It was a few days later before I found myself in the infirmary again. The training that we had endured since then had been tough on Safi, not so much on me. I was left to study with occasional tutelage, while Safi was subject to brutal lessons on cultivation and combat.
In the afternoon we cultivated. I was approaching the end of the qi integration realm and therefore the end of solo cultivation. Fortunately, Chit’s kiss had given me hope that she’d be comfortable with dual cultivation, it would benefit her greatly as well after all. Especially considering she’d been reset.
The infirmary was all bustle when I entered, I could see a few of the people that had taken the test alongside me, including the girl that I had spoken to. She seemed important as she was already giving orders. I tapped the boss on the shoulder.
“Good morning, are you ready for your first day?” he asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good news, today’s a busy one, we had a couple of expedition teams return with some heavy injuries.”
I was assigned two beds, assistant healers would bring patients to me and I would do my best to treat them. I was not sure if the lack of guidance I was receiving was due to my skill or just because they were so busy.
Either way, I healed everyone who was put before me. Physical injuries were nothing to worry about, it was if something else got involved that I would be in trouble. My unfamiliarity with the planet meant that even easy infections could catch me off guard as I did not know the proper procedures.
Luckily, it was all wounds. Broken fingers, mawed legs, large gashes and welts. Every now and then I would look towards the still drawn curtain. Knowing that I would like to have another go at what lay behind it.
Eventually, after many hours of healing, my last patient got out of the bed. They walked out as if there was no reason to come in in the first place. I walked through the curtain uninterrupted. Immediately the horror show impacted me. Blood, screams and the ghostly white and blue plants that protruded evilly from anywhere and everywhere.
A plant?
I tapped a healer on the shoulder, one that didn’t seem too busy. “Have you tried planting it?”
“Planting it?”
“Planting the plant, I mean.”
“Great idea, plant the thing that we have no idea how to cure and no idea how it spreads.” He said it sarcastically. I shrugged and backed away. Once a portion of healers had moved away from one of the people flailing around, I took up a chair next to them and held their hand. I pretended to inject some qi but instead channeled an illusion technique. I trimmed a portion of the plant in a way I hoped was imperceptible and returned to the position my copy was in.
I ceased my channeling of the technique and left the room as quickly as possible.
I needed someone who knew the sect, preferably someone who didn’t mind spending some alone time with me.
I found her resting in her room, her body still healing. She looked a lot better and was capable of moving about, as long as it was nothing intense. “Chit, would you mind helping me with something?”
She nodded. She was fine to talk now but she still didn’t do it much. “I need somewhere extremely secluded and open to light.”
“In a mountain?” she asked, as if I were stupid.
“Just somewhere close by.” She nodded and got out of bed, gently. She took me out of the sect, a rather considerable walk by itself, then instead of going down - which was where we usually went to get to the jungle - we went up.
Up was a little more difficult, Chit’s legs began shaking very quickly, she looked frustrated at her sudden weakness. I decided to take matters into my own hands, and by matters, I meant Chit. I picked her up, making her gasp. She looked at me grumpily, then crossed her arms.
“You’ll get stronger in no time, probably won’t stop me from sweeping you off your feet though,” I said with a laugh.
“Promise?” she replied, with a slight chuckle of her own. She gave me a peck on the cheek to reward me for my efforts. She directed me further and further. I suppose I did ask for seclusion, she was certainly taking her job seriously.
We arrived at a slightly open area, in the middle sat an unassuming rock that only just looked out of place.
“I used to come here to cry,” said Chit, matter-of-factly.
“Good a place as any,” I said. “Thank you for showing me, do you mind if I plant a deadly flower here?” She looked at me puzzled but shook her head. I walked over to the rock that she used to cry on. “Will you be needing this anymore?” She shook her head again. “Good, because it’s in the way.” I said as I hit it with my palm, bursting it into thousands of pieces that scattered with the wind.
“Dramatic,” she said.
“You know me.”
I dug a hole, big enough for the cutting I’d taken. I threw it in, before I covered it I considered the plant and, just to be sure this worked, cut off my finger with my palm.
Chit yelped and ran to me. “It’s alright!” I said quickly, realising I probably frightened her. “It’s not like it’s a very necessary finger anyway.”
“Sen'o!” she shouted.
“I’m just joking, it’ll grow back. I can heal that eventually.”
“Eventually?”
“In a few years maybe.”
“Sen'o!”
“I can heal that in a few years, but I only have a few weeks to heal the people dying in the infirmary, understand?”
She understood, but she still didn’t like it. She sat back down on a rock, the frown had returned with full force.
I closed the wound on my hand and waited.
A few hours went by, I had no real idea if there was any reason for me to wait. Just as I was beginning to contemplate leaving, the familiar pale stems began to protrude from the ground, the blue cutting through it like veins; they pulsed and ebbed like them too. I took the plant into my hands and examined it, the healers had been handling the plant just fine so it was clearly not dangerous to come in contact with.
I looked toward Chit who was staring at the plant with her mouth open.
“You mustn't come up here anymore, let’s go.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Something very dangerous and extremely secret.” She grabbed my hand, the one missing it’s little finger. She touched the stump that represented my commitment.
“You scared me,” she said.
“I didn’t mean to. Do you want to stay at mine tonight?”
She nodded.
It was a few days later before I found myself in the infirmary again. The training that we had endured since then had been tough on Safi, not so much on me. I was left to study with occasional tutelage, while Safi was subject to brutal lessons on cultivation and combat.
In the afternoon we cultivated. I was approaching the end of the qi integration realm and therefore the end of solo cultivation. Fortunately, Chit’s kiss had given me hope that she’d be comfortable with dual cultivation, it would benefit her greatly as well after all. Especially considering she’d been reset.
The infirmary was all bustle when I entered, I could see a few of the people that had taken the test alongside me, including the girl that I had spoken to. She seemed important as she was already giving orders. I tapped the boss on the shoulder.
“Good morning, are you ready for your first day?” he asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good news, today’s a busy one, we had a couple of expedition teams return with some heavy injuries.”
I was assigned two beds, assistant healers would bring patients to me and I would do my best to treat them. I was not sure if the lack of guidance I was receiving was due to my skill or just because they were so busy.
Either way, I healed everyone who was put before me. Physical injuries were nothing to worry about, it was if something else got involved that I would be in trouble. My unfamiliarity with the planet meant that even easy infections could catch me off guard as I did not know the proper procedures.
Luckily, it was all wounds. Broken fingers, mawed legs, large gashes and welts. Every now and then I would look towards the still drawn curtain. Knowing that I would like to have another go at what lay behind it.
Eventually, after many hours of healing, my last patient got out of the bed. They walked out as if there was no reason to come in in the first place. I walked through the curtain uninterrupted. Immediately the horror show impacted me. Blood, screams and the ghostly white and blue plants that protruded evilly from anywhere and everywhere.
A plant?
I tapped a healer on the shoulder, one that didn’t seem too busy. “Have you tried planting it?”
“Planting it?”
“Planting the plant, I mean.”
“Great idea, plant the thing that we have no idea how to cure and no idea how it spreads.” He said it sarcastically. I shrugged and backed away. Once a portion of healers had moved away from one of the people flailing around, I took up a chair next to them and held their hand. I pretended to inject some qi but instead channeled an illusion technique. I trimmed a portion of the plant in a way I hoped was imperceptible and returned to the position my copy was in.
I ceased my channeling of the technique and left the room as quickly as possible.
I needed someone who knew the sect, preferably someone who didn’t mind spending some alone time with me.
I found her resting in her room, her body still healing. She looked a lot better and was capable of moving about, as long as it was nothing intense. “Chit, would you mind helping me with something?”
She nodded. She was fine to talk now but she still didn’t do it much. “I need somewhere extremely secluded and open to light.”
“In a mountain?” she asked, as if I were stupid.
“Just somewhere close by.” She nodded and got out of bed, gently. She took me out of the sect, a rather considerable walk by itself, then instead of going down - which was where we usually went to get to the jungle - we went up.
Up was a little more difficult, Chit’s legs began shaking very quickly, she looked frustrated at her sudden weakness. I decided to take matters into my own hands, and by matters, I meant Chit. I picked her up, making her gasp. She looked at me grumpily, then crossed her arms.
“You’ll get stronger in no time, probably won’t stop me from sweeping you off your feet though,” I said with a laugh.
“Promise?” she replied, with a slight chuckle of her own. She gave me a peck on the cheek to reward me for my efforts. She directed me further and further. I suppose I did ask for seclusion, she was certainly taking her job seriously.
We arrived at a slightly open area, in the middle sat an unassuming rock that only just looked out of place.
“I used to come here to cry,” said Chit, matter-of-factly.
“Good a place as any,” I said. “Thank you for showing me, do you mind if I plant a deadly flower here?” She looked at me puzzled but shook her head. I walked over to the rock that she used to cry on. “Will you be needing this anymore?” She shook her head again. “Good, because it’s in the way.” I said as I hit it with my palm, bursting it into thousands of pieces that scattered with the wind.
“Dramatic,” she said.
“You know me.”
I dug a hole, big enough for the cutting I’d taken. I threw it in, before I covered it I considered the plant and, just to be sure this worked, cut off my finger with my palm.
Chit yelped and ran to me. “It’s alright!” I said quickly, realising I probably frightened her. “It’s not like it’s a very necessary finger anyway.”
“Sen'o!” she shouted.
“I’m just joking, it’ll grow back. I can heal that eventually.”
“Eventually?”
“In a few years maybe.”
“Sen'o!”
“I can heal that in a few years, but I only have a few weeks to heal the people dying in the infirmary, understand?”
She understood, but she still didn’t like it. She sat back down on a rock, the frown had returned with full force.
I closed the wound on my hand and waited.
A few hours went by, I had no real idea if there was any reason for me to wait. Just as I was beginning to contemplate leaving, the familiar pale stems began to protrude from the ground, the blue cutting through it like veins; they pulsed and ebbed like them too. I took the plant into my hands and examined it, the healers had been handling the plant just fine so it was clearly not dangerous to come in contact with.
I looked toward Chit who was staring at the plant with her mouth open.
“You mustn't come up here anymore, let’s go.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Something very dangerous and extremely secret.” She grabbed my hand, the one missing it’s little finger. She touched the stump that represented my commitment.
“You scared me,” she said.
“I didn’t mean to. Do you want to stay at mine tonight?”
She nodded.
