Single Spell Sorcerer-Chapter 137: Judgment

Jax followed the party throughout the rest of the prairie, watching them fight one monster after another. Their efficiency was impressive, but he could see the toll it was taking on them. Each encounter left them a little more worn down, their movements becoming slightly slower and their breathing more labored.

Having fought the Dungeon and the boss inside of it had left them more tired than they probably wished they were.

They reached the Elite monster next, which turned out to be a Flying Lizard, like the one Jax had seen before entering the prairie. The creature was massive, easily twice the size of a regular Jumping Lizard, with powerful hind legs that looked capable of launching it incredible distances.

Purple veins ran across its body like lightning, pulsing with an eerie glow that made it look extra scary. Its eyes were a deep violet, and when it opened its mouth, Jax could see rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The group readied up and started fighting despite their tiredness.

The lizard’s jumping attacks caught them off guard multiple times, and they got hit more than they should have. One party member took a nasty gash across his arm, while another was limping from a bad landing after dodging one of the creature’s leaps.

The battle dragged on longer than it should have. The lizard was relentless, using its mobility to stay out of range of their attacks while striking with quick, devastating pounces. The party struggled a little

Finally, the leader turned to Carlton with desperation in his voice. "Please."

Carlton, who hadn’t helped until now, finally stepped forward and raised his hands. "Mass Heal," he said calmly.

Yellow light dropped on everyone like gentle rain, disappearing into them like snowflakes on a hot metal. The party seemed to find their vigor back as they were instantly healed and cured of all fatigue. Wounds closed, energy returned, and their movements became sharp and precise once again.

They returned back to full fighting capability and killed the lizard after a long battle, their renewed strength making all the difference.

When the lizard died, it dropped 20 Opal stones and a dagger with intricate engravings along its blade. The leader quickly gathered the loot, then brought out 5 Opal stones and handed them over to Carlton, who took them without question.

Jax was confused. "What’s happening now?"

"I get paid for every spell I use," Carlton answered matter-of-factly.

Jax was surprised. "You’re part of a party. Why should you get paid for just using a spell?"

Carlton shrugged. "Because I want to."

Jax couldn’t understand it. "Why do you want so many stones?"

"I just want them." Carlton wasn’t clear in his answer, offering nothing more than a shrug.

Jax narrowed his eyes. Carlton acted so out of the ordinary that he became a little suspicious of something. Was this the Navigator’s way of making them meet too?

"Are you an Ascendant?" Jax asked in a whisper.

"A what?" Carlton turned to him, confused.

Jax looked into his eyes and saw a genuine lack of understanding of what he was talking about. This man was not an Ascendant. That made everything all the weirder.

They finally returned to the city some time in the afternoon. The journey back was much easier with not many monsters still left to block their way.

Once they were back through the gates, they split their loot, and Carlton still got his share of the rewards despite being paid so much already. Between his spell fee and his portion of the drops, he was walking away with significantly more than anyone else.

"So, do you still want me to join your party?" Carlton asked as walked back to the hotel. "You can see that I have the capability to help you all improve within the next month, just in time to register for the trial. With me, passage to the 8th Carriage is all but guaranteed."

Jax couldn’t answer immediately. He needed to discuss this with his group before making any commitments and he told him so.

Carlton shrugged. "I indulged you because you brought me my money. If you think I’m worth it, you can buy my services. If not, you can return."

He left without another word, leaving Jax standing in the lounge area of the hotel room.

Jax remained alone for a while, processing everything he’d witnessed. Carlton’s abilities were undeniably valuable. The Boss location spell alone could save weeks of searching, and his healing magic was clearly powerful enough to turn the tide of difficult battles. But the cost was unlike anything he’d encountered before.

Someone who thought of their money first before the lives of their fellow party members was not a good fit for a party.

He returned to his room as well, pulling out his Comdev. He sent a long message to Melayne, explaining the situation regarding Carlton as much as he could in as little words as possible. The longer the text was, the more expensive it became to use it.

He also hoped she hadn’t destroyed the device yet in her attempts to reverse-engineer it.

He waited for what felt like a few hours before getting back a message. The response was shorter than he’d hoped.

"We trust your judgment. Make the decision yourself."

Jax stared at the message for a long time. They were leaving this entirely up to him, which meant the responsibility for their party’s success or failure would rest on his shoulders. He took time to think, weighing the advantages Carlton could provide against the burden he would be as a party member.

After a long thought, he decided he needed to know one last thing with Carlton. So, he went to sleep, hoping to wake up early in the morning.

The next morning, he arrived at the hotel lounge and waited for Carlton. Carlton arrived half an hour later and saw Jax.

"So, how much are you going to pay me?" Carlton asked without even saying so much as a simple greeting.

He was confident Jax was going to give him an offer, an offer he was ready to reject.

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