Darius sat in a chair and watched the examination procedure out of the corner of his eye. He himself was not fond of visits to doctors or healers, but he often sought their help anyway. Draco didn't seem to have such reservations, or perhaps his trained obedience was kicking in. It was hard to tell. Although it seemed that about halfway through the examination, the dragon relaxed a little. Bleist understood his student's tension perfectly. Doctor Herpetes was unique in many ways. His appearance was the result of many years of service as a field healer and the stubbornness with which the doctor remained on the front lines, fighting not only against death, but also against enemies who wanted to harm his patients. Dr. Herpetes was a veteran of three wars, and it was impossible to determine how many minor skirmishes he had participated in. However, he paid the heaviest price during a raid on the headquarters of a criminal group suspected of having ties to black magicians. The doctor was already serving in the Azure Guard at the time, yet he still insisted on being as close to the action as possible. Darius had heard legends about what happened then. Apparently, the initial assumption that the criminals had simple contacts with dark wizards was completely wrong. It turned out that the entire organisation was a cover for a black magic cult. When the Guards sneaked into the camp located in a network of caves, they found sorcerers at work. Not wanting to give them time to complete their cruel ritual, they attacked. All hell broke loose in the stone corridors. The sorcerers defended themselves fiercely, using the most vile spells imaginable, even going so far as to murder their followers to strengthen their power. Dr Herpetes, of course, found himself at the very centre of events. More precisely, at the moment the attack began, he rushed towards the sacrificial altar and the young boy stretched out on it. Apparently, the doctor shot one of the sorcerers standing there and beat another to death with the butt of his pistol. He reached the victim and tried to save the mutilated child. A battle raged around him, a hail of spells, the damned howls of the possessed, the screams of the wounded and dying, among which the healer did not hear the sorcerer he had shot earlier reciting a spell. He realised too late. The boy lying on the altar arched his back with a bloodcurdling scream, his fingers quickly turned into claws, his skin hardened, his teeth turned into fangs, and his eyes burst and turned into black, festering boils. The reanimated corpse lunged at the doctor's throat and tore it apart. Later, the guards who took part in the operation said that Dr. Herpetes threw off the black magic beast, and with his throat torn apart, he lunged at the sorcerer who had cast the spell and beat him to death with his bare fists. Everyone thought the healer would not survive, but he was lucky that the Grand Master and the Crown Marshal himself arrived as soon as they were notified of the cult. Master Tilion rose to the heights of his art and saved Herpetes and all the other wounded, while the Marshal wiped out all the Spawn that the sorcerers had managed to create. Since then, the healer had difficulty speaking, but despite this, he did not end his service and continued to actively participate in all operations conducted by the Azure Guard. He changed only one thing: he trained extremely hard and climbed to the heights of human capabilities when it came to working on himself.
-Now something more interesting. Endurance.- Darius returned to reality just in time to see Draco jump off the stone table. The dragon stretched, flexing all his joints.- Come with me. Yes, yes.- The doctor did not wait for the patient's reaction and moved to the other side of the room.
Bleist turned around to take in the space behind the shelves. Herpetes had set up a gym combined with a training room there. A leather mat lay on the floor, various weights, mannequins and targets were stacked against the walls, and ropes, handrails and ladders hung from the ceiling. Everything the doctor needed to stay in shape was there. Herpetes put his book back on the bookcase and looked around him.
-First, pull-ups.-The man pointed to one of the bars.-Yes, yes. From a full extension to the top and back.
Draco looked at the bar, then at the doctor. The dragon shrugged and walked over to the indicated spot. The handle was suspended at a height suitable for the burly healer, who was about to come over and lower it, but the boy easily jumped up and hung from the bar. Draco took a breath and began to pull himself up at a steady pace. Darius watched his student perform the exercise without any noticeable fatigue. The repetitive movement was almost mesmerising, and the ease with which Draco worked, combined with his indifferent expression, gave him an aura of finesse. The doctor carefully followed the dragon's every move and counted the repetitions. At least for the first ten minutes, and after the next few, when the boy wasn't even out of breath, the doctor wrote something down and spoke.
-That's enough, yes, yes.- Herpetes scratched his head. -More than enough.
Darius smiled to himself. He knew perfectly well that his student had virtually unlimited energy reserves and would have to practise for a long time to get tired. Anyway, all dragons were masters of endurance and strength, although Draco's predisposition to magic might have led the doctor to believe that the boy's physical abilities would suffer. Bleist had come to realise that none of Draco's racial traits seemed weaker than those of other dragons, and sometimes he wondered if his student did not even display stronger attributes, although this could have been due to the young man's diligence.
-Now strength.- The doctor assessed the smiling Draco and rubbed his temples again.- Yes, yes.- He seemed to be thinking about something.- How much can you lift?- The doctor finally asked, pointing to the barbell and weights.
-It depends on how many times.- The dragon glanced at the exercise equipment.- One hundred kilograms is no problem, one hundred and fifty might be difficult if I have to do it for more than ten minutes, two hundred a few times I should be able to manage.- The honesty with which he said it was disarming, but the figures he gave were staggering. To Darius, even at a glance, Draco was very strong, but he didn't look that powerful. It's true that dragons are built differently and even in human form they shouldn't be compared to us. He thought, hoping that his thoughts weren't showing on his face.
-Hmm...- The doctor looked at his book, at the weights, and finally at the dragon. - Two hundred, ten times?
Draco nodded briefly and walked over to the barbell, quickly changed the weight and lay down on the bench. The boy grabbed the bar and took a few deep breaths. He lifted the barbell with visible effort and then began to lower it at a steady pace. Darius watched his student lift the weight and, together with the doctor, counted the repetitions in his mind. It was clear that the weight was doing its job and that even for a dragon it was a lot. Nevertheless, Draco completed ten repetitions and, with effort, put the barbell back in its place, sat down with a gasp and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
-Good, good, - the doctor muttered. - Now continue...
Darius sat and watched his student perform the exercises prescribed by the doctor one by one. It was clear that the healer was assessing Draco's condition as well as his abilities. He watched the boy very closely and took notes from time to time. General fitness, flexibility, agility, reflexes, various endurance exercises and then strength exercises. By the end, the dragon was out of breath and drenched in sweat, but he looked satisfied.
-Great, yes, great.- The doctor repeated once more.- Hmm... That could be all...- He focused on the book for a moment, while Draco seemed both pleased and disappointed.- No, no.- Herpetes leafed through a few pages.- Just to be sure...- He muttered and glanced at the boy.- Yes, yes.- He muttered.- Now transform and I will examine you again. Just to be sure.
Draco blinked, but without hesitation transformed into a dragon. The black reptile took a deep breath, as if pushing away fatigue, and was ready for further effort again. The doctor took a step back in surprise and stared wide-eyed at his patient's dragon form. He was clearly surprised, but his interest had also noticeably increased.
-What now?- Draco glanced at the doctor with his golden eyes and then around the room. He unconsciously stretched his wings a little and flapped them.
-It would be better if you sat on the floor.- Doctor Herpetes correctly assessed that, given Draco's height in his dragon form, it would not be possible to comfortably conduct the examination on the table in the other part of the room. The boy sat down, adjusting his wings and tail, and the doctor proceeded with the examination, repeating everything he had done before.
Darius almost laughed when, at the end of the examination, the healer put his head into Draco's mouth to look at his teeth. The whole procedure took much longer, although considering how thoroughly Herpetes examined the dragon's wings, it was not surprising. The second part of the examination was completed rather quickly and brutally. The dragon was supposed to pull himself up on the same bar as before, but it was too low, and when he moved it higher and hung on it with his entire weight, the ceiling gave way and the mounting hook fell heavily to the floor along with a large piece of stone. The strength test also failed when Draco easily and reflexively lifted the barbell with one paw, which he had previously struggled to lift. Finally, the doctor gave up.
-That's enough. Yes, yes.- Herpetes nodded, and Draco stood still with the heavy metal in one paw and a puzzled expression on his muzzle.- You can put it down and transform.
-It's really light.- Draco muttered unhappily, and Darius almost burst out laughing as he remembered the description Gizel had given when she talked about the first attempt to temper the new steel at Matheo's. It seemed that the dragon had said almost the same thing now after lifting a five-hundred-kilogram plate.
Draco put down the barbell and transformed back into a human, still muttering something about light weights under his breath. He looked a little tired, although Darius suspected that the tedious procedures were more tiring than the subsequent effort.
-Good, good. Come to me. Just a little blood and you'll be free.- Doctor Herpetes had already prepared the syringe and needle. The glass cylinder with a piston must have been made by a truly skilled alchemist, and the needle by a master metallurgist. These instruments were not cheap and required the involvement of true master craftsmen, but they were gaining popularity thanks to the promotion by elven healers. Especially since elven clinics had published innovative research on patients' blood.
Draco grimaced slightly but approached the doctor. The blood sampling itself did not cause the boy any difficulty and even seemed less problematic than he had previously assumed.
-You can get dressed. Yes, yes.- The healer nodded and, paying no attention to anything else, immersed himself in his notes. The dragon did not need to be told twice and quickly found himself at the coat rack. The doctor muttered as he took notes, so Darius returned to browsing through the books spread out on the desk.- I can say that everything is fine with you.- Bleist turned towards the room. The doctor stood by the stone table and leaned on a closed book. - You're as fit as a fiddle. You won't have any problems, which means I see no contraindications to your joining the military class. - Draco smiled. - All that's left is to sign the documents. - Herpetes turned to Darius and held out his hand. Earl seemed confused for a moment, but quickly reached into the inside pocket of his coat.
-Oh, I think...- Bleist checked the other pocket.- I think I misplaced it somewhere...- He thought for a moment.- Oh yes... Draco, on my way here, I was looking through some documents and I think I accidentally put your medical form from Solvein in with them. Could you bring it from the carriage?
-Of course, master.- The dragon breathed a sigh of relief, clearly relieved.- I'll be right back.- Before the mage could say anything else, Draco had already disappeared behind the door.
-What do you think, Doctor?- Darius waited long enough for the dragon to run down the corridor.
-Hmmm... If you hadn't written anything in your letter, I probably wouldn't have noticed.- The healer sat down heavily on the stone table. He had a grim expression and an irritated look in his eyes. - Fractured skull at the right brow bone, broken jaw, collarbone, both arms several times, same with the legs, five ribs including one with a perforated lung, crushed fingers on the left hand. - The doctor listed them one by one, and Bleist felt increasingly sick. - I didn't even count the bone fractures. On top of that, I found traces of a crossbow shot. - He grimaced. - The bolt entered the back, under the ribs, and exited the right side. - Herpetes paused for a moment. - And all that in human form. In dragon form, there are also wing injuries. Broken bones, torn membranes... Eh, there's no trace of minor injuries, but I'm sure there were plenty of them.- The doctor threw up his hands. Darius felt a horrible grimace twist his face, he had no idea what to think.- However, everything was well treated. Yes, yes. With the use of magic and potions, by someone who knows their stuff. Maybe a military healer, maybe one of the doctors from the elven clinic.- The man shrugged.
Bleist refrained from growling. It took a lot of effort to keep his nerves in check, but he had no intention of taking it out on the older healer.
-The good news is that all the injuries have healed perfectly, leaving no changes that would affect your apprentice, Darius. With time, even the changes I noticed should disappear. After all, he's a dragon. - Herpetes shook his head. - Do you know who treated Draco?
-A doctor named Xian'qett.- Darius tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down a little.
-Xian'qett, Xian'qett...- The healer stood up and, repeating the name, walked over to one of the bookshelves. He browsed through the backs of the books for a moment until he took out one of the obviously older ones. He began to leaf through the densely written pages. Finally, he stopped and pointed at something with his finger.- Xian'qett... Ah, yes, Orth'zeth Xian'qett. I met him once.- He muttered, reading the entry in the book.- Yes, an orc shaman, healer and surgeon. Very talented. For a long time, he was the first shaman in Durtah Zav and the right-hand man of the previous war chief of the grey orcs. After the change of power at court twenty years ago, he withdrew into the shadows and later disappeared... If it is indeed him, I am not surprised that Draco is in such good condition despite bearing so many signs of serious injuries.
-He chose Dagos for his retirement...- Darius sighed.- Madame Nasua really made sure that her nephew was treated by the best healer.
-Yes, yes.- Herpetes closed the book and turned to Darius.- You don't have to worry, he'll be fine. Yes, yes.- He hesitated.- There's just one thing that worries me. Draco has clearly been suffering from injuries for a long time, often several at once. It may turn out that for this reason he has a very high tolerance for pain and a tendency to disregard his own injuries. You should keep that in mind. Yes, you should.
-I certainly will.- Darius was not pleased with this information. Wrestling with his thoughts, he looked at the book he was holding. He had forgotten that he had picked it up at all. The pages were covered with Dr Herpetes' dense handwriting. Bleist scanned a few lines and quickly closed the manuscript, realising that he did not know the alphabet, let alone the language in which it was written.
The mage glanced at the healer, who, after putting down the older book, returned to writing new information in the manuscript, which contained a note about Draco. Darius closed his eyes and tried to lock away the unpleasant thoughts in the recesses of his mind, to return to them in private. He managed to do so just as the door opened and the dragon returned, holding the folded page in his hand.
-I found it, master.- Draco smiled radiantly.
-Thank you.- Bleist smiled back and shifted his gaze from his student to the doctor.- Doctor...
Earl froze. Herpetes straightened up and stared at the dragon with a mixture of surprise and confusion. It looked as if he did not recognise the boy and wanted to ask what he was doing there.
-Doctor Herpetes.- The colonel raised his voice to get the healer's attention.
-Yes, Darius?- The doctor narrowed his eyes as he looked at the mage.
-This is my apprentice, Draco.- Bleist stood up and approached the man in the coat.- You examined him just a moment ago.- He pointed to the incomprehensible symbols in the book the doctor was leaning over.- He went to get the medical form for admission to the military class in Solvein for you to sign.
-Draco... Draco...- The doctor looked at the boy, then fixed his gaze on the entry in the book. -Draco... Darius's student... Ah! The dragon! Yes, I remember, yes. - Herpetes raised his head, recognising the young man. - Everything is fine with you. - The doctor reached out his hand towards the dragon. Draco looked really confused and didn't know what to do.
-The form, Draco. - Darius muttered.
The dragon glanced at his master and, with an uncertain expression, handed the paper to the doctor. Doctor Herpetes did not pay attention to the boy's surprise and immediately began filling out the document. Draco took a step back and kept looking from the healer to Darius, but tactfully did not ask any questions. The doctor quickly finished filling out the paper and handed it to Draco.
-Here you go. Yes, yes.- Herpetes smiled.
-Thank you, Doctor.- The dragon smiled back, or at least as best he could.
-Yes, thank you too, Doctor.- Bleist rose from his seat and bowed slightly.
-Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all, really.- The healer seemed genuinely pleased to have been able to help.- If, gods forbid, something happens to you in the future, Draco, you can always come to me for help.
-Thank you, I hope I won't have to take advantage of your kindness, Doctor.- This time, the dragon managed to smile genuinely.
-I'd love to stay longer, but I have to stop by the office today.- Darius approached the doctor and shook his hand.
-You are always welcome.- Herpetes shook hands with both the earl and his student.- Take care, gentlemen.
-Take care, Doctor.- Draco said as he left the office.
They found themselves in the corridor. Darius adjusted his clothes slightly and headed for the exit. The dragon followed him, but even without seeing him, the mage knew that his student wanted to ask him something. And he knew what it was. Bleist waited for the boy to catch up with him and looked at him briefly.
-Six... No, seven years ago, someone tried to poison Dr Herpetes. - He muttered quietly enough that only Draco could hear him. - A very strong magical poison was used, and to this day, no one knows exactly what it was. Many healers, doctors and alchemists tried to save him, and even the Grand Master was called in. As you can see, the doctor survived, but since then he has had problems with his memory.- Bleist paused for a moment.- Perhaps it would be better to say that he has difficulty recognising people and matching them to his memories. - He knew that Draco was still staring at him. - For some reason, in the case of each person, only one association allows him to remember everything related to them. For me, it is the statement that I am the son of Varis Bleist. - He turned his head towards his student. - For you, it will obviously be that you are my student and a dragon.
-Can...- Draco paused and nodded slightly to the doctor passing by. -Can it be... Well...
-Cured?- Darius opened the door to the outside. -Many have tried for seven years. -He sighed heavily.
-That's a shame. -It was clear that Draco genuinely felt sorry for the good doctor.
-Yes, it's a great pity.- Bleist headed towards the carriage.- Maybe one day we'll be able to help Doctor Herpetes, just as he has been helping everyone his whole life.
As soon as the sergeant saw them, he opened the carriage door. Without waiting for anything, they got inside.
-As I said, we still have to stop by my office. I need to pick up some documents.- Darius made an apologetic face. He knew very well that his student would prefer to practise some more now, so that he could digest the information about the doctor in peace. -It won't take long, and we'll make it to Ed'heer before dinner. - Draco just nodded and sank into his thoughts.