The Disillusioned Land

Chapter 40 - Hubris

"Is this thing really so important that you'd prioritize it over me even in this situation? What's so special about a little knife anyway?"

"You don't honestly think I would just tell you right?"

"Ha, well it hardly matters now that it's in my hands." Junko turns the blade in her hand, observing it from each side.

Suddenly she drops the knife in shock. Several small wounds resembling bite marks line her hand. The blade bounces across the floor before landing right between the two of us.

"Vile thing... I suppose I'll just have to destroy it."

Hundreds of danmaku appear, aimed right at the weapon, but this time I'm faster than she is. I use a gap to divert the shots while I grab the blade. I feel uncomfortable just holding the thing. Even through the handle I can feel that it hates me with all its being, but not as much as it hates Junko, and so it allows me to hold it for just a moment. Without hesitation I open up another gap and pass the knife along to Chen through it.

"Take this to Ryan." I open up another gap near the bakeneko and she immediately dives through it and chases after Ran and Ryan.

Junko glares at me once again, seemingly even more infuriated than before. "Well I hope you accomplished whatever it was that you were trying to do, because I'm quite done playing around."

"Very well then, let us end this." There's no avoiding a fight at this point, I just have to have faith that my gambit will pay off.

"Indeed, it's time to end this, time to end you."

...

When I open my eyes again I find myself lying in a rigid bed. I see Ran sitting to the left of me, as well as an unknown person to my right.

"You've already awoken have you? Certainly unexpected considering the severity of your wounds but it's a good sign at least." The mysterious woman on my right speaks.

"That's Eirin, a doctor of sorts." Ran seems to somehow sense my confusion immediately. "I presume you two are unacquainted."

"It's as she says, though it would be more accurate to call me a pharmacist."

So this is a hospital then. This place looks pretty fancy compared to any hospital I've ever been in... and I don't have insurance... shit. There's no way I can afford this kind of treatment, I'm not even officially employed at the moment. They've probably already got my name and information processed, so it's likely too late to just book it...

"Hm... he doesn't appear to be responding, perhaps I spoke too soon."

"No, I'm fine, I'm here." I quickly blurt something out to make sure I don't get given some expensive treatment.

"Is that so? That's good then." The doctor writes something onto a clipboard.

"Erm, what exactly happened to me?"

"Well you came in with a collapsed lung, several ruptured intestines, class 3 blood loss, hemorrhagic shock, a couple shattered ribs and a missing limb."

I turn my gaze to my body as soon as I hear that last part. Sure enough the entire right side of my body is covered in bandages. I'm a little shocked to see it but... I already knew what happened to it. I suppose I was just hoping I remembered wrong.

"I managed to get almost everything into a stable condition. That isn't to say you're all healed of course, you'll tear open stitches if you move around too much, but you don't need to be on life support at the very least."

"What happened to the others?" I turn to Ran once again.

"They're still fighting." There's little concern in her voice, they're probably all okay. Even still I can't just leave them there.

"I have to go."

"Hold on now." The doctor stops me from getting up. "There's no way you can leave just yet. You might technically be in a stable condition but you won't be for long if you start getting into fights."

The doctor looks at me for a brief second before continuing to talk.

"Looks like I couldn't stop you even if I tied you down. At the very least wait until I'm done with treatment, your friends will be just fine for a couple minutes without you."

Begrudgingly I lie back down onto the hospital bed and look around the room for the first time since my awakening. Eirin is doing something with several colourful vials, I don't quite understand what but I assume it has something to do with my treatment. Ran is looking up at a clock periodically, beside her is a small stand, upon which lies my knife.

"I sent Chen out to get you something to eat, she should be back any minute." Is it really that easy for her to tell what I'm thinking? "It won't help you heal but it should help you feel a little better."

"How long have I been here exactly?"

"Not sure, I didn't check the time when we came in, but it should be less than half an hour."

That's quite a while... I just hope the others are doing well.