To Become A Cleric

To Become a Cleric
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Wanted ads on the bulletin board were always alike. Even after the many times they were updated, each request still wanted the same thing: A bulky warrior with a dog's brain capacity or a Cleric with healing abilities. Though the ads never stated which kind of cleric abilities were required, it was always their famous spell: resurrection.

Before the discovery of the resurrection spell, most quests consisted of party members with selective skills that ensured no one would get hurt or killed in the line of battle. That time, however, became a thing of the past. Today, Warriors thought it best to run into battles weapons held high, screaming out war songs minutes before they were brutally killed. No real strategy because right after death the Cleric would just revive them into existence and after a quick rest, they were up and charging back into battle. The whole party system based on unique design had eventually died and was replaced by a gang of physically powerful warriors with a healer or two.

This left many other types of fighters without work, and constantly yearning for adventure.

A boy, wrapped in what appeared to be a blanket made of wolf pelts, continued to look over the wanted ads for something that he could participate in. His eyes shifted to random ads, trying to find anything that would catch his interest. It wasn't long before he gave off a defeated sigh and took a few steps away from the board.

Firo Vita was his name, a healing potion magically disguised as a human male in his early twenties. He had just recently awakened from years of slumber due to an unnatural disturbance within the world. He hadn't  pieced together how and why he came into existence; at the moment, he didn't really care.

After traveling with a few gangs of people - and being chased off by some, he came to the town of Lorvic where they say one can become a Cleric and use the divine powers of the Gods. Since he could already heal people without the use of prayer, Firo found it hard that such a magic was indeed "divine." Thus, he had no problem mentioning such a heathenry during his entrance exam to the Cleric's Guild - he was turned away a few words of prayer and a toss of chilled holy water.

Hence, why he stood in front of the bulletin board draped in a blanket.

A woman dressed in white garbs quickly approached him from behind and grabbed him by the shoulder. "You mustn't be out here dressed like that Mr. Vita. Please, come with me." The woman had already taken Firo a great distance before he even had a chance to retaliate.

He twisted his arm around until he could break free and quickly halted in his step. "Who are you? Where were you taking me? How do you know my name?"

The woman turned around with a welcoming smile and eagerly took off her hood so that Firo could get a better look at her features. Her hair was short and dark, but long enough for a single ponytail with dark-brown eyes that made him feel warm just by looking into them. The emblem on the front of her attire reminded him of the same image used for the Cleric's Guild.

Firo reached out, his fingers moving around the emblem on the woman's clothes while he smiled, "You are from the Cleric's Guild!"

The women gritted her teeth before swatting at the boy's hand, "Mind your manners!"

Firo lowered his head, "I'm sorry."

She cleared her throat, "Mr. Vita. I am here because the guild has decided to recruit you. Although you are a bit of a heathen, the fact that you can use healing magic without any experience within the guild makes us wonder…"

Firo looked around, his attention slowly wandering as he caught a glimpse of a bird waddling on the ground. When questions about his healing powers came up, he rarely found much excitement in telling others. During his recent awakening, the man who first saw him told him that he should never reveal what he really was because greedy people would take advantage of him. So far, his true identity has yet to come up in conversation. Even though it is apparent people are more interested in Clerics.

The woman continued to talk, "…like all the Clerics who join our ranks; you must do one thing to show that you are holy enough to receive the gift in general."

"Sounds interesting." He played with the furs on his blanket while he tried to keep it from sliding off his shoulders. His eyes glanced back over to the bird that was now getting ready to fly. "So, once I do this one task; I will be able to study cleric spells and learn how to resurrect people?"

The woman nodded proudly.

In today's age, Clerics were somewhat famous. Even though they were abused for their ability to revive fallen comrades, they were almost a rare breed. This was due to the severity of the first task given to all soon-to-be-Clerics.

The woman leaned in close and lowered her tone so that only Firo could hear what she had to say, "The guild leaders want you to bring them a bottle filled with demon's blood."

Firo clenched his fist and gave the woman a determined look, "Right! I shall do that." He paused for a minute and then cocked his head to the side, "Demon's blood? What would a Cleric need with demon's blood?"

"How else are we supposed to purify it to make you into a Cleric?"

"Oh! I see… that kind of makes sense to me." Firo nodded his head to the woman before cocking his head to the side again, "How will I get that close enough to-"

The woman cut him off and grabbed hold of the boy's arm once more, "It's not safe to speak out here, follow me." She dragged him along until they were in a small house almost on the outskirts of town.

Once Firo was inside the house, the woman provided him with a new set of clothes: A pair of brown shoes that matched his shorts and an off white long-sleeved shirt. She also gave him a green cloak to wear when it got cold - though he kept insisting that his wolf pelt would keep him warmer.

The woman slowly sat down in a chair and looked Firo over. He was still relaxed on the bed that kept both uncomfortably close. There was a bit of a silence before Firo continued with more questions.

"How am I going to get the demon's blood all by myself?"

The woman stood back up and slowly moved over to the window, mumbling to herself in the process. "I wouldn't worry about that. . . You'd probably be a casualty."

"I'm sorry?"

She glanced back at him with a smile, "I have hired some help to get you to the cave a few miles away from this old house. Demons live in that cave and will be the perfect target for you- They are young and weak."

Firo leaned back on the bed and glanced up at the ceiling, noticing the many holes, which were probably the result of termites. "I hope the demons are friendly."

The woman turned her attention to the window once more, shaking her head at the boy's comment. "Demons are not friendly. . . They are evil creatures intent on killing and hurting others."

"So, that means I will have to. . ." He trailed off.

She gave off a grin, "How else are you going to become a member of our guild? You do want to be a Cleric don't you?"

Firo Vita always wanted to help people. Ever since he could turn into a human he wanted to be the thing people relied on. Whether or not this was due to his original nature as a healing potion, it was a strong instinct within him. The fact that he could only tend to injuries and couldn't revive people made him very envious. So, was it wrong of him to kill a demon who was probably bad? Could there be another way to learn how to use Cleric spells without the death of another?

Firo lowered his head, "Well, if that helps people, then I must do this." He went silent.

There was a heavy knock at the door and the young woman quickly moved from the window over to the entrance in matter of seconds. In the doorway stood two bulky men, one with a large sword on his back and another with two small swords at his side. Behind them was another figure with their face shielded by a purple cloak.

The woman gave off a smile along with a small bag of money and turned her attention back to Firo.

"You just have to kill one and bring back their blood."

Firo reluctantly nodded.