Chapter 62: Royal Guards transformed into Healers
***
The success of Vlad's treatment and operations were spreading out quickly in the courtyard of Ursus Hotel, by word of mouth coming from the Royal Guards standing on the look-out trying to maintain peace and order, but it was exactly them who were getting excited, creating a disturbance by spreading out the good news to the waiting people.
"Everyone, I will bring out some good news from the Hotel …"
Everyone gathered regardless if they were suffering the affliction caused by the Maggris Worm or the ones accompanying them, couldn't help but fully focus on the young Royal Guard, who was still young, about 17 years old, just a kid compared to the ones gathered.
"..."
"Tell us, boy. What news did that guard bring to you before returning back to the hotel?"
"The people who were treated by that foreign doctor started recovering. Even the ones who looked to be the sickest who were welcomed inside first. That mister is in stable condition and his life is no longer in danger. So they told me."
"Does this mean? The curse brought on us by stepping on the forbidden lands of the Mountain, will be cured by the doctor?" asked a man who looked sickly, but still remained strong on his feet.
"Sir, I don't know for sure. But I hope it is true. Because I also have some relatives who suffer from the curse. I can't wait to bring them here again and let the doctor treat them."
"... Hopefully it is free." commented another Royal Guard, who looked a bit down, being on the same mind as the younger Royal Guard.
"Haven't you heard of the doctor? He doesn't want our money. I don't know why, but I think it's for the best of everyone." added the younger guard, being like a voice of hope for the entire people gathered inside the courtyard of the Hotel.
"I hope this doctor from foreign lands wouldn't be like those old guys extorting us of all the money we make for some basic treatments. All my salary is being spent on various small things when it comes to medical checks."
*Hiss* "Those 5 goat fuckers who entered inside not too long ago?" asked a third guard, who turned his head in the direction of the hotel, before opening up again.
"I hope that foreigner doctor teaches those goat fuckers a lesson."
Not sure if the voice of the Royal Guard was prophetic, but right when he said that, from inside the Ursus Hotel five old guys started rushing themselves with frowning faces and clearly indignation of what happened to them.
"OUT OF THE WAY YOU DAMNED BRATS!" shouted Viril who had to pass the Royal Guards who stood in way to block the access of the citizens waiting calmly in line.
"Goat fucke … Mister Viril? What happened to you?" asked the guard who was using the nickname "Goat fucker" for the old doctors, only to be shoved away from Viril's way, as the doctors were making their way out of the crowd.
Yet the humiliation those 5 doctors suffered wasn't only what Vlad did to them by inflicting them with the Maggris Worm, some of the people who suffered at the hands of those old fossils took the chance to spit them as they were rushing back to formulate their complaints to the highest authority.
"Who did that?? WHO HAS THE AUDACITY OF SPITTING ON THE GREAT VIRIL'S FACE?" shouted Viril who woke himself stunned with a sticky phlegm splashing on his eyes, fury boiling on his old face.
The Royal Guard who bounced immediately from the shove of the old man, watched the old man as he was staring with his eyes going big, either from the humiliation and anger he was suffering or the shock of being disrespected.
"What about it Goat Fucker? What will you do about it? Raise the prices of your treatments?"
"That I will do it for certain, you bugs. I will see who will treat you in the entire Sorbet Kingdom starting tomorrow. What's more, I will for sure teach you a lesson soon enough, not to mess with the Royal Physician."
Viril wanted to lash more at those people, but the other older guys noticed the cold stares they were receiving from everyone and waking their senior from his anger, they continued out of the courtyard of the Hotel and walked a little bit more toward the Center District, they got to a carriage driver, who in an ironic manner seeing how rushed those old prinks were right now in their orders.
"Take us immediately to the Castle!"
"Ohh, immediately? How quickly do you want me to go?" asked the driver, studying the reaction of his old customers.
"As quick as you can. RIGHT NOW!" said Viril, barely able to contain the immense anger building up in his chest.
"That will cost you 85.000 𝔅 per each person."
"WHAT??? Outrageous! What is with this price you miserly carriage driver. Wasn't a ride from the Center Square to the Royal Castle only 10.000 𝔅?"
"What can I say, the price of food has risen up a lot in the last few years. Also, the cost of maintaining and repairing the carriage after rushing it to the Castle will be that high. Also, what if my horses break their legs in the process? I will have to say goodbye to them later on."
Finding various reasons which boiled up all 5 old guys who stopped to look around themselves, in case there would be another carriage driver, and when they spotted three other guys, they just spit to the floor choosing to walk at the other drivers
And along the way to their next driver, a long whistle was heard which was ignored by the older guys.
"Take us to the Castle immediately!"
"Ohh, immediately? That will be rough for my old carriage and old horse. I will take you, however, for 100.000 𝔅 for each person."
"YOOUU DAMNED PEASANTS! Are you looking to profit from my mischief?"
"Well, as you can see, Sagely Doctor, I have to pay various expenses. Repair my run-down carriage, and also take myself some new horses. They are so expensive, you Sagely Doctors wouldn't understand."
"ARGH! *Spit* Let's go brothers."
Moving to another carriage driver, it moved in about the same manner, with that driver requesting 115.000 𝔅 to get to the castle, and so on in a vicious circle, they had to return to the first carriage driver they approached who had a professional smile on himself.
"It will cost you 95.000 𝔅. For the spit hitting my carriage."
"FINE! FINE! However, you better remember this, you damned peasant. I will comeg get my revenge for certain at one time. There's no person who doesn't get sick, and that's when I will hunt you down."
"Now if you say it like this, I don't mind asking 115.000 𝔅. The price has been raised."
"I will go to the next guy who asked me 100.000 𝔅."
All of the carriage drivers who watched Viril and his acolytes, couldn't help but laugh hysterically, looking down on his with a lot of satisfaction and many of the people waiting at Ursus Hotel were pried for a tasteful scene caused by the carriage drivers who were about the same like the rest of the citizens, dissatisfied with those 5 old pricks asking for exorbitant prices for some basic treatment.
"If you would do that, old goat fucker, I will ask you for 200.000 𝔅. I am sure you have it on you right now."
"You'll regret this." said Viril who took from his wallet 10 bills of 10.000 𝔅 that he placed on the man's extended hand who only said "Thanks for the patronage" as he waited for those old pricks to get inside the carriage, and taking off toward a distant location inside Everfall, White Rock Castle.
.
.
Back inside the Ursus Hotel, Fischer who saw how Viril and the rest of the doctors of Everfall stormed off, took this chance to ask Vlad who had an evil smile on his face.
"Young man, don't you need those 5 old guys? Cohn, Nels, go and grab those old fools so they work in rescuing those citizens. I fear with Viril's bitch like personality he would go to complain to Her Majesty, but I highly doubt she would buy into his lies anyway.
Just grab those old fucks back since we need them for today."
Yet, Vlad stops Fischer from sending his soldiers to grab hold of Viril and the Acolytes, only mentioning in a calm tone, unconcerned about those fossils.
"There's no need for those ignorant fools. Bring them back and if they keep on pestering me like how they did in those short moments, I will assure you they wouldn't leave this place alive."
"Still, don't you need their help? This is what you mentioned to me the first time." asked Fischer who remembered how Vlad sounded serious about requiring the doctors to clear out all of the patients.
But now, with the new discoveries he was making constantly with regard to the Maggris Worms and their evolution, he shook his head, telling the soldiers casually.
"That's based on the old information I had. Since I discovered I could operate on the final stages of patients without much risks on their lives, I would rather do things on my own, helped by my trusted people."
"Her?" asked Fischer pointing at Eleine who only smiled at the General in a charming manner.
"Yea, her, and the smaller one. They are my companions, and even if they don't know medical knowledge, I can bet with anyone they know more about healing than those 5 ignorant fools combined."
"... I doubt it, but sure. What about the rest of the patients if you focus on the late-stage sick patients like that man?"
"No need to doubt, I am certain. As for the patients, you'll be the one to treat them, along with some of the smarter Guards who can think quickly and also react faster than their counterparts."
"Us, Royal Guards? But we are soldiers, not healing men. How could we know what to do to those people? Won't we kill them if we start treating our way?"
Vlad shook his head and walked toward another sick man, who was lying on the waiting bench with his wife at his side.
"General, as you have seen it. The affection is caused by those Maggris Worms, meaning to cure someone you need to extract them from the host's body. The important procedure you think is something great and overcomplicated like what I did for that suffering man, is totally shortsighted."
"Pardon?"
"Yes, it's shortsighted, because the procedure is a rather common and easy to understand method. Which would take some of the sharpest guards to take part. You'll need some common ingredients, that can be found anywhere, at least I guess so for the Sorbet Kingdom."
"And … what could those be, and what the method is if you are so willing to share it?"
"Sure, I don't consider this to be a secret anyway. It's written in books anyway. However, for now select 5 bright guys and I will teach you guys my method of extracting the Maggris Worms."
Said and done, Fischer was quickwitted and selected 4 guys, where his right and left hand, composed of Cohm and Nels, another one called Jay and Varil, reserving the last spot for himself stepping up toward Vlad who watched the guys assembling in front of him.
"Considering the rest of the youngsters, this old wolf can still think properly, not affected by old age sickness."
"Senility? It happens at different ages for old people, but eventually it will happen for you too. That's not the point. You five better listen because I don't like repeating myself that much."
Telling casually what everyone needed for the treatment, along with each step of proceeding with the treatment, it left those 5 Royal Guards with the silvery-gray haired middle-aged man in the lead dumbfounded.
"That's all?" asked Fischer, the black-haired doctor who looked even more mysterious than before.
'Really, only Boiling Water, Hot Charcoal, Garlic, Honey, Oil, Glass Jar, Ropes. The method is mundane in the process, being just a common torture job. But how could it be just this much? What type of method is this exactly? This is pure torture play from the start to finish.'
"Yeah, If the five of you understood what it's required to do for extracting the Maggris Worm, I will leave it to your free will to decide how many you invite inside. As for myself, I will take on my second patient. Eleine, invite the sir and prepare him."
"Yes, master. Mister Naras, your turn to be treated has arrived." said the black-haired woman as she approached closer to the bench a sickly man was lying, crouching down to be on the same level as the man's wife, and to give the impression of carrying about him.
"So my time has come. U-Understood."
Helping the man to get on his feet, and later on helping him up on the operation table while Vlad was doing his own preparations for the operation.
"Mister, there's nothing to worry about. Since Master Dracul is a person with abilities that far exceed common sense. After about 25 minutes the operation will be over, but you'll still be under the sleeping effects of Master's technique."
"As long I can live for some more, I will agree to anything, miss Fallen Angel."
"Fallen Angel? Where's that from?"
*Cough* "Your appearance is as beautiful as an angel who fell down on this desolate land."
"Ara, Ara, thank you for the compliment. Have you heard that, Master? What do you think about the compliment?"
Vlad, who appeared behind the sickly man, inserted the black needle on various parts of the man's body which made him pass unconscious, allowing him to begin the surgery, while he also responded to Eleine's remark.
"I never saw a Fallen Angel, nor … an Angel. But from what the Bible speaks about it, their appearance is divine. You are more of a Demoness who likes to play with people."
.
While Fischer was opening up his mind to new information which was already a bonus achievement for Vlad who began operating on the person called Naras whose chest was slowly being opened up after the doctor inspected where the worm could be situated at current time.
The General checked again on the 4 other guys to be sure he gained the same information from the black-haired doctor, and once he was sure they got the same stuff, he reached another understanding of what the sickness caused by the Maggris Worms were all about.
Still, they decided to wait to see if Vlad would also successfully heal Narus, news that spread out immediately once the success was confirmed by Vlad who stared at the Royal Guards confused, as he asked them with a cold tone.
"Sirs, what are you waiting for? Do you want me to take you by the hand and show you point by point what you are supposed to do? Aren't you military people, be more pragmatic and hands-on."
"Young man, I waited for you to get confirmation. Aren't we doing actual torture on those people? What if the news is taken in the wrong way by the people." added Fischer who could see some displeasure in Vlad's eyes.
"If they see this as torture. Then, my sirs, you don't understand what real torture looks like. IF even for their own good, they can't bear some pain, then leave them to die for all I care."
"..."
"Also, I will be clear on something. I didn't come here to make money, I don't heal those people for my pleasure since I could have done something better. I only want to get my hands on those worms and study them. This is why, you better take care of those glass jars and take them to my ship in the harbor."
Getting a cold comment from Vlad who didn't mind showing how he could care less about the people waiting outside, the 5 guys, later on, talked with one another as Vlad was beginning the third operation.
"Lord Fischer, as deranged as it might sound, that guy isn't wrong. Real torture is far crueler and twisted, this is just … child's play. Some boiling water, charcoal, and ropes. It really gives me the vibe of some childplay when it comes to Torturing." mentioned Cohm who didn't have anything bad to say about Vlad, especially after he dealt with the five old pricks.
"I feel the same, Lord Fischer." added Nels, who shifted his gaze at the entrance of the Hotel.
"I guess, we should start preparing the gathered people, and this time, it is us, the Royal Guards taking care of our people and family." remarked Fischer with conviction in his eyes.
Outside of the hotel, the discussion was getting hotter, with the confirmation of the second success which ignited the hope of the people who not too long received no hope from the common doctors of this Kingdom.
"How long does the operation take?"
"No idea."
And as the news started changing a bit of the true information, they once again received confirmation from the general, Fischer, and his officers, Cohn, Nets, Jay, and Varil, familiar faces for everyone in the audience.
"Everything you've heard from the guards is correct. The foreigner doctor is someone capable of treating the Curse of the Spirit. To continue on the treatment we would like to see you get in order, and each time 5 people would enter inside the Hotel.
Swiftly the people mobilized, and 5 citizens were invited inside the reception hall of the Ursus Hotel where the Staff under the instructions of the general prepared the required tools and materials for a successful torture
…
No, it was an … operation.