blueteamnovel Chapter 291: The Infirmary
Chapter 291: The Infirmary
Chapter 291: The Infirmary
The infirmary was larger than most buildings in Undergrowth. Dozens upon dozens of rooms were scattered throughout the stone structure. The size alone made it seem almost like a castle. But where castles were filled with guards, servants, and luxurious tapestries and furniture, the infirmary was filled with the dying and the sick, and the sweet putrid scent of medicinal potions.
There were many healers, each bustling through the narrow halls, juggling between patients. Most of the healers were academy-trained doctors or herbalists born and raised in Undergrowth. Far fewer were white mages capable of casting powerful healing spells that could stimulate and increase the speed of the bodys natural regeneration.
The best of the healers had been assigned to take care of anyone who came in from the Great Cities Tourney. Yet for all the power of the white mages, they were unable to figure out what was truly wrong with Beatrix dai-Morrigan. The young warrior-mage had several injuries, but none of them explained her loss of consciousness or how most of the healing spells seemed to be having little effect on her body.
After an hour of intense spell-casting, the group of white mags declared the orc stable and left the crowded room. The patient was left unconscious on her bed of linen sheets. A vase with a single pitiful pale flower sat on a bed stand to the left of her. It had been the infirmarys chief healers idea to liven the rooms with some flower decorations, but the dying flowers seemed only to remind its residents of the stench of death floating throughout the halls.
It was the window above Beatrixs bed, the small connection to the outside world, that called her back from the minds oblivion. The faint echoing cries and cheers of the coliseums crowds reached even all the way here.
Beatrix groaned a soft sound and scrunched her shut eyes tight, before slowly opening them in a blurry gaze. The pale stone-grey ceiling was unfamiliar, but the sweet sick scent of medicinal potions was anything but.
She laid still in her bed, a thousand thoughts ran through her muddled head, but one thought resounded clearly above the rest.
...I lost, she mumbled with dry lips.
Beatrix? Youre awake! the voice yelled with a mixture of surprise and relief.
At the sound of the familiar voice, she tried to turn her neck and barely managed to have her head loll on the pillow. At least it was in the right direction she supposed.
In the corner of the room sat her older half-brother, Gilgard. She had guessed it was him, the voice was too familiar. Though she would never have guessed hed be here.
Gilgard stood to his full towering height, a common trait in the Katag and Morrigan families, and rushed to her bedside.
Are you alright? How do you feel? Talk to me, please, Gilgard said in a jumble of breathless words.
Beatrix glanced around the empty room with sluggish eyes before finally settling her gaze on the giant orc looming over her. She paused, her minds thought came to a sudden halt, transfixed on what she saw. She had never seen her brother so scared.
You came? she mumbled.
Gilgard broke into a relieved smile, Came? Im the one who carried you here.
You did?
He shrugged, a hint of anger in his deep-set amber eyes, I wasnt about to wait for some amateur healers to march into the arena with some stretcher ten minutes too late. The moment the heralds called the match I jumped down from the stands, picked you up, and rushed you to the infirmary.
...You didnt have to do that. Beatrix bit her lip, I dont know if I would have done that for you Not after our fight
Then thank the gods that Im not you, Gilgard winked. He pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat down. His playful expression suddenly turned solemn, ...Im sorry. I was so focused on trying to change House Morrigan, to be different from our father, that I lost sight of the family struggling right next to me.
The words stung and cracked her outer shell. Beatrix sighed and stared up at the stone-grey ceiling, Lord Morri-... Father would never have apologized. You dont have to try and be different from him. You already are. She smiled lopsidedly, You always have been. Its why youre such a pain in the ass.
Did you just insult me? he blinked. His lips curled upwards in a grin, What happened to my ever-so-proper sister? Did you get a concussion in that duel?
I dont know Im not really sure what happened, she said quietly.
I dont understand. What are you trying to say?
Beatrix bit her lip, There was something else lurking within him. I had never seen anything like it. Looking back, I can tell that it somewhat resembled chaos mana like what swirls in Shadow Lake, but this this was different, like the mana had mutated somehow, it was unique, and far more potent. It felt almost alive. It attacked me. Im guessing its why I lost control of my body chaos poisoning.
Wait, hold on a sec, Gilgard shook his head. Youre saying that the Ebon Aspirant, a prime mage, had elemental chaos mana inside of him. First off, ignoring how he somehow managed to inject himself with some strange variant of chaos mana, how in all the bloody Null Realms was he not completely disabled from chaos poisoning?
...I dont know. But he didnt inject himself with it. That mana was flowing within him, coexisting with his chromatic flow. It reminded me of the frost giant hybrid on Frost Rims team. Both of them had an elemental and chromatic flow living in a symbiotic relationship within their bodies.
Youre saying its natural? The Aspirant naturally has chaos mana? How is that even possible? Chaos mana cant coexist with other kinds of mana, its literally why mages get sick when they are near it.
And yet the Aspirant wasnt We dont know a lot about the Ebon Lords or their true limits. The Ebon Lords of the past kept their secrets closely hidden. We still dont even know how the ebon walls of Hollow Shade were made. What if this is one of those secrets?
That Ebon Lords had chaos mana? Beatrix, a prime mage is still a chromatic mage, beholden to the same rules as the rest of us. Your theory seems a little far-fetched.
As far-fetched as a mage walking around with chaos mana inside them? she raised her eyebrow.
...Point taken. Ill send a message to father, an inquiry regarding the Ebon Lords of the past and their magic. If there is something about chaos, hopefully well find out.
Dont tell father about the Aspirants secret.
Huh? Gilgard frowned. You of all people want to keep a secret from Father?
Beatrix looked away with shame, I already lost todays fight. Im afraid hell think Im just making up an excuse for why I lost.
Gilgard squeezed her hand and smiled warmly, Dont worry, as if I would ever tell him any secrets.
Beatrix smiled, You know, Im glad youre different.
A visitor abruptly knocked on the door, their fist hitting the wood with a hard thump.
Who is it? Gilgard called out.
Its me, Hallus. May I come in, captain.
Come in, Gilgard said.
The door creaked open and an orc as tall as Gilgard and twice as bulky walked in. He glanced at Beatrix briefly then turned to Gilgard, his hand raised in a salute, Captain, Im sorry to bother you and your sister.
Its fine, Gilgard said.
Hallus, I know you wouldnt come here without a reason. What happened? Beatrix asked.
Hallus cleared his throat and straightened his back, I came to report that Lady Thorn has drawn the names for the next duel.
And? Who are they? Gilgard asked tentatively.
Kalliste of House Lilith and Callum of House Veres.