"Healer Springwood, the patient is ready for the next round of treatment," the attending nurse called as she noticed the brief outline of Healer Springwood pass by the door. Fortunately, her words did seem to reach their intended audience as a moment later the squat figure of Healer Springwood entered the room.
The healer's pristine white robes fluttered gently as he briskly crossed the boundary of the room before positioning himself just to the side of his patient. But before he began whatever treatment he had planned, the healer quickly turned to face the door and gestured for the young girl waiting there to halt.
"Please just observe from the door if you will, Lily. I'm afraid you can be of no assistance, and I'd prefer you did not get injured should the patient suffer another attack," the healer ordered with a soft gentle tone.
Once he had received a nod in return from his apprentice, Healer Springwood wasted no time in giving his patient his full attention.
"I pray this is the last dose he will require; I doubt our patient's body can survive another seizure. Even with my assistance, the body can only take so much." With that, the healer brought his hand towards his patient before pouring the content of a small purple vial into his patient's now open mouth.
"The most serious injuries should have finally healed but given the nature of the attack, it is sensible to err on the side of caution. Watch carefully Lily, the preciseness of my spell is key to its success." After taking a second to confirm the draught of peace had taken hold, the aged healer finally moved his hand towards his patient's forehead.
"Asclepius guide my hand," With his prayer said, the healer finally let his spell flow out from his hand and into the fractured mind of his patient. The recovery had been a long brutal process, that had left his patient screaming in pain far too often but after this final outpouring of healing magic, the healer truly believed his patient would recover.
"The treatment will take some time to take hold and even then, it may still be days before he awakens once again. Please inform me should...."
"Rohl Bluedawn, the census was finally delivered earlier this morning."
"Should Mr Bluedawn's condition change." With those last parting words said, the healer had done all he could, there was nothing left for him to do now but pray and wait for his patient to awaken.
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In truth, Rohl had no idea how long he'd been trapped within his own body, all he did know was that the few moments of fleeting control he had been able to seize had been filled with endless bouts of excoriating pain. The first time he had felt his consciousness finally return had been the worst, that sudden rough awakening had sent him careening upwards in his bed. Only for him to collapse into it heartbeats later as a horrendous pain engulfed his entire body, ending his short awakening, moments after it had started.
Given his condition, Rohl had been completely unable to track how much time had passed since his first traumatic awakening and his second, all he remembered of the ordeal was a terrible pain and his form thrashing uncontrollably. He knew someone had restrained him but that was all. Even the faces of those who helped him had been forgotten, all overcome by the sudden unending trauma.
There had been a few more bouts of consciousness after that. Well Rohl was half sure, his memories of the events were fuzzy but the fact he had them had to prove he had at least awoken, if only to stare at the plain white ceiling for a handful of seconds before sleep was once again mercifully granted to him.
Only one of his short awakenings had provided fruitful in allowing Rohl to gain some semblance of where he was. Whilst the pain had been almost deafening Rohl had at least gained enough control to turn his head and gain somewhat of an understanding of his surroundings.
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A panacea.
He had spent enough time at the medical temples to recognise their plain boring interiors easily and that familiar reassurance did at least quell some of Rohl's worries and nausea. Enough for him to stop resisting and allow his body and mind to take some time to heal.
But as the healing finally began to soothe his pain and Rohl's full sense of self returned to him. The days of peaceful healing sleep soon came to an end, how could he rest when he so desperately wished to know what had happened. His memory of it was a complete blur, all he knew was that something had happened at the market, something terrible, but anything beyond that remained a mystery.
Whatever the case, it made Rohl restless and the moment any opportunity presented itself for him to regain control of his fragile body, he seized it, no matter how much pain it would cause, he had to do it, if he didn't force his body to obey him, force himself to open his eyes and turn, then he would never get the answers he craved.
But before Rohl could do any more than those basic actions, the sound of panicked voices immediately drew his attention.
"Healer Springwood, you asked to be notified should his condition change."
"Ah, thank you nurse, it seems our patient has finally recovered enough to return to us. Please fetch another draught of peace. I would prefer to be prepared should his condition worsen once again."
Despite his body feeling incredibly stiff and his voice so hoarse that it hurt to speak, Rohl did somewhat manage to question the blurry figure that was making its way to his bedside.
"Where is...whats going on...where is my..."
Before Rohl's pained words could finish he was cut off by a somewhat gentle shushing sound followed by a concerned hand hovering over his throat.
"I know how you must feel but please hold your questions for just a minute. If you strain yourself now, it may cause further damage. If you will allow, I shall apply a medicinal paste to your throat. Its properties should help heal any soreness. I would advise not straining yourself, your body needs time to adjust," With that, the healer reached over to grab a small vial from the bedside table before placing a few small dabs onto Rohl's aching throat.
"I am sure you have many questions, and I shall do my best to answer them for you. But please do rest and allow me to share with you all the knowledge I have attained." As he spoke, the healer moved to once again stand by Rohl's side before checking how his eyes tracked his movement.
Even with his curiosity and desire to know the truth burning in his mind, Rohl remained silent, well for the time being, as desperately as he wanted to question the healer, even murmuring out those few incoherent words was almost impossible.
"I am Healer Springwood, as much as my reputation usually precedes me, I shall still inform you that I as standard, treat only the most difficult and unique cases. Still, even for one of my experience your case has been rather difficult. I am ashamed to say I cannot be sure if there will be any more repercussions from the incident or from the blessing you received. If you do experience any changes, please do not hesitate to seek assistance." The healer let his words hang in the air for a short moment before he finally began to speak again.
"Given how a sacrilegious beast was involved, there have been inquiries into your health from multiple officials, many of whom requested I question you immediately after you had regained consciousness. However, given the ordeal the survivors have suffered, it is only fair that I answer any questions you have first." With that, the healer stepped back and given the expression on his face, seemed to be waiting for Rohl to unload a barrage of questions unto him.
"I... I remember an attack, something came for us... it was at the village... what happened?" Rohl finally asked in between rushed shaky breaths, just the thought of the event was enough to send a pained shiver down his back.
"A passing merchant first reported the village's sudden lack of contact. As soon as word was received, a contingent of knights were dispatched at Governor Sampson's command. Once news of the knights discoveries reached Elmon, reinforcements were sent and the standard protocols obeyed. You were rushed here for treatment and a few weeks later I was summoned to assist with the survivor's care. An extraordinarily rare occurrence for any to survive a sacrilegious beast attack, let alone three," the healer answered in a somewhat reproachful tone.
As informative as the healer's answer had been, his words were soon drowned out as one word immediately caused a tsunami of pained memories and dreaded through to emerge within Rohl's mind.
"Survivors, mum, Sami, where are they? Are they okay? Please tell me they are okay..." With his eyes beginning to fill with tears, Rohl's question was left to hang in the air as the healer remained frozen as if he had failed to realise the possibility of any of the survivors asking about their family.
After a brief moment of silent awkwardness and several failed attempts to answer, the elven healer finally answered Rohl's question. "“I can only offer my most sincere apologies for your loss. Those who… did not survive the attack were all transported to Elmon so they could be sanctified and given a proper burial. I am truly sorry.”