Bonny Sallus' clinic for Medicine and Healing Studies for the Betterment of Humanity and Monsterkind.
There was only one permanent place in the entire world where that name was written out in full, and that was above the entrance to its main building.
However that was where the parallels between Soul's School and Bonny Sallus' Clinic stopped. Any parallels that didn't have the listener shake their head in disbelief first before begrudgingly agreeing with haphazard shrugs and an unconvinced "I guess? If you say so."
The sign welcoming to Bonny Sallus' Academy of Medicine and Tinctures must have been on the main road rather than the one Cter and Kurant took, Cter guessed.
The hospital compound sat on top of the Clinic Hill between Mt. Ebott and Mt. Ymmet seen in the distance. An upwards wind seemed to have poured all the way from the two distant mountains, crashing into the hill. It rose from both the mountain-facing side as well as the village-facing side of the hill. After a brisk climb up it, which more often than not was assisted by the Monster Country Royal Guards stationed at the village sat at the hill's foot acting as stretcher carriers for the humans too weak to make it up the hill on their own accord, the gravel courtyard came into view with more solid stone paths acting like bridges on the lake of gravel.
Flanked on either side were two large, multi-storied, brick buildings housing patients, surgery rooms, and the staff that worked for the clinic, both monsters and humans. Through magical means there was always a lower pressure inside the rooms housing the sick compared to the corridors and rooms to be kept healthy. That way the miasma could be funneled through a continuous furnace staffed by fire monsters that burned away the miasma and other hazardous materials to then be spewed out the wide, chimneys peeking ominously over the backs of the two large buildings.
Although the presence of the chimneys were a necessary evil in terms of form, the good in function they provided superseded the evil plenty and more. While the brick buildings were prioritized in being human-built with human engineering and building techniques there still was something monster hanging over them. They looked like a border-buildings more than those so deep into the country Xoff would have them. Border-buildings, due to being situated close to both humans and monsters, were a bit more blended in their function and forms. A necessity for the human and monster villagers living close the country borders, and a luxury for those living more inwards the countries. The brick buildings at Clinic Hill though did not have the gaudy additions to really bring home the exotic tone of the exaggerated monster or human tones to the border-buildings built out of vanity rather than necessity. They had a more subtle tone to their roofs and angles which hinted at monster rather than screaming.
In stark contrast to the over-exaggerated human design of the third large building stood on top of Clinic Hill in all its screaming human glory. A building more human than eating eggs without shells while bleeding blood during fall and not autumn. Three stories high with each floor having widely different purposes.
The first floor housed the most specialized medical equipment and operating rooms for the most dire of patients. Not much was known about the equipment as it was all designed by either Bonny Sallus himself or his apprentices who alternated between following up on leads about new medical discoveries from both monsters and humans, as well as experimenting in the second floor lab. The second floor lab was called the deadliest place in the world due to the collection of miasma that could kill the human population many times over located within the deadliest glass containers in the world situated on the deadliest shelf in the world. Perhaps the miasma could kill even the monster population if it had absorbed magic from the proximity between Mt. Ebott and Mt. Ymmet, which was one of the experiments headed at the second floor lab.
The deadliest shelf in the world was surrounded by layers of mattresses and stasis magic because of that fact, and each sample had to be taken from the shelf by one human holding it with both hands and an accompanying monster surrounding the glass container with stasis magic.
That way the second floor lab would only be called the deadliest place in the world and not become the deadliest place in the world.
If that were to happen all the fire monsters would torch the building whole with nothing but a black outline left as a reminder of the failure in laboratory safety.
To prove that he had complete trust in the contingencies and his apprentices, Bonny Sallus lived on the third floor of the gaudy-human building. His home was a celebration of humanity and science, with everything from toys to scientific models placed on display like a museum of sorts. Part of his home was also a lecture hall which was frequently used both for his apprentices to present new findings as well as for Dr. Sallus to teach those he sought to add to his apprenticeship. Humans from Xoff, humans from Hjearta, and monsters alike and not-alike were his apprentices, with a blend almost identical to that of Soul's School. While it was not the de-facto institute for medicine for either humans or monsters it was still regarded as one of the most prestigious medical institutes that rivaled the biggest universities in terms of discoveries made and published. The many hoops in law that had to be jumped through to will it into existence in the first place made it so that it could be considered part of any one country to take credit for.
Through hushed whispers behind closed doors double-checked to be properly locked before the whispers could begin, the symbol of Bonny Sallus' clinic was the best among the best which contributed heavily to its prestige and recognition despite the tangled mess necessary for its existence.
A symbol which Cter caught instantly as she rounded the top of the road up Clinic Hill with her human protector guiding her. Etched beautifully onto the surrounding wall of a round fountain in the middle of the gravel lake. In the center of the fountain stood a large upside-down symbol of a monster soul. The same symbol that hung from Sund's ears and the same symbol that glowed on the sign of the The Flipping Heart. Wide enough that Cter could lay on top of it and have one rounded hump fitted on her neck and the other hump fitted inside the back of her knees, but tall enough that she would have difficulty climbing on top of it to lay down on it.
Not that she would, as that would be quite rude to do.
But in theory...
"That is Bonny Sallus' heart," explained the child, who repeated his name as Manny to Cter since it had slipped her mind. "Since he doesn't have a human one he made this one instead." Manny gestured between a group of monsters and humans in white robes talking in the soft mist of the fountain. "It says so on the plaque there."
A plaque, ey?
Cter did not see Kurant anywhere, nor did she see the stretcher Kurant had begrudgingly used. Even when she stood up on her toes to look over the large stone heart there was no Kurant on the other side. Were she to make a guess, Cter believed that Kurant was in the furthest building as it was the one that looked the most important owing to the gaudy exaggeration of its human design. With having just walked up Clinic Hill though she felt that she would not have the proper energy to act as important as she was had she just headed straight to that house. "You want to have a seat while we look for your parents?" she suggested instead to Manny. "You can try and put the ice cube in the water to have another layer of refraction onto it if you want?"
Manny nodded and pulled ahead with Cter in tow. The lurch caught the attention of one of the jester monsters in the white robe who turned her turquoise head and narrowed her crossed-shaped eyes. For her to be wearing the white robe over her own self-colored one was a sign of deep respect towards the monster she was working for. "Are you in need of medical attention?" she asked to the hurrying human and the Monster Mage in tow. "Bonny Sallus is attending an important guest at the moment, but we will be happy to treat you."
Cter was slightly befuddled that the monster did not recognize her purple mantle or the sleeve on her left arm, but after raising it to show the Delta Rune on the back of her sleeve the jester monster's crosses widened until they were almost squares. "I will inform Dr. Sallus that you are her too, Monster Mage." With a quick excuse from her friends and colleagues the jester hurried around the fountain and towards the human house. The rest of her colleagues then decided that their break was over and split into two groups which walked to the two large brick buildings.
After releasing his childishly eager grip from Cter's hand, Manny stopped just short of diving into the fountain water and rocked forth on the surrounding wall before coming to a stop and dipping his magical ice cube into the temperate water. He held it up towards the sky, and wowed at how different it looked. Cter could see the difference on his face too. "Do you think the others will like the way it looks now or how it was before you dipped it in water?"
Manny thought for a couple of seconds before turning to Cter with his question blurting out before him. "Could you make both? I think some will like it this way and some the other."
"Sure, just let me know how many of each, okay?" Cter looked to the plaque before Manny could nod, but she knew that he did without even seeing.
The plaque was of a green patina, most likely due to the constant mist of the fountain. However that did not make the etched letters any less legible despite being of human make. Impressive.
"This is the heart of Bonny Sallus. This is my heart. It is here as it is not inside of me, and here I display it for all to see and to take courage with, be it if you have one of your own or not. I will continue my work until the monster heart I possess becomes just a bit closer to that of a human's. In the meanwhile this one will beat for those that I have saved, and even harder for those that I could not save. It beats the hardest for those in the future that I will save. I am determined to, from the bottom of my heart."
Cter nodded to the plaque.
"And my soul."
If the plaque was everything to go by then Cter would certainly not mind Bonny Sallus' magic. It read like he was a very stand-up monster, and from what Cter read on the way to Clinic Hill about its buildings and the likes she did not feel like the plaque was exaggerating. The dedication that Bonny Sallus had about the scientific field of medicine was palpable, both visible and in the general zeitgeist as Cter stood in the spritzing mist from the fountain raining onto the stone statue.
"Monster Mage!" Cter was called from the middle building by the jester nurse beckoning as she walked towards the fountain with half-hurried steps. "Kurant and Dr. Sallus are waiting in the foyer," said the jester with a point behind her. "If you would, please?"
Sure, Cter would. It was why she was there, after all.
She did not really have any reasons not to attend the summon. However though. "Could you please bring Manny here to his parents? They were with the human group that came up the hill with Kurant." With a look that demanded playfully, Cter turned to Manny. "You make sure to keep your end of the bargain and ask the others about how they want their ice cubes, okay?" She made sure to comically lift up her eyebrows so that the playful aspect came across without any doubts. Cter also bent forwards over her waist like a poorly oiled hinge so that Manny could not hold in his budding laughter any longer. With her left hand she patted the child's head. "I trust you on this, Manny."
"Thank you, Monster Mage!" Manny returned with a lunging hug which had Cter's heart skip a beat. Her hands fell instinctively to rest motherly on his shoulders, an instinct she had no idea that she even had! "I mean...Cter."
Oh Cter's heart was about to melt out of her toes Manny's smile hit her so hard. Her composure melted away with her heart, and she had to clear her throat so that she would not sound like an out-of-tune wind instrument. "Until then, Manny."
A final nod ruffled the child's hair before he scurried off with his wet ice cube in hand towards the nurse who held out a turquoise hand for him to grab onto. The two headed towards the brick building on the left side of the gravel lake while Cter headed towards the three-storied house with her heart not solidifying in the slightest.
The door was extremely loud as Cter opened it. The grid of heavy and colorful glass shook vehemently as she tugged at the cast-iron door handle. While she did not plan to sneak in and pretend like she had always been there perhaps it was a bit too much on the other side of the spectrum with how violently loud the door sounded. She hesitated for a moment to even close it fearing that the entire house would crumble. With a focused breath she tried to apply some stasis to the door to have close more softly, but all the try did was remind her of the echoing lack of a monster presence she was deprived of.
It sent a chill up and down her spine, again like an echo, and she could feel the hair on her right arm stand up more than the fur on her Delta Rune ever could.
"Cter?" came a questioning call from a few rooms over. "That you?"
Cter winced before and after closing the door. Even though she prepared herself she was not prepared enough for the loud rattle that had her shoulder risking jumping out of its socket. "I'm here," she answered after the rattle died out. "Be with you in a moment."
The famous three stories housing both the deadliest of floors and the most healthy of floors. Joked about with classmates when Cter first heard of it, as did anyone, really. How could the deadliest floor be in the same house as the most healthy of floors? Well, Cter knew, and she was in it. The foyer was flanked on both side walls with chairs with a reception desk at the far end that was unstaffed as Cter walked passed it. Towards where she heard Kurant's voice. Down the corridor towards Kurant's voice there were more educational rooms rather than clinical ones which she glanced at in the other corridor. She was happy to not walk down that one, to be completely honest.
Luckily there was only one door opened at the end of the educational corridor. Wooden, but a different type of wood than the decor of the corridor. Not from a type of tree that Cter recognized, but it looked expensive. In a small sense she felt that it was appropriate that she was called towards the most expensive-looking door with her being a Monster Mage.
She scoffed slightly at how arrogant that sounded in her hand. The brief image of the green monster's disgusted scowl flashed against the notion.
But it wasn't wrong though.
Cter knocked a few complimentary knocks on the expensive door before entering without any verbal invitation. Immediately she was hit with a similar oppressively dry smell similar to that of Frioke's study in Jarasevo Castle. The room looked like it too, but instead of bookcases filling all four walls they only did three, with the naked one instead featuring a large double-window with a gorgeous view of the landscape behind the Clinic Hill. Rivers, trees, fields of wheat.
And Mt. Ebott.
From where Cter stood Mt. Ebott fitted perfectly in the window. Its top at the top of the window, and its base filling the base of the window. However, as she moved her head a bit to the side the mountain warped strangely. Moving her head back to be in the middle of the door frame Mt. Ebott again filled half of the area of the window.
"Magnified?" she blurted.
"A blend of both the most qualified glazier in Xoff and the most qualified glazier from Jarasevo," was said an explanation from a voice deep and wise standing behind Kurant pouring three glasses for his company. "From the door the window takes on the properties of the Xoff glazier's work on the window to shape Mt. Ebott as it feels to us monsters as well as human mages when we're here, and once you've entered the work of the Jarasevo glazier brings more luster to the landscape around the mountain as it is how the humans see it."
Kurant took one of the glasses with a nod from the respectful voice and took a half-circle step aside to show Cter who it was that explained. "Cter, meet Dr. Bonny Sallus," she presented with a soft motion of her drink-occupied hand towards the sharply dressed bunny monster smiling with his ears high up. "Dr. Bonny Sallus, meet Cter, the Fourth Monster Mage." Another similarly, drink-filled motion towards Cter concluded Kurant's introductions, which she rewarded herself by sipping carefully from the wave-shaped glass.
The good doctor bowed his head and ears. "A pleasure." He extended his almost beige hand to both invite Cter to step inside and to also offer her a drink as well. She entered with a bow of her own head. "I trust your travels have gone well. Even the last stretch up the hill?"
Through eyes narrowed with suspicion, Kurant shot a harsh look towards Dr. Sallus over the rim of her glass. She was not completely sure if he was making a joke on her expense, but she was at the same time not completely sure if he wasn't. With a furrowed hum which she disguised with a slight smack of her lips to pertain to the bitter taste of her drink rather than the bitter taste of annoyance from Dr. Sallus probable joke, Kurant nodded along.
Cter was not in any position to feel what Kurant felt exactly in her aura, even less mask it to Bonny, so instead she spoke up to try and continue along the conversation. "The travels went well, doctor. Thank you for your concern and thought."
He lifted his glass to propose a toast. "It please me to hear that, Monster Mage."
The clang from the two glasses was quite melodic.
"So," Bonny motioned for the Monster Mages to sit down in front of his busy desk while he sat himself with his back against the large window, "from what I understand I am to give you your permanent magic, Cter?" Strangely he was not really silhouetted against the midday landscape outside the window. Cter hazarded a guess that it was the Jarasevo glazier's work that the light refrained from giving Dr. Sallus a rather-villainous delineation as he leaned his bunny-like nose onto his flat hands.
Cter looked to Kurant who nodded for Cter to answer. "That's what I understand as well," she replied. "It was decided by Priestess Frioke and Sir Gerson that we would be paired for my magic." Casually she showed her sleeve.
"Looks to be worthy of my magic," Bonny joked with a bemused snicker which the two Monster Mages shared as well. His posture relaxed a bit, and he leaned back in his chair. Again the light bent unnaturally as if the sun was right above him casting no shadows on his face. Did he specify that he wanted that to the Jarasevo glazier? "If it is not too confidential," he perked with a few wavy taps of his furry fingers. "How come me? My magic is not that powerful, even compared to the normal monster. Much less the magical proficiency of King Asgore, Queen Toriel, Priestess Frioke, and Sir Gerson, the ones that have given their magic beforehand." The taps stopped and Bonny moved his tented hands over towards the two Monster Mages like an arrow. "So why me?"
Again Cter looked over to Kurant, who again nodded for Cter to answer. Before she did though she looked over her shoulder to the opened door she had not closed behind her since she did not open it. With a quick, purple motion Kurant closed it shut quietly.
"It is for me to change your magic later down the line," said Cter gently. "I was given my Monster Mage title due to having discovered a way to change a monster's magic."
Dr. Sallus' eyes shot over to Kurant, who only nodded a third time as gently and carefully as she did for Cter to explain. "So it is true then. A monster's magic can be changed." Bonny let the words ruminate with him. "Can be...changed." The repeated words thudded onto the sturdy wooden desk like stones as they fell from the stunned lips. A quiver shook the bunny-like nose. "A monster's magic." His hands clasped and opened slowly while his brow sank, creating a deep shadow that hung over his white-beige fur.
"You will be able to progress your research faster and more accurately with a more appropriate magic at your disposal, Dr. Sallus," Cter repeated from what she had read in the carriage many times over. "With the increasing fervor of epidemics now that more and more humans are congregating into larger villagers and cities due to the economic rise from human magic and the two doctrines established by King Asgore and Queen Toriel when it comes to human and monster cooperation, what you are capable right now will sooner or later hit a point where you are not able to keep up with what you are needed to do." Pause for a very-much-needed breath. "With a change in your magic to something you will be more comfortable with using with medicine..."
Cter paused as she saw Dr. Sallus' eyes flicker over to Kurant's knee and then back at Cter hoping that she did not notice. Cter cleared her throat so that Bonny wouldn't notice that she noticed. "With a change in your magic to something you will be more comfortable with using with medicine you will help ensure that this golden age stays golden and does not begin to rust as the tides of times wash against it."
That last part Cter added on her own. She had plenty of time to come up with it during the carriage travel. Kurant was impressed, Cter could see that from the corner of her eye.
And she was quite proud of it herself.
"Us Monster Mages do not need the Cooperative Connection for your memory to be compatible with my soul, so any strong memory will do. The strongest memory is recommended though."
Bonny Sallus took the information with quite the stride, which surprised Cter. It only took a second for it all to sink in with him, barely enough time for the upholstery in his chair to form around his body as he leaned back again. Being a doctor he must have come to terms with things more harrowing on a regular basis. "While that goes against everything I have heard about the Cooperative Connection I am not going to argue against the Monster Mage who told it to me in person." His lips curled with curiosity. "How did you come to learn that monsters can have their magic changed, if I may be brash?"
Through sheer determination Cter managed to quell a wave of anxiety bursting from within her soul. Even Kurant took a glance over to see how she would handle it, but concluded that it was safe. "I began my career as a mage by lending magic to other monsters in Jarasevo. I offered my services to many a different monsters with equally many different types of magic. It was because I tackled the Cooperative Connection in a different way which due to my previous permanent magic being my grandma which was an extremely strong memory on both our parts, as well as me being a younger generation of mages. We suspect that this will be discovered independently again sooner rather than later within my generation of mages, so it was decided that I was to become a Monster Mage to study it first and foremost."
"And from that you discovered that you could change magic?" Bonny continued logically. He was correct in his assumption.
But he could never have guessed how wrong he still was.
"Yes, that is true."
"I see." With a lean forward and his arm outstretched he piqued an ear and a brow. "Can you show me? A demonstration?"
Cter would have to do something similar to which she did with the Royal Guard and make a connection with the loosest of cooperative justification, but sure. "Anything specific?" she asked as she grabbed hold of Bonny's arm with her sleeved hand. He was surprised, but not adverse to it happening. The Delta Rune began to flow as she took Bonny's thinking as the reason for the connection to be productive. He wanted her to help her with it, and that she could feel in his soul as soon as she managed the tiniest hook onto his magic. It did not take long before the lines on her sleeve began to faintly glow.
She also felt an equally tiny bit of disgust from Kurant's aura.
"I do not need to decide what my changed magic should be right now?" Bonny wondered after feeling Cter's aura grow with the hint of his own magic. "I have not even decided which is my most strongest memory."
"You can decide later when I have become accustomed to your magic enough to feel that I can change it," Cter answered as best as she could. If it meant days or years before she could change she could not tell.
"Because right now I'm thinking about a very beautiful conch I found when I saw the ocean for the first time." He opened his hand in front of him. "Could you...um...help me recreate it, I guess?"
Cter could.
She focused in as Bonny began to visualize the conch in his soul. How he felt when he found it, the shape of it, how he felt after he found it. Cter took those emotions and contextualized them to be present rather than pretense. That was how conjuration worked at its very core, and with that she could push back more of those thoughts and emotions back into Bonny's soul with enough of her own soul's power and conviction that she could force a conjuring to happen the way he thought of it.
Cter also let the view of the glistening sea meld together with its burning water from the low sun against the golden sand stretching from side to side with its gentle slope down into the unknown water both intriguing and terrifying.
The wind too she heard whistling in her ears and…
And…
Oh no!
"The waves that day were VERY LOUD AN–"
