1% Lifesteal (Volume 3): A LitRPG Adventure by Robert Blaise

Author:Robert Blaise [Blaise, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2025-09-17T00:00:00+00:00

37

CATCHING UP

Freddy gently knocked on the door. A voice reached from within the room. “Please, enter.”

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him, arriving at his first-ever therapy session with a mental health professional.

The office was a clean, tidy place. Rustic, as all of Valhalla was, but with particularly old-fashioned decor. It was the type of place a movie would show a kind old grandmother living in.

Seated on a wooden chair right beside a couch was an orderly, older gentleman. The man’s face was surprisingly rugged given his early- to mid-two-star gathering, and his head was full of gray hairs. “I suppose you are Freddy Cliff?”

Something about the man’s voice was clearly strange. Supernaturally, even. His voice was a melodic timbre with a powerful, soothing quality. Just a few words by the man, and Freddy already felt his nerves loosening and the tension in his shoulders vanishing. “Yes. That’s me.”

“I’m Noah. Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable.”

Freddy nodded and awkwardly shuffled to the couch. He clearly didn’t look comfortable, sitting like a ramrod as he was, but the man did not say anything.

“All right, I would like to start today’s session by allowing you to introduce yourself. Whatever you believe is important for others to know about you, tell me. I won’t interrupt you until you decide you’re done.”

“Oh… all right.”

Freddy proceeded to give a vague introduction of himself. He dropped a few tidbits about his upbringing but refused to go into details. All in all, his introduction was brief and to the point. Noah kept his promise, remaining quiet and nodding at everything Freddy said.

After the introductions, the man started asking a few questions. The questions the man asked were personal yet inconsequential. He asked Freddy’s opinion on movies, what kinds of outdoor activities he enjoyed, and what kinds of books, if any, he loved reading. It was as if the man was merely chit-chatting.

And yet, despite this fact, Freddy felt himself relaxing as the session continued. But the comfort sparked a sense of vigilance, too. “Excuse me,” he finally broke.

“What is it?”

“I’ve noticed that your voice is a bit…”

The man nodded with a gentle smile. “Indeed. My talent gives my voice anxiolytic properties.”

“Oh… I see. I imagine it makes your job much easier.”

The man’s smile widened slightly. “It helps. Particularly so with a certain type of person. Anyway”—he checked his wristwatch—”would you look at that? We have reached the end of our first session.”

Freddy scowled as he glanced at the clock on the wall. “Uh… Unless that clock is broken, I don’t think we have.”

The man laughed, his voice making Freddy’s chest tingle. “I allocate a maximum time for my sessions, but often I end them before that time is up. If I’ve achieved what I had to, I feel that dragging things out can be counterproductive.”

“No offense, man, but we haven’t achieved… uhm”—he chuckled—”anything.”

Noah’s smile weakened slightly as he shook his head. “Mr. Cliff,” he called seriously.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.