Chapter 39: Surgery and a Severed Leg
On that night of May, where a medium-sized caravel was anchored closer to the shore of a small island, where one could see some fragments of shipwrecked ships, giving a desolate appearance to this island. Still, this didn't mean the island itself had something wrong about it, the only thing that made it look unhittable was its rocky appearance.
A rocky appearance that entered into conflict with the lush, virgin, tropical forest that it housed inside where all the eye could see was the greenery covering the steep rocks of this island.
"Should we get closer to the shore?" asked the young woman sitting on Vlad's shoulder watching this night scenery, while her curious mind wanted to experience the new location.
"Let's not. I almost shipwrecked the caravel in one of those hidden rocks. If I approach closer, we might really get in trouble.
I have no idea how to repair or build a ship after all."
Hearing Vlad's explanation, Titania turned her head to watch the destroyed ships not too far from them and seeing this scene quieted down her curiosity.
She also figured out that this island might house some creatures, and knowing Vlad, he couldn't resist the thought of challenging those creatures, just like he did with the Guardian in Galena Mountain.
"I also don't know how to repair the ship if something happens. I can only help you navigate it."
"I know, that's why I say, let's not risk it. We only began our journey." replied Vlad, who released the anchor, next starting to furl the sails, keeping it stable, close to the shore of the island.
After finishing all those requirements, seeming in a swifter manner compared to his first attempts at furling the sails or throwing the anchor, he went to his cabin picking up some flasks and jars of various colors, and later on walking toward the Lower Deck.
There a late-twenties man was standing supporting his back on the wooden walls of the ship, with his upper body naked. His severed right leg was fully covered inside his shirt, while his coat was used to clean a bit the blood he was letting go.
Charles Vane's appearance seemed to have paled down from the blood he was losing, but his eyes remained strong, constantly looking in only one direction, at the entrance of the lower deck
"Man ... Did you just piss yourself?" asked Vlad when he arrived on the lower deck, being welcomed by the stench of piss and a bit of decay coming from Laurance's head.
"As if. This is the parting gift from those damned bastards when they brought your supplies. I'll see each of them die before me once I am making my way back. Also ... no forget it."
"Ohh, you still want to return to that marsh?"
"Mind your own business, you bastard. Does it matter what I am doing after you let me go?" asked Charles, who heard Vlad's sarcastic tone, as if he was making fun of him, trying to see the man who defeated him, barely seeing his figure in this dark room.
"Kid, if you want to waste your life in this place, you'll never reach that pinnacle you want to achieve. However, I don't really care what you'll do after I drop you to Athkatla."
Walking toward Charles, Vlad walked toward a table placed at the corner of the lower deck, where a table containing some supplies was located, placing on that table all his tools he brought from the cabin.
"Titania, can you light the lamps?"
"What for?"
"Just in case you might be interested in seeing my work."
The pirate looked confused at the direction Vlad's voice came from, not understanding from where the woman's voice came since he expected Vlad to be alone in this entire journey of his.
Yet, from around the lower deck, he saw the oil lamps begin to light up, making out his surroundings clearer, where he was able to glance at how well-equipped Vlad was for this journey, with various supply boxes being spread around safe regions of the ship, but in this watch of his, he noticed something fly past him, and another lamp being lit in the process, closer to him.
"Oyyy, blind man, do you by chance have ghosts inside your ship?"
Vlad ignored Charles, starting to prepare the operation tools that he brought along with himself, not knowing where he might be required to do surgery on someone, or himself, making the pirate start getting irritated by this silent treatment until he felt some eyes gaze at him.
"What the fuck? Am I really seeing ghosts after getting defeated? A bug is staring at me?" remarked Charles who focused his eyes on Titania, only to receive a punch from the woman right on his nose, hurting him in the process.
"Who are you calling a bug, you criminal? I am more human than you are. Also, you look uglier up close."
"Motherfu… A woman? Wait, but how? You are so small. There's no way."
Charles was dumbfounded when he noticed that Titania wasn't some bug, but instead a gorgeous woman, only that in a small stature form, turning him quiet all of a sudden, beginning to observe the Fairy in detail.
"How does it feel, Titania?" asked Vlad from the table, while polishing his scalpels, knives, and scissors and preparing the rest of the tools.
"Punching him?"
"Being in the presence of people and allowing them to watch you? But now that you mentioned, sure, also punching him."
*Cough* "My hand hurts a bit, but it was satisfying. As for being watched, I don't really mind being in the presence of people. You just want me to stay hidden so I don't turn the eyes of people on you."
"Well, that's just an excuse to protect you." replied Vlad who picked up the table, bringing it closer to Charles, that was processing everything happening to him, breaking this state when noticing Vlad approach him.
"Ready for the operation?"
"Are you a doctor?" inquired Charles, questioning if Vlad wanted to help him or continue humiliating and torturing him.
"Don't I look like one?" mentioned Vlad in a calm voice, and instead of helping build Charles confidence, it made the pirate question even more.
"Just kill me if you want to torture me."
Vlad shook his head, and grabbed Charles by the throat without placing all his force, he brought the guy onto this table, which made the pirate conflicted by the situation he was in, yet, without a way out of this predicament, he asked one simple question.
"If you wanted to kill me, you could have done it in our battle, so I will not bitch about that part. However, how certain are you about your skills?"
"Good question, I am certain about my knowledge, however, I lack experience in this field. I've done some operations on various wounds and illnesses, such as malformations. One might call this experience, but I am still lacking a lot compared to the masters of this field."
"Without being able to see?" asked Charles Vane, not buying into Vlad's story.
"Of course, I had assistance, but in general, it was all by myself.
Want some time to prepare yourself?"
Charles stared at the ceiling and the shadows made by Vlad and Titania that looked slightly distorted by the intensity of the fire, then at the duo who watched him in a calm manner, as if this wasn't a big deal to them.
"You can start. I guess the faster I get my leg, the higher the chances of success will be."
"It depends, there is an interval of time before the necrosis of your flesh and the severed leg. You are still in the acceptable zone, but your time is ticking."
Hearing Vlad's cold remark, the pirate could only grit his teeth and agree to the surgery.
Soon, he felt his body being tied down on the table by leather bands, strong enough to resist tearing, which initially confused him, until Vlad explained to him in a professional manner.
"The reason for the leather bands is to secure you. I don't want you to move around while I operate. I am already blind, it would make me put additional work into securing the open canvas."
"Also, to not let you think I am some barbarian, I will use my anesthetic ointment to numb down your entire leg."
Vlad took out a glass jar whose lid had some marks as if to tell him which ointment he was using, and without further waiting, he began working, by cutting Charles's pants, letting him only to stay in his underwear, almost making the pirate curse him for pulling some weird shenanigans on him, which reminding him of Laurance and his rapist tendencies, ignoring the natural order.
Nevertheless, his assumption was totally wrong when he felt Vlad's cold hand touch his left leg from his waist down the severed part, making him feel a chilling cold that was spreading around his entire body.
"Blind man, are you sure this is safe? I feel as if my leg has frozen."
"That's normal. Don't worry, I will give you the medicine for the [Winter's Death] before the effects rise to the rest of your body."
"You… bastard. Are you trying experiments on me?"
"Not at all. All my potions and ointments that are with me, have been tested and show the desired effects I am looking for. Now quiet, or I will really kill you this time."
It was a warning that brought another chill into Charles who could see how Vlad's expression turned sinister, and from that point onward, without even being able to feel his left leg, he wanted to check on what this mysterious man was doing, but couldn't because of the leather bands.
'Fuck, this guy is a real monster. He knows how to fight and even has medicinal knowledge that only those smartasses are aware of.'
'Tsk, you seem well intended. Maybe just to see me in the future, and fight me again as you mentioned. However, I will get my revenge on you. Once I find out from where you are ... Hmph, even if I will enrage you and assure my own death in the process, I will kill everyone in your homeland.'
Charles Vane had all sorts of thoughts in those moments, holding his eyes closed the whole procedure Vlad had on his leg, listening along to his calm explanations that were directed to the creature in the shape of a woman, he never expected to exist, a legendary Fairy from the stories little girls would want to hear about.
Titania's comments made him frown a bit, especially when he heard Vlad mentioning some medical terms he had no clue about, but once explained he was stupefied.
"So, this means this guy will be able to recover once you reconnect his severed leg?"
"That's why it is called a replantation. Besides he is lucky that my cut was so clean that there wasn't much of his tissue damaged. He will be able to recover his motion in the leg, if he stays quiet for about half a year."
'Damn, that long? I will be out of action for so long?'
"This means I will not be able to move around for that long?"
Charles made his courage to ask, worrying about his skin since he was still a wanted criminal, and without his full motion capacity, it would be hard to evade the marines or his pirate enemies for that matter.
A simple question, where he expected some cold, humiliating response, but what he received was a calm response, where Vlad explained to him some rudimentary steps to his recovery.
"Lad, our journey to Athkatla will take two weeks, it will be plenty of time where you'll be under my watch. It will be plenty of time, allowing your leg to recover and regenerate some of the tissues, where your bone, blood vessels, and nerves will reconnect.
The first weeks are crucial because it will tell me if the surgery was successful."
"Understood. How far into the thing are you got so far?" asked Charles, unable to watch Vlad or feel what was happening to his leg.
"I am at the part where I am cleaning the damaged tissue. Meaning, I am trimming around some flesh from your leg, since your body when cut will instantly react in forming a protective barrier. I want that barrier to be opened, allowing your leg to reconnect."
"You seem to know your stuff." commented Charles, who for once understood what Vlad was talking about.
There was no reply afterwards, only the sound of metal tools being placed on the table along with the scissors cutting something.
.
Hours passed, with the surgery still continuing.
The lower deck had a quiet atmosphere, where Titania was holding some tissues in her hands, flying around Vlad's face and cleaning around some of his sweat, learning a lot in those moments about him.
While performing this surgery, she saw another side of him, the cold, calculated side of him, where not a single emotion could be read on his face, where his hands without trembling were executing swift moments on the hairy left leg of Charles Vane.
"Vane-boy, you've passed the biggest part of the surgery. I've reconnected your leg, finished the sewing. That sewing will hold the part in place to allow the rest of the tissues to be restored. Now, I will do a sterile bandaging of the leg, which will give another layer of protection, of course, after using some of my alchemical creations."
"You aren't joking right? Lady Fairy, what that blind guy says is true?"
"Mhm? Yes, your leg is reconnected."
"I don't feel it at all." remarked Charles Vane, who still couldn't feel his left leg for that matter.
"Because of the 'Winter's Death'. No need to stress yourself, it is not as if I will forget to give you the medicine to help your body fight the after-effects."
Vlad placed his clean hands on the operated leg and began doing the last checks on the sewing, while also verifying the alignment, which was perfectly done thanks to his anesthesia on Charles's whole leg.
Concluding that there was nothing wrong, he took another jar not far from his hands, and checking the lid, he placed it down, taking another one, hearing Titania's question.
"You placed down the jar? Why?"
"That's for organs. If I would use that on his leg, it wouldn't work. Instead, it might damage him even more."
"Ahhh, I see. Good that you know what to pick." replied Titania, nodding her head, watching Vlad pick another jar which this time he opened the lid, releasing a floral fragrance about it, which impressed even the pirate.
"Wow, something nice for once."
"I mean, if you take in consideration that one single use of this ointment of mine might cost 500.000 𝔅. Good for you."
*Sniff* "You know, bastard. Spending those hours with you, and having you stitch me up, it made me change my mind a bit about you. You are no longer that crazy fucker who cut my leg."
"No, not at all. Right now, you are the damned bastard who placed my leg back."
"Whatever."
He didn't care about what Charles Vane thought about him, and after finishing bandaging his leg, he began cleaning about the table, washing his tools in strong alcohol, before placing them inside something similar to a briefcase.
"Done?"
"Mhm, now I'll just visit you to bring you some food, and check on you in case your leg might get an infection, which is almost impossible. Sigh, you never know what surprises the human body might hold for us."
Saying that, he took some of his time to arrange a new thing, bringing from the supply bags, a large glass jar that Charles saw.
"What's that for?"
"Nothing much, to keep that head of the pig intact, I got to keep it in some formalin and ethanol, and maybe present it to the marines if I feel like."
"Formalin? Ethanol? Man, you are using words too complicated for me."
Ignored again, Charles from where he was situated could see Vlad pick up Laurance's head which he was holding by the hair with a cold appearance, before placing it in the large glass jar, following that, he brought some glass bottles that he started pouring, beginning to release some smoke.
"Isn't it a waste of materials for that retard?"
"10.000.000 𝔅 for a head? While it takes me about 100.000 to 150.000 𝔅 to make a large batch of ethanol.
On the other hand, formalin is a bit on the expensive side, taking let's say a bit more. For an easier recognition of the body and without having some fools arguing with me, I am willing to spend my materials."
"You are new, right?" asked the pirate, with a curious tone.
"Interesting question. New on what?"
"The Bounty Hunting job." remarked Charles, who felt like laughing in those moments, after hearing Vlad's explanation and logic.
"I used to be a Lord, a General, a Janissary Officer, and a Mercenary Commander. So you can say this Bounty Hunting thing is indeed new to me, but not really. In the end Bounty Hunting is like becoming a Mercenary, with extra freedoms on what target to choose."
"You are from some important location in the South Blue? A Lord of some of those big ass Kingdoms?"
"No comment. You are beneath me sharing such information. And forget about trying to take revenge on my Homeland. You'll just be killed before even reaching my Homeland." commented Vlad, who took off the gloves that seemed to be made from sheep stomach, strong enough to protect him from the toxic substances he was working with.
Next, after most of the reactions inside the jar died down, he sealed the jar, and the glass bottles, starting to arrange them in order, later cleaning around the blood and piss with sand, which was new for Charles.
Nevertheless, with Vlad doing some tours in and out, before leaving him alone, he brought a spoon that contained something akin to a paste, a mashed thing, he was questioning.
"This is the cure for 'Winter's Death'. If you want it, I can leave you alone and die here, and place your head inside one of those glass jars."
"Fuck you, my future is far brighter than dying in some creepy guy's ship."
"Your future is just a small flicker of a fire, that I can extinguish whenever I feel like. You better show respect, little punk."
"You talk a big game. But I doubt you even sprout hair on your balls. You are the punk, here."
The new comment coming from Charles made him chuckle a bit, finding this pirate interesting in a way. Yet, to not waste his time on the guy, he pushed the spoon inside his mouth, almost getting deep in his throat, before removing it, all of the medicine remained inside.
"Don't try anything stupid and remain on the table."
*COUGH*
*COUGH*
"What if I want to piss or shit?"
"..."
Without giving the pirate and response, Vlad moved the heavy table as if it was nothing, and brought it to another corner of the lower deck, afterward, leaving for good the deck, walking toward the main deck, respectively to his cabin.
"What's the meaning of this? Am I supposed to piss on myself? Wait, I can see a small hole on the floor, leading down the ship.
Does this mean I should do it there? …
Ahh shit, this will get me dirty."
