The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop, and if all eyes hadn’t been on him already, they certainly were now.

  “…”

  “Are you going to speak, Black Beak?” Nokuji questioned.

  “…”

  He breathed out a heavy sigh as the words almost got stuck in his throat, “What precisely do you want me to say? She’s with you all now, so what would answering that question matter?”

  “She has already said much, but I wish to hear it from you as well,” Nokuji answered him in a calm and commanding tone of voice. “How did you become involved with her?”

  He thought back to those events and felt a conflicted sense of happiness. As long as he ignored most parts of those memories, not that he did, as he told them all.

  “That is it?” Nokuji questioned. “You met her mother and then took her child?”

  “She begged me to save her,” Kenneth said in a melancholy voice with his sight lowered. “I did what I could, kept her fed, removed those… chains--"

  “And put new ones on,” Nokuji interrupted her words, making Kenneth snap his head up. “The poor girl has been saying such strange things. Truly, what abhorred things must you have said and done to her for her to be so?”

  In a flash of anger, Kenneth clutched his fist as he wanted to jump and shout at the top of his lungs at her, but resisted. Tempering his emotions like a fire in a furnace.

  “Nokstella… she is so young… too young for what she’s experienced and seen. She came to the conclusion that each one of you is bad outside of chains, all because of that attack led by your mother.” He said the anger he felt seeped out despite his best efforts. “For so long, I’ve tried to convince her otherwise; a task made infinitely harder by your new second in command… all because I knew she had to be among her people.”

  “Do you know of the law of choosing or the significance behind Nokstella choosing you?” Nokuji asked.

  “..No,” He replied, his tone still seeping with fading anger. “She just began calling me that out of the blue.”

  “Well, she has chosen, and there’s nothing that can undo it. If what you said now is even half true, all you need is to be educated, but time will tell. Split do see to that,” Nokuji said as everyone reacted with different expressions, though no one said a word. “Afterward, take him to Nokset.”

  “Yes, commander,” Split said in a low voice, holding her head even lower, not seeing as Nokuji threw Kenenth’s bag to her, hitting her head.

  “Never let it out of your grasp.”

  She picked it up, and as things came to an end, Split led the way with Kenneth in tow out of the Great Pyramid and through the streets.

  “So, where are you taking me?” Kenneth questioned.

  She didn’t even bother to glance back at him; she just kept on walking.

  Wandering if she even heard him, he followed along wherever she was leading him. Eventually, they arrived at an inconspicuous building no different from any other except for the fact that two guards were standing watch.

  Both looked at Split as she walked over to the stone door and, with great effort, opened it while one of the guards smirked. Immediately, a hot blast of air rushed out, and Kenenth was already dreading entering; however, if this would lead him to see Kolu and the others, he couldn’t let a little heat stop him.

  Walking forward, he attempted to follow, but before he could enter, both guards grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him.

  His head twisted to look at them both. “I need to follow her.”

  Both their grips tightened, “No men, No Heretic, and No whatever you are.”

  “It’s the commander’s orders,” Split said as her footsteps resumed.

  Both guards’ pupils narrowed into a thin slit, their scales tinting slightly brighter, yet both let go of him. He hurried along down the stairs, wondering where she was leading him.

  With a loud bang, the thick stone door slammed shut, cutting off any cool air and light from the outside.

  It surprised him so much that he missed a step and fell.

  However, before he could kiss the stone steps, Split turned around and caught him.

  “Thanks,” He said, getting back on his feet, whereupon she turned around and kept walking down the steps, which were mostly illuminated by the multicolored crystals in the ceiling, which came to an end by another stone door a bit ahead.

  Split opened that as well, but where Kenneth had been expecting a room of sorts, there were only more steps leading further down. Following the path, he walked ahead of Split, who closed the door behind them until they reached another door and then one more as they went further and further down.

  Sweating like a roasting pig at a summer barbecue, Kenneth noted the echo in the corridor, making it sound like more than just him and Split were walking in her, yet he couldn’t help but wonder what was so important that it was kept so deep down with so many layers of protection.

  It was a question he would soon get an answer to as the next door opened. Already, he could tell the light on the other side was different, and as he walked inside, feelings of awe and disappointment permeated from within him.

  It was only a very large and empty room with illuminating crystals all over the ceiling and wide stone pathways slightly elevated above fine and dry sand to the side, each leading to the other doors.

  “Er... is this where you roll around and dry off or something?” He asked, crouching down by the edge of the stone and grabbing a handful of sand, watching it all run through his fingers until every grain was gone.

  With a bang, the last door closed, and Split walked over to Kenneth. Suddenly, she grabbed him by the arm, “You are not allowed to touch the sand.”

  “And why’s that?” He questioned.

  “It’s the law,” was the only reply he got as Split somewhat roughly dragged him to the center where the pathways crossed and stopped releasing her grip.

  Somewhat confused, he looked around, wondering if he’d just missed something, but no matter where he looked, he saw the same: sand and stone. In hopes of getting some clarification, he turned to Split, yet her hardened visage and cold gaze offered none.

  “I can’t believe some people pay money for something like this,” he muttered to himself as he sat down on the surprisingly cool stones, or perhaps they were just the least warm thing in here.

  Regardless, it didn’t stop him from proceeding to lie down, sprawled out, wondering just how long he was going to be waiting here.

  Without any natural light, it was hard to tell exactly how much time had passed, but eventually, the sound of stone grinding echoed inside the large, barren room.

  “Get up,” Split said.

  With an exhausted grunt, he slowly followed her command. As he dusted himself off, he noticed on the ground beneath him an imprint muttering, “Huh… a sweat angle.”

  However, with little time to marvel, Kenneth raised his head to see a grey-scaled woman wearing the all too fashionable tunic walking along the pathway.

  “So, was this the one we were waiting for?” He asked.

  “Watch her,” Split replied.

  The woman noticed both of them but didn’t give as much as a quick glance. Her attention was fully drawn to the sand beside her as she squatted down and began tracing her palm on the surface in a wide arc, slowly moving it further ahead as she began crawling out into it.

  At first, it seemed she was going in a straight line, but every now and again, she slightly changed course until she came to a stop and drew a line in the sand in the shape of a triangle.

  Spreading her legs until her feet touched the lower tips of the triangle, she dug a hole in the center. With a hiss, she bent her knees and leaned forward, overlapping her hand at the top of the shape.

  Not one to easily blush or be disgusted, and mostly confused at the moment, Kenneth asked, “Eh... what’s with the shit show?”

  However, Split didn’t give an answer. Her sight only met his before she gestured for him to keep looking at the squatting woman.

  The idea of closing his eyes crossed his mind. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t used to seeing gross stuff with patients; however, he felt he should respect her privacy a little more than gawking like some perverted sicko.

  Although he didn’t, there was a reason why she, and he guessed the commander, wanted him to see this.

  A reason that became somewhat more apparent as the woman’s tail suddenly straightened and began to rise, revealing she was in the middle of laying an egg, and a big one at that, from the looks of it.

  It suddenly became all too apparent what this place was, what was underneath the sand, and why it was protected.

  ‘It was a nest,’ He thought in realization, which quickly became concerned. ‘Should I help her? I know women can give birth on their own, and with her position, she’s using gravity to her advantage and doing well from the looks of it, but what if there are complications, like... like... high blood pressure and... cracking?

  ‘Oh, I really ain’t a veterinarian. Of all the things I studied outside the curriculum in MED school, I never once in my childhood went to my neighbor and saw how chickens lay eggs.’

  As much as he could kick himself for not doing something in the past, it would just be a waste of time. For now, he had to observe and learn as much as he could about Nok. Though in the back of his mind, he was worried about potential complications.

  Though luckly, none occurred even after a somewhat long while of hissing and grunting, where the egg peeked in and out until it finally slid out into the hole. Looking drained, though not particularly exhausted, the woman somewhat weakly buried it before making her way back to the stone pathway using the trail she’d made to avoid stepping on any egg.

  However, as she took her leave, the smallest sound of a crack echoed weakly inside the nest. The woman stopped up as the sound strengthened ever so slightly. Her sight was immediately drawn to a small pile of sand that grew and shifted until suddenly, a little brown snout poked through.

  The babe that had just hatched, wet with membrane, crawled up from the sand as easily as Nok moved through the water.

  The little one turned its head but didn’t look around until it opened its eyes. Sand fell from its eyelids as its gaze suddenly locked on the woman and rushed toward her, letting out squeaking hisses.

  As the newly hatched babe reached the woman, its path was blocked by the elevated pathway. She bent down and, with great care, lifted it up before taking her leave.

  Stunned, Kenneth turned to Split and asked, “Erm... she didn’t just steal that baby, right?”

  Looking completely unbothered by the sight, she replied, “That was the hatchling's first choice and the most important. No one is allowed to make it for them.”

  “Doesn’t seem like much of a choice if you ask me. Of course, a babe would instinctively rush to the first thing it saw,” Kenneth replied.

  “It chose her like the little girl chose you. It is nature, pure and true, the oldest law that never was written. Do you understand?” she questioned, looking at him as her stoic visage became intense.

  Feeling he wouldn’t get far by trying to argue with her, Kenneth simply held his tongue and nodded his head.

  She looked at him for a moment, perhaps trying to gauge if he truly understood as she wanted him to. After a moment of silence, she suddenly began walking toward the door the woman had left from, saying not a single word.

  ‘She probably just gave up,’ Kenneth believed, because what could she tell about him when he wore a mask? But still, in the back of his mind, he wondered if she’d seen something.

  As Split slowly opened the door, the sound of a large gathering of voices could be faintly heard.

  ‘We aren’t back up just yet, are we?’ Kenneth wondered as he walked through the open doorway and stood in awe.

  They hadn’t made it topside; instead, they were in an underground city that brimmed with life, with what he could tell were just ordinary people who went about their day working, cleaning, playing games, taking care of children, and everything else.

  It was a complete contrast to the village above, filled with strong fighters carrying weapons of every kind, some looking for any reason to fight.

  Well, except for those who were actually in a fight, children and adults alike, with a crowd watching, and some straight up walking up to someone and slapping them.

  “Err... isn’t it someone’s job to stop all that fighting and basic bitchslapping?” Kenneth asked.

  “They are having fun fighting, and there is always someone to step in. And how else do you say hello?” Split said.

  “Normally with a “Hello.” “Kenneth sarcastically replied as he took a second look and realized there didn’t seem to be any force behind the slaps, and considering their serrated fangs, there wasn’t anyone bleeding in the fights. Perhaps it’s just culture shock.

  “This way,” Split said, catching his attention as she walked off.

  With a short jog, he caught up to her, though he did lag behind every now and again, unable to tear his eyes off the view of the underground village.

  It was a marvel to witness giant triangular pillars that sprouted from the ground, both straight and diagonally, to interlock and bear the weight of the ceiling above. One glimmering with beauty that radiated from glinting colorful crystals, mirroring the aurora borealis.

  Suddenly, Kenneth came to a stop, crashing into Split, but with the hard muscles, it might as well have been a wall. “Sorry.”

  “...”

  She didn’t respond, and as he walked around, he doubted she’d even acknowledged he’d walked into her as she, instead, stared at a pyramid building, this one white and with a line of Nok outside it.

  She let out a hiss and continued walking, entering it much to the discontent of those in line who thought she was skipping ahead. Before they could voice any complaints, their gaze landed on him, and everyone grew rather silent.

  Inside wasn’t particularly interesting, a couple of tables, chairs, and some glowing crystals, yet their luminous glow was dwarfed somewhat by a pair of glowing hands that closed an oozing gash.

  The hands belonged to a man with rust-colored scales and emerald-colored eyes who had a slightly narrow snout and was dressed in a white robe: “You are healed; now leave.”

  Kenneth had only heard him speak a single sentence, and his first impression was that he sounded arrogant. ‘So this is Nokset.’

  As the man he healed left, Nokset turned and walked up to Split, “Oh, how happy I am to see you again. What is it this time? Are you having pain in your shoulder, your tail splitting even more, or perhaps your scales are ripped or chafed?”

  As he asked the last one, his hand suddenly flipped and stretched toward her in a diagonally downward direction, which had Kenneth slightly shocked at how brazen he was.

  However, no contact was made as a scary hiss from Split had him stop, “Fine, walk bow-legged. I am only doing what I’m good at.”

  Split grabbed one of the nearby chairs and dragged it with her to the corner of the room, where she took a seat. “That’s Black Beak, a healer unlike you, Nokset.”

  At the mention of him, Nokset, for the first time, tore his head away from Split and stared at Kenneth.

  The silence between the two persisted for a short while before the roped man erupted, “I am NOT letting that... thing get in my way! Take it to the other side of the village!”

  “It’s the commander’s orders,” Split simply replied in a dull tone.

  Mumbling under his breath, his scales continued to grow slightly lighter by the moment as he turned to Kenenth and poked the tip of his mask, “Listen here, Beak, if you have to be here, don’t get in my way!”

  “I’m only here to help,” Kenneth clarified.

  “Then do so by being quiet and watching how I heal. You might learn something,” He snapped.

  Already feeling a headache coming, though it was from the heat or him, Kenneth couldn’t tell, though to save himself the trouble, he decided to just step back and wait for him to become exhausted.

  His scales changed from lighter to darker, and he turned his head so quickly to meet the next one in the line outside that Kenneth thought his neck might snap. Though even if it had, he doubted Nokset would notice with how focused he was on the woman who’d just entered.

  “So lovely to see you again and that strong body,” Nokset said with glee in his voice as he walked up to her and began groping her muscular arm and chest. “What is it this time? Your arm? Your mouth?"

  "You know what it is,” The woman replied with defiance in her tone.

  Nokset let his smile grow as he grabbed the neck of the woman's tunic and said in a superior-sounding voice, “I want to hear you say it.”

  The display felt like a shakedown, and the question of whether this was some kind of social thing like slapping someone to say “hello” crossed Kenneth’s mind, stopping him from saying something right then and there. Yet the woman's response made him feel unsettled.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “My thighs and slit are burning; please heal them,” she said; the defiance pushed down almost like the woman was swallowing it whole until only a rageful meek tone came out.

  With little delay, Nokset reached underneath her tunic, which made the woman flinch slightly, “Have I told you healing works best when in direct contact with a wound, and it’s rarely only the scales, but also the flesh, most often after having laid an egg, or with someone else?”

  The woman gave no response, only glancing away to the side until it was over.

  Practically every instinct Kenneth had as a doctor revolted at what he saw. Yes, a doctor would often have to be necessarily intimate with a patient, but this... was wrong. He looked to Split in hopes she might offer some insight into whether this was just a cultural thing.

  Yet all he could glean from her was cold indifference, as her eyes solely focused on him.

  It didn’t get better with the next patients as Nokset’s behavior persisted, and it didn’t matter whether you were a man or a woman; it was the same.

  Eventually, whether it was some weird cultural or social thing, Kenneth had had enough.

  “Alright, that does it,“ He said, determinedly walking out of the building and looking around for a second before turning to face the line of Nok, most of whom had their eyes on him. “Listen up, my name is Kenneth, and I’m a healer!

  “Now, full disclosure: I don’t heal with magic, so my kind of healing is going to be slower, probably somewhat painful, but I’ll act with decorum and keep any unnecessary comments to myself! I’ll be down the alley if anyone is interested!”

  He turned to walk down the set alley, Split, keeping close by, but Nokset was quick to comment, standing in the doorway and sniggering, “Did I hear you right? You don’t have healing magic?! How sa-!”

  Before he could finish his sentence, over half of the line was already halfway down the alley, leaving Nokset stunned, standing in silence with his mouth open and scales brightening.

  Turning around, Kenneth felt slightly surprised that such a large crowd had followed him in here, thinking he shouldn’t have been as he asked, “Okay then, who’s first?”

  Chapter 28 (Chafed Scales)

  NSFW

  “And what can I help you with today?” Kenneth asked his first patient, a woman with hazelnut-colored scales who, unlike other Nok, was somewhat less muscular.

  She looked down at him and answered him with a strong tone, “My scales are burning.”

  “Okay, so what kind of burning are we talking about? Something like fire or touching hot metal?” He asked her, his question seeming to surprise her slightly.

  “…No, my scales rubbed up against someone too much,” she replied, her tone softening only slightly.

  Kenneth reached into the bag that Split was holding tightly onto and pulled out a mug with aloe vera, “So a bit of friction burn. Well, regardless, this should help; just apply a little to where it is ever now and again, and it should heal right up… in a couple of days, depending on the severity.”

  The woman took the mug with a somewhat confused expression, “Are you not going to touch me?”

  “I can apply it for you if it’s in a hard-to-reach place,” he offered.

  Standing there for a moment, she suddenly grabbed a handful of Aloe vera. “So I need to put this where it burns?”

  “Yes,” Kenneth reaffirmed.

  With no hesitation or shame of any kind, the woman proceeded to reach down between her legs and apply the aloe vera directly on her genitalia and upper thighs.

  “Cold and slick. This feels better already. Thanks, little one,” she said, petting him on the head before taking her leave, her scales darkening.

  “No problem,” he said as the next stepped up.

  “My scales are burning between my legs.”

  He could already see the pattern, and looking down the long line of patients, he cleared his throat, “Okay, listen up! Anyone with chafed scales, please raise your hand!”

  There were some slight delays, but slowly, everyone raised their hand.

  The sight, despite being a tad bit surprising, also made him slightly nostalgic, ‘Well, so is this the daily routine now?’

  “Alright! Now, anyone with only chafed scales, please lower your hand and step to the right! If you have anything else I need to take a look at, just stay where you are!” He yelled so all could hear, prompting with his right hand where they should step.

  With a little rustling and tussling, practically everyone stepped to the right except for three. Taking care of the crowd, Kenneth went down the line while loudly explaining how to apply the aloe vera, with practically everyone doing it right then and there.

  With that settled, Kenneth turned around for the next patient, a woman with violet scales so shiny he could see the outline of his reflection. “So, what seems to be the problem?”

  She didn’t respond, only looking at him.

  Suddenly, the man behind her slapped her on the shoulder, “Nokkrik, the healer is talking to you!”

  “What did you say!” She yelled back even louder.

  He let out a growling hiss and snapped, “The healer is talking to you!”

  “Oh!” She yelled, turning to Kenneth, “What did you say?”

  The third one to stay, another woman with orange scales, walked closer

  She was dressed in a wrinkled white tunic with some grey spots on it, and over it, she wore a mostly dark apron. It was widest at her shoulders and thinned the further it went, ending in a tip that nearly touched the ground.

  “She lost her hearing in one ear a while back and cried loudly about pain and a ringing. Now it’s become both, and she’s become unbearable,” She explained.

  He wasn’t about to engage in a conversation of pure screaming; instead, he motioned with his hand so that she would lower herself slightly, which she thankfully understood.

  Squinting hard, he looked into the hole in her head that was her left ear and saw nothing. It was too dark.

  Kenneth turned to Split and asked, “Could you tell me where there is a candle? I need better light?”

  “We don’t have any,” She replied.

  “Then what about all the lanterns everywhere?” He questioned.

  Maintaining an unreadable expression, she pointed up to the ceiling.

  “You need light?” the man beside Nokkrik asked, walking out of the alley and returning with a lantern in hand. He opened it up and pulled out a red glowing crystal, which he tossed to Kenneth.

  Catching it, he was mesmerized by its light. Never in his life had he seen such a thing. His hands glided over it, feeling its sharp edges and smooth surface.

  It took a bit more willpower to regain focus than he’d like to admit, but once the glimmer of the glowing rock faded, his mind snapped back to the task at hand.

  ‘Well, it’s a source of light and better than anything I got, but it’s too big, and the light coming off it is far too dim,’ He thought. ‘What a shame I couldn’t use it like a battery in a flash... light...’

  The gears in his head slowly turned as he asked the man, “Is this crystal important to you or anyone?”

  “Look at it,” He scoffed. “Every edge is too dull, the sides unrefined, limiting the light from it, and there’s no symmetry. I could shit better-looking turds than this one.”

  “So not important, got it,” Kenneth replied as he walked over to a sloping wall behind him and began smashing the crystal against it, again and again, until a large and slender enough piece broke off it.

  Split watched but said nothing, her eyes trained on him as he walked over to her.

  Kenneth reached into his bag, pulled out a roll of bandages, and rolled it around the crystal, completely enclosing it in a white cocoon except for the very end, where the light was able to pour out just a tad bit more brightly.

  ‘Well, it ain't pretty, but it’s a flashlight,’ he chuckled to himself a bit proudly.

  Seeing how effective it would be, he walked up to Nokkrik, who this whole time had just been staring in confusion. Taking another ganter, this time with his new flashlight, he could more clearly see inside Nokkrik’s ear.

  It wasn’t perfectly visible, but he was able to see a dark, brown substance of sorts, which appeared to be made of scales and something else.

  ‘Hmm… is it just ear wax… wait, do lizards even have ear wax?’ He mulled it over in his head. ‘Well, no matter what, I should remove it. Maybe I should just use some tweezers and tug on some of the scales. No, I could accidentally puncture the eardrum if I slipped. I'd better just use some Q-tips to begin with. Worst case scenario, I just have to use a syringe with some warm water to get whatever is inside that ear out.”

  Getting the needed items from his bag, Kenneth began his work poking at the blockage. The Q-tip more or less poked right through, meaning it was soft but clearly hard enough to cause Nokkrik discomfort.

  Well, since the shredded scale was there, he might as well try to pull on it. Using both Q-tips as a makeshift tweezer, he began tugging on the scales.

  He was careful not to pull on one side too much, and more so focused on trying to loosen the blockage. There were a few setbacks, with some of the scales breaking right off, but eventually, with enough perseverance, the blockade came out.

  It was a mix of shed scales and some other earwax-like substance, with the bottom half partly calcified.

  “That was inside her!” The man exclaimed.

  “I can hear you,” Nokkrik gasped as her scales darkened. “It doesn’t hurt so much now. Thank you, thank you.”

  She hugged him without warning, squeezing tightly, which for a Nok was probably somewhat the norm, but for Kenenth, it felt like he was one step away from his ribs bending.

  Adverse to that possibility, he tapped her side and said in a strained voice, “Could you please let go?”

  She grew paler and immediately released him from her grasp, “Sorry, I’m sorry... I didn’t hurt you, did I? I forgot you were so small.”

  “I’m fine. You just caught me a bit off guard. Now, where were we?” Kenneth asked, recovering quickly as he pulled a couple of clean Q-tips from his bag and proceeded to remove the blockage in the other ear.

  This one was far easier, and with both gone, he got a clear view of the ear canal.

  It was still a bit dirty, so preemptively, he began to clean both, removing loose scales and earwax. Every movement was made rather delicately due to the eardrum probably being irritated, even though he didn’t recognize any signs of it.

  As he cleaned, now and again, the Q-tip would graze against Nokkrick’s eardrum, and slowly, her scales darkened as she let out soft, almost purring hisses.

  Quite unexpectedly, her knees began to bend until they touched the ground.

  The sight was rather alluring to everyone around him; even Split shed her stoic mask and looked with a bit of intrigue.

  “Of the way I’ve seen a woman brought to their knees, this is a first,” The man said with a mix of hesitation and excitement.

  Mostly finished cleaning Nokkrik’s ears, Kenneth stepped away and asked the man, “So what can I help you with?”

  “Could you do that the next time Di is at her fullest to a couple of women I know?” The man requested. “I wanna see which one they feel more.”

  A bit unsure of what he meant, Kenneth replied, “Unless they got a blockade like Nokkrick, then no... umm.”

  Looking disheartened, the man let out a hiss, “It’s Nokrock. Then, if you could help her, can you help me?”

  He opened his mouth and pointed to one of his teeth. It looked fairly normal; however, it was the gums surrounding it that were the problem. They were swollen and inflamed.

  Kenneth began reaching into his bag for the necessary tools. “So, how did it happen?”

  “A tale as old as time, you find a pretty little dirty thing, clean them off and make them shine. Then you take them into bed and wake in the dark only to find yourself with a broken tooth and a bed with blood in it,” Nokrock shrugged.

  “huh...? That… took a turn,” Kenneth muttered.

  “Hmph... I wish that was the worst part,” He replied. “Even cracked, my damn tooth is as stubborn as a ruby and stays in. I went to... “hiss” the healer, and yes, he helped my tooth, but once the next one pushed it out, that’s when the pain got worse.”

  “Is there any limit to how many times your teeth can grow back?” Kenneth asked as he pulled out a syringe and a very long and thick blanket.

  “Never seen it happen,” Nokrock replied.

  “Good. Then I hope you don’t mind that I pull it out. And I hope you aren’t afraid of needles,” Kenneth said, holding up the syringe.

  Nokrock looked at it for a moment, then smiled, “I’ve had bigger.”

  Proceeding, Kenneth rolled the blanket, “Please open your mouth. I need to push this as far in as it can go.”

  “Why,” He questioned.

  “Because I’d rather avoid those serrated fangs snapping shut on another one of my body parts,” He dully replied.

  “What fun did you get up to?” Nokrock asked with a smirk.

  Kenneth grew slightly annoyed and handed him the rolled-up blanket. “There was nothing fun about it.”

  Looking unbothered, Nokrock took it, felt it on his scales for a short second, and put it in his mouth, “Is Dis ood ough.”

  “Should be fine; just stand still,” Kenneth said, injecting a bit of good old reliable local anesthesia all around the inflamed area. After a short wait, he asked if he could feel anything while pressing down on the gums.

  Nokrock, with an unbothered look, responded, “Hoe.”

  Ready for the next step, Kenneth pulled out the tooth using a forceps, essentially just a dentist's version of a pair of pliers, exerting a good deal of effort. Putting it aside, he began to explore the inside of the gums using a pair of tweezers, a dental probe, and, of course, his primitive flashlight.

  And good thing he had because the gums were bleeding with teeth fragments everywhere, piercing, poking, and pushing against the walls.

  With careful and precise movements, Kenneth made sure to remove each and every fragment without causing any further damage. In total, he removed fourteen shards, and after disinfecting the wound, he was more or less done.

  “An I oce ey aouf?” Nokrock asked.

  “Yes. Just be sure not to chew on anything hard for a little while until the inflammation goes down, and if your gums continue to be swollen, just come back to me. I’ll have something for it,” Kenneth instructed him.

  He felt his mouth opening and closing, “I already feel better now that the pain is gone. I feel like eating an entire Losbo scales and bones.”

  “Remember what I said. No hard foods. At least for a while, and the anesthesia is only temporary. The pain will come,” Kenneth explained. “Well, except if you visit Mr. Grabby.”

  “Isn’t there something more you can do?” Nokrock asked, visibly reluctant.

  “Nope, done all I can for now. Guess you gotta be careful who you invite to bed,” Kenneth shrugged.

  Nokrock let out a sigh, “Last time I slept with an agelite. Maybe an amethyst next time. I could try to round all the edges.”

  “Guess your parents got close but just missed the mark,” Kenneth remarked.

  Nokrock looked at him and briefly smiled before pointing to the makeshift flashlight. “You know, if you want something that shines even brighter, try to stop by my workshop sometime. I’m sure I can fit you in.”

  “That would be great, actually. Since you work with crystals and such, do you think I could place an order or two?” Kenneth asked.

  “Might take some time. I do have a lot of other orders I need to finish, which reminds me,” He looked back at the other woman who’d stayed, whom Kenneth had mostly forgotten about on account of her being so quiet. “Nokzusa, I finished your other order. You can pick it up whenever you want.”

  She let out a short hiss.

  “Can I help you with anything?” Kenneth said, feeling a pang of guilt for momentarily forgetting her.

  With crossed arms, she walked up to him, “My scales are chafed, my ear’s ring, and I got a crystal in my c#nt.”

  Without pausing, Kenneth asked, “Is it big, small, or nicked in your flesh?”

  This seemed to throw Nokzusa off slightly as she took a moment to respond.

  In the meantime, Kenneth added, “Don’t be so surprised. I’m a doctor, and this isn't my first rodeo. Do you know how many things I’ve seen people get stuck in their ass?”

  “It’s normal-sized, and it’s--“

  “Smooth as the inside of an egg and is about this wide and long,” Nokrock interrupted, holding up his hands to illustrate the size.

  Completely unbothered, Nokzusa continued, “It’s not too far up, but it’s too slick for me to get it out.”

  “Alright, this would be easiest on a table. Should we head inside somewhere for privacy?” He asked, pulling a speculum, a bit of lube, and forceps from his bag.

  “Who cares?” She shrugged, walking over to the sloped wall and pressing her hands up against it. She bent forward and exposed herself fully, raising her tail as high as she could.

  Normally, he would have asked her to lie down on a table while he worked, but with her rather muscular tail, this was probably the best position for this.

  Getting to work, he walked over to her and got down on one knee.

  As opposed to female humans and… Aki genitalia, a Nok’s were far less noticeable even in such a spread position. From afar, it could easily appear they didn’t have any; however, it was there.

  It took him a second, but once he noticed the misalignment of certain scales, it became all too obvious where the genitalia were. In truth, it looked like nothing more than a simple slit.

  “This might be a little cold,” He warned her while lubricating the speculum.

  She glanced back, “Get on with it.”

  He slowly inserted it inside her.

  It went in without any trouble, but still, the cold metal caused her body to shudder. With no other visible sign of damage or discomfort, he pushed further inside the slit, ever so slowly parting further until the tip of the instrument hit something.

  “Okay, I’m going to squeeze this tool a little. Let me know if it starts to hurt,” he said calmly, slowly squeezing.

  However, his normal approach seemed a bit too slow for her liking: “Put some strength into it!”

  ‘Clearly not in discomfort,’ Kenneth noted as he increased his speed a little.

  As it opened more, he could see a soft light illuminating the pale pink flesh wall from inside. With great care, he stuck the forceps inside the cold metal once more, making her body shudder as he gripped the shiny foreign object and slowly pulled it back.

  Once it crossed the threshold from which the muscles were holding it, it easily slipped out along with the tools.

  “That feels better,” Nokzusa breathed out.

  Kenneth put the tools back into the bag.” Good. Now let me just clean that mess.”

  She quickly stood up and turned around, picking up the crystal member, “No. I’ll clean it myself.”

  “Okay… Now, you said something about a ringing in your ears,” He said, pulling out his Q-tip and readying his makeshift flashlight.

  There wasn't anything noticeable wrong with her ears, but that didn’t stop him from gently poking around, something Noksuza wasn’t at all opposed to as he drew soft hisses out of her as he struggled to keep her standing, eventually leaning back to the sloped wall with her legs quivering gently until it was over.

  “Well, there isn’t anything wrong as far as I can see, but it could be tinnitus. I can’t really fix that, but I recommend keeping away from loud, sharp noises from now on,” he explained, though it barely looked like she listened.

  With his work finished, he put his tools back into the bag, and before he sent each one of them off, he handed them each some aloe vera.

  But before anyone actually took their leave, someone else entered the alley, Nokmao.

  Kenneth quickly took note of her and walked a bit closer, “What can I help you with?”

  She barely glanced at him, strutting along with a smile, walking past everyone with no care, forcing Kenneth to step away so as not to collide with her. The only person she stopped for was Split.

  Side by side, they were the same height, but even so, it didn’t stop Nokmao from looking down at Split.

  “So this is what he’s having you do now. Watching over the little Black Beak. We both know this is far too important for someone like you, so why don’t you let one of my women handle it?” She said calmly before slapping her across the snout.

  ‘If that was a hello, it was rather forceful,’ Kenneth couldn’t help but think, glancing around at the others, their expressions rather neutral.

  Seemingly unfazed, Split remained standing and unmoving like a boulder.

  “Didn’t you hear me? Leave!” Nokmao said in a raised voice.

  “The commander has given me orders--“

  Nokmao slapped her across the face again, far more audibly, “I’m the commander here! Don’t--!”

  She raised her hand, ready for another slap, but at this point, there was no uncertainty in his mind, and Kenneth went to intervene just as a voice from behind suddenly spoke.

  “So this is where you hid away.”

  Instantly, with those words alone, everyone froze, and every Nok’s coloration was simultaneously brightening.

  Kenneth recognized the voice as the one who’d suggested removing one of his organs.

  As her scales returned to normal, Nokmao lowered her hand and turned, walking away.

  He felt slightly relieved that the situation had ended, but more so, he was confused as to why all it took for her to stop was a single sentence.

  But it appeared he was maybe going to find out for himself as he heard approaching footsteps. Unsure of what was about to happen, he turned around to face this new arrival.

  She was tall and slightly more slender than other Nok women; however, her muscles were defined, and scales were white as snow. Her attire was akin to a sleeveless trench coat made from dark red leather that reached below her knees.

  It had three long cuts. One in front reached up to a line of golden triangular buttons, and two on both sides by her legs, reaching a little more than halfway up her thighs; however, most predominantly were a brooch fitted on the right side of her chest with the insignia of a black beast wrapped in chains and pierced from below by a spear.

  She walked with confidence, her sight solely focused on him, with her pupils contracted to a fine slit. Everyone present seemed relieved by the fact as they moved out of her way and avoided eye contact.

  “Can I help you with something?” Kenneth asked calmly.

  With cold eyes and an unreadable expression, she silently looked down at him, her gaze seemingly shifting all over his body before settling on his exposed hand. Crouching down, she just stared at it as a droplet of sweat formed at the end of his middle finger.

  As it slowly amassed more mass, she reached out with her hand, and as it fell, she caught it on the flat tip of her middle finger.

  ‘What is that about?’ Kenneth questioned as she suddenly opened her mouth and dropped the droplet inside.

  Standing up, she asked, “Where have you been swimming?”

  “Nowhere,” He replied, confused.

  She looked at him for a second before her gaze shifted to the three of Kenneth’s patients, “What was wrong with them?”

  “Sorry, patient-doctor confidentiality. I can’t tell you their private matters,” Kenneth said calmly yet with a firm voice.

  “No, you... can tell her...” Nokrock said in a meek voice, echoed by the other two.

  Pausing for a moment, he saw the visible change in their scales as they brightened even more. He wasn’t sure why they reacted so negatively to her. Himself, he understood.

  She threatened to remove an organ of his, but then. It made him cautious, but he thought it best to answer her.

  “Well, Nokkrik couldn’t hear and had pain, which turned out to be a blockage made of shedded scales and some secretions from her ear. I managed to remove both and clean them out, making her hear properly again,” Kenneth told her. “Nokrock had a tooth that grew in place of a broken one, but a piece of the former still remained, so I removed both. There are probably a couple of pieces on the ground, so be careful where you walk. Nokzusa had a crystal penis stuck inside her which I removed with a couple of tools.”

  “Hmm... and why didn’t you have the healer help you?” She questioned.

  “Besides the fact he’s rather grabby, grabby, even for a healer,” Kenneth shrugged. “I mean, he could have helped with the cleanup and everything, but the actual problems not so much since--“

  “That is not how healing works,” she interrupted, tilting her head slightly. “It doesn’t make wounds go away; it only makes the body heal how it would have, but quicker.”

  For a moment, Kenneth just stood there in silence and surprise. “Everyone I’ve come across has just chucked it down to magic that makes wounds disappear, but it’s not so simple. I gotta ask, how did you find out?”

  “I watch, I learn, and I experience, ” She answered him. “Did you also know that since healing makes the body heal quicker on its own, it also makes it hungry if it’s done long enough?”

  Kenneth thought about this new information for a split second, “Well, that makes sense. If the body's natural processes are simply expedited, the energy consumption from food should also increase. If done right, it would be a good weight loss method, though it could be dangerous.

  “Oh... sorry, thought out loud there, but I gotta say you are rather knowledgeable.”

  She stood there in silence for some time, everyone around them only sneaking glances. Kenneth eventually began to wonder if something was wrong with her.

  “Umm... ar--“

  “I’m Nokoovo…” She suddenly interrupted, falling silent again.

  “…um yeah. Well, my name’s Kenneth,” He replied.

  Without saying a word, she suddenly spun around and walked away, revealing a fourth longer cut in her clothes, reaching above where her tail began.

  “Huh… she seemed nice,” Kenneth couldn’t help but admit.

  “By Noktato, you were lucky,” Nokrock said in a hushed voice.

  “Why are you whispering?” Kenneth asked.

  “Because we don’t want her to hear us,” Nokkrick chimed in in an equally hushed voice. “She is not someone you want to get involved with. Thank the gods above and below that you managed to confuse her or something. I have never seen her scales change color. I didn’t think it could happen.”

  “Her scales?” Nokrock questioned. “Didn’t you see them? They were as white as a moonstone.”

  “No, she’s right; it was only for a moment, but they changed,” Nokzusa added.

  “Precisely, what is everyone’s problem with her?” Kenneth questioned.

  “She fights with no honor against her own kin,” Split interjected her, the only other voice besides Kenneth’s, not hushed. “A cruel butcher, cold from the moment she hatched with no regard for the purity of water.”

  “What, she pisses in it?” Kenneth jokingly said, meeting Split’s cold gaze. “Exactly how is she different from someone like you? I mean, you and other fighters kill are cruel and vicious. I was even present when a group of Nok ate people alive.”

  Split’s eyes narrowed, “It’s a warning.”

  Kenneth let out a sigh, “If you say so. Now, since I’m done healing, can I finally meet with the hostages?”

  “Only when the commander says so,” Split replied.