The Storm Wolf: Gathering Clouds - chapter 1 Magician- 1.5
Imported from SF2 with no description.
The greenhouse door panel was green, and about ten minutes ago, I had informed Dawn of my visit.
"Hey." I greeted the grey wolf, who was busy with something in front of a blue-green plant. My swollen cheek made my words sound a little slurred.
“Rationalism, Richter.” Dawn sighed, put the metal tool in her hand aside, and walked over after removing her gloves. “Please tell me you got into a fight with someone.”
“It was just a minor training accident.” I said convincingly while touching my heart and forehead in succession. “It’s no big deal.”
“Yes, that’s quite obvious.” She sighed and grasped my jaw, turning my head in several directions. “A typical Snow-style toxic masculinity.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I silently felt the synchronization and construction of the healing energy flow, trying to identify the commands being issued. Within a few seconds, the swelling on my cheek subsided.
“Did you handle your nose yourself?” Dawn raised an eyebrow and tilted her head as she continued examining me. “Not bad.”
“I applied pressure to stop the bleeding first, then induced epidermal regeneration starting from the blood vessels.” The corners of my mouth lifted, and I couldn’t help but wag my tail a little, trying to keep the self-satisfaction out of my tone.
“You actually paid attention.” The master chuckled, retrieving some items from a nearby table. “But some of the scabs are too deep. I’ll need to open the wound and let the epidermis heal again.”
When Dawn inserted some kind of swab into my nostril, I couldn’t help but flinch.
“Hold still; it’ll be over soon.” She reassured me. Tears welled up suddenly, making me blink hard, but I did my best to stay still until Dawn finished treating the wound.
Once my vision cleared, I saw the Master tossing the swab, stained with reddish-brown blood, into a test tube filled with a clear liquid. The itching sensation at the tip of my nose made me reflexively want to scratch, but Dawn stopped me and lightly patted my head.
“Don’t act like a puppy.” The reproach in her voice made me flatten my ears in embarrassment and look down at the floor, allowing her to continue inspecting the minor injuries I had treated myself.
After some time, the Master let out a satisfied hum and threw her gloves into the waste disposal chute.
“I think this isn’t very healthy,” she gestured for me to sit on one of the chairs by the workbench while she walked to the other side of the greenhouse to a wooden table filled with small paper packets. “Do you want me to talk to the Field?”
“No…” I murmured, lowering my gaze again. “The Master Field just… strives for perfection.”
“If you insist.” Dawn returned with two small plates, each holding a porcelain cup emitting gentle steam that smelled like some kind of flower or fruit.
I wanted to say something to reassure her, but when I met those worried gray eyes, I couldn’t force out any more empty words. So, I just picked up the saucer, buried the tip of my nose in the teacup, and avoided directly meeting the wolf’s gaze.
“Most of the time, the courses are pretty normal, only occasionally like this…” I wasn’t trying to make excuses for anyone, just stating a fact. “It usually happens when my mastery of Domination progresses slower than expected.”
“How many Domination cores do you have?” Dawn seemed intrigued by the topic, raising an eyebrow as she asked.
“About thirty thousand, capable of issuing highly precise commands.” Perhaps due to some ingredient in the tea, I felt more relaxed, and the aches from earlier training seemed to ease significantly.
“The Field's own limit is only a hundred thousand,” the wolf rolled her eyes and spoke with displeasure. “He probably thinks he’s found the owner of the Empire’s Heart.”
“The Imperial flagship of the German House?” I tilted my head, not quite understanding the remark. “I thought the Archduke of Germany was the owner of the Empire’s Heart.”
“Hmm…” Dawn sipped lightly from her teacup. “It’s very complicated; I’ll explain it some other time.”
After giving a brief acknowledgment, I placed the empty cup and saucer back on the table. Taking advantage of this quiet moment, I glanced around the room while sniffing the air a few times.
Perhaps it was just my overly vivid imagination, but I always felt like the greenhouse had its own seasonal changes, with slight differences every time I visited. The various plants growing, blooming, bearing fruit, and even wilting created distinct scents that composed a colorful world in layers of complexity.
I could distinguish the scent of a few plants, which smelled quite similar to the tea the Master had just brought over. Maybe they were ingredients in the blend. If I combined it with a wave analysis, perhaps I could…
“Appendicular skeleton, upper limbs?” Dawn’s sudden question pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Shoulder, upper arm, wrist, hand.” I began recalling the imagery from memory, piecing together the bones to complete the picture. “Scapula, clavicle, humerus, radius, ulna…” I had to remember the mnemonic for the carpal bones—“Some Lovers Try Positions That They Can’t Handle”? “Scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform, trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate.” I lightly touched my wrist to ensure I didn’t miss anything. “Metacarpals and phalanges.”
“Types of fractures?” The master cupped my right hand and gently brushed along the grain of my fur.
“According to wound closure, fracture severity, structural location, and physical direction, the diagnosis affects subsequent—ow!” A sudden, sharp pain pierced through, making me cry out, but I held back from pulling my arm away.
“You missed this area. It’s not serious, but if left unattended, it could worsen.” Dawn said, placing a scanner over my forearm, revealing a small fracture on the ulna. “Once you’re proficient enough, you should be able to diagnose more precisely using wave analysis, but for now, just watch closely.”
The Master synchronized our waves, tracing command scripts with her fingertips as energy began to flow through my arm.
“Cortical structure?” Dawn asked as she worked on the repairs.
“Uh… Cortical…” It was hard to focus on both the Master’s operation and her questions, so I used the sensation of the energy flow touching the structures to jog my memory. “Periosteum, cortical bone, trabeculae, marrow, arranged concentrically as the Haversian system, with the Haversian canal allowing blood vessels and nerves to pass through, interconnected by canaliculi, while the longitudinal spaces are handled by Volkmann's canals…”
Time passed as the Master continued to review and demonstrate practical applications. Occasionally, I let out a pained yelp, but focusing on the world within my mind seemed to help endure the physical discomfort. And when I saw Dawn nodding approvingly, I felt a certain emotion that might be called pride.
I felt that cool breeze by my calf again.