't stay in."

“Can you tell when something like this happens?”

“Yes”

"How? Do your eyes work like x-rays?

Um. Asking about my capabilities….” Flo nodded without elaborating:

“Something like that, but I have to look further for it.”

“Oh, good, here we have shrapnel wounds in this saloon that are scheduled for operation. Can you start doing your magic on them?”

“Sure!”

“Do you mind if we check the results with x-rays?”

Flo shrugged.

“No. Why would I?”

I was surprised that these doctors were so receptive to the idea of magical healing. On the one hand, there was tremendous pressure from all those who had already been healed. On the other hand, they also saw it. How often do you get to see something like this?

Besides, maybe someone told them to be receptive.

Again there were some who did not want to be healed by me. People have already organized and asked in advance who wants or does not. Most wanted to be healed, and I was directed to those who were ready. There was a case of one with an amputated hand who did not want to be healed by me. I wondered how he came to that decision, but there was nothing I could do about it. Maybe he'll get another chance tomorrow.

Soon we were in another large room full of beds with suspected cases of poisoning. Flo explained that they were cursed, not poisoned. They were the first cases with magical wounds.

Seeing her working, I was just wondering how much mana she really has. Any top player would have run out of mana long ago with so many healing spells, not to mention so many regrown limbs! No, Flo was a true monster healer!

"Are all fairies as good as you?"

I felt that she felt offended by my question.

"Dolores, I am no ordinary fairy; I am White Flower!"

As if that name should have told me everything. Until I talked to her, I didn't even know she existed! Some are so sensitive if you don't know how great they are. I sighed inwardly, letting her do her thing. Someday, when I have time, I'll take a look at the Dreamland manual. I wonder how my alter ego will feel when I read about her in that fantasy textbook?

Now I had a group of doctors following me, and I was doing something like a regular inpatient round with instant healing added when a group of military people approached us.

“Oh, oh, maybe we have to fight. Be ready to give me the lead, or do it right now!”

They stopped about 5-6 meters from us. Then one with a bonnet in hand approached me. Flo answered, amused:

"If we have to fight, I'd rather give Cala the lead, but I suspect he won't attack me with his bonnet."

"Lady, there are many more at the military hospital. Would you want to come with us and help?"

“It is what you want, Dolores, isn't it?”

“Hell, yes, it is what I want!”

As he thought I was hesitating, he insisted:

"Please!" - he said

"Of course, I will; just let me finish here. There are only a couple of rooms left."

"If you can hurry? There are really desperate cases there; people are dying. There are only mild cases left here with broken bones and such."

"No, no!" - a couple from the next room protested – "please stay!"

"We go in a minute!" - Flo said, hurrying up.

She quickly finished the room and hurried down the stairs. The soldiers were waiting for me there and rushed out, forming an escort.