Chapter 169:
The Nonpareil of Resh (Act 1)
Rheba’s eyes opened suddenly. She was lying on a bed that was long enough to keep her feet from dangling off the end. The giantess warrior began to think back to the events that got her in that spot. She had been in battle with the yellow-haired opponent.
With a sudden jerk, Rheba shot up. Wires hooked between her were jerked, and equipment was suddenly pulled off their resting places as she tried to get up.
“Rheba!” a shout from the Bentulousian warrior's side caught her attention. She turned to see a familiar blue face.
“Fiona?” Rheba replied though she made no efforts to hide her confusion at seeing the Aqueenian princess in the same room. Nevertheless, Fiona leaped up and wrapped her arms around Rheba. The dress she had worn for battle rustled as she moved.
“It’s been such a bad day!” she complained to her teammate. The blue princess continued to carry on about her match with Dia and the attack that had come from a long-range, but her words were too incoherent for Rheba to make out.
“Calm down,” Rheba finally said in a firm tone with as much gentleness as she could. Fiona was shocked by the sudden tone and moved back to a chair where she had anxiously sat prior. “Where is Gwyn?” Rheba asked. Fiona shook her head. She moved her mouth, but it took several moments for her to produce words.
“…he’s… he’s been unconscious since being dropped off here. Multiple bones are broken, and he’s on several machines. They say there should be a Kishop Needaimus specializing in his injuries somewhere in Nun, but the user is currently unreachable.”
Rheba’s ear twitched, but she otherwise kept a stoic expression as she moved onto the next question.
“What about Harlan?”
“She’s been injured in her leg. They have her patched up and have her rest.”
“And Hal and Odell?”
“I don’t know. They are still in Nunvo as far as I can tell, but I can’t get either to answer a call.”
Rheba shook her head and moved her legs to the edge of the bed. As she moved, she pulled off the wires for the equipment that monitored her.
“Let’s go to Harlan,” she said as she began to stand up.
“Wait, you’re injured!” Fiona protested.
“My injuries are minor compared to the amount of discussion we need to have.”
Rheba felt pain as she walked but didn’t let it show to the blue princess. Fiona chased after as the Bentulousian warrior entered the hallway.
Some doctors and nurses jumped as the injured patient strolled through the hospital wing without a care, but the stern face Rheba wore deterred them from saying anything in response. The Aqueenian princess kept her head down.
Fiona gave in and began to lead the way to where Harlan was waiting. They exchanged no words until Rheba burst through the hospital room door. The Zenotote scientist almost leaped out of her bed as the giant warrior burst through. Her leg was bandaged, and the doctors had instructed that she not move around too much on it, but otherwise, she was okay.
“You’re up?” Harlan asked in shock as Rheba seemed to have shaken off any battle damage like it was nothing.
“Warriors are trained to be tough,” Rheba said. Harlan said nothing and simply shook her head in response. “Where is Gwyn?” the brown-furred Bentulousian added. She had thought they would be in the same room.
“In another ward….” Fiona said with a somber quiver in her voice. She had been the only one to visit him since they arrived with Dia in tow.
“I haven’t had a chance to see him either,” Harlan added with a shake of her head.
“Then we should go to him next!”
“I’m not supposed to be walking,” Harlan explained. Rheba strode across the room at her words and lifted the much smaller Zenotote over her shoulder. Harlan attempted to protest, but the trio was soon walking through the hospital again and receiving even more strange looks from the staff.
“I don’t enjoy this….” Harlan finally said with a sigh, realizing she didn’t have any way to escape. The Zenotote’s orange Needaimus rode on Rheba’s other shoulder next to the Bentulousian's purple one.
Fiona kept her head down. She didn’t like the eyes staring at her, especially from behind. The beauideal dress she had not had an opportunity to change out of drew even more unwanted attention. Ever since Dia and Harlan saw her scar, the blue princess had been more squeamish about having eyes on her. She had almost collapsed after the beauideal fight from shear exhaustion brought on by nerves.
Still, she did her best to hide her worries from the other two.
The hospital, known as Nun Grand Hospital, was laid out over a vast space formed into a large circle. The building would have appeared like an unfinished column for a giant’s palace from the outside. It housed more floors and rooms than even the Aqueenian castle in Quenth.
The large and diverse population variance of Nun had led to more and more specialization needed for each of the departments. After years of troubling medical history, the last mayor commissioned a grand hospice for all citizens to get any required care.
For the trio, the giant building acted as a large maze. Though it was not laid out to be confusing, the scale and unfamiliarity with it made them take several wrong turns.
“Can… can I help you?” a shy doctor finally asked. He was a short Aqueenian man made all the more shorter as he hunched his back. A smooth, jade, baby face showed that he must have been fresh out of medical school.
“We are trying to find our friend,” Rheba said.
“He’s in the critical ward….” Fiona added.
The young doctor nodded and gestured.
“Right this way.”
The group found themselves in front of Gwyn’s door in no time. They all braced for the sight to come as Rheba opened the door.
Please log in to leave a comment.