Medieval Medical Miracle

Is this the place? I thought as I gazed toward the dilapidated building across from me. I looked down and squinted at the torn map that had brought me all this way, it was a miracle it was still intact.

I looked up and down the street comparing some landmarks to the map, "That's there, that shop is down there... This must be it." I said to myself, getting glances from some people walking bye. My grandfather, Minev Heath, was a revolutionary when it came to medicine. He was my inspiration for going to medical school, seeing the smiles he put on people's faces made me yearn for it.

The building I was looking at was his, fifty years ago this doctor's office was a bustling hub for research and emergency care. But that was then, with the windows boarded up and the rood mostly rusted, it had seen better days.

I reached into my pocket and gripped a cold iron key. Just before my grandfather passed away, he gave me this key and told me, "You will be a great doctor." 

I shook my head, if I thought about my grandfather's last moments for much longer, I would have teared up. And so, I took a deep breath and made my way to the door. Sliding the key in the lock and turning, the door fell ajar on its own.

Sunlight flowed inside the dark front room of the building, revealing a seating area for patients. Memories of my past came rushing back, I came here once before to visit my grandfather. Though, with age, the once vibrant waiting room was covered in a thick layer of dust.

I moved over to one of the chairs and wiped my finger down the arm rest, a layer of dust a few millimeters thick gathered on the tip of my finger. I flicked my finger and looked around.

I could see well enough in this room, but with no candles or lanterns to speak of in the house, I brought out my own portable lantern from the sack I carried on my back. I set it ablaze and made my way to the door across the room.

This was the only way forward, the door creaked open revealing a long hallway with two doors on both sides, while one sat at the end of the hall. The first door on the right led to a reception desk for patients to check in and obtain their records. While the doors on the left led to two standard operating rooms. There were boarded up windows everywhere, I took out my pocketbook and wrote, hammer. I would need one if I wanted this place to shine like it used to.

I moved past the operating rooms and to the last door on the right. A plague on the outside was illegible from the thick layer of dust coated on it, I wiped it with my hand to reveal, Research, inscribed on it. I knew beyond the door led downstairs to a room full of secrets.

A chill went down my spine, my grandfather told me to never go down there. Thinking of what secrets lay down there made me feel an anxious excitement. I would venture down their one day, but not today.

Moving to the door at the end of the hall revealed a bedroom, one used by my grandfather for centuries. Like every other room in this building, it was coated in dust. There was a single dresser and a deep closet in which sat a straw broom. Perfect.

I had a plan in mind now, I would go out and familiarize myself with the city and get a hammer. Remove all the rusty nails from the boards and open the windows up, then, I would clean. Soon enough I would have this place back up and running just as my grandfather wished.

With my plan in mind, I put my lantern back in the sack and slung it over my shoulder and walked out onto the dirt road. 

Grandfather's building was located just outside the city, after a minute of walking the dirt path transitioned to a Cobblestone Road and eventually I was in the central hub of Ultsar. Merchants, smiths, and auctioneers shouted trying to get individuals' attention. 

One such smith caught my eye; a giant man held a large hammer over his shoulder and stood next to his anvil. "Cheap, reliable tools and weapons here!"

With that line I was sold. I walked over and before I could speak he shouted, "What can I get you sir!" 

I was taken aback, even though I was right next to him, he shouted full force, "You got any hammers?" To which the smith nodded. 

"Of course we do!" The smith turned and reached into a box of miscellaneous items, from behind, his tight shirt revealed his shredded back and shoulders. I would not want to upset him.

"Will this do?" He said turning and thrusting a hammer in my face. I flinched back and took the hammer, inspecting it. This would do nicely; it had a sturdy claw that I could use to remove the nails. 

"Yes, this is perfect, how much is it?"

The smith scratched his scruffy neck and looked up, "Mmm... I'll do one silver for it." That seemed appropriate, I agreed and got a silver out of my bag and handed it to him.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" He shouted, grinning as he put the silver coin in his pocket. "If you need anything else, come back again!"

I said a quick farewell and turned around to a sea of people. Which way did I come from?

I could have just got the map out of my sack but decided to peruse the city a little more.

I continued my adventure through the city and eventually stopped at a rundown building. It was a stark contrast from everything around it, most building you could see around me were strong wooden homes while this looked like it would fall apart at any moment.

I walked over to a man standing in an ivory suit out front. It was an older man with a monocle and round belly, "Excuse me. What is this?" The man looked over to me and scanned me up and down.

"This young man is a slave house, ya'see?" The man speech patterns stunned me for a moment, his accent was one I never heard before.

"A slave house." I muttered under my breath. They were nothing new to me. I had seen many throughout my lifetime, many major cities had at least one, but this one looked horrible compared to the rest. I assumed many people would be turned away from such a decrepit building.

 If I really wanted to, I could just waltz in and buy a person that would obey my ever word. Not like I ever would.

However, I decided I should at least check it out. I despised the idea of slaves; individuals being sold to another for whatever sick purposes. Most of them weren't human, most of them were animal people or dwarves. The ladder being used for labor while the former was used for the sickest acts of depravity.

I took a deep breath and sighed quietly, "Could I look inside?" Curiosity kills the cat, or so they say.

The man nodded, "Of course young man, is there anything in specific you are seeking?" The man said turning on heel and leading me through the door.

I was about to respond to his question, but it was like I walked through the gate of hell, screams and sobs echoed in every direction. Barred off rooms housed partially clothed men and women of all races. Animal people looked fearfully from their cell at me and the man, I wanted to say, "I am not here to hurt you." But I choked on my words and kept quiet.

The man asked once more, "Anything you are looking for in particular?"

I cleared my throat and responded with a curt, "No."

"Do you want to take a walk around the pound then young man?" The pound. They were treated like dogs, tied up and forced to eat and drink out of bowls. I wanted to take them all home, this was sickening.

The man led me around the building showing off and trying to sell me his products. "Over here is our animal people in pristine condition." Pointing to a cell of easily the healthiest individuals I laid eyes on thus far. He stopped in front of their cage and explained how they were brought directly from Jakt, the animal people's homeland, to Ultsar for the purpose of slavery.

Next the man moved to the cage next over where I saw three dwarf people barring their teeth and glaring at us. The three of them looked like twins all lazing about the cage with their minimal clothing and long white hair.

"These are a scary bunch, all taken from the same tribe to come here. The looks they give the people interested just scares away potential owners." The man said almost disappointed as if not wanting to be owned by someone else was a bad thing.

And so, we came to the corner of the building and to the last cell. At first glance it looked like the cell was empty, but as we approached, a slouched silhouette came into view.

"And so, we have our last slave. The only demon here, but she is quite the troublemaker, as you can see." My eyes widened; what monster could have done such a thing.