*****
"... after that it was quite easy to heal the patient's wounds," pondering the results of the scan after the operation, I finished with the report.
To my knowledge, Poppy only nodded contentedly and began to check the condition of the patient, a seventeen-year-old blonde. I don't know how the teacher was able to deliver her from the hospital of ordinary people and why, but this experience was quite educational.
This person (quite pleasant in appearance, and her body did not let down her owner) was unlucky enough to encounter a pack of stray dogs, and while running away from them (alas, they managed to bite her. And quite hard) she was unlucky enough to fall into an ice hole.
Fortunately, passers-by noticed her and rescued her from the ice dungeon. True, she stayed there for quite a long time, and then she did not come to her senses in the hospital for quite a long time. So the teacher brought her.
All the time that the girl lay unconscious, her body was taken over by the virus that causes the disease: "Dog rabies." This is basically what I was treating.
The experience, I must tell you, was educational. Watching how all parts of the body gradually become infected with this infection is quite entertaining. And as for the treatment...
I spent quite a lot of effort on fighting this virus, I would say a lot. Still, I haven't encountered viruses that often, not at the same level. And I also lost a lot of time. But still, I was able to defeat another "enemy".
"Congratulations, great job as always," the teacher said after finishing examining the patient. A small wave of the hand and the altar, lit up in magical vision, moves the patient to her original location. I hope the witch took care of the extra witnesses (it sounded like she killed someone...). I wouldn't want to attract unnecessary attention (although how will they find me? That's right, no way).
"You wanted to say: 'for my level,'" he answered her, portraying skepticism on his face. Having hidden his wand in a holster, he sat relaxed in a chair. We need to think about new experiences. He will be useful to me.
"That's true, but now you forget that for your age this result is higher than all expected results," this woman sat down opposite me with a slight grin, elegantly moving a lock of her black hair, like a starless night, behind her ear.
- Your truth. But this is not a reason for pride, or rather excessive pride," I answered her, closing my eyes. And I really think so. Even though I put a lot of effort into my achievements, it is possible that somewhere in the world there is a unique person who is head and shoulders above me in everything.
"Never consider yourself the strongest, because in any world there is at least one intelligent person stronger than you" - the words of one of the archmages who approach any aspect of strength. Be it magic, psi, prana or something else.
Therefore, I am not going to stop there. There is no ceiling, it is only in our mind.
Silence fell between us. Not tense, no. Even though I don't trust Poppy, I don't see any reason to be on guard at the moment. And even if I wanted to oppose her with something, nothing would have happened. The difference between us is too great.
The furious sound of raging flames brought me out of my thoughts. Having opened my eyes, I managed to notice how a man dressed in a slightly faded robes of a medic came out of the flames, straight into the ritual hall.
A tall, very thin man with a slight bald patch of faded red hair looked at me with his "dead" eyes the color of ripe blueberries.
The first impression of this individual is that someone urgently needs to go on vacation. Preferably for two months. This guy looked too exhausted. Just the fact that the robe, which was sewn to order, hung on him like on a hanger says a lot.
- August! I didn't think he would send you here. How did that happen? — getting up from her seat, Poppy greeted her acquaintance (maybe even her friend) in a friendly manner. I already perceive the malice in her voice as something unchangeable, like, for example, the sky, space, magic... well, you get the idea.
"Poppy..." the man drawled somehow tiredly, and at the end he sighed completely tiredly. - Why am I being punished like this? - Raising his head to the ceiling, Augustus, as we now know, whispered barely audibly. However, with my hearing, I heard him perfectly. Haha, it looks like many people have gotten tired of my teacher. Understand.
- Why is it so unfriendly, August? Aren't you glad to see an old friend? — even without seeing her face, I'm ready to give my hand to cut off the fact that at the moment she grinned nastily while looking into this man's face.
"I'm glad I'm glad, but I wouldn't see you for as long." "And better yet, even more," he said, looking at her with tired eyes.
"Oh, that was offensive," the woman feigned offence. - How are you? What's up? How did you get there? — my teacher began to infuriate her interlocutor again.
Sighing tiredly, he only massaged his temples with noticeable effort. Apparently he was already pretty tired of this situation (or this person).
"You must be Calder, right?" - Augustus asked, ignoring the woman, at which she again became "offended", and finding me with his eyes.
"That's right," I nodded my head slightly in greeting. "Calder Wilson, at your service," I introduced myself dutifully.
"August Sepsis, trainee healer under the direction of Hippocrates Smethwick, your supervisor for the duration of your stay at Mungo," the man introduced himself, making a serious face rather than a pained one. "We don't have much time, we should go." Come after me.
Having finished, he turned around on the spot and headed towards the fireplace from which he appeared.
- And what about me? - Poppy exclaimed offended, theatrically clutching her heart. - Are you, Augustus, so cruel that you will leave me here alone, to die within these evil walls?
Stopping for a brief moment, Augustus looked around the hall, and then, with a grimace, moved on. He only whispered barely audibly:
- Evil walls, but what about...
And I can understand him. Even though the structure of this room is rather ungreen, I still can't help but say that this room is missing something. There was everything here: from a toilet to a library and a ritual site.
Inwardly laughing (as far as this is possible for me) at the petty squabble, I followed the man.
- Do you know how to use it? - The man asked me, taking a pint of gunpowder in his hand and going into the fireplace. My nod was his answer. - Great. There was no longer any need for unnecessary instructions; his mood seemed to have lifted just a little. At least August's face brightened a little. - Remember the address: Mungo's. Yes, yes, no need to make such a surprised face. They did this for the sake of brevity, you must admit that when you urgently need to see a medic, saying "St. Mungo's Hospital" is not very convenient.
Logical. Even if it was only a couple of seconds, I am sure that there were incidents when even these seconds were not enough.
- Mungo! - Augustus' sonorous voice sounded, and after this his body was consumed by green flames that "burned" him in a second, not leaving even a grain of ash.
Taking the floo powder, I followed him into the fireplace. My gaze came across the teacher, who was closely watching me. Raising an eyebrow, I seemed to ask her: "What is it?"
"And I thought that you had completely forgotten about me," Poppy grinned slightly, trying to tease me. But during all the time I communicated with her, I developed a partial immunity to her jokes. Realizing that nothing came of it, she continued: "The duration of your practice is until dinner." More - alas, the director did not allow it - which means that Albus partially limited my practice. Let's remember. "Say hello to Smethwick, I'm sure he'll be happy," she grinned again at the end. Waving her hand at me, as if saying goodbye to me, she walked towards the exit from the hall.
After following her back (and not only...) with my gaze, I again focused on my goal.
- Mungo! — the gunpowder flared up, consuming me completely.
The familiar feeling of space twisting and "burning" gripped me for a few moments, so that after the same time the "green" corridor spat out my body in a completely different room.
"I thought you were in the wrong place," my escort greeted me with a murmur. - Whole? Well then let's go.
He turned around and walked strictly straight. I followed after him.
Mungo. What should come to mind when you think of this place? I imagined everything: from an ordinary hospital to a medieval castle (of course, stylized as "white" chambers). Well, I must say my expectations did not deceive me.
Wide corridor, high ceilings decorated with chandeliers. Walls with countless columns and doors leading to a variety of rooms. Some of them were signed, others were not. The floor was decorated with something similar to tiles, only much more expensive and more pleasing to the eye.
Approaching the double doors, we walked through them without stopping to find ourselves... at the reception desk? What else can you call a wide room on one of the walls of which there are waiting areas (something like benches), and on the other there are reception desks behind which stood guys and girls.
The hall itself was quite large, about fifty meters in diameter. On the left side there was a fairly large staircase leading to the next level. The floor was decorated with a pattern consisting of many rings, and a picture was engraved on the ceiling. It depicted healers (yes, it was them, not sorcerers) who treated countless crowds of intelligent people (and not only others).
Right now this room was packed with sentients. Some of them stood in queues leading to the counters, others were in the waiting area, and the third were going somewhere about their business.
We didn't stay long in this room. August, like an icebreaker, "pierced" the crowd, seeing me straight to the stairs. Almost no attention was paid to ours, so a few onlookers glanced at us and that was it.
Climbing the stairs, we found ourselves in a labyrinth of corridors, along which my escort led me. I must say, if you don't know where to go, then you definitely won't be able to find your goal.
Finally, after about fifteen minutes, we found ourselves at the treasured door. The sign hanging next to her read the following:
"Chief Healer - Hippocrates of Smethwick"
Without stopping, my "escort" immediately opened the door to the office and entered it. I followed him.
A rather small office, containing only a table, a couple of cabinets and a few chairs. On the opposite wall there was a window overlooking the hospital's internal garden. On the right wall there was a door leading to the adjacent room.
The owner of the office himself was currently sitting at his desk and carefully writing something on paper using a pen. The smoothness of his movements was noticeable to the naked eye. That's what practice means.
What else can be said about Hippocrates? He inspired. No not like this. He INSPIRED. A sort of colossus two and a penny meters tall, giant hands, gray hair, beard and eyebrows, under which piercing yellow eyes were hidden. And over all this she was wearing a healer's robe, which in theory should be slightly baggy, but not in this case. On him they only hugged his incredibly large muscles, adding even more savagery to his image.
As soon as he raised his gaze to us, I was overwhelmed with mana, paranoia, and also thirst. Thirst for Killing. Inspires.
- And this is the one Poppy wrote to me about? — as soon as the pressure disappeared, a sonorous bass sounded in the room.
Hmmm. So much for the stereotypes about healers.