Phantom Hunters | Saphir Casters Academy

22 | Unexpected Help

    "Ah, Kael Smaradine, was it?" Doctor Blue said.

    Kael nodded. "Doctor Blue."

    The bear pulled a stool from the wall and climbed on to it, nearly slipping when his furry foot failed to grip on the small horizontal beam that supported the chair's structure. Doctor Blue stood on the stool and gestured for Kael to come closer. When the boy obeyed, he plugged the stethoscope in his ears and raised Kael's shirt to listen to his organs.

    The chestpiece was cool on Kael's skin. He resisted the urge to scratch when Doctor Blue's fuzz grazed onto his torso. The doctor removed the stethoscope, hanging it around his neck. He then proceeded to prod at Kael's ribs, resting his stumpy hand on Kael's torso. A tingle ran through from where he touched.

    "What are you doing?" Kael asked, a little concerned by the strange sense of being naked. 

    "I am feeling your bones by sending a surge of my uthra through you. It spreads across your internal structures before returning to me with information I'm looking for. You're my vessel, so to speak."

    "I didn't know you could do that. Won't you blight me?"

    "No, no. That only happens when a sigil is involved. Simply sensing organs and bones within a body by using uthra comes with technical training in medicine. Though it's very dangerous when you're untrained as you can end up doing some internal damage if you aren't careful. Besides, I'm a Twarlan bear. We don't have nearly enough uthra to activate a sigil. It's our lifeline, you see." He moved his hand down, feeling Kael's bones. "Hmm, it seems your ribs aren't broken, but they are bruised. They should heal on their own, but I do have something that may accelerate your healing. Hold on."

    The bear struggled to get off the chair, hanging like a trapped puppy for a second before dropping to the ground with a grunt. He waddled to his office, leaving Garun with Kael.

    "Weird, huh?" Kael said when he saw Garun gaze fixed on the doctor's door.

    "Why is his name Doctor Blue when he is green?" Garun asked.

    Kael laughed, then groaned in pain. "Don't ask. I think he gets annoyed by the question."

    "His office is a cupboard," Garun said.

    "What?"

    "When I went to get him for you, I saw nothing but papers and chemicals and a large cupboard against the wall. He came out of there."

    "That's strange. Maybe it's comfortable? He is small."

    The small door opened, and Doctor Blue once again emerged with a jumble of flasks in his arms. He shut the door with his foot before walking towards Kael.

    "Now," he said, putting the flasks down on the ground. "I have a few prototypes here. I want to make sure that they are compatible with your body. You have no allergies?"

    Kael shrugged. "Not that I know of."

    "Okay." The doctor picked up a flask with neon green liquid with a hum. He tapped his chin with his other hand as if in thought. "Maybe I'll try this for Fugax's dust allergy."

    He put down the flask before picking up another, this time filled with deep blue liquid that could almost be purple. "Try this one. Report back to me tomorrow. Damaged ribs are better off healing on their own, and they typically take a few months to completely heal. I will provide you with more of this healing stimulant, and I want you to take a bottle once a day for the next week."

    Kael would have snarled at the flask if he was a dog. The pungent smell hit him before he could even bring it close enough to drink.

    "You want me to drink this stuff everyday?" Kael asked with a crinkled nose. "It smells awful."