LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 48: Ignoble Operation
Esstrey moves stealthily along the wastes, her comrades move at her sides. Their target? She doesn't actually know, they never get told much anyway. As another shade falls, attempting to block their path, Esstrey has a passing thought, wondering if they would one day be that shade. She wouldn't blame anyone if they were. Low and behold, Esstrey is proven right as a blast of... something wipes out her entire team. They never saw it coming, no one could have. Esstrey looks to her sides to see what remains of her team, only to find ashen silhouettes of where they used to be. A vague idea of what they are, but no details to speak of. The ground beneath her feels so soft... too soft. She tries to claw into it, but the ground gives way and regenerates.
At this moment, Esstrey realizes that she doesn't have a silhouette, no marker of her having been here. She digs harder into the ground, her claws having grown to accommodate her ambition, but it still leaves no mark. It takes longer for the ground to reform, but it still isn't enough, she needs more power! She tries to dig into it with a gun, but the bullets merely disappear into the ground, she tries to shoot her crossbow into it, but the bolt fizzles and pushes out. Lastly, she grasps her shovel, and swings at the ground.
Esstrey wakes groggily from the makeshift bed she made, she had ordered as many supplies she could think of. One of those being a large pile of pillows, so she would at least be a little comfortable in the room of Jake Malencia. The diseases he has are crippling, and while it's understandable that the healers couldn't fix him, it being understandable doesn't make Esstrey trust the life mages. When Esstrey first got to work, Jake's body looked like a Petri dish. Something only a life mage could accomplish. Only Sofia and Kuda are allowed entry off visitor hours. Sofia did an admirable job of keeping Jake stable, while Kuda was the perfect candidate to act as supplies liaison. As long as Esstrey referred to the materials as part of her 'hoard' Kuda would obtain the items with incredible efficiency and accuracy.
"Have you slept well, doctor Esstrey?" Jake is also awake, and is both rather polite for the heir to a ducal throne, and calm for someone who was effectively turned into a biology student's pet project. He quickly got used to the odd company Esstrey kept, not that he had a choice in that regard.
"It was the usual, nothing special." A small black cat is clinging to Esstrey as she rises from the pile of pillows, while Esstrey is either oblivious or uncaring to the presence of the ferocious feline going for its largest catch yet.
A knock comes from the door shortly after Esstrey begins preparing some surgery tools, and half a dozen people enter escorted by Kuda. The little kobold is wearing what seems to be a military medical uniform, which is just slightly too big for her size. She gives a sloppy salute to Esstrey with the sleeve being noticeably longer than her arm. Esstrey immediately goes for the people brought in by Kuda, and begins pricking them all with her claw. They recoil after each small stab, but none flee or shy away from the massive mermaid.
"Excellent work collecting them Kuda, are they all volunteers?" Esstrey rubs some of the blood collected from the people, and mentally compares their blood types to Jake.
"Yes! Yes! Kuda very good at collecting valley tears! This humble servant of mighty one requests one one-tenth of spoils from tribute." Esstrey doesn't know specifically what Kuda is on about, but she gets the general gist of it. She grabs a sweet roll from a nearby table, and tosses it toward Kuda, who quickly begins to devour it.
"You and you, stay. The rest of you are dismissed and can inform the duchess you fulfilled your purpose." The four that were dismissed leave in a variety of speeds, with the remaining two; am old soldier and a maid, realizing they are to stay. The maid begins to mutter to herself while sobbing, while the soldier moves to comfort the maid.
"Don't worry, I'm sure the duchess will take care of those we leave behind. It's a small consolation." The soldier utterly fails at consoling the maid, who actually begins to cry a little louder.
"Here, smell this." Esstrey holds a claw covered in glistening liquid in the direction of the duo, and the soldier now wears a frown on his face.
"And what is that supposed to do?" If Esstrey cares for the suspicious attitude the soldier is giving her this late, she isn't showing it. She vaguely remembers field medics telling stories of patients reacting to treatment in hostile manners. Not that the treatment that the field medics gave actually had a very high chance of saving them, mind you, it was usually just making someone comfortable while they are dying. Wouldn't do for morale if someone died screaming while holding their guts, after all.
"It makes things easier for everyone involved by knocking you out, now smell it." The soldier can tell from Esstrey's tone that her patience is already growing thing, but he stands tall while looking directly at the giant mermaid.
"I would like to be awake when it happens, face the end with dignity and all that." The old soldier balls his fist as if he's making the decision of a lifetime, why is everyone being so dramatic?
"That's hardly up to you." Before the soldier can respond, Esstrey dashes and holds him in a headlock. She covers the soldier's face with her claw, and the struggling quiets after a few seconds. She repeats the process, albeit a bit gentler on the sobbing mess that is the maid, but her stuffy nose drags the process on for longer than either party is okay with. Esstrey then hauls the two unconscious bodies to Jake, and drops them at both sides of his bed.
"You didn't have to be so callous, it wouldn't hurt to explain yourself, you know. Usually people are more cooperative if you explain things some more." Jake looks at the witch doctor with a mix of disappointment and worry.
"For one, I didn't have to be nice either. I'm here to cure you and hardly need their cooperation. I also don't want anyone to know that I'm a blood mage, so I don't want them to be conscious for the procedures, your mom is hardly the only or the worst schemer out there, and I like it better when people don't fear stepping in puddles of my blood. As for the reason I'm telling you all this? I'm throwing in with you because I believe it's the safest bet to secure a future for myself, giving you a bit of leverage like knowing that I'm actually a blood mage makes that deal a little more appealing to you. ᴺᵒᵗ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʸᵒᵘ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ'ᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᶠᶦᵍᵘʳᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵒᵘᵗ ᵇʸ ʸᵒᵘʳˢᵉˡᶠ ᵃⁿʸʷᵃʸ." Jake doesn't hear the last bit, as Esstrey mumbles it to herself.
"I hardly see why I should accept the services of a doctor so uncaring for the lives of people."
"Because I'm damn good at what I do, and only half the stuff I ordered is unrelated to cure you. Now have a whiff of my claw, unless you want to be awake as I'm rummaging around your guts." Esstrey throws one of said unrelated orders into a chest, a bag of powdered rust.
