Chapter 81: Traveler
Marie took the lead position without hesitation. She broke into a run, her feet kicking off the cracked earth as they left the fallen trees behind. Reinhard followed behind while holding onto Joseph’s body and feeling the arms wrapped around tightening.
They cleared the remaining Area 9 boundary within minutes, the dense forest giving way to open grassland that stretched toward the north. The change in terrain was dramatic as they moved from the shadow vegetation to the opening plain of grass. With the sunlight shining down and the breeze drifting around, the grass sways.
The grass flew past beneath their feet. Marie maintained a punishing pace, but Reinhard kept up easily, his legs moving swiftly.
As they continued moving, they saw a cobblestone path on the side. But they ignored it as they continued rushing through the grass. Then, after a couple of minutes, a carriage appeared ahead, moving on what looked like a rarely-used road cutting through the grassland.
Reinhard took one glance, noting its good design and the magic sphere that was moving at the front.
Before he glanced away, and they ran past it without slowing.
"Wait!"
The shout came from behind them, it was a female voice that rang out urgently. "Do you guys have someone who is injured? If so, bring them over here! I am the head doctor at the Clinic in Phane City, Martha Valkyrie!"
Reinhard and Marie froze simultaneously, their feet skidding through the grass as they stopped. Their eyes went wide, heads whipping around, and they looked back at the carriage that was a bit far from them.
But what caught their attention was the figure coming to them.
A woman was running toward them from the carriage, and Reinhard’s first thought was that she was elegant for someone sprinting through grassland. She wore a long gown of black silk trimmed with dark blue and metallic gold that should have been restrictive but somehow moved with her. One side split high along her leg, revealing delicate stockings patterned with intricate designs, paired with elegant heels that had no business being functional for running.
A veil draped over her wavy violet and blue hair and shoulders, tinted dark blue and decorated with threads of silver and hanging jewels that caught sunlight with each movement. Beneath it, light blue eyes blazed with concern and urgency. Around her neck was a black chain that went into her dress. A bag was slung across her shoulder, professional medical equipment visible through its opening.
She ran with surprising speed despite the heels.
"I’m impressed she can run in those heels." Reinhard muttered, his voice carrying genuine admiration beneath the shock.
Marie nodded silently, tilting her head, the urgency and pressure to reach Phane City forgotten.
On Reinhard’s back, Joseph opened his eyes wider, processing what he was seeing and light chuckling. "Only in Phane City."
The woman reached them soon, panting a bit, but she didn’t seem to notice. As she immediately pulled a long cloth from her bag and spread it over the grass with practiced efficiency, creating a clean surface.
"Again, my name is Martha." She said calmly. "Tell me what his injuries are after laying him down, and then we can start treatment."
Reinhard blinked, his mind catching up to the situation. His eyes tracked to Martha’s bag, noting the metal medical supplies visible inside, such as sealed containers of paste and medicine, spools of medical-grade thread. He nodded once, moving carefully to kneel beside the spread cloth.
Marie helped support Joseph as they lowered him onto the clean surface, ensuring the bark pieces didn’t shift during the transfer.
Marie spoke rapidly, her medical training evident in how she summarized the critical information. "Three pieces of bark penetrated his body. One through the right side of his waist, one through his right chest between ribs, and one through his left bicep. We applied Wound Delay and bandaged him, but the bark is still embedded. Blood loss has been moderate but stable since application."
Martha nodded, her hands already moving to unwrap the bandages. "Alright, that isn’t so bad. The treatment should be done in twenty minutes."
Reinhard and Marie both blinked in surprise before slowly nodding their head.
Martha was already working, her movements sure and practiced. She removed the bandages carefully, exposing the wounds and the Wound Delay paste. Her fingers probed around each embedded piece of bark, assessing depth and angle with gentle pressure that still made Joseph’s jaw clench.
She pulled instruments from her bag before the tool was placed on a small sterile cloth beside her in a precise arrangement. Medicine bottles followed, along with clean bandages and more paste in sealed containers.
Reinhard and Marie stepped back automatically, giving Martha room to work while remaining close enough to assist if needed.
Their eyes stayed fixed on Joseph’s face, watching for signs of distress, ready to provide comfort or support.
Martha’s light blue eyes were completely focused, her elegant appearance no longer registering in Reinhard’s awareness. She had transformed from a fashionable woman to a doctor in an instant, her entire being focused on the task before her.
"This will hurt." Martha said calmly, meeting Joseph’s eyes directly. "But I need you to stay still. Can you do that?"
Joseph said easily. "Of course."
Martha nodded once, then reached for the first embedded piece of bark.
It took Martha twenty minutes to fully extract the lingering pieces of bark from Joseph’s body. Her hands moved quickly without any pause, pulling each bark with steady pressure that minimized additional tissue damage. Joseph grit his teeth, but he made no sound beyond sharp intakes of breath.
Once the bark was removed, Martha cleaned each wound thoroughly with Cleansing Water, the clear liquid washing away blood and debris. She then applied Wound Healer paste, a substance that glowed faintly green, and began spreading it across the injuries with careful attention to coverage.
Then came the bandages, which she wrapped tightly around Joseph’s injured areas.
When the external treatment was complete, Martha produced a small vial containing amber liquid. "Pain Relief." She said softly with a faint smile, helping Joseph sit up enough to drink it.
Joseph swallowed it easily, and his eyes slightly widened while color began returning to his face within moments.
"How do you feel?" Martha asked softly.
"Good and better." Joseph says in surprise, leading Martha to lightly laugh.
Martha packed everything away, with each tool returned to its precise position in her bag.
"Normally, I would stitch the wound up or do more." Martha said, closing the bag’s clasp. "But since he is a Beast Master, it should mend itself in an hour or two."
Reinhard nodded, memories surfacing of his own injuries from Mensis and the Monster Zone. Those scratches and cuts that should have left scars but healed completely within hours, leaving skin unmarked.
The enhanced physiology of Beast Masters was something he’d experienced but rarely thought about consciously.
"You did more than enough." Reinhard said, meeting Martha’s eyes directly. "Thank you, Doctor Martha. How much is it-"
Martha shook her head before he could finish and said with a faint smile. "Right now, I’m not a doctor, so payment isn’t needed. I am just a simple traveler who saw you three in need of help."
Marie’s face lit up as she grinned. "Then we are lucky to have met an amazing traveler."