Chapter 135
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Altair was having a hard time concentrating on anything. It wasn't because her mind was in a blur or because she was tired. It was because she was suffering from a pain that she initially didn't think was so bad.
However, over the course of her getting cleaned up by some nurses and put into an open-backed gown that she was, unfortunately, more familiar with than she would have liked, she came to realize that the weapon that was used on her this last time was far more dangerous than she thought.
Her body felt like it was on fire. Not the outside of her body, but the inside. She couldn't even feel the bed she was on. What she felt was a searing pain that coursed through her body. It was constant and unforgiving. There wasn't a single second that she didn't feel it.
That pain didn't grow at all since the moment she first felt it. However, it never let up either. It wasn't that strong of a pain but, because it never seemed to weaken in its intensity, it wound up distracting her from almost every thought process she had.
Altair had never experienced torture before, but she figured what she was going through could be called that. And it was all because of her stupid choice to not clear the room because she was worried about her Mana. She couldn't help but feel like she should know better.
The pain was a reminder of her holding back for no reason. She swore to herself that she wouldn't do that again when she needed to be ruthless. She thought that her time in the Empire was making her slightly more soft than she used to. That sort of ideology would probably get her killed or result in her continuing to suffer situations like this if she continued doing so.
Her situation wasn't all bad. She did manage to find a window finally. Outside the window was a dense forest a bit in the distance. She also found out that she was on some upper floor of a building by looking out it. However, she had no idea where this place was. Her surroundings were groupings of buildings that were densely packed together. She would occasionally see a cruiser taking off into the air and flying straight off the planet.
That was about all she could tell from the window.
Still, since she had a window she could escape through it by destroying the window if she needed to. She had plenty of Mana to do so. She just needed to heal her body a bit so it wouldn't be so difficult to flee. She didn't fancy the idea of trying to have a Shadow Knight or some other Shadow creature that she made carry her as she attempted to make her escape.
It didn't mean it was off the table, though.
Even now she was actively using Regeneration Magic to try and get one of her fingers moving. Until she could make that finger move, she wouldn't try to heal the rest of her body. No matter how badly it hurt it wouldn't be worth it if she made things worse.
Her thoughts drifted to the antidote she had left in her satchel back at Sief's home. If she had taken that with her, now would be a great time to use it. Since she couldn't do much right now anyway, at least she would have more Mana to throw at her injury in an attempt to recover faster.
Altair grimaced as the pain pulled her thoughts away again. She sighed heavily in time with the door to her room abruptly opening. There wasn't a lot in her room, just her bed and two stools that were next to it. Not that Altair could move right now anyway.
The person who entered the room was the female doctor from before, the man who interrogated her, and a man with a beard that Altair could only assume he had been growing his entire life. The beard was even braided in an intricate design that made it stand out even more. Altair couldn't stop herself from staring at it.
The interrogator shot the bearded man a look while impatiently stating, "Get on with it."
The bearded man humph'd in reply before he sat on a stool next to the bed. He then took out a tiny tack and lifted Altair's hand, concealing what he had brought out. He then stealthy poked Altair's fingers and watched her face for any response. There was none, she couldn't feel anything on what he was doing.
He placed her hand down and lifted the sheet covering Altair to the side. He then repeated his poking test on her feet, thighs, stomach, and upper arms. With every test he made sure that Altair couldn't see what he was doing or what he had in his hands. The results caused him to shake his head ruefully.
He turned to the man and said, "No response. I don't know what she suffered but I strongly suggest getting her into a High Intensity Healing Pod. A normal Healing Pod won't be enough for her to recover. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be for her body to heal."
The man's expression darkened, which the bearded man took in the opposite direction of why it darkened in the first place. He then continued, "She should be able to mostly recover if you get her into one quickly. Now, if that is all that you called me here for, I shall take my leave."
The interrogator, shockingly, bowed respectfully to the bearded man while saying, "Thank you for your help. You don't know how much this has aided in our investigation."
The bearded man chuckled, "It's fine. Anything to help the ESF. Now, I have other patients that require my attention. Call me again if you require my aid." The bearded man then turned and left the room. Altair felt it a little disappointing that she couldn't examine the strange patterns on his beard a bit longer before he left.
The man looked at the female doctor after casting a glance at Altair and told her in a serious tone, "Explain to her what condition she's currently in. Don't sugarcoat it either." His expression turned to one of disapproval as he continued, "I know you like to hide things from children, but this person is a VIP. Don't you dare hide anything so the investigation can continue."
The female doctor saluted him, "As you will, Major."
The Major nodded to her before he gave Altair a mocking sneer and then left. In opinion, Altair was as good as caught. It wouldn't be long before he had the full report ready to give to his superiors. He just had to continue acting like an ass for a little longer and Altair would spill the beans to the female doctor for him. He really liked playing the bad cop.
The female doctor took the seat that was vacated by the bearded man and gave Altair a pained look. She then softly spoke as she said, "You have some really bad nerve damage in your body right now. I'm sure you've noticed that you can't move, right?"
Altair's only response was to stare at her in silence.
Seeing that she wouldn't get a reply, she continued on instead, "It's actually quite admirable that you aren't screaming in pain right now, given your age. You're a lot stronger than other kids your age."
She then paused dramatically before she took a deep breath and spoke in a more serious tone, "If you ever want to be able to move again, then you should offer up the information the Major is after. Once you do that you'll receive treatment. In two to four weeks, you should be able to walk again. The longer you take to decide, the worse off you'll be and the less likely you'll be able to make a full recovery." Her expression turned soft as she said, "You're still so young, you have a long life ahead of you. You don't want to live it like this, do you?"
A scheming light passed through Altair's eye as she turned her head to look down at the sheet. She then meekly asked, "You're a doctor, right?"
The female doctor instantly nodded even though Altair wasn't looking at her while saying, "Yes, I am."
Altair grinned in her mind as she asked, "Can you explain to me more about my nerve damage?"
The female doctor was a little taken aback and she hesitantly asked, "Y-you do know what a nervous system is right?" She couldn't believe a child Altair's age wouldn't know about this basic health system. It was such an elementary point that everyone learned when they were young. It made her wonder just what Altair's background was if she didn't know this much.
Altair shook her head without raising it and lied through her teeth, "I don't really know what's wrong with me." She then looked up at the doctor with a sad expression and asked in a pleading tone, "Can you please teach me everything you know? You said I don't have much time, but I don't understand how serious this is."
The female doctor visibly wavered under Altair's pleading gaze and words. She then looked at her communicator to check the time and bit her lip lightly. After a moment of silence she sighed softly and replied, "Alright. I'll tell you all that I can. But," she started with a more serious expression, "You need to take this seriously. You're quality of life from here till the day you die lies on the choice you make. You better ask questions as soon as you have them!"
Altair nodded earnestly as she grinned in her mind. 'This is perfect,' she thought to herself, 'This should speed up my recovery by leaps and bounds.'
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Altair was having a hard time concentrating on anything. It wasn't because her mind was in a blur or because she was tired. It was because she was suffering from a pain that she initially didn't think was so bad.
However, over the course of her getting cleaned up by some nurses and put into an open-backed gown that she was, unfortunately, more familiar with than she would have liked, she came to realize that the weapon that was used on her this last time was far more dangerous than she thought.
Her body felt like it was on fire. Not the outside of her body, but the inside. She couldn't even feel the bed she was on. What she felt was a searing pain that coursed through her body. It was constant and unforgiving. There wasn't a single second that she didn't feel it.
That pain didn't grow at all since the moment she first felt it. However, it never let up either. It wasn't that strong of a pain but, because it never seemed to weaken in its intensity, it wound up distracting her from almost every thought process she had.
Altair had never experienced torture before, but she figured what she was going through could be called that. And it was all because of her stupid choice to not clear the room because she was worried about her Mana. She couldn't help but feel like she should know better.
The pain was a reminder of her holding back for no reason. She swore to herself that she wouldn't do that again when she needed to be ruthless. She thought that her time in the Empire was making her slightly more soft than she used to. That sort of ideology would probably get her killed or result in her continuing to suffer situations like this if she continued doing so.
Her situation wasn't all bad. She did manage to find a window finally. Outside the window was a dense forest a bit in the distance. She also found out that she was on some upper floor of a building by looking out it. However, she had no idea where this place was. Her surroundings were groupings of buildings that were densely packed together. She would occasionally see a cruiser taking off into the air and flying straight off the planet.
That was about all she could tell from the window.
Still, since she had a window she could escape through it by destroying the window if she needed to. She had plenty of Mana to do so. She just needed to heal her body a bit so it wouldn't be so difficult to flee. She didn't fancy the idea of trying to have a Shadow Knight or some other Shadow creature that she made carry her as she attempted to make her escape.
It didn't mean it was off the table, though.
Even now she was actively using Regeneration Magic to try and get one of her fingers moving. Until she could make that finger move, she wouldn't try to heal the rest of her body. No matter how badly it hurt it wouldn't be worth it if she made things worse.
Her thoughts drifted to the antidote she had left in her satchel back at Sief's home. If she had taken that with her, now would be a great time to use it. Since she couldn't do much right now anyway, at least she would have more Mana to throw at her injury in an attempt to recover faster.
Altair grimaced as the pain pulled her thoughts away again. She sighed heavily in time with the door to her room abruptly opening. There wasn't a lot in her room, just her bed and two stools that were next to it. Not that Altair could move right now anyway.
The person who entered the room was the female doctor from before, the man who interrogated her, and a man with a beard that Altair could only assume he had been growing his entire life. The beard was even braided in an intricate design that made it stand out even more. Altair couldn't stop herself from staring at it.
The interrogator shot the bearded man a look while impatiently stating, "Get on with it."
The bearded man humph'd in reply before he sat on a stool next to the bed. He then took out a tiny tack and lifted Altair's hand, concealing what he had brought out. He then stealthy poked Altair's fingers and watched her face for any response. There was none, she couldn't feel anything on what he was doing.
He placed her hand down and lifted the sheet covering Altair to the side. He then repeated his poking test on her feet, thighs, stomach, and upper arms. With every test he made sure that Altair couldn't see what he was doing or what he had in his hands. The results caused him to shake his head ruefully.
He turned to the man and said, "No response. I don't know what she suffered but I strongly suggest getting her into a High Intensity Healing Pod. A normal Healing Pod won't be enough for her to recover. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be for her body to heal."
The man's expression darkened, which the bearded man took in the opposite direction of why it darkened in the first place. He then continued, "She should be able to mostly recover if you get her into one quickly. Now, if that is all that you called me here for, I shall take my leave."
The interrogator, shockingly, bowed respectfully to the bearded man while saying, "Thank you for your help. You don't know how much this has aided in our investigation."
The bearded man chuckled, "It's fine. Anything to help the ESF. Now, I have other patients that require my attention. Call me again if you require my aid." The bearded man then turned and left the room. Altair felt it a little disappointing that she couldn't examine the strange patterns on his beard a bit longer before he left.
The man looked at the female doctor after casting a glance at Altair and told her in a serious tone, "Explain to her what condition she's currently in. Don't sugarcoat it either." His expression turned to one of disapproval as he continued, "I know you like to hide things from children, but this person is a VIP. Don't you dare hide anything so the investigation can continue."
The female doctor saluted him, "As you will, Major."
The Major nodded to her before he gave Altair a mocking sneer and then left. In opinion, Altair was as good as caught. It wouldn't be long before he had the full report ready to give to his superiors. He just had to continue acting like an ass for a little longer and Altair would spill the beans to the female doctor for him. He really liked playing the bad cop.
The female doctor took the seat that was vacated by the bearded man and gave Altair a pained look. She then softly spoke as she said, "You have some really bad nerve damage in your body right now. I'm sure you've noticed that you can't move, right?"
Altair's only response was to stare at her in silence.
Seeing that she wouldn't get a reply, she continued on instead, "It's actually quite admirable that you aren't screaming in pain right now, given your age. You're a lot stronger than other kids your age."
She then paused dramatically before she took a deep breath and spoke in a more serious tone, "If you ever want to be able to move again, then you should offer up the information the Major is after. Once you do that you'll receive treatment. In two to four weeks, you should be able to walk again. The longer you take to decide, the worse off you'll be and the less likely you'll be able to make a full recovery." Her expression turned soft as she said, "You're still so young, you have a long life ahead of you. You don't want to live it like this, do you?"
A scheming light passed through Altair's eye as she turned her head to look down at the sheet. She then meekly asked, "You're a doctor, right?"
The female doctor instantly nodded even though Altair wasn't looking at her while saying, "Yes, I am."
Altair grinned in her mind as she asked, "Can you explain to me more about my nerve damage?"
The female doctor was a little taken aback and she hesitantly asked, "Y-you do know what a nervous system is right?" She couldn't believe a child Altair's age wouldn't know about this basic health system. It was such an elementary point that everyone learned when they were young. It made her wonder just what Altair's background was if she didn't know this much.
Altair shook her head without raising it and lied through her teeth, "I don't really know what's wrong with me." She then looked up at the doctor with a sad expression and asked in a pleading tone, "Can you please teach me everything you know? You said I don't have much time, but I don't understand how serious this is."
The female doctor visibly wavered under Altair's pleading gaze and words. She then looked at her communicator to check the time and bit her lip lightly. After a moment of silence she sighed softly and replied, "Alright. I'll tell you all that I can. But," she started with a more serious expression, "You need to take this seriously. You're quality of life from here till the day you die lies on the choice you make. You better ask questions as soon as you have them!"
Altair nodded earnestly as she grinned in her mind. 'This is perfect,' she thought to herself, 'This should speed up my recovery by leaps and bounds.'
Altair was having a hard time concentrating on anything. It wasn't because her mind was in a blur or because she was tired. It was because she was suffering from a pain that she initially didn't think was so bad.However, over the course of her getting cleaned up by some nurses and put into an open-backed gown that she was, unfortunately, more familiar with than she would have liked, she came to realize that the weapon that was used on her this last time was far more dangerous than she thought.Her body felt like it was on fire. Not the outside of her body, but the inside. She couldn't even feel the bed she was on. What she felt was a searing pain that coursed through her body. It was constant and unforgiving. There wasn't a single second that she didn't feel it.That pain didn't grow at all since the moment she first felt it. However, it never let up either. It wasn't that strong of a pain but, because it never seemed to weaken in its intensity, it wound up distracting her from almost every thought process she had.Altair had never experienced torture before, but she figured what she was going through could be called that. And it was all because of her stupid choice to not clear the room because she was worried about her Mana. She couldn't help but feel like she should know better.The pain was a reminder of her holding back for no reason. She swore to herself that she wouldn't do that again when she needed to be ruthless. She thought that her time in the Empire was making her slightly more soft than she used to. That sort of ideology would probably get her killed or result in her continuing to suffer situations like this if she continued doing so.Her situation wasn't all bad. She did manage to find a window finally. Outside the window was a dense forest a bit in the distance. She also found out that she was on some upper floor of a building by looking out it. However, she had no idea where this place was. Her surroundings were groupings of buildings that were densely packed together. She would occasionally see a cruiser taking off into the air and flying straight off the planet.That was about all she could tell from the window.Still, since she had a window she could escape through it by destroying the window if she needed to. She had plenty of Mana to do so. She just needed to heal her body a bit so it wouldn't be so difficult to flee. She didn't fancy the idea of trying to have a Shadow Knight or some other Shadow creature that she made carry her as she attempted to make her escape.It didn't mean it was off the table, though.Even now she was actively using Regeneration Magic to try and get one of her fingers moving. Until she could make that finger move, she wouldn't try to heal the rest of her body. No matter how badly it hurt it wouldn't be worth it if she made things worse.Her thoughts drifted to the antidote she had left in her satchel back at Sief's home. If she had taken that with her, now would be a great time to use it. Since she couldn't do much right now anyway, at least she would have more Mana to throw at her injury in an attempt to recover faster.Altair grimaced as the pain pulled her thoughts away again. She sighed heavily in time with the door to her room abruptly opening. There wasn't a lot in her room, just her bed and two stools that were next to it. Not that Altair could move right now anyway.The person who entered the room was the female doctor from before, the man who interrogated her, and a man with a beard that Altair could only assume he had been growing his entire life. The beard was even braided in an intricate design that made it stand out even more. Altair couldn't stop herself from staring at it.The interrogator shot the bearded man a look while impatiently stating, "Get on with it."The bearded man humph'd in reply before he sat on a stool next to the bed. He then took out a tiny tack and lifted Altair's hand, concealing what he had brought out. He then stealthy poked Altair's fingers and watched her face for any response. There was none, she couldn't feel anything on what he was doing.He placed her hand down and lifted the sheet covering Altair to the side. He then repeated his poking test on her feet, thighs, stomach, and upper arms. With every test he made sure that Altair couldn't see what he was doing or what he had in his hands. The results caused him to shake his head ruefully.He turned to the man and said, "No response. I don't know what she suffered but I strongly suggest getting her into a High Intensity Healing Pod. A normal Healing Pod won't be enough for her to recover. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be for her body to heal."The man's expression darkened, which the bearded man took in the opposite direction of why it darkened in the first place. He then continued, "She should be able to mostly recover if you get her into one quickly. Now, if that is all that you called me here for, I shall take my leave."The interrogator, shockingly, bowed respectfully to the bearded man while saying, "Thank you for your help. You don't know how much this has aided in our investigation."The bearded man chuckled, "It's fine. Anything to help the ESF. Now, I have other patients that require my attention. Call me again if you require my aid." The bearded man then turned and left the room. Altair felt it a little disappointing that she couldn't examine the strange patterns on his beard a bit longer before he left.The man looked at the female doctor after casting a glance at Altair and told her in a serious tone, "Explain to her what condition she's currently in. Don't sugarcoat it either." His expression turned to one of disapproval as he continued, "I know you like to hide things from children, but this person is a VIP. Don't you dare hide anything so the investigation can continue."The female doctor saluted him, "As you will, Major."The Major nodded to her before he gave Altair a mocking sneer and then left. In opinion, Altair was as good as caught. It wouldn't be long before he had the full report ready to give to his superiors. He just had to continue acting like an ass for a little longer and Altair would spill the beans to the female doctor for him. He really liked playing the bad cop.The female doctor took the seat that was vacated by the bearded man and gave Altair a pained look. She then softly spoke as she said, "You have some really bad nerve damage in your body right now. I'm sure you've noticed that you can't move, right?"Altair's only response was to stare at her in silence.Seeing that she wouldn't get a reply, she continued on instead, "It's actually quite admirable that you aren't screaming in pain right now, given your age. You're a lot stronger than other kids your age."She then paused dramatically before she took a deep breath and spoke in a more serious tone, "If you ever want to be able to move again, then you should offer up the information the Major is after. Once you do that you'll receive treatment. In two to four weeks, you should be able to walk again. The longer you take to decide, the worse off you'll be and the less likely you'll be able to make a full recovery." Her expression turned soft as she said, "You're still so young, you have a long life ahead of you. You don't want to live it like this, do you?"A scheming light passed through Altair's eye as she turned her head to look down at the sheet. She then meekly asked, "You're a doctor, right?"The female doctor instantly nodded even though Altair wasn't looking at her while saying, "Yes, I am."Altair grinned in her mind as she asked, "Can you explain to me more about my nerve damage?"The female doctor was a little taken aback and she hesitantly asked, "Y-you do know what a nervous system is right?" She couldn't believe a child Altair's age wouldn't know about this basic health system. It was such an elementary point that everyone learned when they were young. It made her wonder just what Altair's background was if she didn't know this much.Altair shook her head without raising it and lied through her teeth, "I don't really know what's wrong with me." She then looked up at the doctor with a sad expression and asked in a pleading tone, "Can you please teach me everything you know? You said I don't have much time, but I don't understand how serious this is."The female doctor visibly wavered under Altair's pleading gaze and words. She then looked at her communicator to check the time and bit her lip lightly. After a moment of silence she sighed softly and replied, "Alright. I'll tell you all that I can. But," she started with a more serious expression, "You need to take this seriously. You're quality of life from here till the day you die lies on the choice you make. You better ask questions as soon as you have them!"Altair nodded earnestly as she grinned in her mind. 'This is perfect,' she thought to herself, 'This should speed up my recovery by leaps and bounds.'
