Hey Everyone! Once again, I am incredibly sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I don't really have an excuse beyond the fact that writing anything recently has been exhausting and that I need to get back into the writing groove.
I hope you guys can forgive me for the long wait time for this chapter, as part of it was the recent release of the Alatreon update for Monster Hunter World. If I didn't have writing material before, I definitely have some now.
Anyway, on with the reviews!
taimurpro: Well, I'm happy I portrayed them as glorious. Nergal is amazing, and who knows that mysteries she has in that noggin of hers. Eclipsen isn't the ultra badass that I would've made him out to be, but then we wouldn't have such a gripping story.
Hunter Zickafoose: She was already able to understand it, so why wouldn't she be able to speak it? Plus, just between you and me, it was difficult to write a mute character without sign language being involved.
freddy.lane.1: I assume somewhere along the lines of confusion. Who knows, maybe he'll wake up, say he's tired and go right back to sleep!
Raime063AN: Having a double take scene was nice because Nergigante can be intimidating and I wouldn't want to be the one to interrupt one's speech. All planned in (hopefully) due time my friend. Shamir isn't a bad example, but I was thinking a tiny bit more rugged to fit the Amazon body. Nergal will get to shine soon, and Eclipsen will have a lot in store for him considering most of Astera is worried.
UnkownSoul: Gotcha didn't I? Now we wait and see if the strategy works. For all we know, Vaal could tell Nergal to stuff it.
Touhoufanatic: Eh. I thought it fit really well considering one of the Nergigante weapons is called the Nergal Ram. Maybe. Perhaps Nergal will punch some poor hunter in the face?
Luine Mercury LWG: Hey, the names you came up with are very fitting. They just didn't sit right with me though. In all honesty I was considering using one of yours if I couldn't choose one in time. Also yeah. If I can walk right past a Vaal Hazak in the game then I doubt it would just attack anyone for no reason. Lightning Pony may be getting a chapter, I don't really know yet.
Dryptonium: Hey, I'm just glad it counts as a gem! Also welcome to the world of Fanfiction, where there are good, bad, and just ugly stories.
LeozinPS: Maybe.
knightofthewintermoon: I feel ya. I feel the same way for Nargacuga honestly. Also tell your friends that "I won't lose the arm if I shove you in the way instead".
Onward with the Story!
"Dismissed!"
The Commander's voice was like a whip and every Council member reacted like a trained muscle, quickly departing to make sure their jobs were taken care of and ready to help the team assigned to deal with the Elder Dragons.
The Third Fleet Master, Head Smith and Commander remained at the table alongside Nergal and Hether, with Nergal staying to learn more about hunting, her Guild Card and to discuss her armor with the Head Smith.
"Now, on to the next step. Hether, I want you to teach Nergal the basics of taking and completing quests. Help her with her Guild Card and teach her what you know about danger rankings and the Hunter's Notes."
The Commander said. He had shifted from polite asking to ordering, as he had fallen into his usual Military training mentality. Hether nodded with feeling as she received her orders.
"Yes sir! It'll be done in a jiffy!"
The Commander turned to the Third Fleet Master, who was still holding Tony's clipboard. He had unfortunately forgotten, or was simply too afraid to take it back from the Wyverian woman.
"Third Fleet?"
"Nergal dear, would you be comfortable with letting us take research samples from you?"
The Third Fleet Master asked sweetly. While it sent a chill down Hether and the Head Smith's spines, Nergal and the Commander remained steadfast with the Elder Dragon in question raising an eyebrow out of curiosity.
"Research samples?"
"Shedded spines, scales, a sample of your hair and blood. Very par for the course for you, but absolutely vital to us."
Nergal contemplated the request for a moment. She could give up her spines, hair and scales, but her blood? How would they even manage to remove it from her without cutting her? Truthfully, she was curious to see how this Third Fleet would do it.
"I don't see why not."
Nergal answered, giving a shrug. The Third Fleet Master smiled even brighter, this time genuinely and beautifully.
"Thank you, dear. I'll go grab the medical equipment, if you don't mind staying here for a moment?"
"Not at all."
The Third Fleet Master nodded in thanks before speed walking over to the air balloon she had a arrived in, her robes swishing side to side just as excitedly as her body itself. It was clear that she was happy to to have gotten the answer she did.
Nergal turned her attention to the Head Smith, who returned her gaze with an unreadable one.
"I-"
"Before ye' begin, we've already forgiven ya'. I understand yer' hate of Monster armor, and rightfully so. I won't make a big deal out of it, Lass."
Nergal let out a visible sigh of relief at the words. She guilt she had felt claw it's way into her heart was almost sickening, and the revelation that she had been forgiven was like taking a breath of air after being underwater for hours.
"As fer' yer armor, well it's gonna take a few days. Minimum is four days, since we gotta reinforce it now. But bright side is, ye' don't have to upgrade it like other hunters do."
Nergal nodded in thanks as the Third Fleet Master returned, a medical bag dangling from her shoulder. The Head Smith looked at the Commander and Hether before getting up from his seat. He gave a friendly nod to all three before moving to leave.
"You ladies have yer' fun. I got weapons and armor ta' work on!"
He said enthusiastically as he left, a visible pep in his step. Nergal offered a smile while Hether giggled a little at the older man's display. The Third Fleet Master set her medical bag on the Council Table and pointed to a nearby stool.
"Would you bring that chair over here and sit on it please?"
Nergal nodded and walked over, lifting the stool effortlessly and moving over to where the Wyverian woman asked her to. She then took a seat, being careful to keep her tail from being caught beneath her and letting it rest on the wooden floor. The Third Fleet Master rumaged around in her medical bag, pulling out a syringe, a few test tubes and a pair of scissors.
She then turned on her heel, scissors in hand and approached Nergal, who watched with curiosity.
"First, hair sample darling. Would you like me to cut your hair while I'm at it?"
"Oh! I can do that!"
Hether said with excitement. The Third Fleet Master sent a smile towards Hether who returned it with no small amount of happiness. Nergal only sighed slightly.
"I wouldn't know the first thing about it. If you wish, you can make it so it isn't so warm on my head."
Hether let out an tiny, excited squeal and clapped her hands gently while the Third Fleet Master quickly snipped a small piece of hair from Nergal's bangs. The draconic woman flinched at the swift movements of the Fleet Master, watching as the tuft of hair that fell from her head dropped gently into one of the four test tubes she had brought out of her bag.
"Done. Now for one of your spines, dear."
Nergal looked at the Third Fleet Master with a deadpan expression before her wing extended and swiveled forward, the spines ever so slightly shifting in their malleable roots. Nergal then reached over, quite forcefully gripped one of the whiter spines and pulled, tearing the pale keratin from it's resting place. Hether looked on in slight horror as she watched the entire action while the Third Fleet Master gingerly set down the next test tube and grabbed the abandoned clipboard, jotting down a note.
Nergal sighed as she offered the broken spine, ignoring the slight itch in the place where it used to be. The Third Fleet Master set down the clipboard and picked up the test tube, holding it out for the Elder Dragon to place the spike inside. Nergal did so, letting the spike fall out of her hand and making a 'clink' sound as it hit the bottom of the tube. The Third Fleet Master smiled at the collected sample before looking at Nergal's wing, which had retracted back to it's original folded position.
"Can you still fly dear?"
The Third Fleet Master asked as she placed the test tube back down next to the tube filled with hair and lifted the next one. Her other hand reached for the syringe, which she inspected in the light for a moment before removing the sterile cap. Nergal watched with interest as the Third Fleet Master prepared the needle.
"I haven't found out yet. I assume I still can. If I can't, then I don't really have a use for them."
The Third Fleet Master nodded as she approached Nergal with the needle, quickly inspecting the Elder Dragon's arm for a soft spot in her scales. As soon as she found one, she gently poked the needle underneath one of Nergal's scales and extracted the blood from her arm. Nergal watched with morbid curiosity as her blood slowly filled the syringe, making sure to actually notice the painful prick of the needle. Normally such a pain wouldn't have even interested her, but now it seemed incredibly real.
And less than a second later, the Wyverian woman pulled the needle from under the scales and injected the crimson fluid within into the vial she had prepared. She then corked the vial and placed it next to the others before pulling the needle from the syringe and placing it in a separate pouch of her bag labeled 'waste disposal'. Nergal meanwhile watched as small lines of blood trickled from underneath her scales.
She then realized what had happened and reached up, tearing a sleeve off her shirt and using it to staunch the admittedly non-worrying bleeding. The Third Fleet Master then lifted all four vials she had brought with her and pulled out a small charcoal marker, labeling each of the test tubes with a 'Nergal-Sample' followed by the numbered order she had taken them in. After that, she safely tucked away the vials in her bag before closing it back up.
"We're done with samples, dear. Now normally, I would like to interview you and see how much information I can get about monsters, but in a time like this that is unreasonable. Hether dear, the scissors are yours if you want to cut Miss Nergal's hair."
Hether gave an excited nod of excitement while Nergal proceeded to remove the torn cloth from her arm and scan the tiny amounts of blood it had absorbed.
"Thank you, Ma'am! I promise I won't break them."
The Third Fleet Master offered a wry chuckle as she lifted her bag from the Council Table and rested the strap on her shoulder.
"It's quite difficult to break scissors my dear, but I will hold you to that promise regardless."
Nergal watched as the Third Fleet Master then walked away from the Council Table and towards the Tradeyard, the bag on her shoulder bouncing as she walked. Hether smiled before taking a few steps closer, her hand reaching out and grabbing the scissors of the table as she moved.
"Please sit still. I don't want to accidentally cut you."
Hether said shyly as she inspected Nergal's hair. The Elder Dragon looked at her before straightening her posture, allowing the Handler to look at her hair more thoroughly. Nergal's hair was truly a mass of white, with it mostly puffy and taking up the entirety of her back before fading out at the back of her waist. The white threads were thick and soft, which seemingly didn't bother Nergal in the slightest.
Hether puttered as she looked at the mass of white she was supposed to cull. She glanced at Nergal, who was busy staring at the Huntsman at the other side of the Council area. Presumably, he was doing the same thing in kind.
Hether then went to work, endeavoring to cut away the forest of white starting at the bottom and working her way up.
Nergal sat patiently and quietly through the process, her thoughts focused on the Elder Dragon in the Rotten Vale. She wasn't familiar with an Elder Dragon species that lived in rotted bone and flesh, nor one that could survive living in the Effluvium the Rotten Vale was choked by. Perhaps in was a new species entirely?
Nergal's attention was then ripped away from her thoughts by a woman she didn't recognize fast walking into the Council area, a notepad in her hand. The Commander looked over as the woman walked up to him before turning to face her.
The woman leaned forward and began to whisper, unfortunately not quiet enough for Nergal's acute senses to miss.
"Eclipsen is comatose, but stable. "
She said. The Commander answered with a nod before leaning forward to hear the woman's words more closely.
"That's good. How long will it take for him to recover?"
The woman fiddled with her notebook before answering, her body language and fiddling showing clearly that she was tired and not happy with the results she got.
"Commander, with all due respect, it will be lucky he is even able to walk after recovery. He'll be healing for years after this. His bones were... I don't think there's a word for how broken they were. His muscles were torn, sprained and every other injury related to them. It's like he went through a meat grinder and a miracle is how he survived."
The Commander's face seemed to let go the stress and a look of grim sorrow overtook it. He lifted one his hands from his usual crossed arm position and ran it along his forehead. Nergal couldn't tell exactly how the older man was feeling, but she could tell this wasn't good news for anybody.
She didn't know how the Commander felt, but she did know how she felt. She managed to hold her somewhat bored expression as a feeling of sadness overtook her heart. The thought of Eclipsen, years from now, unable to walk. It broke her on the inside. But her heart quickly reformed from the pieces and regained it's strength. She would handle the grief later. Her plate had just gotten bigger, but she could handle that.
As Nergal regained herself, the Commander looked back at the woman before nodding in thanks, followed by a quiet 'thank you doctor'. The woman nodded before walking away at the same speed she had come in at.
Before Nergal could properly process what she had just learned, a shadow enveloped her sitting space. She looked up, noticing that the Huntsman was standing menacingly in front of her, his arms crossed and his body casting a shadow thanks to it blocking out some sunlight.
"I am disappointed I will not get to watch you fight."
The Huntsman said plainly and with some bitterness in his voice. Nergal looked up and sighed through her nose at the man. She just couldn't muster the pride in her abilities she needed when facing the Huntsman, not after the news the doctor had given.
"What do you propose I do?"
Nergal asked, failing to hide the tiredness in her voice. Hether stopped cutting the Elder Dragons hair to cast a worried glance at her before continuing her work. The Huntsman hummed in thought, his gaze trying to burn through Nergal only to meet a pair of yellow orbs that rivaled his intensity.
"I challenge you to an honorable duel. Until one of us is disarmed or unable to fight."
Nergal paused for a moment. A duel. Something she hadn't had in a long time. The last duel she had fought was with Eclipsen. She took a quick, deep breath and pushed the thought of the white haired Hunter from her mind. Perhaps a friendly fight with a different hunter would give her the push she needed to fight at one hundred and ten percent.
"I accept."
She finally responded, the tiredness in her voice switching to anticipation and excitement. The Huntsman grunted in satisfaction.
"The Special Arena at noon tomorrow. The Head Smith will give you directions."
He said before turning and walking back to his usual spot, lifting his Rathian longsword and beginning his trek to wherever he went to prepare for a hunt. Nergal allowed herself a small smile as she felt the tuffs of her hair fall off her head. She already felt a hint of excitement creep into her prideful side. It would be a chance to prove to everyone she was worthy of the task she had been granted.
"Almost done..."
Hether said as she clipped away at Nergal's hair, deftly avoiding the tiny spikes that hid themselves in the Elder Dragon's hair. Nergal remained almost like a statue, ignoring the tingly feeling she got when the Handler cut the hair around her ears. Another minute passed before Hether finally managed to get Nergal's hair to a point she found acceptable.
"Done!"
She said triumphantly as she stepped backward. Nergal let out a breath as she stood from the chair and brushed the leftover snipped hair from herself, even spreading and shaking her wings to rid them of the rogue white strands. The Elder Dragon then turned, giving the Handler a full view of her new look.
Instead of the long and almost tribal hair that Nergal had beforehand, she now had a smaller and much more controlled hairstyle that only stretched to her shoulders. Her hair was now flattened and the hair on the sides of her head framed her face extremely well. The tiny spines that protruded out of her hair still gave her an air of beastial nature, naturally complimenting the controlled feeling of her new hair.
Nergal reached up and patted her hair before smiling. It was far less intrusive than her earlier hair, which was a welcome change. Hether's smile only grew wider as she watched Nergal's attitude brighten.
"Thank you Hether. It feels much better."
"No problem. I'm just happy I made it look nice!"
Nergal allowed herself a quiet, wry chuckle. Her thoughts then drifted to how she was supposed to prepare for her task. Her armor would be done in a few days, and the two other teams were already busy preparing for their own quests. She lifted a hand and placed it on her chin in thought. She was interested to see exactly how hunters prepared to fight Elder Dragons, so perhaps she should start there.
"Hether, I'm going to see Richard and Nina. I'm curious as to how you humans manage to fight us Elder Dragons."
Nergal said with a teasing smile as she began walking towards the Canteen. It was likely they were still on their way to their room or wherever they planned to adjust their gear. Hether nodded and waved slightly, a bright smile on her face.
"Okay! When you get back I'll teach you all about Hunting!"
-Transition-
Richard sighed through his nose as he loaded his pouch with tranquilizer rounds, making sure to place the bullets in the section of his ammo pouch that was specifically dedicated to them. He knew they would be useless against an Elder Dragon, but it was better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.
Richard sat quietly at one of the bar stools at the Canteen, his body facing away from the counter since he needed the space to adjust his equipment. Other hunters were grabbing their meals and Nina sat opposite to Richard at one of the tables, sitting in the same manner as Richard to give the other hunters room to eat.
The sound of footsteps drew Richard's attention, causing him to glance upward at the noise. He watched as Nergal ascended the stairs and quickly scanned the Canteen before spotting him and walking towards where he was sitting.
"Hey there."
He greeted as Nergal approached, though he returned to loading ammunition into his pouch. Nergal stared at him for a moment before reaching over and grabbing one of the stools and moving it closer before taking a seat, being careful not to sit on her own tail.
"Show me what you use in your hunts."
Richard stopped what he was doing and looked over at Nergal. Her gaze remained steadfast as he searched her face for something she couldn't begin to guess. After a moment of silence he spoke.
"You sure? My setup is pretty complicated. Nina's is fairly easy to understand."
Richard said before pointing a thumb at the armor clad huntress. Nergal looked over and managed to glimpse as Nina set her Hammer down roughly, sending a small tremble through the ground accompanied by a deep thud. The other hunters at the table she sat at jumped slightly at the noise.
Nergal then looked back at Richard and answered in a deadpan manner.
"I'm sure."
Richard offered a chuckle as he set his ammunition pouch on the ground next to him and pulled his chosen Heavy Bowgun out in front of him. A glittering golden weapon that gleamed in the sunlight, the Bowgun seemed to bathe in the attention it was being given. Nergal's reptilian eyes widened like dinner plates at the weapon, marveling at the golden plating of the Bowgun.
"This, is my weapon of choice. She's called Endless Sky, but I call her Partner."
Richard said, fully aware of the cheesy nature of the sentence he had just spoken and even sporting a smug grin to boot. Nina proceeded to stop polishing her Hammer and groan loudly, but the noise failed to reach Nergal's ears as she admired the golden Bowgun. Richard then lifted the Bowgun, allowing the barrel to face the sky and pulling Nergal out of her small trance.
"I've had this baby since that first Amatsu... I think it fits pretty well given the circumstances, but it also has a hidden Thunder Element. It'll come in handy for the Kushala, at least."
He said as he popped open the ammunition chamber and checked the walls of the small hatch to see if it needed cleaning. Richard let his smile fall into a grimace as he peeked inside. A tiny, almost unnoticeable layer of rust coated the chamber. Evidently it needed cleaning, which Richard made a note to do after he showed off his equipment to Nergal.
He promptly closed the ammunition chamber with a clinking sound before lowering the Bowgun to the ground, letting the butt of the weapon rest on the floor and the rest lean comfortably on his leg. He then reached over into his bag and withdrew a completely different weapon.
Out of his bag he pulled a weapon unlike the typical Heavy and Light Bowguns. Instead of a normal Bowgun, the weapon was small and only spanned a total of about a foot and a half long, sporting an intricately carved wooden handle that was hand sized and a silver hand guard that was modeled after a collection of swirled shapes. Richard pressed a small metal lever and the front proceeded to click and fall downward, revealing the ammunition camber within.
"This is my side arm. Most Bowgun users don't carry one, but I started carrying one after a particular... Incident."
Richard said as he pulled out two rounds of spread shot ammunition and loaded them into the small shotgun-like weapon. Nergal raised an eyebrow at the unorthodox piece of equipment. The metal of the barrel and the hand guard were made out of silver colored material, which was a completely different color pattern than Richard's armor and Endless Sky.
As he finished filling the weapon with ammunition, Richard flicked his wrist and the barrel flew upward, clicking into place like a well oiled machine. Or more accurately, a recently repaired mechanism.
"It only holds two shots, but it's got enough stopping power to make a Tigrex look like it snorted pure fire."
Richard paused after the statement and Nergal took the opportunity to ask a question.
"What's it called?"
She asked, her tone full of curiosity. Richard leaned back a little and carefully inspected the weapon, his eyes searching for any scratches or dents in the metal he needed to work out.
"Haven't thought of one yet. For a while I considered 'Silver Spitter', but that's kind of on the nose, don't you think?"
Nergal smiled as the feeling of friendly comfort in the air soothed her worried mind, and her mouth responded with a rhetorical question.
"What's wrong with on the nose?"
Richard stopped looking at his side arm and looked over, his sky blue eyes filled with hints of slight surprise before a smile overtook his face once more. He lowered the side arm and let the barrel of the weapon rest in his free hand.
"I suppose there isn't much wrong with honesty."
He said with a chuckle as he fondly held the weapon in his hands. Nergal smiled at the sight. It was as if the hunter was holding an old friend and he was rediscovering what he liked about it most.
"More like bluntness."
Nina said from her seat, drawing both Nergal and Richard's attention. The Seregios armored hunter looked at Nina for a moment before letting out a gentle laugh.
"Yeah, that too."
A silence fell after that, with Richard finally beginning to clean Endless Sky of the rust that had accumulated in it and Nina beginning to sharpen her Hammer. Both of which Nergal wasn't the most interested in, so she decided to take her leave.
She walked quietly down the walkway toward the Workshop, her thoughts still plagued with the news about Eclipsen's condition. It still made her heart ache to think of him as a wounded man when he woke up. A Human so strong only to become so broken that he couldn't use that strength anymore.
She kept her eyes glued to the wooden panels as she walked, taking care to use her Monster senses to avoid running into each other, even though she wasn't looking where she was going. In truth, Nergal didn't know where she even wanted to go. She had woken up with a clear purpose and a view of the future that she had found comforting, but the thought of Eclipsen being unable to enjoy that future was heart wrenching.
Somehow, her thoughtful walk guided her somewhere she didn't expect to visit just yet. She stopped as she reached a doorway with a green curtain acting as the door, but the curtain had been hung to the side of the doorframe so nobody needed to push it out of the way. The sign next to the door said 'Infirmary'.
Nergal looked into the darkness of the room, her wavering will trying to muster any sort of courage that she had left. Even she was ready to admit that it was a difficult task; Her strong will could only carry her so far through the emotional turmoil that raged in her heart.
She breathed out, then took in a deeper breath. She needed to do this. She needed to see the man who had given her everything, even if she couldn't do anything to help him. And with one brave step, Nergal crossed the threshold into the Infirmary.
A bolt of surprise went through her when she found that quiet and clam greeted her rather than the groans of the injured or the wails of family. The air was clean and sterile which made Nergal's nose tingle slightly from the pungent smell of medical herbs, chemicals and equipment.
The room itself was large, with many curtains strung up around beds to keep patient's privacy and to block out any sunlight in case they wanted to sleep. A single pathway led to a large desk on the far side of the room, where the doctor Nergal had seen earlier worked. Many other branching pathways split off from the one in the middle, leading into and past the many curtained rooms.
Nergal let her legs guide her forward, with her clawed feet making quiet and gentle tapping sounds on the wood floor as she walked. She knew she wasn't emotionally ready to see Eclipsen, but her worries and anxieties wouldn't let her miss the opportunity.
The doctor worked patiently before Nergal approached her desk, and even failed to notice the Elder Dragon standing in front of her for a moment before her eyes gazed upward and she jerked slightly in surprise. The Doctor then quickly finished writing something on a sheet of paper and stood from her chair.
"You're um... Here to see him, right?"
The doctor asked, her voice full of concern and a slight hint of regret or something similar to it.
"Yes."
Nergal managed to say, nodding as she did so. Somehow her voice remained level and didn't break like she had expected it to, but she knew it was a matter of time before her emotions came crashing down on her.
The doctor nodded in understanding and gestured a hand down on of the branching hallways.
"He's right this way."
She said before leading Nergal down the hallway she had shown. Nergal could tell the doctor was nervous, as her steps were slightly rushed and somewhat jittery even if it was only the tiniest amount. Nergal sympathized with the woman. She would feel just as horrible if she was the one unable to save Eclipsen from being so broken.
Eventually the two came to a small curtained room near the back of the Infirmary, with the dark green sheet having been pulled completely closed. The doctor gripped the edge of the curtain and opened it, revealing what Nergal had been so scared yet anxious to see.
Eclipsen lay on a bed, his arm hooked up to a strange tube that was connected to a larger bag. His breathing was slow and his hair was slightly matted from the water and dirt that had not gotten the chance to be cleaned from the night before. Beside the bed and built into the wall were a set of metal slides that held black frames.
Nergal stepped into the room, letting the sight of Eclipsen fill her mind. He looked peaceful, but she knew it wasn't a pleasant peace. He was most likely in pain underneath the veil of sleep.
The doctor stood at the edge of the room, wringing her hands in nervousness and some other emotions that Nergal was failing to guess.
The Elder Dragon gazed sadly at Eclipsen before looking back at the doctor. Something had given her the strength to ask more, and her mouth moved accordingly.
"How bad is his condition?"
The doctor jerked slightly in surprise before her body relaxed, as if she had been waiting in anticipation for the very question. She sighed before walking into the room and up to the metal slide on the wall. She reached out and touched the side of the metal frame, but she hesitated for a moment.
"Are you sure?"
She asked with somber eyes. Nergal looked into the doctor's gaze and her heart quivered for a moment, emotions threatening to spill to the surface. The doctor's expression fell slightly; a sign that Nergal had allowed her steely gaze to falter. The Elder Dragon drew in a deep breathe and let her instincts guide her. She needed to do this, even if it felt as if her heart was wrapped in thorns.
"Yes. I'm sure."
The doctor nodded slowly and looked back at the metal slide. She moved her finger and a click sounded before the entire metal frame lit up. The black frames on the metal slide then came into focus, showing four pictures of horribly broken human bones. Nergal gazed with a morbid fascination at the images, with part of her curious as to how they managed to take such pictures and another part of her shocked and horrified at just how injured Eclipsen truly was.
While Nergal was busy looking at the X-ray images, the doctor reached over and lifted a clipboard from the rack that held the IV bag before passing it to the Elder Dragon. Nergal looked at the clipboard in confusion for a moment and the doctor spoke.
"His bones were broken so badly that I doubt he would've made the trip back to Astera in any from of conciousness. It looks like, from the damage to his muscles, that he was forced to hold his own broken bones together to do what he did. By the Five, I can only imagine the pain he was in..."
The doctor said, a wave of sorrow and sympathy emenating from her voice. She leaned into the edge of Eclipsen's bed and let out a shaky breath; it was clear that she was near her own breaking point as well.
But Nergal felt a new feeling well up within her. That hint of pride in Eclipsen's strength came crawling back, slowly but surely. To have the raw power to hold his own bones together with already wounded muscles. It was as if he had already known exactly what to do to achieve victory and hadn't given a second thought to the consequences to himself.
"Doctor, if I may."
The doctor looked up at Nergal as if she was about to be slapped. Instead, the Elder Dragon looked at Eclipsen with gleaming eyes and a melancholy expression.
"We shouldn't focus on the pain that he was feeling. We should focus on the strength he had to fight through it, and farther than that. Don't feel responsible, Doctor. This is something he chose to do. To protect us all."
Nergal said, not bothering to hide both the price and sadness in her voice. The doctor's expression brightened for a moment and a smile crept onto her lips.
"They always said Elder Dragons are wise."
Nergal spared a slight smile at the compliment before continuing to look at Eclipsen. The doctor pushed off the edge of the bed and stood, moving towards the curtain.
"I'll leave you alone for now."
She said before stepping out and closing the curtain. As soon as the green fabric met the edge of it's track, Nergal felt a crushing sorrow engulf her. Her face contorted into a grimace and she struggled to hold back tears. Acting quickly, she grabbed a small chair from the side of the room and sat down next to Eclipsen's bed, letting the clipboard fall gently next to his leg.
Nergal reached out to grab his hand but paused, her own shaky hand hovering above his. She didn't want to cause him more pain, but she needed to feel something, anything from him. She closed her eyes and let tears fall as she placed her hand as gently and gingerly as she could in his.
Eclipsen's hand was warm and comforting, even though he didn't have the conciousness to hold onto Nergal's own palm. The Elder Dragon felt her mouth open to let out a sob, but all that came out was a quiet and pained breath. She kept her hand on Eclipsen's as she placed her arm on the bed and her head on her arm, letting the tears fall freely from her face.
"I'm sorry..."
She whimpered. And in her sorrowful state, she didn't even notice as Eclipsen squeezed her hand ever so slightly.