Sitting in the carriage, Draco stared out the window, watching the changing scenery. At dinner, his master told him that in order to be accepted into the military class in Solvein, he would need a doctor's opinion confirming that he had no health contraindications. As Darius put it, it was just a formality that had to be ticked off. Fortunately, Bleist's friend, a doctor, had found time for an examination this very afternoon. The dragon was a little disappointed to have to give up his sword training, but he was curious about the visit itself, especially since they were going to the military part of the city.
They had just left the buildings of Rithien and were climbing the slope of Mount Soljan. The view of the city below was breathtaking. Draco couldn't take his eyes off the panorama, especially after he spotted the Emerald Pagoda rising in the distance and the city walls looming far away, with a green expanse behind them. The dragon was slowly beginning to recognise the places he had visited. The important landmark worked wonders, and the boy couldn't believe how little he had seen.
Darius smiled at his student's interest in the views and, not wanting to disturb Draco's fascination, quietly immersed himself in the papers he had with him. Every now and then he glanced at the boy, but did not speak unless asked. The reptile did not know what to ask and simply absorbed the view.
The carriage finally slowed down, then turned off the main path leading upwards and drove onto a partially artificial terrace surrounded by high walls. Draco looked around with even greater interest. They had just passed through a gate guarded by soldiers in blue uniforms. The dragon immediately realised that they were members of the Azure Guard, as their uniforms were the same cut as Darius's, while the private units from Ed'heer were dressed differently, more ornately. The guards had no embroidery except for epaulettes, an Atlantean star on their right shoulder and unit insignia.
They stopped, and outside, the sounds of everyday life could now be heard. The heavy footsteps of guards, the quick running of messengers and couriers, the clatter of horses' hooves on the cobblestones, more or less urgent conversations. Everyday life. One of the sergeants from Ed'heer opened the carriage door. Draco, seeing Darius' inviting gesture, quickly jumped out. They were in a courtyard surrounded on three sides by squat, three-storey buildings with small windows and narrow doors. To the left of the gate was a stable with the only large door in sight. Apart from the grey stone, the only colour was the blue of the banners marking the entrances. The last side of the courtyard was closed off by a massive wall guarded by Guardsmen, with a gate flanked by two towers. Through the open gate, Draco could see a wide, cobbled road with people constantly moving along it. A rock wall stretched above the wall, and when Draco looked up, he saw a road winding its way up to the top and more terraces with buildings similar to the ones he was currently in. Only when he looked at them from below could he say with certainty that most of them were man-made. It seemed that the tops of smaller peaks, detached from the main massif, had been cut off for construction, and the space obtained had been widened using large blocks of stone. Interestingly, the higher up the fortified complex was, the larger it was. It was difficult to see from a distance, but each one also flew a flag of a different colour. Considering that this particular one displayed a blue flag with an Atlantean star embroidered in navy blue thread, they must have indicated which Guard the fortifications belonged to.
-We are in one of the lower forts.- Darius spoke up, tearing the dragon away from admiring the views. -In this particular one, apart from the medical unit, there is a courier office and a minor logistics centre. I know you would like to look around some more, but we should hurry,- the mage smiled. It did not sound as if he really wanted to rush his student, but rather as if he was reminding him that they had an appointment.
-Of course, master.- The dragon reflected. Only now did he realise that since they had left the buildings behind and started climbing the road towards the summit of Soljan, he had stopped talking and was just staring at the vast open space. - Which way do we go? - He looked around the courtyard once more. Several Guardsmen stood at the gate, watching everyone who passed the fort entrance on their way to the summit. After letting the carriage through, they paid little attention to it. Apart from them, there were several couriers in grey, purple and blue uniforms in the courtyard. Most of them were calmly waiting for their assignments, and those who had already received them rushed to the stables and, after a moment, came out leading the horses that had been prepared earlier. The military couriers disappeared behind the gate, and new ones appeared from outside, rushing into the building adjacent to the stables.
-The other way.- Darius pointed to the building behind him, around which nothing was happening.
The dragon nodded and followed his master. As they approached the door, a Guardsman came out and stood at attention as soon as he recognised Bleist. The soldier clicked his heels and saluted. Darius merely nodded as he passed the soldier. They went inside. It turned out that the calm outside did not extend to the interior of the building. The wide corridor running the entire length of the floor was full of doctors in white coats thrown over their colourful Guard uniforms. It looked as if they were reporting something and exchanging information. Opposite the entrance was a staircase, which, interestingly, led both up and down.
-Oh, I forgot it's time for the shift change briefing.- Darius muttered.
Draco remained silent and just looked around. It didn't seem like anyone was paying the slightest attention to the two of them. The doctors were completely focused on their conversations with each other. Bleist headed for the staircase, with the dragon right behind him. To the student's surprise, the wizard began to descend. Following him, Draco took one last look at the crowded corridor and quickened his pace slightly so as not to fall behind. They went down two floors to an almost identical corridor, only empty.
-Aretas Herpetes.- Darius stopped after a few steps into the corridor on the right.- He's a great doctor. An excellent surgeon... Healer... Alchemist...- He cleared his throat.- He's also a bit... eccentric.- Bleist paused for a moment, and Draco swallowed, not knowing whether to be afraid or whether it wasn't so bad after all.- It'll be fine.- Darius turned to his student with a slightly artificial smile on his lips.- Really.- He moved forward.
That didn't help. The dragon swallowed again. Oh, it didn't help at all. Having no choice, he followed his master. Darius reached the end of the corridor and knocked on the door. Without waiting for a response, he opened it and went inside.
Draco followed Bleist. The room was large and brightly lit by a multitude of dwarven lamps. They were literally everywhere. On tables, cupboards, shelves, piles of books and the floor. Some hung from hooks protruding from the walls and ceiling. After blinking several times, the dragon managed to see more in the blinding glare. To the right of the entrance were shelves covered with books, journals and notes. It seemed that, in addition to storage space, they also served as a kind of screen dividing the large room. On the left side, everything was perfectly tidy, and the only free-standing objects were lamps. In the middle of the room was a stone block that reminded Draco of a sarcophagus or an autopsy table. It did not evoke any pleasant connotations. The dragon felt a shiver and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He even caught himself not letting go of Gler'thys's pommel. Opposite the entrance, there was a large desk with jars and bottles of various liquids, bowls, alchemical and medical instruments, partially filled sheets of paper, pens, pencils and pieces of charcoal.
-Doctor?- Darius raised his voice slightly. -Doctor Herpetes?- He called out a little louder, approaching the desk at the same time.
-Who's there?- The hoarse voice coming from behind the shelves was reminiscent of a choir of the dead. Draco was sure that his face had turned deathly pale. He was not a fearful man, but... That 'but' was all around him.
-Darius Bleist, Doctor.- The Master seemed to breathe a little easier.- You have agreed to examine my student before admitting him to Solvein.
-Blaaaaaist.- Draco grimaced at the sound of what almost seemed like the wailing of the damned. -Blaiiiiist... Bleissssst...- The doctor repeated the name over and over, intoning it differently each time. There was not a shred of respect in his voice.
-Darius... Son of Varis Bleist.- The master clarified.
-Varisss... Ah! The son of Varis Bleist!- Something heavy fell to the ground with a bang, and Draco jumped up, almost drawing his sword.- Darius, yes, Darius.- The doctor muttered.- The normal one...
Heavy footsteps revealed that the man was approaching, and he quickly emerged from behind the shelves. The doctor was stripped from the waist up and drenched in sweat, as if he had just been exercising. He was tall for a man and, despite his advanced age, very muscular. The olive skin on his face, bare chest and arms was marked with countless scars. He had chestnut hair, slightly sprinkled with grey, reaching his neck, a once handsome face and dull, hazel eyes. Under the huge number of old scars, it was impossible to tell what his facial expression was. However, the scar covering his entire larynx revealed why the doctor's voice sounded so unusual. Draco had the impression that something must have almost torn the man's head off in the past, and some miracle worker had magically restored the torn parts.
Herpetes frowned as he looked at Darius. After a moment, he took a deep breath.
-Darius.- He whispered, as if to make sure. -Good to see you, Darius.- The doctor nodded slightly. -You rarely visit me.- The man complained, looking around for something. Only then did he notice Draco standing a little behind . -You really do have a student. I thought I would never live to see it.
-You're not the first to tell me that.- It was clear that Darius had great respect for the doctor.- I hope you'll find some time to examine Draco.
-Yes, you wrote that.- The doctor finally spotted what he was looking for and picked up a white coat from one of the chairs. He put on the coat and picked up the manuscript from the desk.- Examinations for the military class... Yes, you wrote that.
-Draco is going into the third year, so we'll need the full tests. The tests from Dagos may not be accepted here, so we'll have to repeat them all.- Bleist shrugged.
-All right, all right... We'll do everything. - The doctor nodded. - Sit down, Darius, sit down... This will take a while. - The man passed the mage and stood in front of Draco.
The dragon couldn't take his eyes off Herpetes. Even a cursory glance at the doctor left no doubt as to his combat experience. In addition, his terrifying voice and unusual manner did not grant him any medical authority.
-Draco, yes, yes.- Herpetes muttered under his breath and only then looked at the dragon more closely.- Pleased to meet you.
-I am also very pleased to meet you, Doctor.- Draco replied quickly, trying to appear as normal as possible.
-Yes, yes, nice to meet you.- The low murmur sent shivers down the dragon's spine.- You're applying to the military class in Solvein, right?- The man nodded and continued without waiting for an answer.- It's a difficult career path. Yes, difficult. Not everyone can handle it, but education always comes in handy. Good learning, hard work. Yes, yes.- The doctor flipped through a few pages of a thick notebook with notes. He glanced at something and gasped harder.- Is there anything I should know before we begin?
-Draco, I took the liberty of informing Dr Herpetes earlier that you are a dragon.- Darius spoke up. The reptile merely nodded, knowing full well that even a cursory examination by a second-rate quack would clearly indicate Draco's race. -Is there anything else the doctor should know before he begins the examination?
-Hmmm... I don't think so, master.- The dragon wondered what could be important.- I feel fine, I have no injuries, I can't remember the last time I was ill... Everything seems to be fine.
-All right, yes.- The healer muttered to himself again before speaking to his patient.- That's good, good. We'll start with a general examination. Physical condition, health, fitness, endurance and so on. Then you'll transform and we'll repeat it. Yes.- Herpetes nodded to himself.- Finally, I'll take your blood for alchemical analysis for diseases that don't show symptoms. You're a dragon, so you'll pass everything without any problems. Yes, yes.- He scrutinised Draco as if he wanted to commit his image to memory.- Please undress. You can leave your clothes on the hanger by the door.- The doctor turned away, walked over to a stone block and placed a book on it, open on the first blank page.
Draco glanced at his master, who had begun to browse through the books on the desk. Bleist sensed his student's gaze and smiled reassuringly. The dragon, somewhat calmer now, turned and walked towards the coat hook, unfastening his sword belt on the way. He quickly took off his clothes and carefully placed them on the hanger. When he was left in his shorts, he turned towards the healer and approached the table over which the man was leaning. He stopped a few steps away from him and instinctively put his hands behind his back, a habit from the Dragon Academy. Draco glanced nervously under the doctor's arm. Herpetes was just finishing a brief general description of his new patient.
-There, there,- muttered the healer without even looking up from the page he was writing on. Only when he had finished did he stand up and glance at the dragon once more. Draco swallowed hard. He couldn't help but find the healer unsympathetic, and he felt himself getting nervous. -We'll start with a general examination. Yes, yes.- The man straightened up and looked at the patient for a moment.- Stand with your legs slightly apart, arms down at your sides.
Draco obediently followed the instructions. The doctor first examined the dragon thoroughly from head to toe. Then he checked his joints and bones one by one, and finally asked Draco to bend over so he could look at his spine. In the meantime, he paused every now and then to write something in his book. Interestingly, the doctor's hands were not rough as the reptile had expected; it turned out that his fingers were very delicate and nimble. Once he had examined the boy thoroughly, he spent a long time writing and muttering something incomprehensible to himself.
It all took so long that Draco had time to get used to the healer, and his subconscious fear gave way first to a shy interest in the doctor's work, and then to a budding respect for Dr Herpetes' professionalism. The dragon noticed that the healer had written almost an entire page of text, crossing out his previous notes one by one.
-Good, good, the doctor finally muttered.- Now sit up straight, please, and I'll check your reflexes.
-Yes, doctor.
Draco quickly jumped onto the stone table, trying not to grimace, because even for him it was unpleasantly cold, and the thin fabric of his shorts did not particularly protect him from it. Clearly, the rock block was covered with magical spells unpleasantly reminiscent of something that might be useful on a dissection table. The dragon straightened up and froze in a stiff position.
-Reflexes, yes, reflexes.- The doctor took a small hammer out of his coat pocket and tapped the dragon's knee lightly. Draco watched with curiosity as nothing happened.- Hmmm...- Doctor Herpetes rubbed his chin, looked at the hammer, then at Draco, and back at the tool he was holding. - Dragon. - He muttered briefly and tapped harder and in a slightly different place. This time it elicited the correct reflex. The doctor checked the other reflexes for a moment, then put the hammer away and stood in front of the dragon, taking a small magnifying glass out of his pocket. - Lean towards me and look straight ahead. - Draco obeyed, and the doctor immobilised his head and eyelids with one hand and brought the magnifying glass closer to his eye with the other. It was strange to look at the man through the inverted magnifying glass, but Draco did not even flinch. Then the healer checked the other eye. Satisfied, he nodded to himself several times and began to write something in his book. It seemed that he was finishing writing in small print on the third page of a not-so-small book. -Good, yes, good,- he muttered under his breath, straightening up and turning back to the dragon.- Now open your mouth wide. I'll examine your teeth, yes.- Doctor Herpetes leaned over again with his magnifying glass and took a wooden spatula out of his other pocket. Draco calmly submitted to the dental examination. In the case of dragons, there could be no question of dental disease, but a requirement is a requirement. Some time passed before the doctor silently returned to writing in his book. When he finished, he straightened up and scanned the dragon again, as if checking off all the procedures he had performed in his memory.- Good, yes, good. - He nodded. - Now we'll move on to the magical examination. - He stood in front of the dragon. - I'll put one hand on your shoulder and the other on your chest, like this. - The doctor began to explain. - Close your eyes and try to relax. When you feel the energy flowing through you, try not to react to it and let it flow. Yes?
-Is it...- Draco bit his lip.- Is it safe?- He asked, looking at the doctor.- I mean, for you. Won't it cause some kind of reaction... I don't know, a defensive one?
-Hmmm... no, no. - The doctor shook his head. - I won't touch your source, so nothing will happen. Relax, yes, relax.
Draco stared at the healer's inscrutable face for a moment, then nodded briefly to show he understood and closed his eyes. He felt a touch on his shoulder and chest, and then a wave of warmth began to spread through his body, emanating from the point of contact with the doctor. The dragon did not resist; the warmth was pleasant on the one hand, but very strange on the other. The energy circulated through Draco for a long time, long enough for him to become uncomfortable in one position. Finally, the doctor took his hands off him -Good, yes, good. - The doctor muttered, and Draco glanced at him. The man was already leaning over the book, scribbling something furiously. The doctor wrote for a long time, filling more than two pages before turning to the dragon again.- Now for something more interesting. Endurance.- He pointed to the passage to the other half of the room.