The following day Heron went to the infirmary. Before entering the facility, he heard the shrieks of a man, and they sounded like pure agony. And then something horrifying came to be. Two men were rushing past him, and they were carrying jars of what I only assume are human parts. The jars were almost red, but one of them had an eye gouging and looking at Heron.
He had gone paled. His spirits crumbled. He now understood what the references to people serving as body parts were. He didn't go inside but instead rushed back to his room. There was the older of two kids folding his clothes.
"Already finished with your work? Or do you need any more negative points?" he said while grinning.
"Is there any way to get another assignment?" Heron asked while oblivious that the other kid didn't have any good intentions.
"Tough luck. But, wiping blood should really be the easiest job. You also have been assigned to the library, so you'll need to learn to read and write fast, as I've heard that the librarian doesn't tolerate slackers. Or would you rather aid those hurt by donating your parts?" the kid finished as he was already laughing.
Heron started crying and ran out of the room. He entered the showers only to find a maid there cleaning the floor.
"What ya doing here, boy?" the maid asked, annoyed as he stepped on the floor she had just cleaned.
"I... I don't want to do the infirmary duty. I hate blood. I don't want to die either." Heron sobbed, unable to collect his thoughts.
"Sheesh, boy, take a breather. It's a gory job but one of the easier ones. Lady Irene is one of the best people you can work with. Once you adjust to the situation, you'll be glad you got the job. The only reason children refuse it is because they are afraid they might end up as body parts, which is furthest from the truth. I have no idea who even started those rumors."
And so Heron took a breather. He felt a little better, but the images he saw that morning were still vivid. He washed his face to ease the swelling around his eyes and then clenched his fists.
"My father didn't save my life, only for me to throw it away," he whispered to himself. And so he tried to focus on other things like his hatred for Richard and Owen and rushed to the infirmary so he would get scolded and earn more negative points.
The room he rested in the other day was quiet.
"Hello, is someone here? I've come for my daily duties."
Irene stepped from behind the curtain.
"Ahh, figures you would be the one they were sending." she chuckled.
Heron stood blank.
"Nevermind, it's good that you've come. There is much work to be done. There is a whole lot of mess from yesterday. Please, follow me."
They exited the room and started walking down the small hallway in what was the surgery room. Heron then remembered that he hadn't thanked her yet and didn't even introduce himself. So he quickly stopped walking.
"I'm so sorry for being rude, but I haven't introduced myself to you, teacher. My name is Heron. It is an honor to be in your service."
"Aah, right. The introductions, silly me. Nice to meet you, Heron. My name is Irene, and please don't call me teacher," she said, smiling.
Heron found it a bit odd that she didn't use her full name while introducing herself, considering she is undoubtedly from the city and, like Richard, probably is nobility, so he decided to not ask only if that might get him back to the solitary again.
"I'd prefer to call you teacher. In my village, we'd call our elders teachers. And my father taught me to treat your teachers with respect."
"Did you just call me old?" asked Irene in a pitched voice.
Heron suddenly got chills. He messed up.
"No... No, I... I really didn't mean it like that," he stuttered.
Irene interrupted him with a sassy sound.
"I'll have you know I'm in my prime. I only recently finished my training and was even adventuring for a few years. Not to mention my body is in perfect form. Such a rude child you are!"
"No, I really didn't mean it," said Heron, now on the verge of tears.
Irene started to laugh.
"Relax, kid. I'm just messing with you. I know you had it rough, but live up a bit."
"I don't know what to say, teacher."
"Please stop with the teacher. I don't like formalities like my brother Richard."
"I can't believe that you are related."
"That's rude." Irene pouted.
"If my brother heard you, he might be tempted to throw you back to solitary again. Or at least send you to be whipped. You're lucky you got me as your master."
"I'm honored, Ir... Irene."
"You're getting better. I'm glad. I know you are an orphan, and no orphan I met that came here had it easy. I don't know what the divine have bestowed upon you, but you have yet a role to play, so relax a bit. If your life comes to an end soon, then take at least gratitude that it served some purpose, even if you and I can't see it."
"Do you truly think I have a purpose?"
"Yes, I believe that we all serve to keep the harmony of our kingdom and that we all have a role, no matter how insignificant it seems. I also know my brother can be stiff, but he never intends to do harm or be malicious. So please don't hate him when he gets rough. It's part of his duties. Trust me, he doesn't enjoy the authority he was given. "
"Even if I were to stop hating him, he doesn't seem like a person I'll grow to like."
"Honestly, I think he couldn't care less. Just don't try to assault him again. Also, what tribe were you a part of?"
"Haugstad," Heron said almost quietly as he looked down.
"I'm sorry. I heard that there was a raid and that the damage was horrible. The king dispatched the elite guard to hunt down the rogues, so I'm pretty sure that they regret the day they laid a finger on the villagers. Elite guards are not known for merciful deaths."
They stood a bit in awkward silence.
"Anyways, I should show you what you are to do today. You need to finish this quickly enough or miss out on the lunchtime."
Heron nodded, and they entered the operation room. The scent was not pleasant. There was a table in the middle of the room, and from its edges, there were traces of dried blood. But what Heron shook was the small pieces of flesh scattered on the floor. As the imagery started to sink with Heron, he quickly started to look around and saw a bucket. He ran towards the bucket and puked what was probably his breakfast.
"Aww, I remember my first time too," Irene said, smiling as she crouched down to pat Heron on the head.
"Now, follow me outside." She slowly held Heron up and took him out of the room. She sat him on the floor.
"You wait here for a few minutes. I'll be right back."
She came back a few minutes later carrying a cup and plate with some fruit biscuits.
"Here. Drink the potion first. It should calm your nerves and stomach. Then eat these so you would not faint. Also, I don't want to get all bossy on you, but you should try to adjust to the sight of blood and organs as fast as possible. And I don't want to give you a negative score unless you force my hand. Also, I think cafeteria chefs wouldn't like to know that their efforts ended up as puke in the bucket."
After a few minutes, Heron seemed to cool down and eat cookies. Then, Irene brought the bucket.
"Now, since the water needs to be clean, go dump this in the toilets and then pour new water, so you can try again. Ok?"
Heron nodded. When he returned, he tried to divert his thoughts to something else.
"I really need to make this work. Irene seems like a nice person. I can't afford to have her deem me bad."
And so he took the mop, dropped it into the bucket, and started wiping as fast as possible. The water was starting to go red, and the chunks floated on the top.
"Also, don't forget to throw the water away and replenish it once in a while, so cleaning is more effective," Irene said. As she spoke, she broke the concentration Heron mustered, and he became aware of his surroundings. He went for the bucket, but he paled and lost consciousness as he saw what was in it.