[STT] Chapter 94: Can you, now? (Patreon)

Ben POV

The hall master came back with the pill, and Ben opened the small wooden case on his palm, finding one pill inside.

It was big, and it was green, shaped like a bead, and it smelled faintly of herbs.

Only one?

"Here you go," the hall master said, his voice politer than before. "Third grade tempering pill. Take it with water, and meditate after. It will be a painful process, so prepare yourself. A few things that I have to let you know first, though."

"Okay."

"You are not allowed to take tempering pills outside the infirmary, And you're only allowed to take it there under the supervision of the physician. One pill a day, no more. A pill above what your body can handle can kill you, so if you feel you're about to die, stop taking them. These pills are not to be given out to anyone else, and they are not for sale. It can kill, it has killed, and it will kill. And we will catch you. Regardless, she decides whether you can get another one."

"Who's she?"

"The physician. She's in charge of the pills. You take them, she watches."

He nodded.

"Any questions?"

"No."

"Good. Now, off to the infirmary with you."

"I see, thank you."

The hall master waved him off, and the guards led him out of the hall.

Ben had expected more than one pill, but he guessed the third grade ones were rare and expensive. And from what the hall master told him, quite dangerous too. Still, it was better than nothing.

The infirmary was in a separate building, and the guards led him to it. He was not sure why there were guards following him around, to be honest, but he didn't ask.

It was either the captain being suspicious of him, or either Gerald or Eris or Alice or god knows who, asking them to keep an eye on him.

One pill a day was slower than he'd wanted, or expected for that matter, but then again, Gerald never specified how many he should take. For all Ben knew, he could die if he took more than one. So, he'd follow the rules.

###

Bobby, Assistant of the physician, POV

A clerk from the supply hall stuck his head in through the infirmary door, eyes searching the place, settling on him. Bobby hadn't expected someone from the supply hall this early. He mentally sorted through everything to see if there was a new shipment, and, realizing he hadn't ordered anything yet, his curiosity grew.

"Can I help you?" Bobby asked.

"A recently inducted Tier 2 commoner, under Lord Gerald's seal, lit the third mark on the mana measurement stone. He will be here for a third grade tempering pill. The physician is to supervise him."

Bobby blinked, the information not sinking in, but before he could ask anything further, the clerk was gone.

He stared at the empty doorway.

Third grade? That was nice. Bobby hadn't seen one of those in a bit, so it would be an interesting experience, and he might even gain some levels out of it, depending on whether the physician would be willing to let him help.

But a commoner? That was weird, but not strange. Talent was, after all, not as discriminatory as people were.

Still, hitting the third mark was surprising, especially as a Tier 2 ascender. Bobby looked over at the physician, Lady Vanessa, who was treating a [Hunter]'s ribs, and decided to wait for her to finish before telling her.

She was a calm woman, with an air of serenity about her that put people at ease, and a face that looked younger than her actual age. Her hair was white as snow and she had it tied back in a ponytail, and her eyes were a pale blue.

When she was finished, Bobby went over to her, and told her what the clerk had said.

"I see," she replied, her expression unchanged. "Well, that is interesting. I haven't had to supervise tempering in a while. It will be good practice for you as well, Bobby. Get the logs ready."

He nodded, and went to the back, where the logs were kept. He opened the ledger, and wrote down the name of the person who would be taking the pill, along with the date and time, as well as the grade of the pill. It was a simple task, but it was important. The ledger was used to track who took what, and when, and it helped prevent abuse.

The boy came in a few minutes later, flanked by two guards. He was a thin thing, his eyes dead, and his expression blank. He had a bird on his shoulder, made of mana, which was a bit odd, but Bobby didn't comment on it. He immediately dubbed him a [Focus] user, however, given his eyes and demeanor. Bobby had met a few of them, and they were all a bit... off.

"Hello, I am Vanessa, the [Physician] of the House. You can call me Vanessa." She said, greeting the boy. "And this is Bobby, my assistant."

"Hi," Bobby said, waving a hand.

The boy nodded, his expression unchanging. "The pill is third grade, the hall master said I take it here."

The boy, Benjamin, said, not knowing that information was shared between all the relevant parties before he got her 

Vanessa nodded, and gestured for him to follow her. "Come, we will go to the back. I assume you have never taken a pill of this grade before."

"No. I have never taken any kind of pill, actually, unless you count nutrition pills."

Lady Vanessa stopped, gaze returning to Ben. "You have never taken a tempering pill before?"

"No."

Bobby and Vanessa shared a look, and he could tell she was thinking the same thing: this was going to be interesting.

"Well, then, this will be a new experience for you." Vanessa continued, leading them to the back room, where a bed was set up, along with a chair for Bobby, and a small table with a basin of water and a cloth.

"Please, sit down on the bed, back facing me, and make yourself comfortable." She said, and Benjamin did so, the bird still perched on his shoulder.

"Alright, I am going to explain to you what is going to happen. First, I will examine your body, which is a bit intrusive, so I do not want you to be startled, it is all standard procedure. I will be using [Examine Body], and it requires physical touch. Then, I will give you the pill, and you will swallow it. Once you do, you will feel a burning sensation in your stomach. It will then spread through your body, and it will hurt a lot, as the body's natural defenses are lowered to your mana and it starts to get tempered by it. You will need to use your cycling technique and guide the mana to where it is needed. The pill will amplify the effects of your mana, and you will be over sensitive afterwards, but if you do not guide it well, it will be a painful and inefficient process. The more you control, the less pain, and the faster the process. Do you understand?"

Benjamin nodded. "I understand."

"Good. Now, please remove your shirt."

Bobby watched as the boy took off his shirt, revealing a very thin yet muscular frame. His skin was pale, and there were scars all over, some fresh, some old. The bird flew off his shoulder and perched on the bedpost, watching them, and Lady Vanessa put a hand on the boy's back.

"[Examine Body]," she said, for the boy's benefit, and her hand started to glow, the glow seeping into his skin. Her nose scrunched. "What is this?"

The glow faded, and she stepped back. "Benjamin, I need you to explain to me what is happening inside your body. Your mana is... chaotic."

Ben frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're Tier 2. Core overfull, badly, I might add, and neck broken once and healed rather unprofessionally. Brute forced. Your body, however... it's falling apart at the seams. It's barely keeping together. I don't understand how you're even alive, or how you're walking, let alone fighting. I knew Gareld was out of touch ever since he holed up in the garden, but this... To have you consume a third grade tempering pill? Has he gone senile?"

Bobby looked at Lady Vanessa nervously. To call Lord Gerald senile... That was Lady Vanessa for you, alright.

"It's fine, I can handle it. The body won't fall apart, I'm not sure what you saw, but I can hold it together for a while. I need the pill."

Lady Vanessa stared at him, and he stared back. Bobby could feel the tension in the air, and he was not sure what to do. Should he intervene? Should he say something?

"No."

"Then can I have the pill back, at least."

"It goes back to the hall."

"Please. I need it."

"No. You'll die."

"I will not die."

"You don't know that. Even I don't know that, but I know you will suffer immensely. The risk is not worth it, even for the reward. You could seriously cripple yourself. You're at a precipice as is, and—"

"Look, I know the path I'm on. It leads to nothing but destruction regardless. But I'm not going down without a fight. I need that pill. I need to get stronger. If you won't give it to me, then give it to me and I'll take it somewhere else."

Bobby could feel the boy's determination, and he had to admire it. He was not going to back down, and Lady Vanessa knew it, if her tensing jaw was of any indication.

So Bobby decided to intervene. "Look, he lit the third mark... so..."

"I know."

"Tier 3 mana path ascenders take third grade because their mana's already that potent and the quality is there that nothing inferior would have an effect on them. His mana is already third grade, so..."

"I'm aware, Bobby. But his body isn't. It has been fighting his mana for a while, and it is damaged. It might not have the defenses to resist the mana anymore. The pill will amplify his mana, but his body is already weak, so it getting weaker to the mana's effects… Do you hear what you're suggesting I do to this boy?"

"I will not die." Benjamin insisted.

Lady Vanessa looked at him, her eyes searching his face, scoffing. "Oh, and how will you do that? It is not an 'if' question, boy. It is a 'when'. I give you the pill, you will be in agony, and you will be begging for death soon after."

"I can hold my mana under control."

"Can you, now?" Lady Vanessa said, challenge in her voice.

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