"So, as I was saying, Lord Sl'Ayiysab, you must simply attend that show in the Isles of the Depressing Lake." one of the nobles I was mingling with told me.
"No can do, I'm afraid." I tell him with a small smile while he becomes confused.
"But you showed such interest in it before?" he asks me rather loudly.
"I did, but to get there I would have to pay the absurd tariffs your territory has!" I answer with a loud laugh. Eliciting one from him soon after once the confusion had made itself scarce.
"Oh? Is a famous Lord of the Border light on funds?" one woman joked while I scoffed at her before looking around. I don't think it was possible for me to ever be light on funds. I had all the direct taxation from this mobile-city as well as my colonial holdings.
"However, if funds are an issue, I can make an exception? You would have no need to travel extravagantly if yo-"
"Enough, I would be happy to pay my dues. I was just draining your oasis is all." I tell him with a smile before I pat his shoulder and walk off. Carefully directing some dates with my fingernails before I joined up with my wife again/
"Use the date-scaple, darling."
"You know those things are too fiddly for me in my old age." I respond before my smile gets me a scornful look.
"Honestly, try to act like you belong here." she scorns just after before she opens it up for me instead.
"Yummy." I comment with a laugh once I took the date out of her fingers. Smiling even more as I saw her blush at my childishness.
"Darling..." she moans quietly before I let the childish behaviour stop.
"Don't worry, Rain. We've made it for some time without me changing at all. One small gathering won't cause issues."
"A few words can do more than a few issues..." she rightfully complains before I pull her in close.
"As I just said, don't worry." I tell her as I stroke her beautiful blue hair. The same hair she was kind enough to pass onto our daughters.
"My lord! My lord!" one servant cried as he came running in. Actions that disrupted the party entirely. And, were it not for us turning our attention towards him. We'd never have known he was talking to us.
There were many lords here after all.
"And what prompts such a break of character?" I ask with some annoyance as this was unbecoming of a member of staff here. Or anywhere for that matter.
"It's Mistress Tiyanat! She wishes to speak with you urgently!" he explains before he starts to correct his mistake. But, before he could, I take ahold of his arm and stare intently at him.
"Take me, now." I order as I let him feel the pressure of my hand.
"Of course!"
"What's wrong!? Why is Tiyanat calling us now? Our picture-to-picture isn't until the end of the week!" my wife asks him. Yet, all he could do was shake his head.
"I'm afraid I don't know, Lady Sl'Ayiysab! She just started to call while I was doing my duties and she was in tears!"
"Ti-Ti!?" I let out with urgency as I picked up the pace. Leaving my wife behind in the rush to get to wherever it was that she had called.
"In here, my Lord!" the servant tells me before my wife catches up with us. She might've been annoyed with me normally, but now was not the time to complain. So we both entered the room and were greeted with a horrifying sound. Tiyanat was crying without restraint...
"Tiyanat? What's wrong? It's alright, Mummy and Daddy are here!" my wife tried to calm her with while she reached out for her. But, I had to pull her back as there was nothing she could do physically. This was just a way for us to communicate... We weren't actually there for her...
"It's... It's Larishazza!" she struggled to get out before the crying got worse.
"What happened, Ti-Ti!? What happened to Lala?" I demanded to know as it had not been that long since her prior disappearance. She was fine when we saw her last, but a lot can happen in a short time...
"She..." and my poor daughter was struggling to say anything, "She..."
"Shh! When you're ready, Tiyanat." her mother tries to calm her with as her hands scrunch up my clothes. She could not hold her daughter and it frustrated her...
Then, when she was seemingly ready, "She... She's been attacked and... She's not recovering... Someone attacked her and she's not getting better!" my daughter cries before I freeze up. What did she mean by that...? Why wasn't she recovering...?
WHAT GOOD WAS THAT SCHOOL'S REPUTATION IF THEY COULDN'T RESOLVE THIS!?
"Was it just an accident? Something at school?" I ask calmly just to make sure that this was just her being her usual worrywart self.
"N-No..."
"Explain, please." I ask slowly, moving away from my wife and making sure I dominated Tiyanat's view. I wanted her to explain it all now!
"From... F-From what I have heard... A serial killer has..." she failed to fully get out.
"I see." I say as I slowly move away from the screen.
"W-WAIT DAD!" I heard her scream before I walked out the room. Regardless of their motivations, they targeted the wrong girl... My Larishazza, my Lala, she was not some ordinary girl. She was a Sl'Ayiysab!
And I would show this so-called killer what that meant...
"Darling!? Darling!" my wife called out, yet, she did not chase after me. So I was free to keep on marching and marching until I was out of the estate. From there, it was a simple task of casting aside the people filling the streets. Those who were attentive moved and those that weren't were swept aside.
Merely running or walking out in the streets was too slow... So I found myself inspired by an unyielding torrent of water. And I kept it up all the way until I reached the place so many people here worked at. Then, without the usual grand ceremony my visit would entail, I broke the doors down.
"WHERE IS THE CITY'S GUIDER!?" I roar once the dust and leftover water disappeared.
"Lord Sl'Ayiysab!?" one of the workers asked before I placed my hand around his throat.
"DO NOT SPEAK UNLESS YOU CAN ANSWER ME!" I snap before throwing him down.
"Lord Sl'Ayiysab, what is the problem!?" the man I was looking for asked over the speaker. And, a mere moment later, I was right next to him. Much to his shock.
"Turn this city around and take us to the closest coast to the Land of Wind." I growl with a magnificent display of power backing me up.
"O-Of course!" he nervously replied before I started to slowly march up towards my throne. There was nothing I could do now but be patient... Yet, when I sat down in it, I could hear the room creak and break under my power.
"Darling!" my wife suddenly called as her face suddenly popped up. Tiyanat's did too...
"Dad, please, listen to me! I know you are overreacting right now!"
"OVERREACTING!?" I shout with such rage and power that I could've potentially have destroyed the city's ability to walk.
"Darling, calm down." my wife tells me from the safety of our estate.
"Okay, you have five minutes." I tell the pair of them as I let my aura weaken. And that was all I did, I did not let it go away. I let it stay so those near me knew I was in no mood to tolerate failure.
"Dad, stop! I know that you're just going to march here with an army! DO NOT DESTROY THIS PLACE!"
"You care more about that school than your sister?" I ask her as this was unacceptable. What right did she have to tell me to stop!?
"NO! I JUST DON'T WANT MY FRIENDS GETTING HURT! I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO LEAVE ANOTHER PLACE BEHIND BECAUSE YOU OVERREACTED!"
"Darling..."
"Tiyanat... Your sister was attacked by what you claim to be a serial killer. But how am I meant to trust that claim? What's to say it wasn't an assassin!?"
"BECAUSE LATER THE NIGHT LARISHAZZA WAS ATTACKED, THREE WOMEN WERE KILLED WHILE ONLY SHE LIVED! I SAW THAT MAN'S FACE AND HE DID NOT TRY TO KILL ME!" she screamed before she flinched away in fear at my gaze.
"I see..." I let out lowly before I started to fixate on another detail, "And she isn't recovering because...?" I ask her. I wasn't expecting an answer, but if she was the only one who had lived... Then that made it all the more likely this was a message sent out to our family.
But that was contradicted by the fact that Tiyanat was okay... Did this have something to do with Larishazza's prior disappearance...?
"Darling, she doesn't know. Stop being so harsh on her." my wife tells me before she turns to try and comfort our daughter.
"Of course, I am sorry, Tiyanat." I say with a sigh.
"It's okay... I know you're worried for her..."
"Obvious, no?" I sarcastically mutter.
"Ahmedallin!" my wife snaps.
"So, if I take things too far, what do you suggest, Tiyanat?"
"At least give the doctors some time! Please! Keep your armies away from here! Not one drop of water is to come onto this continent, okay!?" my daughter snaps angrily before she drops to her knees.
"Tiyanat, look at me." I mutter to my daughter.
"Okay..." she quietly answers as she places her head on the desk she was likely at.
"Tiyanat, show me your face." I say once it became clear she was going to sob behind her arms. And I had to wait a little bit before she did as she was told.
"Darling, just say what you want to already." my wife tells me despite the annoyed glance I shot her way.
"Is me calling upon the best doctors this land has acceptable for you as a first measure?"
"I... no... If you can help Larishazza... Please..."
And I nod slowly at my daughter as a lone tear stealthily escapes me, "Of course. I will use what I can to secure the very best. But, let me be clear. I will respect your wishes for a more timid response. However, should the worst come to pass? I will call upon one of them." the words at the end bringing shock to both of their faces.
"Darling! You just agreed to-"
"Mom... It's alright." she says before my daughter glares intently at me.
"Anything else?" I ask as a face like that only meant one thing.
"You will not send one over, because this will work..." she tells me with a stern expression at first before she starts to cry once again.
"Tiyanat..." my wife lets out while I feel my heart ache at the sight. I can't even begin to imagine what this must be like for her... I have only heard of it and this was how I was reacting. She either saw it happen or the effects of this attack directly.
It was a small detail, but I knew full well it had a far greater impact. It was nothing in comparison, but, I had no issue about wiping out a rogue nation. However, if I was to see the drowned bodies afterwards, I had issues stomaching it. So, like her mother, I wish I could be there for Tiyanat...
Yet, I had some relief in regard to that. If she was this determined to keep me in check, then she must have made some good friends. Ones she did not want to see hurt by a ruthless manhunt ordered by me. As much as I could not care about them, their safety did affect my daughter's view of me.
And I did not want my family to be strained further by infighting... We had a cause uniting us for now. Yet, I feared ruining that more than the political backlash I might cause with my actions. His Majesty would not be happy with me, but he would have to just drink it up.
The tide flowed where the tide flowed... And if it truly came to it, I would lead the tsunami.
.
.
.
"Ah, this is the good stuff." I sigh in relief as I hold both a beautiful woman in my arms and a fine glass of drink. Behind me, of course, was a display of my accomplishments. All manner of personally made gifts and more official kinds. I had no particular favourite, however.
Because I was the culmination of each award. I earned each one and it showed. The woman I held knew it. The men who shipped in my drink knew it.
"Come on, Stolpzhen, let's get in the water already!" my woman of the day begged me as she tugged at her lewd dress. And, as per usual, those aelenvari really knew how to draw out a woman's best aspects.
"Oh, go on then." I say with a grin as I take her by the hip and give her lips a fleeting kiss. Then, when I was done enjoying her soft lips, I got up. Taking off my shirt before taking one final swing of my drink. A smile on my face as she laughed as she led me to the water.
"I don't suppose the weather will turn bad at some point tonight?" she longingly asked as we sat down in the mountainside pool. But, then again, what wasn't mountainside in this land? I guess I could not complain. It was a splendid view that it gave me.
And I got to enjoy it with all the aforementioned goodies my pride and skill have won me. Yet, there was one downside to it all. It had left me with a ravenous hunger for it all. Getting to the top on my own hasn't exactly taught me to treasure what I can get...
"No, got to enjoy what you can I am afraid."
"Aw..." she moans in annoyance before she starts trying to take it up a notch.
"Careful now," I tell her with an equally lusty grin, "the water is strong." I remind her before she slips.
"Ah!" she laughs as she floats down to the other end of the pool. Before I could catch up with her, however, I hear footsteps for some reason.
"Can I help you?" I ask the stranger who had walked onto my property. Under normal circumstances, this might've been a reason to panic. But this man bore all the decoration of a public official. And, well, no one had privacy when it came to them.
I even found myself looking at the winds nearby as I thought that. Because no one truly had any privacy if they lived out in the open. A certain someone did not have so many songs written about him because he wanted them sung. The stories of red winds were lessons full of truth.
"Urgent work." the man said with a frustrating amount of simplicity and detail deprivation.
"I'm on holiday." I sardonically remind him as this was not my actual home. Merely my holiday home. My real home was locked away in a place no winds could reach.
"I thought you said no one would disturb us!?" my daily take-home complained as she got out of the pool. Both I and this man received a glare before she then stormed off inside. But, not before I could get a light smack of her arse.
"Yes, I did." I answer, yet, the words were meant for this incline-bait.
"If you please, your office, Surgeon Stolpzhen." the man requested as he lifted his arm and gestured me into the house.
"Honestly..." I mutter in complaint before doing as he requested. But, I made a point of taking my time. The weather was nice and I intended to spend as much time as I could in it. The gods made this grand construct beyond the sky for a reason.
And by Aahtha's good name, it was to be enjoyed in the accompanying of buxom women!
"So who is the client?" I ask ahead of time as a visit like this meant deep pockets were involved. I was employed in a normal firm like everyone else. But, I had gained a rep for how freelance I took my work.
"Lord and Lady Sl'Ayiysab of the Grand-Kingdom of Ibenorroco." he answers just as we reach the door.
"Eh?" I let out as I freeze up in confusion. What did some snooty, soggy nobles from across the All-Coast want with me...? Did they not have a dozen surgeons equal to or greater than me? Well, I am happy that they came to me. As, well, it meant that I truly was the best.
"I will explain or hand over the details inside. So, again, please, your office." he answers while I change my posture to a more professional one. It must've been quite the situation if foreign nobility was asking for my help. But, of course, I also reserved the right to decline. Which, the sight of an annoyed woman in a tight, easily removed bikini made me inclined to do.
"I am sorry, this might take a while." I tell her as I move her fuming head against my refined body. And what she did made me smile as I felt a wet sensation and a distinct pop.
"It best not take so long that I become bored." she gasps quietly as she fiddles with her prized goods.
"I hope not!" I let out enthusiastically before we go into my office. And, before I sit down, I pick up a dressing gown. If they wanted to call me directly, I doubt they'd want to see me half-naked. Then again, what could they do if I sarcastically point out that I was supposed to be on holiday?
"As said just now, your clients are the Lord and Lady Sl'Ayiysab of the Grand-Kingdom of Ibenorroco." he pointlessly reminds me before he hands me over a tube. One I initially struggled to open as it was some Ibenorrocoian device. Far more tedious than a simple tablet. Or, you know, regular paper.
"So, they want me to fix up their daughter?" I ask him as I suddenly am exposed to the secrets of this invention. A projection made entirely of magic-influenced water. Something that did impress me as it was almost like I was looking at the actual thing. And, I had to admit from a glance that this daughter of theirs was in bad shape.
Broken bones all about her, particularly in the jaw area. It was practically impossible to miss all the cuts and deep dagger wounds. But, one thing did not sit right with me. It wasn't just a picture made of water that I had, details about her injuries and all that were here too.
Someone had tried to sort her out before...? In Thrurstradtur too of all places. I would've thought that this would've been a done-by issue for them. Yet, here we were.
"The medical staff at St. Bruttar Brief Recovery and Healing Centre have had no luck in trying to resolve her injuries. At some point, the parents found out and they have insisted quite firmly that the best of the best be called upon."
"So you're working directly with the royal family, then?"
"I cannot give you any details regarding my work. Only what you will be doing." he asserts as I start to remember where I had seen all those details on his uniform before. If the heads of the Seven-Peak Union were concerned than this was a volatile situation. And, I had to admit, it made me uncomfortable being put in something like this.
It was far beyond the issues I normally dealt with! I was a surgeon! A really good one! I was, however, not a politician or a player in their malicious games!
"And if I decline to help them?" I ask while checking for any details regarding pay or just anything that looked like a contract. I wanted some kind of guarantee that I wasn't being held at spellpoint here... People from the King's personal staff did not just play messenger...
"Someone better will be chosen."
And that made me scoff, "Then why did you come to me first?" what kind of bluff was he making?
"Because you fit the bare minimum." he replies without so much as a crack in his expression.
"I beg your pardon?" I say with growing annoyance.
"They wanted a skill surgeon, and His Lunar Majesty saw fit to send for you as you would be, of course, the cheapest option."
"Well, you're certainly right about me being the cheapest option." I growl before I slam my hands on my desk.
"Of course, you aren't the best." he says with a nod to one of my many trophy cabinets.
"Why you... Fine, no monetary pay. Only that hidden smirk wiped off your face!" I snap before the magic in the device suddenly flashes.
And, the man smirks, "You really are the cheapest option." he huffs with a slight smirk before he leaves my office. And, going by his direction, he was quick to leave my holiday home too.
"And why did you flash?" I pointlessly ask the Ibenorrocoian machine.
"I will ask only once, Surgeon. For your sake, make sure my daughter walks out of that building better than when she entered it." the man who suddenly formed in the water told me. And, I had to admit, he was quite the intimidating man. Even if this was just a magic construct. I could still tell he was a man of action in that kingdom across the great sea...
"I assure you, Lord Sl'Ayiysab, I will get it done. Because the price of pride is always worth paying in full."
"Be sure your petty issues do not interfere." he growls lowly before he disappears.
"Great..." I let out after making a loud tut. Not only had I walked into that government official's ploy by saving his boss some money. I was also under spellpoint from one of the most powerful men in the world.
"So, I see they're gone. And just in time too." the woman I brought in lets out lustfully as she starts to undress at the door.
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"You will need to leave, I have work." I tell her without so much as a hint to the prior playfulness I spoke to her with before.
"What...? I can't believe this! ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" she starts to go off while I start gathering what I might need. If this was in Thrurstradtur, I would need all the necessary tabletwork. Identification and all that stuff. Most importantly, however, I needed to get my tools which I rarely used.
And, despite my prior complaints of being on holiday. I had brought all this stuff here recently or set it up a long time ago in anticipation for sudden, urgent work. So, at the very least, my professional caution was justified. And, if one bit of caution was enough, then I could do with a lot more.
I was worried about this job, however. Despite all my skill as a surgeon, I had never seen a patient who was simply not healing. I've handled patients who were too strong, and in turn could not get enough magic to heal. But never one who failed to recover in a place like Thrurstradtur...
Say what you will about that Academy, but it led to Thrurstradtur's rise as the technology capital of the continent. If their system of taking people's external-magic and their auras to feed back into systems like this wasn't enough... Then I'd have my work cut out for me. And, of course, it would cause other issues regardless.
This was digging into my holiday and work just loved to keep me around... Their heels would be most certainly dug in to stop me from getting my lost time back. Yet, if I was in another country... What were they going to do...?
Besides, I have been meaning to go back to the city I learned my profession at anyway. I can get both a lovely refresher in their amazing technology and see the new stuff first! It was an exciting opportunity if you ignored why I was going. Besides, I could always find a lovely hotel and a bored maid to restart my holiday with.
.
.
.
"Trips down memory lane sure would be nice under different circumstances." I comment under my breath as the spiral-tram finally passes into Thrurstradtur's vicinity. Thankfully, it had been a quick and quiet journey. Not that I had any doubts that it wouldn't be. You have the royal family directly ask you for assistance, they'll make sure the roads are clear.
Yet, there was one glaring issue with that. I could not get to know some of the passengers a little better. So I was stuck with whatever staff was attending. A far more challenging endeavour when one considered their need for professionalism.
This would not be so much of an issue, however, because the pretty lady attending me was being reeled in. Unfortunately, the amount of time it took me to get it all sorted meant it would only be a brief chat. So, I decided to make the most of it and I called her over. Smiling at her when she smiled at me.
"Can I help you, Sir?" she asks as she slightly leans over me and rests a hand on my left shoulder.
"Well, for starters, I think the ride has been a bit bumpy. So, I was wondering if you could test something for me?" I ask of her.
"Oh? I assure you, Sir. Our company owners make sure all their spiral-trams are smooth, enjoyable rides." she answers with a wink as I guide her onto my lap. The tight-knitting of her short, thigh-length pencil skirt showed quite a nice shape too.
"See? Bumps." I smirk as she settles into my lap more firmly.
"Hm, I see, there is something bumpy. But I don't think its the vehicle." she giggles as she gets up again.
"Tsk, would've thought a skirt like that would make it hard to get up." I let out as she puts some distance between us.
"Well, those who made it were very kind to leave this here." she points out as she takes my fingers to rub the small triangle cut in the skirt. And while I did not feel her bare skin, it was close enough with those black tights she had on. The slight colour shading from her soft, pale skin even broke through at points.
One small piece of the allure that was the professional serving-woman. Just one of many blessings that the gods have given us. Particularly the goddesses as their teachings encourage this sort of stuff. It was no secret after all that outside of most circumstances, women were primarily there to look good.
A balance I have not seen anyone complain about. After all, most of the ones I ended up taking home I did get through compliments. It was honestly hilarious how far a simple compliment went with most women. And to be honest, I had no interest in the harder-to-get ones.
"Well, unfortunately, it seems we must part ways...?"
"Elizana." she answers with a giggle.
"Take care, precious breeze." I say with a smile after gently cupping her arse.
"You know... I am allowed to come off and take a short break of a few days..." she tells me suggestively as she starts to show the cracks in her professional facade.
"I'll have to catch up with you, then. But, if we go by the time... Might I take you to lunch?"
"Oh, but my mum prepared me something and it's full of love..."
"And I can guarantee that you will get plenty of love over these next few days." I tell her with a confident smirk before I move up to grab my stuff.
"So, what're you doing here, anyway?"
"I'm a surgeon, here for a client." I answer simply and vaguely as I wasn't sure how bad this might get if I spoke of it. It was just an operation, granted. But, given the circumstances of who the client was and who set me on this path... I did not want to put my skin on the line.
"Must be something big going on if they're calling in help, then."
"You know I am not from around here?" I question as I know I did not say anything like that.
"Well, why else would you get on back at Aztraht?" she asks, giggling as she did so.
"Clever." I comment with a smile before I turn to leave.
"Pick me up in an hour?"
"Right here at the station?"
"That would be best." she tells me with a smile.
"See you then, beautiful." I compliment. Something that made her blush with such strength that I could see it through her make-up. And that made me quite jolly indeed. Yet, the sight I saw once I got off thoroughly got rid of that joy.
"All arrivals must present identification and suitable justification! Any who do not will be sent back on their way with minimum reimbursement!" a guard loudly declared to everyone getting off the spiral-tram. Which, naturally included me. So I had to make sure I had everything in order before I joined the queue awaiting inspection. Yet, I was confused as well.
I had not seen anything like this when I was last here. Nor had I heard of anything like this from my colleagues who still worked here. Which, maybe I could see a few. It would be nice to catch up with them. Maybe relive a few nights with the women.
Which, frankly, might as well have been all of them given what I did needed spell-casting... A profession that women excelled at in comparison to us men. Spells were probably the only thing that was practical that women dominated. I mean, despite soldiering being a man's profession, the Valkinvar are a well-known, mostly female organisation.
Perhaps, however, were given what has been in the news lately.
"Present identification." a guard told me as others raised their guns at me. Thankfully, somehow, I was relieved to see this be applied indiscriminately. Even those leaving the city were getting this treatment.
"I'm a surgeon, I have been called in to help a patient. By order of the Seven-Peaks Union royal family." I tell them, whispering that last part while bringing out what that annoying official had left behind.
"This about him...?" one of the clearly younger guards asked another quietly.
"Probably." his elder answered before they made an opening for me far quicker than anyone else.
"Make sure they're made aware that you have arrived, Surgeon." the one who inspected my details told me before he nodded me off.
"Of course." I mutter quietly as I left the station. Looking about the initial city with a smile on my face as I had missed this place. Of course, my eyes first went towards the single-most iconic part of the city. That over-bearing gnomon that helped one realise that the city was actually always rotating.
But, unfortunately, I had to shake the awe out of me so I could find a hotel. Falling for those attacks on my pride meant I had to pay my own way in this case. Another bout of misfortune as well was that I had to pick some small, shabby one. I had to be near St. Bruttar Brief Recovery and Healing Centre after all.
"It must be exceptionally bad if they have kept her there." I comment out loud as I started to think on such details as I walked. Yet, I was also getting distracted often by the food stalls and shops. I neglected eating so I could read up on this job and to flirt. But I had also promised that bird from before that I would have lunch with her.
So, to what would be short-lived displeasure, I ignored the hunger pangs. I avoided those I could and I checked the nearby maps every now and then. Until I was finally in the area of said place of work. And, I had to admit, it wasn't that bad of an area.
It wasn't particularly grand compared to other parts of the city. But, there was a comfortable beauty to this place. It was noticeably quiet as well given how it was light out. Yet, it did not take long for me to figure it out.
This part of the city was filled with music halls. So there was likely a legal requirement for the quiet. Or, maybe, the people of this part of the city enjoyed the ambience of it all. Can't say I blamed them, it was very soothing for the nerves.
"St. Bruttar Brief Recovery and Healing Centre..." I read aloud once I reached my new and current place of work. But, before I did, I looked down at my watch to check the time. And, I was quite surprised to see that it was much too close to my lunch date. So I rushed on inside to get the meet and greet over with.
"Hello, how can I help?" the reasonably aged woman at the front desk asks me as I approach.
"Surgeon Stolpzhen, I've been called in about a particularly well-bred patient." I declare rather dispassionately. Showing off my required details once again while her eyes went wide.
"You should've turned the offer down... Nothing good can come from helping that girl." she comments with a rather unprofessional attitude. Yet, the superstitious nature of it made me curious.
"Comment anything like that again and you'll be facing a disciplinary!" what was likely her boss snapped as he approached.
"Surgeon Stolpzhen? I'm Centre-Manager Biossg." he greets with a firm shake of my hand.
"Is there a reason for the superstition?" I decide to ask him once we were passed the doors. The damage to which was also a particularly curious thing. Did a wild animal somehow get in...? But what kind of animal would even get this deep into the city...?
"The girl in question was part of Smiling Jhurack's recent string of attacks. The only survivor for some reason." he tells me with a grim tone yet I could only tilt my head in curiosity.
"So he is real?"
"Very much so, and you have seen the proof." he tells me with a gesture towards the Ibenorrocoian device I had mixed in with my stuff.
"Anything you can tell me as to why she has not been healed? Are you under-equipped?" I ask him. Hiding back my disgust for the idea that they might be completely unsuited to handling this.
"No, as our name implies, we serve as a means to quickly get people back on their feet again." he clarifies with some distress before we make a turn into an observation room.
"She is being operated on right now?" I ask as I catch a glimpse of blue-hair and a frustrated doctor beyond.
"The government has put a lot of pressure on us to ensure she is looked after. Even if nothing comes of it."
"I'll have to look over your reports, then, maybe I can catch something you can't." I tell him, referring to what might be the issue. If it would help, however, is another issue as I manipulated the magic personally. Part of the reason I gained my fame was because I was one of the few who could control absurd magic flows.
A very precious commodity given how most with this kind of talent went on to become chapter witches. Because, after all, who would not want to be the hero of the land? Casting mighty spells and decimating the world around you? Who would want to say no to that power?
Well, for starters, me.
"I pray you have better luck than us..." he says as his eyes cautiously eye the damage to the walls.
"Something is making work stressful?"
"Indeed, the city's least popular resident is very close to this girl. And it holds firery rage that keeps burning."
"Then you can thank me for ridding it from your worries as well." I tell him as I leave my stuff here. They can put it where it needs to go after all.
"In a rush?" he asks with a half-hearted laugh as he clearly needed the distraction.
"Yes, got lunch with a lovely woman I just met." I answer with a quick salute before I rush out the building.
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"Okay... I think I have a plan of action sorted." I muttered to myself as Elizana read something in the background.
"I thought places like this were just meant to have you go in and go out...?" she ends up asking me after overhearing my latest words.
"In theory, yes. But, for me, normally anyway. My job is to handle injuries an application of magic can't handle on its own. Lost limbs and or severe wounds that need guidance to close. But, in this situation, I couldn't tell you because I don't know." I explain with a sigh before I put down my ribbon tool.
"A problem with the place they're at, then?"
I shake my head in response, "No, I made a point of asking the centre-manager and checking the equipment myself. It's all fine."
"Then what is the problem...?" she asks me, her confusion as clear and as present as my own.
"It is believed it may have something to do with who caused the injuries. That serial killer that is often the talk of the city."
"Smiling Jhurack?"
"Yes."
"Hehe, you know, I think it's a bit exciting that you're confronting him." she says suggestively as she moves closer.
"I'd hardly call me attending to a patient a confrontation." I chuckle as I play with her toes after she put a foot on me.
"Well, if he is causing issues for the brief recovery and healing centre, I'd call that you confronting him. Telling the big, scary killer that you will be saving that patient's life..." she explains with a flicker of her eyelids and a curve of her lips. And then, I pull her in closer until she was right on top of me. The tools I had previously been using clattering to the floor as she grinded about on top of me.
"Well, if I am doing as you say, I might need something to help with my courage." I jokingly beg of her before I put my lips against hers. Initially letting her soft hands guide my head before I rose to my feet. Something that shocked and surprised her before she screamed excitedly once she landed on the bed.
"You wouldn't dare to ruin such a modest hotel's bed, would you?"
"Oh, I would. Especially when I get to enjoy someone like you in it." I tell her with a grin before silencing her with a ferocious kiss. Slowly and steadily peeling away at her clothes so I could get rid of some stress before the operation tomorrow. As much as I did not want to show it, I was worried after having read what I had.
Having seen it as well, I have never seen such a malicious way of handling healing magic. It worried me deeply and for once in a long time... I was worried that I might not be able to do my job to its fullest extent. Failure actually seemed like a possibility.
"Stop worrying and help me disappoint Motrtha!" she begs lustfully after shaking my head. Yet, the random sound of smashing pottery did not stop us from continuing.
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"Centre-Manager Biossg." I greet as I walk into St. Bruttar's Brief Recovery and Healing Centre once again. Hopefully, this would be the last time I walk in here as this was a place that was beneath me as a professional. Yet, I wanted to be rid of this place more so because of the mood within the place. The woman at the front desk wasn't the only one with a superstitious air about her.
"Let's see this become over and done with." he said with an outwardly calm expression yet with a quivering voice. It was abundantly clear even he was feeling the pressure of what was going on. So much so that members of the city guard had been posted throughout the building. All armoured and fully-equipped to tear this place apart.
Yet, I also could not help but guess that it might be them looking for the killer. Everything I have read since coming here suggests that they take his many appearances very seriously. At first, they didn't seem to from what I have read. At least until some bigshot lost his daughter to this sadistic man.
However, clearly, they have had no luck in handling this killer. For several decades the stories went back. For many of the city, it seems, he has just become a part of their daily lives. Many news articles had a pessimistic attitude about them.
Defeatism in its purest form and this killer made sure to rub it in each time. Yet, maybe this was a moment for me to be more than just a skilled surgeon. Maybe I could be the one to put some light in this shadow-ruled city. The idea was an entertaining one, but, it was fantastical without a doubt.
"Hm, so that's the one who has caused all the damage." I eventually commented as I walked past the observation room. Inside was a small group of many different backgrounds. All of them were quite beautiful, the girls anyway. And one of them was clearly a relative of my patient.
However, the one that caught my eye the most was the giant of a man covered in bandages. Not only was it a strange fashion choice, the Centre-Manager clearly hated him. Albeit, maybe feared him was more likely? It was very clear he made the atmosphere tense.
Yet, so long as this man stayed on the other side of the glass. I could not care. Whatever his reasons were for causing such distress, so long as they did not interfere. I was completely fine with it all.
"Is the equipment set up as I asked?" I immediately ask the clean and stressed people working already.
"Yes, Operating Surgeon." one of them nods before they start to stand back.
"Hm, nasty." I comment as I look at my patient carefully. As per the usual since I got here, there has been no improvement in her health. Jaw was still broken, and the cuts and holes were all still there. Thankfully, the bleeding had been long dealt with.
Yet, I might require some help handling it as I was going to set it all flowing again. They had not been able to heal her, but that hadn't meant they could not help her. The devices she was hooked up to, however, would need to come off. So all that was needed now was for the light to signal my start.
"Blessed light in three, two, one..." I started to call out as I prepared myself. Some might've needed a few minutes. But the seconds leading up to an operation is all I have ever needed. However, something seemed different this time.
I could already feel sweat on my brow...
"Detaching equipment!" one of the assistants calls out before a gust of emerald light fills the room. And, with professional, well-practised skill, I caught the magic and swirled it about. Not to show off my skill at manipulation, but to get it ready for incision.
"Clear the floor!" I gave the order just before I, for lack of a better term, blasted my patient with magic. One hand kept the magic flowing while the other carefully prodded at her injuries. With one brave assistant keeping a sedative mixture near her nose as I sorted it out. And, so far so good, her jaw was quickly fixed up.
There were likely some fracture lines and cracks still present. But so long as her old skull shape was back, it would go back together in subsequent appointments. And, as I moved away from her head and towards her body, they changed the machines about. So now I had more room to move about.
And I needed as much room as I could as leaning over her would be very dangerous. I had to make sure this magic went straight to the injuries and did not spill into the rest of her. If I let it do that, she could potentially die. And I had no intention of letting my patient die.
"Preparing to seal the primary area." I tell everyone present as I begin to systematically close up her torso. Stab wounds were vanishing and the cuts were scarring over. However, as I neared the end of the operation... Something disturbed the flow of magic.
"HAHAHAHAHA! I can't have you interfering." a mad voice said right into my ear. But, despite the shiver it sent down my spine, I did not take my patient off the patient. However, something unexpected happened. And I was forced to back away and withhold all that magical power.
"SEAL THE WOUND! SEAL IT!" I start to shout as I stumble away from my patient after a new wound was suddenly slashed into her. And, whatever that man did, it also woke her up.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" she screamed maddeningly as she started to spasm and contort as blood flew out everywhere.
"LARISHAZZA!" someone roared from behind me as the wall began to leak interference.
"HANDLE THAT!" I shout to the guards on the other side on the door before I move to seal the new wound. All to the backdrop of that sickening laughter that preceded each new wound.
"SURGEON!" one of the assistants shouts before they suddenly shut off the magic.
"GET ME MY TOOLS, NOW!" I bark as I prepare to switch over to a manual handling of the wound. If the supply of magic was somehow corrupted by the killer. Then I would have to make do with my tools. And, for the first time in a long time, I worried about my patients life.
I have never failed a patient before yet these circumstances suggested I might...
"Close, dammit!" I urged her wounds as my steady hand cleaned and sealed them up. Rapid, well-practised twirls of the stitches did some of the work. Chemicals for once in my career handled the rest.
"Are you alright, Operating Surgeon!?" someone asked me as I stumbled away from the patient with a racing heart.
"DAMMIT!" I roar before throwing my tools to the floor.
"Get her cleaned up!" someone said before that laughter came back.
"HAHAHA! Don't interfere!" he taunted before that strange presence vanished from the magic about us. At the very least, she was in a far better state than when I found her. But she needed to be walking out of this room to see her friends and family!
"Damn you..." I growl before I kick a trolley on the way out. And I ignored everyone during my stomp through the building until I got out back. From which I then screamed in frustration while I wiped the blood off my face. Eventually, I calmed down.
At least, visibly, anyway. On the inside, I was still full of anger and annoyance about what had just happened. Not only did that confirm someone was interfering with this girl's recovery. That killer was taunting and threatening me directly...
"What happened...?" a distraught, female voice asks me as I breathed into my palms.
As I did not recognise the voice, I chose to rise my head, "I take it you're her sister?" I ask.
She nods, "Can you answer my question..." she asks nervously as if something bad was going to now happen.
"I don't know!" I exclaim, "Whoever this Smiling Jhurack is, I assume that was him anyway. He is able to directly interfere with the magic supply of this place! I cannot do my job so long as he is here!" I explain to her with evident frustration.
"Nin? Nin!? Where're you going!?" this girl asks someone before the slamming of the door echoed all the back here.
"I know this is a strange thing of me to ask... But, can you please make it clear to your father what has happened?" I fearfully ask of her as I worried for my own safety now. Not only had I effectively failed the job put forward to me by the King... I had a dangerous man breathing down my neck to get this done...
Unexpectedly, however, the girl started to sob, "I-I'll... D-Don't worry..."
"I am sorry..." I whisper pointlessly as she likely could not hear me as she ran off with tears in her eyes.
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"So go over the details again with me..." I request with growing fury as I stared down the nervous doctor. He might've been on another continent, but, he knew well that, that mattered little. The might of our empire far extended mere beaches and coastlines.
"The operation was directly interfered with by the killer." he explains with an obvious gulp.
"I will take this information into account. You may go." I explain before I dismiss that face of his. And, if because she was patient or pure coincidence. An image of my other daughter appeared before me.
"Dad..." she starts off with as she wipes her face clean.
"I have already heard about what happened." I tell her, getting straight to the point. She knew the conditions for my restraint and that vile man chose to escalate the issue.
"D-Dad... Please..." she begs as I walk closer to the glass. And I chose to observe the vast, ceaseless desert rather than my precious daughter. Someone who has become all the more precious as a result of what has happened to the other... My perpetually and eternally joyful Lala.
"Let me ask one thing of you, Tiyanat." I start with, causing her to look up in shock.
"No..." she says with a fearful shake of her head.
"Don't answer until I have asked. Now, did this man, the one who is holding my daughter hostage... Did he make it clear that it was something to do with our family? Was he taunting you...?"
She shakes her head, "No... It just happened."
"I see." was all I really had to say at that precise moment.
"Dad, please, don't make it worse!"
"Stay safe, Tiyanat." I tell my daughter before I make a silent prayer to invoke well-being unto her.
"Da-" she starts to exclaim before I had the transmission cut off. As much as I loved my daughter, I could not have her interfering. This killer... This Smiling Jhurack...
While he had displayed nothing personal in the way he was going about this. It was still my daughter that he was holding hostage. It was still my own flesh and blood that he saw fit to toy with. Whatever his reasons were, he chose the wrong girl...
"How long until we get there!?" I snap in question as I turn to the crew of my beloved city.
"Estimated encounter within the next half-hour." one answers with a firm nod before a magic sensor is brought up. Like most constructs, it was made of water filled with holy magic. And to communicate its message, it rippled away from a glowing point. What I sought was close, and they were a capable one.
"Prepare a path to the lower decks. I wish to speak to them on the sand." I tell them as I stop by my throne to change my shoes. Sandals and silks would not do in this situation. I needed to be fully covered in order to not offend them. Then, the sound of boots filled the air when I was done.
And the normally bustling city and its inner workings turned quiet. With respect for what I was about to meet, the city was abstaining all it could. Not one disturbance was to be made while I met with them. And out of respect and fear for me, the city made an uninterrupted path.
Unlike no long ago, I did not move with furious haste. I moved calmly and slowly, at a steady walking pace. From the clank of metal to the thud of stone and back again. I eventually made it to the lowest possible point in the city.
And, once again, out of respect for who I was about to meet. My personal staff awaited me with a simple, chained ladder. I could not and refused to use any magic from this point onwards. And, when it hit the scorching sands, I climbed down the ladder.
Then, as my boots hit the sand, I gazed up at my city. Frowning at the hiss and whine of machinery before I walked out of the shadows and into the sun. Carefully watching as the sand around me distorted and warped as something moved beneath. And, atop a ridge, I saw them.
Which meant they could see me. And, to show that they could, a display of power was sent straight at me. With a thunderous boom did I deflect into the sand from which it would slide down. It did not take long either for this warrior to retrieve his message.
A sacred spear for a holy warrior serving the filler of all seas and oceans. A Rider of Worms. Cloaked in clear, white, khaki and pearly sand coloured robes that hid all. And with a fine, golden and ivory spear in his grip...
He was a formidable warrior. But he was incomplete at the moment which made me perplexed. It was rare to see such a sight. For the rider to be seen without his worm.
It oft meant he was unbonded or it meant nothing at all. For the sake of my captive daughter, however. I chose to believe that this man was merely away from his worm. That it had been let out to play or hunt...
Then, all of a sudden, this warrior dropped to his knees and held up his spear. A behaviour that showed this man was well-versed in the world around him. A respectable attribute but one that wasn't necessary. The way he made sure his bare feet avoided the sand, however, only added to prior confusion.
"I seek your aid, Worm-Rider." I tell him.
"And what does a Lord of Isles seek from my spear?"
"There is a man, someone called Smiling Jhurack. In the distant Land of Wind. He has attacked my daughter and has made a point of holding her as his hostage."
"Understood." he lets out before he rises to his feet. Seemingly making an explicit point of the fact his toes were being dug into the sand. And, within moments, it started to rumble and explode outwards. I was eventually forced to cover my face as a roar filled the air and blew the sand away.
"For the sake of my other daughter as well, make sure she is safe. And, if she makes a point of challenging your presence. In all but departing, obey her word." I tell him. Yet, it was his mighty beast that answered in his stead as he mounted it. Its larger, gaping maw letting out the terrifying bellow while its smaller one engaged in a peculiar behaviour.
Like with all Rider's of the Worm. The smaller head suckled on his sandless feet. And, with another tremendous boom and expunging of power. They flew off into the sky and parted the distant clouds.
A departure so strong that the dunes were warped beyond recognition...
"Please, deal with him." I beg quietly as I watched the duo disappear over the horizon.
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"Hard day at work?" the hotel staff at the front desk asks me as I walk into the building. Given what I have had to put up with today, hard might've been an understatement. Yet, now I just needed to figure out what I could do. Was I allowed to leave or was I expected to defy this mad killer?
He had done what should've been impossible... It was often said that if I had gone down a different path. I could be as powerful as a member of the Ordoar Staguiffmani. The Valkinvar that used their magic to cast terrifying spells.
I, however, could not see it. I was a surgeon that guided tremendous loads of magic to heal. I did not wipe out armies or cities with flicks of my hands. I helped people and I did a damn good job of it!
But, not today... Much to my perpetual frustration. I had built my reputation and pride off of a simple idea. That my ability to heal the sick and wounded was unparalleled throughout the land.
Yet, here I was, undone by a single serial killer who had a city under a reign of terror. I wanted to just get it over with a leave. To say goodbye to this failure and to just pretend it didn't exist. Besides, it's not like news of it would go beyond this city.
Or even this street for that matter. The news outlets were obsessed with drowning the people in a bleak outlook. Nothing was going to stop this man's cruel actions. He was free to act however or whenever he pleased.
"Hm...?" I let out in confusion as a lamp suddenly fell down off its table. When I moved closer to pick it up, I noticed the issue. Its leg had given way to prior damage. Most likely a couple knocked it over and failed to hide the damage.
Yet, I was too tired to sort it out myself. Not that I was obligated to either way. I just put it back and brought out my room key. It had gotten quite late so maybe Elizana had already gone to bed.
And that was perfect, because I was absolutely knackered. I just wanted to undress myself and collapse into the nearest bed. Even if it was a cheap hotel one. However, there was really nothing wrong with this place.
It was cheap, but, it was well looked after and it was a fine place on its own regardless. One thing I particularly liked about the rooms was how they gave off a false feeling. The beds and that were on a wooden platform above everything else. So it was like a small, very modest house.
"Yeah, she's asleep." I comment tiredly as I walked under the bed. Having just heard the sound of someone moving. Yet, the sound of a soft splash made me stop. I quickly groaned in the dark and then tried to find a light.
Yet, it went on without me doing anything, "Just in case you needed further encouragement to stay away, Doctor." a mad man laughed. A bloody sword nonchalantly waved at me while I froze up in terror. It was then that I realised that the liquid was blood. And it was dripping straight from the bed...
"What did you do...?" I asked as I slowly backed away. Was he likely to turn that sword on me!?
"Isn't it obvious? No, wait, pardon me. I've made a good effort to hide that, actually. Just, remember these words, okay? Stay out of it." he rambled before he brought his malicious grin close to my face. And it only disturbed me more as I got a close look at his cut-open cheeks. His white teeth were fully visible.
And it elongated his already lengthy, creepy smile with its curved pattern...
"I... I understand..." I nod in understanding as that blade lingered near me. But, within but a blink, he had vanished. And I was left patting myself down to make sure he had not attacked me. Elizana's body, however, was now before me...
"Hello? Room ser- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"