(Nathan)

Nathan cast Triage on Dylan. It wasn’t flashy—no spoken phrases, no gestures. It just worked. The results alarmed him as he read.

[Physician orb]: [Triage] report –

Physical Damage

* Torso (front, upper): arc burns

* Head (general): frostbite

* Nose: severe frostbite

* Ears: severe frostbite

* Lips: severe frostbite

* Legs (upper, middle, lower): plant toxin

* Feet (soles): friction burns

Systems

* Pulmonary function: high blood pressure (chronic), high pulse rate (chronic)

* Digestive function: excessive calorie intake (chronic)

* Endocrine function: early insulin resistance (chronic)

* Respiratory function: decreased lung capacity (chronic)

* Nervous function: dopamine (deficient, chronic), serotonin (deficient, chronic)

* Adrenal function: high cortisol (chronic)

* Urinary function: kidney calcium deposits (chronic, warning—blockage imminent)

The list continued with minor details, but Nathan dismissed the notification. He could always run it again and had more than enough to start. “Mother have mercy, Dylan! Does your world have any kind of mender or physician?” Nathan asked, concern etched across his face.

“Of course we do. I’ve got the best medical coverage my company offers. It better be the best—I paid an arm and a leg for it.”

“Barbaric. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice body parts for medical care.” Nathan frowned, briefly wondering where the extra limbs might have been attached.

“Sorry, it’s just an expression.”

‘An idiom. That makes more sense.’ Nathan took a deep breath. “You seem to be suffering from chronic depression and anxiety. I’d hypothesize you are overeating as a coping mechanism for your mental illness, which is causing cascading failures in your heart, lungs, and an organ called the pancreas.”

Dylan sighed. “I already know I’m fat and sad…” he muttered dejectedly.

Nathan felt a pang of sympathy. ‘He’s more than just a list of symptoms.’ Placing a gentle hand on Dylan's shoulder, he softened his tone. “Dylan, you're not just a set of problems I have to fix. I’ll help you with the physical stuff, but we’ll figure out the rest too, alright?”

Dylan blinked, his eyes flickering to the floor as he gave a nod.

“Any issues or pain when you urinate?” Nathan asked.

“No…” Dylan shot him a suspicious look. “Why?”

“You’ll likely have a calcium deposit blocking your urinary tract soon if we don’t address it.”

“I’m going to have kidney stones?!” Dylan sat up straight.

“I can treat the arc burns, frostbite, and plant toxins right now.” Nathan walked over to a glass jar and took off the lid. He reached in and grabbed a white, blue, and green gummy. One of his most useful abilities was Status Gummy. [Status Gummy] was a Culinary ability from his Physician framework. It allowed him to prepare gelatin candies that cured specific statuses when consumed. He walked back over to Dylan to explain how they worked.

“Take one and wait at least—”

Dylan’s eyes widened, and he swiped all three gummies from Nathan’s hand before he could finish warning him. “Ooh, piece of candy.”

“Dylan, please don’t—” Nathan’s eyes widened in horror as Dylan tossed all three gummies into his mouth and started chewing.

‘Where’s the bucket?’ Nathan spun around, frantically scanning the office. He remembered the empty sanitation bucket under the sink and quickly retrieved it, thrusting it in front of Dylan.

“What’s the bucket for?” Dylan asked, glancing up at Nathan after swallowing.

Magical supplements, like flak and the gummies, were absorbed almost instantly. With nothing in his stomach, Dylan latched onto the bucket with both hands and dry heaved. Nathan pinched his nose with one hand and helped Dylan hold the bucket with his other.

“Dylan, those weren’t treats.” Nathan waited as another wave of nausea hit Dylan. “You need to wait at least ten minutes after taking one before it’s safe to use another.”

“I’m sorry, I just—” Dylan buried his head in the bucket for another wave of dry heaving.

“The good news is you’re cured of your arc burns, frostbite, and plant toxins. The bad news? You’ll suffer crippling nausea until the cooldown wears off.” Nathan handed Dylan the bucket and waited for the nausea to pass.

Dylan wiped his face with the damp cloth Nathan had given him. “Do you think Charles is okay?”

“Your adventurer friend with an affinity for blades?” Nathan raised an eyebrow as he fetched a stool to sit by the bed.

Dylan nodded, furrowing his brow. “Yeah, he didn’t look so good. Do you think Charles was poisoned?”

“Poisoned?” Nathan shook his head, thinking it over. “I don’t think so, though I can’t be sure. I didn’t use Triage. What makes you think that?”

Dylan sat up a little straighter, color returning to his cheeks as his health continued to improve. “Did you see his blood? It was green.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Nathan smiled faintly. “That’s the normal color for elf blood. I’m sure he’ll be fine—he had over two-thirds of his health left. Out of curiosity, is human blood always red? There weren’t any hematological anomalies in your results.”

“Yep, we’re all red-blooded.” Dylan let out a weak chuckle, then tilted his head. “Wait, how can you tell how much health he’s got?”

“I can tell how much health everyone has.” Nathan tapped his chin, debating the risk of explaining Lifeforce to Dylan. “It’s one of my passive abilities.”

“Are you a wizard, too?” Dylan’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Nathan chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Wizard, now that’s an antiquated term. I suppose you could say I’m an aspiring wizard. We use the term adventurer. I’m unranked at the moment.”

“I’m going to be an adventurer too,” Dylan said. “So, you can see everyone’s health? That sounds pretty handy.”

Nathan sighed. “And... distracting.”

Dylan leaned forward, curiosity sparking in his eyes. “Can you see the health bars of everything?”

Nathan raised an eyebrow. “You’re very curious, aren’t you?”

“I’m on an actual alien planet, and magic is real. Who wouldn’t be curious?” Dylan asked.

Nathan smiled to himself, thinking, ‘He’d fit right in at Nightshade.’ He glanced at Dylan. “The notes in your contract say you’ve already started your journey as an unranked adventurer?” Something nudged him to ask his next question, and after a brief hesitation, he continued. “Dylan, would you like to join us at Nightshade and train to become an adventurer?”

Dylan blinked, pausing. “What’s Nightshade?”

“It’s an adventuring guild—Nightshade, Guild of the Arcane.” Nathan pointed to the purple embroidered flower on his tunic.

Dylan’s expression shifted, and he picked at his nails. “I don’t think Charles would like that very much.”

Nathan tilted his head, surprised. “Your adventurer friend doesn’t want you to become an adventurer?” His mind raced—was Charles being hypocritical, or did the rugged elf know something about Dylan that Nathan didn’t?

Dylan shrugged and took a sip of his water. “He’s not an adventurer anymore. I think he got fired; doesn’t really like to talk about it.”

Nathan furrowed his brow. “I’m not sure that’s possible.” Membership with the League of Adventurers was voluntary, except for community service, but technical details like that would only bog Dylan down in minutia. “I’ve never heard of the League dismissing adventurers.” He considered mentioning the Vault—a clandestine facility meant to hold dangerous magic, items, and adventurers—but decided against it for now. If Charles had been a threat, they’d have vaulted him.

Dylan’s gaze dropped to the bed as he toyed with the edge of the blanket. “Marlin said Charles was running around with a suspended license.”

Nathan frowned, his mind whirring with the implications. “Ah, licensed adventurers have to maintain good standing with their guild sponsor. The League suspends their license if they don’t.” He caught himself, realizing he was jumping ahead. “Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s a laundry list of things I’ll help you get sorted out.” He softened his tone. “But first, we need to take care of your more urgent medical needs.” He stood up from the stool. “Stay here and don’t touch anything.”

Stepping out of his office, Nathan hoped Windlock, an okamijin mender, was on shift today. He swung by the front desk to check with Sabath. To his relief, he found she had just arrived and was starting her rounds.

Known for her wind ability, which cleansed and fortified lungs, gills, and other gas exchange systems, she always checked in with the intensive care unit first for any overnight emergencies. Her usual patients were those suffering from allergies, but she had also saved many lives from smoke inhalation. Nathan found her in the hallway, returning from the intensive care unit.

Thankfully, it had been a quiet night in the hospital, and she had time to check on Dylan. They found him wandering the halls, not in the office where he was supposed to be.

‘He doesn’t listen very well.’ Nathan frowned. “Dylan, why aren’t you in bed?”

Dylan began to answer. “I—” but froze, his eyes widening when he saw Windlock. Without finishing his sentence, he quickly spun around and headed back the way he came.

Windlock and Nathan exchanged confused glances before following him back to Nathan’s office. When they arrived, Dylan couldn’t stand still, fidgeting on his feet as if performing a nervous jig.

“What’s wrong?” Nathan asked, his brow furrowing. ‘Is he scared?’

Dylan avoided looking at Windlock, continuing his anxious footwork. “I’ve really got to pee.”

Nathan blinked, surprised. “Oh.” He turned to Windlock and said, “We’ll be right back.”

She smiled, suppressing a chuckle. “I’ll be here.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out her tablet, and sat down on the stool to wait.

Nathan led Dylan to the restroom, and on the way, he asked, “Are you okay? Back in my office, you looked scared.”

“I’ll be fine.” Dylan continued his knock-kneed shuffle. “It’s just... seeing another one of them…”

Nathan tilted his head, his brow furrowing slightly. “Another one of what?”

Dylan hesitated, then lifted his hands to his head, mimicking long ears with his index fingers. “The werewolf people.”

Nathan nodded. “Okamijin.”

“Bless you,” Dylan said.

“Thank you.” Nathan opened the restroom door for Dylan and motioned him inside. “But they’re one of the primal races. You should refer to them as okamijin.”

“Primal race?” Dylan asked, unable to wait as he walked in and shut the door behind him.

‘Oh bother, how do I explain taxonomy?’ Nathan thought it might be too clinical, so he decided to simplify. “Each sentient race has an origin: primal, elemental, mythical, or elvenoid.”

“Uh, there’s no toilet in here—just a bucket.” Dylan’s panicked voice called from the other side of the door.

‘He’s not bucket trained?’ Nathan winced, then remembered Dylan was from another world with different customs. “You can urinate and defecate in the bucket.”

“And then what?”

Nathan heard a strong stream hit the bucket before he could answer. ‘Healthy flow. Good.’

“Sorry, couldn’t wait any longer.”

Nathan leaned against the wall beside the door. “Windlock, the okamijin physician, can help with your kidney stones.”

“The guy who killed me at Merchants’ Circle was an okamijin.”

Nathan really wished Dylan would stop saying words like killed or died, but he understood. ‘A trauma response.’ Dylan needed Windlock; she was the only local physician Nathan knew who could help. He considered how to get Dylan to trust her. If not, they’d have to check with the hospital alchemist for anything without side effects, like lowered bone density, body cramps, brain fog, or heart failure.

Hoping he’d earned enough trust, Nathan said, “Dylan, Windlock is a mender, just like me. She wants to help you, and I’ll be right by your side the entire time.”

The sound of Dylan’s ongoing urination filled the brief silence. “Fine, but if you disappear on me like murder-hobo Doctor Who, I’m going to be mating pissed.”

Nathan didn’t entirely understand what Dylan had just said, but he understood the part where Dylan agreed. The squeak of the faucet, followed by running water, reassured Nathan that Dylan’s hygiene habits were at least decent.

The door opened, and Dylan stepped out. “I couldn’t figure out how to flush it.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the room behind him.

“Dylan, it’s a bucket. You don’t flush it.”

Dylan wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You just leave it there for the next guy? Gross.”

Nathan chuckled. “The bucket’s enchanted; it activates when the door closes. Go ahead, turn around and watch what happens when you close the door.”

Dylan tilted his head slightly, a skeptical frown forming. He walked back into the restroom, resting a hand on the door for a moment. Still unsure if it was a prank, he gave Nathan a quick glance before closing the door behind him.

“Sacred excrement!” Dylan exclaimed as he flung the door open. “It’s gone. It just vanished.”

“That’s how a restroom works.” Nathan smiled, suppressing another laugh. Watching Dylan find novelty in simple, everyday things was oddly adorable.

Dylan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “But where does it go?”

“I’m a physician, not an architect.” Nathan shrugged. “You’d have to ask an architect how that magic works.”

Nathan led them back to his office and had Dylan return to the bed.

Windlock glanced up from her tablet. “His respirations seem fine to me.”

Nathan bit his lip, his eyes flickering with hope. “There are calcium deposits in his kidneys. I was wondering if you could break them up.”

“Using my resonance ability?”

Nathan nodded. “I think it’ll work well.”

“Intriguing proposal.” Windlock mulled it over, trying to hide her grin. “You know I’m a sucker for innovative procedures. I’m in.” She tucked her tablet away and approached the bed.

Nathan turned to Dylan. “Windlock’s going to use vibrations to break up the calcium deposits in your kidneys. Afterward, the remnants will pass through your system painlessly.”

“That sounds way better than the other way they come out,” Dylan said.

Windlock raised a furry eyebrow. “What other way?”

“Peeing.”

“Barbaric.” Windlock shuddered. “Alright, Dylan, kindly remove your shirt for me and then roll onto your side when you’re ready.”