Blood was gushing out.
I quickly grabbed a clean cloth, stuffed it into the wound, and pressed down on the bleeding point.
When the blood stopped gushing, I sighed in relief.
In a situation like this, I would normally use electrocautery to stop the bleeding. But, of course, that tool doesn't exist in this era.
"What am I supposed to do…"
I had expected this might happen. Ideally, I should've waited until my medical tools were ready, but she couldn't survive more than two weeks with an arrow stuck in her.
"Maikal, what's happening?" Ingrid asked.
"Bleeding. An artery got hit."
I racked my brain, trying to think of a way to save her. When I glanced at Ingrid, a crazy idea came to mind.
"Hey, Ingrid. Are your nails long?" I asked.
"No, why?"
"Good. Wash your hands with warm water."
She looked confused but did as I asked. While she washed her hands, I used "spatial visualization" to get a clear look at the damaged artery.
"I've washed my hands. Now what?" Ingrid asked.
She might've thought I'd ask her to help with the surgery, but what I had in mind was even crazier.
"Listen carefully, Ingrid. This patient's life depends on what we do next. One small mistake, and she could die."
The red-haired woman swallowed nervously.
"Yeah, I get it. We took a huge risk bringing her here. I don't want her to die after all we've done."
I grinned. "Good."
Then, I explained my plan to stop the bleeding.
I needed Ingrid to pinch the bleeding point with her fingers. Or more specifically, with her thumb and index finger. Once she managed to clamp down on the bleeding area, I would suture it.
Normally, I would use forceps to clamp the bleeding point and suture it with catgut thread. But since I didn't have the tools, I had to make do with what I had.
Ingrid frowned as I explained.
"Got it?" I asked.
"Pinch the bleeding part. Got it."
Seeing the uncertain look on her face made me a bit worried, but I didn't have many options.
Ingrid then inserted her fingers into the wound. Our hands brushed as she felt around. While she searched for the bleeding point, I used "spatial visualization" to guide her.
"Yeah, right there."
"Here?" Ingrid confirmed.
I nodded in response.
Once Ingrid clamped down on the bleeding area, I pulled my hand out of the wound and grabbed some thread. I cut about 30 cm of it. Then, I started to tie a knot around Ingrid's finger.
"Hey! What are you doing? Why are you tying it around my finger?"
"Relax. I'm suturing."
Once the thread formed a knot, I told Ingrid to pinch the bleeding point a bit tighter so the knot would slide down. As soon as the knot tightened around the bleeding point, I had her release it.
Blood stopped spurting as I removed the cloth from the wound. Seeing that the bleeding had stopped, I sighed in relief.
The next step was closing up the wound. Since it was pretty small, it only needed two stitches.
"Damn, I can't believe I just did vascular ligation bare-handed. This is nuts."
I slumped back after finishing the sutures.
The patient seemed stable, although her face was pale from all the blood loss. She'd need plenty of rest and some iron-rich food.
Ingrid was still standing there, looking confused. From her expression, I could tell she hadn't quite processed that the operation was a success.
"Is it over?" she asked in disbelief.
I nodded. "Yeah. Congratulations. You just saved a human life."
Ingrid exhaled, relieved. It looked like she'd been holding her breath the entire operation. Well, I wasn't surprised. She was a Viking; killing and pillaging were probably normal for her. But saving someone on the brink of death? That was something entirely new.
Suddenly, a blue screen appeared in front of me.
[ You saved a human life! You earned 10 virtue points! ]
[ You encouraged someone to save a human! You earned 30 virtue points! ]
Damn. I blinked at the notification. I got more virtue points for getting Ingrid to help me with the operation than for saving a life myself.
I was glad to have saved the woman and gained virtue points, but there was still another problem left unsolved.
"We saved this woman. Now what?"
That sudden question came from Ingrid. I knew what she meant. I saw worry on her face; it seemed like she hadn't forgotten what happened in the woods, even after the exhausting surgery.
"Of course, we'll tell Ingmar everything," I replied. "We'll head to the longhouse after cleaning up."
"But what about her?" Ingrid glanced at my patient. "Someone has to guard her, or she'll run off."
Imagining this mysterious woman trying to escape in her current condition, I frowned. Her pale face clearly showed she'd lost a lot of blood. Given her condition, it'd be hard for her to run away.
But after living here for a few days, I was starting to believe a lot of things that seemed impossible could happen here.
"You're right."
After we cleaned up, Ingrid and I headed to the longhouse. We stopped by Varin's place first and asked him to have someone watch over my patient. Varin sent one of his men, Gunnar. Birna volunteered to help as well.
Once we reached the longhouse, Sigurd was waiting by the door. The bald man led us to Ingmar's room. When we got inside, Ingmar looked busy with piles of scrolls stacked on the table.
"Oh, you're here. I thought you might try to dodge me," he said.
I felt a bit called out by his comment. It was like he could read my mind.
"So, who is the woman you brought to the settlement?"
"She…"
The words got stuck in my throat. It wasn't like I didn't want to tell Ingmar, but I didn't know who she was. All I knew was that Gull and the Omvrik Clan wanted her dead.
How was I supposed to explain that to him?
Ingrid and I exchanged glances. It seemed like she wasn't sure how to tell her brother either.
The longer we stayed silent, the more suspicious Ingmar would get.
"To be honest, we don't know who she is either, Ingmar," I said.
Ingmar raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You saved a woman you don't even know?"
I hoped he would stop with the questions there. But this guy was sharp. He could read the situation.
"So, why do you look so nervous? Are you hiding something from me?"
"Actually…" I glanced at Ingrid, and she just nodded. "People from the Omvrik Clan want this woman dead. We helped her while they were hunting her."
At the mention of the Omvrik Clan, Ingmar's eyes widened.
"And you brought the woman they're after here?" Ingmar's voice rose.
"No. They know we brought her to the settlement. We talked with them, and they let us go," I explained.
"'Talked'? Do you take me for a fool, Maikal? They're not that kind of people. You know we have a peace agreement with them. You should have handed that bitch over to them."
Ingmar slammed the table. I could see his anger rising. Before he exploded, I quickly tried to explain the situation.
"No, no! We didn't do anything to them. None of them got hurt. Like I said, we only talked."
"Yes, Brother," Ingrid backed me up. "There was no bloodshed. They even stepped back and said Guthrum would make a decision. It seems we can settle this peacefully."
But as Ingrid tried to explain to her brother, Ingmar just seemed to get angrier.
"They probably don't want to mess up the peace agreement either," said Ingrid.
"That's not the point," Ingmar muttered, his voice tense.
"I'm sure that if we offer them gifts or maybe hand the woman over, we can smooth things over," Ingrid went on.
"Quiet, Ingrid. I need to think.," Ingmar muttered again.
Ingrid kept trying to convince her brother that this could still be resolved, but I could tell Ingmar saw it differently. He was furious about it.
"Hey, Ingrid… just stop," I whispered.
But the red-haired woman didn't stop talking.
I saw Ingmar grab the axe embedded in the table while Ingrid kept talking. Seeing Ingmar that enraged, I had a bad feeling something terrible was about to happen.
"Don't worry, brother. We can take care of this before Father—"
"I said shut up!" Ingmar roared.
He yanked the axe from the table and hurled it at his sister. I immediately threw myself at Ingrid, and we both fell to the floor as the axe lodged itself in the wall.
If I had a second late, her life might've been over.
I was in total shock. And it wasn't just me. Even Sigurd looked stunned. Who would've thought Ingmar would throw an axe at his sister? No wonder everyone feared him.
Am I going to make it out of here alive after this?