A dense jungle full of surprises and new places to explore! Scientists are still trying to document species found here, while travelers flock here for a sense of adventure. Be sure to make lots of preparations though, as it can be quite dangerous! (+3 Precision, +2 Offense)

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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2015 2:19 AM

The Baskerville leered wordlessly at Jack. The doctor, though he put on his best poker face, thought he would faint from both the stench and the terror and held his breath. After examining Jack, however, the guard stepped back and motioned with his paw for his Serraptor companion to come forth. "You," the Baskerville barked, "take Doctor Kinara to his destination."

The Serraptor saluted and stepped up to Jack, who slowly released his pent up breath. He thought the fearsome Baskerville was going to accompany him, or worse, turn his request down immediately. He wasn't sure if his anesthesia would have even worked on such a large and tough canine. The Serraptor seemed like an easier target, and he felt glad as they started walking away from the hospital grounds. Already, freedom seemed so much closer. All he had to do was get several miles into the fog.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2015 2:33 AM

The world around them was a vast swath of silver, as if nothing else existed except Jack and the Serraptor. Being unable to see into the distance was uncomfortable enough, but the complete lack of sound except for their footsteps in the grass made everything eerier. It was as if the mist was not only blocking their sight, but also all noises, and Jack shivered at the atmosphere. Then again, he thought, this is a blessing. If this fog is truly dampening sounds, then maybe they won't hear the Serraptor if he calls for help.

They traveled in silence for a long time. Jack thankfully wore a watch on his wrist and constantly checked it to see how far they were progressing, as he had no visual cues to tell him when they had walked far enough. He knew the nearest Imperial base was about forty minutes away on foot. Perhaps halfway there was a good time to strike.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2015 2:46 AM

They had left the hospital at nine hours and fifteen minutes. The doctor kept a close watch on the time, waiting for nine hours and thirty-five minutes to arrive. He tried to fight off the temptation to strike too early. Stumbling around in this mist was boring, and that combined with his desire to flee made his instincts scream at him to bust open the briefcase and inject the Serraptor immediately. He forced his eyes to stare straight ahead and focused on counting the number of steps he took. One, two, three...

After an eternity, Jack glanced down at the time and saw that now was the moment to act. His pulse skyrocketed again. He imagined all his neurons firing away, preparing for the act and then the grand escape. The first step was to make an excuse to open up his case.

The Kuhna cleared his throat. "Oh, um, pardon me sir. Would you mind if I checked my belongings quickly? I think I left something important behind at the hospital."

The Serraptor stopped and glared at Jack. "Geeze, after we've already come all this way? All right, sure, but we're not gonna turn back to grab whatever you forgot."
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/10/2015 3:06 AM

Jack, tails trembling, set his briefcase down on the grass, making sure to angle the contents away from the guard's gaze. He undid the two latches holding the lid closed. The syringe was lying right in the center of the case. Taking a deep breath, he swiftly grabbed the needle and slammed the briefcase back shut. He leaped at the Serraptor, who had a confused and then alarmed look on his face. "H-hey, stop!" the reptile shouted.

Jack was too fast. He stabbed the anesthetic into one scaly arm, left the needle in, and wheeled around to grab his belongings. The Serraptor yanked out the syringe and snapped his jaws at Kinara, but the Kuhna used the briefcase to block the attack. Now Jack just had to stall and make sure his enemy was unconscious before running. It was no good to flee now in case the anesthetic didn't work.

He was by no means a fighter. As a doctor in the army, he had received some basic training on self defense and passed the relevant exams, but he knew he could not compare to a fully fledged soldier. Thankfully, injected anesthetics worked quickly. While he fended off blow after blow using his briefcase -- a surprisingly effective shield -- he noticed the Serraptor's movements gradually growing more sluggish and less accurate. Eventually the guard managed to land one strike, a claw slash that ripped into Jack's shoulder and caused him to gasp in pain, but the Serraptor collapsed on the ground shortly after. Jack saw his foe's eyelids fluttering and took that as his cue to dash away, wincing as his injury added hurt to his movements.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2015 2:19 AM

He ran and he ran and he ran. His breaths were heavy, his heart thumped in his throat, and his shoulder stung with every stride. Dark blood trickled down his leg from the wound, but Jack did not pause to check how badly it was bleeding. He had to put distance between him and the Serraptor. He feared that another Imperial might have heard the struggle and was now attempting to track him down.

He remembered that he still wore an Imperial badge, clipped to his black chest fur. Without halting, he forcefully yanked it off, sending a few dark hairs drifting to the ground, and flung the badge to his right. He didn't see where it landed. It just shot into the thick wall of mist and vanished like it was never meant to exist in the first place.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jack slowed to a stop, gasping for breath. His pulse pounded painfully in his skull. His tails were sore from carrying his briefcase the entire way. He noticed that nearly his entire foreleg was now matted with blood, and he tried to clean some of it with his tongue. It was a worse injury than he thought. He'd have to find civilization soon and get medical attention, or else he risked infection or passing out from blood loss.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2015 2:53 AM

Jack raised his head to examine his surroundings. Nothing seemed familiar and there was only grass stretching into the ever thickening fog. "Should've planned out where I'd run to," he murmured, setting down his briefcase. He unlocked it and dug out a first aid kit so he could address the slash. First he disinfected the area around it with a wipe, then slathered ointment over the wound. He wrapped it up in gauze not so tightly that it would hurt, but just enough in hopes of staunching the bleeding some. He sighed and shook his head. First aid would manage the wound for a little while, but how much time he could buy, the doctor didn't know.

Jack packed up again and resumed his blind journey into the mists. His fatigue only increased, as did the pain in his entire body. The gauze on his leg, though it held up for a while, gradually turned deep red. He started to feel lightheaded and had trouble walking straight. It seemed that there were no hours, minutes, or seconds. The hands on his watch were difficult to believe, telling him he had traveled a much shorter distance than he imagined. Even the fog seemed to mock him, revealing nothing of where he was headed. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.

A huge wave of dizziness knocked Jack onto his side. The grass caught him with a dull thud, and he watched the world slowly grow dimmer and dimmer. This is the end, he thought. All I did...it was in vain. I am going to die here, and no one will know what happened to me.

He exhaled. His yellow eyes closed.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2015 2:38 PM

"Deep wound in the left foreleg...not infected but may require stitches... Breathing is shallow... Muscles seem strained..."

Out of the darkness came a female voice. It was little more than an incoherent mutter at first, but the words slowly developed clarity. What? Jack Kinara thought. Who's there? Who are you? Answer me... Please, answer me...

He groaned and shifted in his half awareness. He opened his eyes partway, but all he saw was a blur of white, blue, and silver. His ears picked up a shocked gasp. The feminine voice spoke again. "Oh, doctor, he's coming to!" There was some shuffling right next to him. "Sir, can you hear me? Please raise your tail, if you can."

Jack weakly lifted the tip of one of his tails. He could now sense that he was lying on a soft surface, and there seemed to be something stuck in his arm. A constant beeping sound blipped in the background. Is this...a hospital? he wondered.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2015 3:01 PM

The mess of colors consolidated into more concrete shapes. He could make out some larger creature with what looked like wings standing over him. Though he had never been particularly religious, Jack's first thought was that it was a Seraph who had come from the Heavenly Vaults to save him. But as the shape grew increasingly defined, he realized that it was not a Seraph, but a Soveris who also happened to have Seraph markings. Its soft purple eyes blinked down at him.

"Good, you're awake," the Soveris sighed. "For a while it seemed like we were losing you, but you made a comeback. Everyone was impressed by how well you wrapped up your wound. If you hadn't done that, you might've been a goner."

"Where...where am I?" Jack moaned. He was indeed lying on a hospital bed, and he presumed this Soveris was a nurse, but he didn't think there were any medical facilities near the field he had collapsed in. At least, there weren't any Imperial ones in that area. "Wait...is this...?"

His realization gave him enough strength to raise his head a few inches off his pillow and gaze around the room. There were several other beds with patients lying on them, some motionless and some crying out in pain. Many doctors and nurses were navigating the room, yelling instructions and transporting supplies. All the individuals were of different species, but there was one thing that unified them -- a shining, white and blue Purine badge clipped to their coats and uniforms.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2015 3:19 PM

Although he clearly remembered tossing his Imperial badge aside, Jack still froze in fear. What if they found out he used to be an Imperial? Would they still treat him, then? He sank back into the pillow, staring straight up at the white tiled ceiling and the bright lights. He recalled the Purine Magistrey he tried to treat months ago. Maybe the Purines would kick him out of their hospital and slice his neck too.

"Sir, are you okay?" the Soveris asked. "You're trembling."

Jack hadn't even realized it. He took a deep breath and stilled his shivering form. "Y-yes," he stammered. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit...shocked. That's all."

The Soveris gave him an understanding smile. "Of course. You were out there bleeding in the middle of a field, and now you're suddenly in a strange hospital. Just know that you're in good hands here. We're going to stitch that wound of yours up soon, and we're giving you some extra fluids and nutrients through your IV."

Jack glanced down at his wrist and saw that there was indeed an intravenous inserted there now. He was mystified. Did they not question what a random Kuhna was doing out in the middle of a war zone? Was his lack of Imperial identification really enough for the Purines to take him in?
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2015 3:42 PM

The doctor suddenly felt guilty. Here he was, an ex-Imperial, taking up a bed that could be used for a more seriously injured Purine soldier. "No," he snapped at the Soveris, shaking his head. "Don't do it. I don't deserve to be treated here."

The avian's eyes widened. "Why not?" she asked.

"I...I'm not a Purine. This is a Purine hospital. You should be treating those who are on your own side."

The Soveris looked left and right. When she saw that no one was nearby, she put her head closer to Jack's and whispered. "I understand your concern. There are some here who might refuse to operate on you if you're not a Purine. But I don't believe that's right. I brought you here after finding you in the field, and I convinced the doctor that it was okay to accept you even though you had no proof of allegiance on you. I told him you could be a civilian left out by the Imperials in the open to die."

"Why?" Kinara hissed. "Aren't you afraid of getting fired, or worse? I'm a doctor too. I know the risk behind doing something like that."

The nurse chuckled. "Let's just say I have some...special skills this facility can't afford to lose. There was little threat to me."
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/11/2015 3:58 PM

A brief silence passed between them. The Soveris checked a clock on the wall. "I think there's still a bit of time before the doctor comes to anesthetize your shoulder for the stitches. And it sounds like you have a story to tell, sir. Would you be willing to share it with me? I promise I won't disclose it anyone else."

Jack hesitated, wondering if this was some ploy to sap information out of him before killing him with some lethal drug. That was one reason to save a complete stranger. Yet, he couldn't imagine this Soveris doing something so cruel. Her expression exuded openness and honesty, and if what she said was true, then the two of them were actually quite similar in their beliefs about medicine. He sighed and began recounting his tale in a low voice.

The Soveris nodded as he went on. Her ears twitched as he spoke, and he knew it meant she was really paying attention. Somehow, telling this nurse about the Magistrey and his subsequent desertion from the Imperial forces lifted a great weight off his chest. It was like sitting in a church and repenting to the gods for his sins.

"...and that's how I ended up in that field," Jack concluded. The Soveris smiled warmly.

"You're a good person, Doctor Kinara," she said. "I'm glad I found you in time."
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/12/2015 4:13 PM

Before they could speak any further, a Bruma doctor wearing a surgical mask and gloves came up to the bed. "Is the patient ready to go?" he asked in a gruff voice. "The plan is to use some local anesthetic on his shoulder. I don't think there's any need to put him to sleep entirely, though he can sleep through it if he wants."

The Soveris blinked at the Kuhna. "Are you ready now, Mister Kinara? It shouldn't take too long. We'll try to have you out of here as soon as possible."

Jack nodded. "Go ahead. Take your time. It's not like I have anywhere else to be."

With that, the nurse and doctor both went to fetch materials for the operation. Jack watched them leave and then shut his eyes once more, relishing how comfortable the bed was. Though he had survived, he still felt exhausted. It didn't take long for him to slip into a restful, peaceful slumber, and he barely stirred even as they began surgery.
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/12/2015 4:37 PM

He woke up two hours later with a numbed arm. The first thing he did was look over at his shoulder, which was now bloodless and all sutured up. Jack admired their work. The Bruma made a very clean stitch, and he felt confident that it would heal in a timely manner. A few minutes later, the Soveris nurse returned to check up on him, seeing that he was awake again.

"Hello!" she chirped, giving him another sunny smile. "How does it feel?"

"It's good," Jack grunted, smiling back at her. "You guys work fast but well."

She readjusted his sheets and helped fluff up his pillow. She took a moment to check his IV drip and then hovered her talons over the newly closed wound. Jack stared as all of her Seraph markings suddenly lit up, bathing his face in a white light. The nurse had a look of intense concentration on her face. She only relaxed when she removed her talons and stopped glowing.

"Yes, it seems like you'll be fine, doctor," she concluded.

"What was that just now?"

"Like I said, I have some invaluable skills to offer. I can gain a basic assessment of a patient's health just by doing what you saw. I can tell that the risk of the wound getting infected is low. And if I do this..."

The avian repeated the mystifying procedure, this time sweeping her talons above Jack's entire body. "...I can tell that your muscles are recovering from your run, and your body is getting adequate nutrition and hydration."
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/12/2015 4:53 PM

"I...see," Jack murmured, though he didn't really know what happened. "That does seem like a useful power. What's your name, anyway? Sorry I didn't ask before."

"I'm Alicia Sunn, doctor," the Soveris replied. Jack muttered the name. It had a very fluid quality that made it slide off his tongue easily. All the better for remembering it.

"I suppose you've earned my thanks, Alicia. I'll have to repay you somehow. Would it be possible to get your address? I'd like to mail you after I get out of this place, whenever that is."

The nurse chuckled. "You should be out in a day or two. We aren't exactly encouraged to give out personal information to patients, but I don't mind. I can give you a card with my address and phone number before you leave. I appreciate the thought, doctor, though you really don't have to send anything to me. This is my life's work. I'm happy enough seeing you well."
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Re: The Sanctum of Zu'hai (Self)

Postby Thunder » 05/12/2015 5:23 PM

Just as Alicia said, Jack was well enough to depart from the hospital only a day and a half after his admittance. There was no need to remove the stitches -- they would naturally absorb into his body -- and that cut down on his stay time. The Purines had kept his briefcase in a safe place and returned it to him before he left. Alicia also stayed true to her word and provided him with her contact information.

She personally saw him off when it came time to go. The two stepped outside of the facility and were greeted by a bright, sunny morning totally devoid of the mists Jack had fled through. The grass was sprinkled with dew, and the temperature was on the warmer end but not at all uncomfortable. Jack had never been so happy to see the light of day. He breathed in the air and it filled him with hope.

"Where will you go now, doctor?" Alicia asked.

The Kuhna paused. He hadn't really thought much of it. All he knew was that he'd have to go into hiding, which would be difficult since the continent they were on, Lambastia, was the Imperials' land. Not that the Purines' home turf, Barakka, was much better with the Imperials invading constantly. He needed a job too; he didn't have much on him and would need some more money to survive. Going home or returning to Medicai seemed out of the question as well; if the Imperials came looking for him, they'd surely check there first.

"I don't know, to be honest," Jack sighed. "I figure I'll wander until I find somewhere to stay, unless you have some pointers."

"This may be a stretch, but I heard there's a small group of medical personnel who defected much like you hiding out near Lya Pointa. I'm sure they'll take you in, if you can find them."

"Lya Pointa, huh? Ugh, that place is creepy, but I guess that deters people from going there. What about you though, Alicia? Have you ever considered working unaffiliated?"

The Soveris tilted her head. "I have, but I think I can save more lives staying here. If they refuse to treat a patient, I can threaten to leave and they'll turn their decision right back around. Should a second war come, though...I think I'll go unaffiliated, then. You inspire me, doctor, risking your life trying to save that Purine."
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