A caramel colored had reached out, followed soon enough by the sound of something shattering. The figure laying upon the stone table shivered as it pulled itself up, the body was covered in blood-soaked rags. As the morning light shown through cracks in the sealed-up windows they fell upon the figure, revealing the wounded Malakos.
The man was in terrible shape, he struggled to lift his arm just to shield his eyes from the sunlight, yet even that caused pain as the shoddy stitches threatened to come undone. “It is best you do not move. More rest is needed if you wish to recuperate from your wounds... the fall did quite a number on you, but it was that gaping hole in flank that threatened to kill you. Did impale yourself on a stake and then decide you didn’t want to go through with it! Word of advice… If you want to kill yourself, do it where no one will find you.” The doctor moved over toward the window, opening it just a little more, allowing the light to stream through unimpeded.
“Could you at the very least stop shattering all my wine jugs… this is the third one in three days! Do you have something against me drinking? You didn’t overhear me talking about taking one of your kidneys, did you? Because it was a joke, your kidneys are functioning perfectly… although you only need one, perhaps you would be open to donating one to a poor drunkard wishing to turn his life around… Maybe?” Malakos ignored the doctor, waving off his numerous requests and offers.
“I don’t care about your damned alcoholism… What I want to know is who are you? Where am I? And how did I get here?” Sweat dripped down the doctor’s neck as the clay shard pressed against his exposed neck, a droplet of blood trickling down Malakos’s finger.
“Okay…okay… I won’t bother you about the kidney thing anymore. But first we must get you patched up again. I told you not to move too quickly or you would open your wounds. Look, I’m a doctor… used to be a better one before the nobles took notice and destroyed me. Now I live here in the slums working on gang members and mercenaries like you… people with coin looking to be discreet with their treatments. Mainly crabs, those boors really do get around, and are constantly increasing my own workload with how many sexually transmitted diseases we have going around.” It was as if he didn’t even notice the shard of clay threatening to pierce his throat, he just pushed aside Malakos’s shaky forearm and carried him back over to the table. All the while discussing past clients afflicted with sexual diseases, laughing at the desperation by which they clung to him, as if the loss of sex to them was a world ending phenomena.
The doctor chuckled at his own joke as he got to work on his patient, Malakos, although still cautious of the self-proclaimed doctor had almost no strength to contest him. Malakos’s wounds had opened once again, just as the doctor had warned, the threads unable to keep the flesh closed after his rapid movement.
“To be honest, I thought you would have died the night you were brought here. Had you been left on the street in the rain, you would be. Multiple fractures, torn muscles, broken bones, all on top of the gaping hole in your midriff. Honestly, it’s a miracle none of your vital organs were damaged. It’s the only way I was able to stabilize your condition somewhat.” Malakos had trouble focusing on the doctor’s words, his eyes were having trouble focusing. All the while the man continued to talk, his hands moving quickly, undoing the bloody, pus ridden linens, and rapidly re-suturing the wounds before adding fresh linen bandages to the affected area.
“Don’t worry about the light headedness, its from all the blood loss, just lay down and it will pass. You have to give yourself time to recover, it’s only been a few days and that’s nowhere near enough for the extent of damage you suffered.” Once he was done the doctor placed his tools into a bowl, pouring a little alcohol and water to disinfect them. Followed by a quick hard slap to Malako’s shoulder which left him groaning.
“Oh, sorry about that, silly me… You would think I would remember my own instructions.” There was not a hint of apology within his tone, and the barely hidden smile informed Malakos that it was unlikely to have been a mistake. “Anyway, all water under the bridge now. Your friend paid well to keep you alive… I’ll be hon-” The good doctor was quickly silenced by the clay shard lodged in the bundle of herbs next to his face. Slowly he turned his head toward the unruly and unpredictable patient, closing the medicine cabinet behind him.
“What friend? Care to elaborate? Apparently, I’ve got all day doctor, and by all accounts my ears are working fine.” Malakos watched the doctor like a hawk observes its prey, and his opponent in turn did not turn his eyes from the sharp-edged shard of clay in his hand as he sat across from Malakos.
“Look it’s not in my interest to hold anything from you, I’m not hiding anything… So, can we just calm down.” It took a few seconds, but eventually tensions simmered down and Malakos lowered the makeshift weapon. “I’ll be honest I don’t know who he is… Now, before you go getting agitated again, he wasn’t anyone dangerous. He never gave me his name, but he looked and smelled like someone who lived in the slums. I charged him a hell of a lot more than normal and he still paid the full amount, didn’t even try to haggle. Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover. I guess what I’m saying is that the one who brought you in is nobody special, or is someone hiding away from the world, in either case this isn’t a plan to murder you. If I wanted to do that, I could have done so days ago… and you would have been none the wiser.”
Just as Malakos was preparing to respond the sound of creaking floorboards could be heard coming from the main entrance, followed by that of a door closing. “Perfect timing, I suppose… your friend is back. So, instead of threatening the man who saved your life, why not simply ask him your question. Would you like me to call him over? And do I have your word that you will not stab a piece of pottery into my back?” The doctor walked away once he was given the go ahead, mumbling something along the lines of being done in by his own wine jug and ungrateful shits.
It would be the first meeting between the savior and the one who had been saved, all of which was done without either individual having any knowledge of the other. Two fated individuals whose paths had become more intertwined than they could know.
