The worst thing about being the Surgeon and Doctor of a fleet was that you could only do nothing, but helplessly watch how your people go to battle without much thinking about what may or may not happen.

“Doctor, you can do something, right!?”

The patient asked Gabrio with tears flowing down her eyes. Gabrio looked at the soldier who was pulled from the depths of Cove without a word. The words in his mouth remained. He lifted his eyes to her.

“Mrs. He might not make it.”

“But Doctor!”

Gabrio said no promises. He eyed Mana who waved her hand at the Misses before she calmly sat on the side. Gabrio inspected the patient once more.

Large rotten gashes on the side of his neck. A perpendicular wound just below his nipples. His wounds, most of it, have rotten. The madam didn’t know that his husband’s condition was so dire that Gabrio started wondering if he could even have a chance with the wounds he have.. His tongue has curled and from the looks of it his blood had been infected by a powerful toxin.

Gabrio raised his green liquid covered hands. It was a coating that was made from this jelly produced by a sap that coated and hardened on the leather gloves that he was wearing. Mana walked to his side.

“You cool? You’ve been working for two days straight now. Shouldn’t have let Robert go if you become this busy.”

“You know that I need him to do that for me.”

“For any other reason?”

“Could be that.”

Mana forced him to face her. She tugged on his collar and folded it. Then pulled on his dress tie and vest, straightening them out.

She ran her fingers on his hair and swept it back.

“You should at least make yourself look decent. I hate seeing you like this.”

“It’s fine. You’ve seen me in my worst.”

“Please, no mention of such unpleasant… memories.”

“Okay,” Gabrio reached out to his tools. Mana glanced at the patient who was barely keeping his breath. He was muttering. His words mumbled and jumbled together. His expression dazed and obviously unable to breath easily.

“He’s suffering.”

“That he is,” Gabrio checked his medical tools. “The toxin is burning him inside. I collected a blood sample and from the looks of it,” he showed Mana this blackened silver. “It’s going to kill him sooner or make him suffer.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“I don’t know.”

Gabrio knew nothing of the toxin other than what it may be or close to. From the books and notes that he had to get a referral from. There was only this toxic gas that had the same effect. Though the difference was that the toxin didn’t infect the blood nor it rotted them.

Gabrio felt ashamed of his lack of knowledge. As much as he liked to inspect the patient. He couldn’t do anything other than observe his condition. He had five patients under observation and this one was the worst of them. If it wasn’t for Mana calming their pains. Gabrio was sure that he’d be cutting the infected and poisoned part of their bodies. He would have to graft these areas of their bodies for samples.

“What then?”

“If worse comes then I would have to do it. I still have my drug in there. I’d eased his pain off and if it can’t be helped and if it can’t be done. Then I’d stop thinking and proceed. I’ll take responsibility.”

Mana said nothing. Gabrio proceeded to take his tools back to the patient. He sat on his stool and studied the rotten tissue with his magnifier. After observing his tissue, Gabrio poked this thin and long metal tube inside the lungs of the patient. The patient exhaled the moment Gabrio poked it in.

He tried forming words. His curled tongue didn’t allow him.

“Mister, I ain’t going to lie to you. You’d suffer if you continue living on. The toxin… even if I find a cure, it’d be too late for you. Some might be saved, but you can’t. But if you want to continue on living like this. I’m not going to stop you from doing so. You have every right to do so. Look at me and then Blink twice if you refuse to die and I’ll do anything to keep you alive. Blink thrice if you want me to put you to sleep and end your pain.”

It was a cruel choice. But a man must choose on the path he must go down. Whether it was the struggle or to give up. The man stared, afraid to blink and make a choice. He heard his lover’s cry and then vigor returned to him. He blinked twice. Gabrio expected this. He took his syringe and eased the pain of the man.

He turned to Mana. “Keep him alive as best as we can for now.”

Gabrio sat on the side of the man. He carried on observing the wounds that were rotting. He had already lost a lot of blood and removing any piece from him now would do nothing but worsen his wounds.

Everything was recorded and noted down. Gabrio didn’t dare to miss anything. Once in a while a patient would scream so loudly. Gabrio ran around his medical tent, tending to the patients, and yet as time passes he found more that there were more patients coming out of the cove.

Some were injured because of their falls. There were those who had inhaled the toxin. Gabrio shouted and demanded those who were assisting him. Hours passed and Gabrio found himself unsteady. He took a short rest before slapping his face and continuing on his work.

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His eyes dilated. His hands, unsteady. Gabrio took his scalpel and took a slice of the rotting skin on the man’s before placing them in this glass jar. He ripped a piece of paper and glued the paper on the jar with a note attached to it.

The smell of rotting flesh. The moans of the patients were overwhelming if not for his experience in regards to this situation.

And yet Gabrio knew that there was simply nothing he could do for them. He was clueless. He was lost on where he should start. There was simply not enough data he could go on. And patients who were moaning instead of explaining did not help. He could only rely on second-hand testimonies to diagnose them.

But without a proper cure. Without a proper countermeasure what could he do?

“Doctor!”

Mana shouted. Gabrio broke into a sprint and went to the patient he tended to. He was having a seizure and his eyes were rolled up. His gums were bleeding and the veins around his neck were popping.

“What is happening to him?”

“He’s dying,” Gabrio said calmly. His tone of voice was like ice. “It won’t take long until this toxin kills him.”

His fingers were digging into his palms. Mana looked at him with concern. Gabrio simply stared at the man before deciding on his own. He took a syringe he was keeping on his satchel and injected it on the patient.

The patient fell asleep slowly. With the patient asleep and unresponsive. Gabrio took another syringe and this time injected it directly on the chest of the patient.

“What is that?”

“A special liquid made with cyanide. It has a special ingredient that kills the man in seconds instead of minutes.”

Gabrio took the man’s pulse and shook his head. He covered the man’s body and sat down for a moment. He held his head and looked down without a word. Then as if he was forcing himself up. He walked back to his other patients. He was like a puppet. So stiff and expressionless.

After some time the rush in the medical tent stopped. There were six folks that died today. Four of them were relieved of their suffering with the poison he injected while the two died because of the pain. The medics who had recently arrived took the bodies with them, lowered them down and buried them in this mass graveyard just below the cove.

Gabrio sat down and wrote a letter to each of the patient’s relatives. He took his writing stick and wrote them while leaning his head on his palm. Mana sat on the stool, panting, breathing slightly hard, and stretching her limbs. She eyed Gabrio with a tender yet sad expression.

“I can take over if you want.”

“Please, then, just copy what I wrote and make sure that their names matched. A scribe will come at dawn to collect these reports and letters.”

Mana moved over. She stared at the report that Gabrio wrote. “Sixteen today?”

“Yes. They were going further than expected. These guys returned after facing these obstacles. They seemed to have found that the toxin isn’t naturally produced. It is a toxic that came from these tube-like organs outside of a monster of some kind. They should be planning to catch these monsters alive and dead. The Ark will handle the capture while the Surgeons and Doctors of the Fleet will be waiting for them to investigate it. She should be busy right now. Doing everything she can to do something about this. We’re losing a lot of folks just because of the toxic gas alone. It’s something that our guns cannot kill.”

“My brothers and sisters have cleared the toxin-infested tunnels. We have a sturdier constitution and are much more resistant so we are faring well.”

“Did they tell you by using the sprites as a communication device?”

“They did. We carry them by the wind. They told me that they will be setting up elven-kin messengers who could relay commands from Arkshelled and inform them of what they found. The Council seems to have decided on this.”

“That's good news, actually.”

Gabrio said as he finished a letter and placed it on the side. Mana finished her letter and took another piece of paper to inscribe the same words but with a different name. After writing sixteen letters, Gabrio put the letters down and then removed the monocle he was wearing on his left eye.

He sighed hard. He held his forehead and looked down on the floor. He squeezed his eyes and then leaned back with a rather sturdy demeanor.

“You should rest for now. I will take over.”

Gabrio nodded. He knew that his body was not holding out. And he knew that if he gets sick, then more trouble will come. Gabrio knew his limits and yet he had to be strong and vigorous if he wanted to save the lives of those who might be injured. He needed to be strong and have firm hands.

“I’ll tell them that you ain’t receiving anyone. If more trouble comes, then I’d wake you. So for now, sleep and make sure that you become well-rested.”

Gabrio stood up groaning. He walked to the cot next to his makeshift desk and sat on it. He took his coat off and then placed it on the side. He laid flat on his back and put his hands on his stomach.

Mana stood next to him and then pressed her hands on his forehead.

“Sleep and gather your energy.”

Gabrio silently nodded.

He closed his eyes and yet his mind was on the patients.

He saw himself standing on their beds even in his sleep.

The men he injected with his euthanizing poison stared back.

Their curled tongues.

Their rotting eyes accusing Gabrio.

You could have done better.

You could have saved us.

Why did you give up on us?

They demanded to be revived, and yet Gabrio stared at them with a firm gaze.

“I’m no miracle worker!”

He said to them while staring back.

He held his own feelings even in his dreams.

They raged at what he said.

They pointed their fingers as they approached him.

The patient he tried to keep alive reached for his neck.

He choked Gabrio while demanding why he couldn’t be saved.

“SAVE ME!”

Gabrio stood his ground while staring back.

He simply was unable to save lives so easily.

"I'm... just a Doctor...."

He said in his dreams.