Stress situation

He entered the shop, searching around for Jenny. As she was not at the counter, he wandered a bit, looking at the different vials and containers lining up on the shelves.

Few were clear in clear glas containers, secured behind bars with a lock. Others in wooden flasks, not directly showing what is inside.

Boxes of different materials to store herbs or ingredients, and tools to process them were part of her sortiment.

"Hi Mikael, what does bring you over?"

Jenny came over, removing a mask covering her lower face, revealing her full lips and pointy nose. She had her red hair subdued with a simple metal circlet, styling it to a pony tail.

Mikael explained his reason for visiting, and Jenny was eager to give advice.

After roughly 30 minutes, she stopped talking, asking him if he got all her information.

"I guess. Let's see what stuck. I have to be careful while removing herbs, not damaging roots or leaves. Some require different methods of harvesting, so don't just ripp them out. Don't pack them in a tight space, they need room. And listen to the employer, as he should now what herbs he needs."

"Exactly. Some rare plants have defense mechanism to attract monsters, or excrete polls or scents that cause different effects. So if you don't know what you're dealing with, leave it be and watch your step. Your task is mainly protection, secondly helping harvesting."

She pointed at his book he carried with him all the time, as the lack of a better place to leave it.

"Read through it when you have time. Last time you let me look into it, it had quite some good information. And also you can impress Beron with the progress you make."

He subconsciously touched it, the cover smooth and not showing the rough treatment it went through.

'Yeah, I should look into it at some point.'

He did not know why he was still hesitant to read the pages, after all a random page he saw once helped him out so much.

'Maybe because how Didi alleviated its worth, I am afraid. What if I damage it, eventually loose it.' he knew his excuses were stupid. Other than his reading skill being nonexistent before, he had no reason not to open it.

"You're right. Thank you for your advice. I'll look into it."

"Good, would be a shame if this compendium wouldn't be used. After all..." she couldn't finish her sentence, as at this moment the door was swung open, groaning and a rushed voice filled the inside. A man clothed in a gray shirt and brown pants together with a child on his arm, carrying him with panic in his eyes. The child was maybe 5 or 6, at least that was what Mikael thought.

"Please, help my son. He fell, and... No healer here right now, so please..." he stuttered, not making a clear sentence.

Mikael stood there in confusion, overwhelmed by the situation, other than Jenny. She opened up the counter, rushed over to the big man, ordering in a cold tone:" lower him, I need to see him better."

The man obeyed, and after some quick looks, she said:" We have to work quick. Follow me! Mikael, go down the hallway, there is a my storage room, in a rack with many drawers should be a suitcase, a red snake drawn on it, get it!"

She walked quickly, the man holding his son following, not saying anything, only whispering caring words to his son, to calm him down.

Mikael also functioned like another person controlled him. He ran past Jenny as she led the patient in her work room, and when he got there, he looked left and right, searching for that drawer.

'There!'

Opposite to him, next to a table with half processed herbs, it stood by the wall. He opened one drawer after the other, nearly ripping them out in his haste.

'Got it!'

He sprinted back, holding the suitcase with both hands, careful not to drop it.

"Quickly, give it to me!" She spoke few words.

The man stood by the wall, making himself as slim as possible, while the kid laid on the stretcher, breathing heavily and coughing.

As she opened the suitcase, Mikael could see the boy, pale as a corpse, with a face distorted in pain.

"Papa, it hurts, make it stop." he said in a small voice, and as a response the man's eyes began to tear, unable to help his son right now.

"Everything will be okay, just hold on for a while, okay? The healer will do its best." he kneeled next to him, holding his hand and kissing the forehead.

Jenny didn't say anything, but took out a knife, cutting apart the boys clothes.

"I guessed from the bleeding, but this isn't good!"

In the chest area, a pice of wood stuck out, broken shortly from the entering wound.

"The stick may have punctured his lung.

He is not getting air properly, we need to safely extract the object."

"Don't you have some potion that can help?" The man asked, helpless and afraid.

"No, alchemical products are not able to heal damage like this. He may also have internal bleeding, which could be made worse.

What is your name?"

"Dean, why?"

"Because, Dean, I want you to hold him down, so he can't move his body. While I channel my magic through him, Mikael needs to remove the stick. Here."

Mikael still processed her announcement, just as she handed him a tong.

""Wait, what?!"" Both said, looking at her in disbelief.

"If I don't remove it, it continues to bleed, and maybe he will stop breathing at all. Either way, he would die if we don't do that."

As she explained, the boy began coughing again, this time blood, as well as vomit. Jenny didn't care, moving the head in a position he could still somewhat breath.

"Hurry, we need to operate now!"

Her stern voice like a impulse made them move. Dean holding down carefully the legs and arms, and Mikael next to him, ready to use the tong and pull out the stick.

Jenny put her hands on the naked upper body, next to the wound.

"Take it out straight, as fast as possible on my signal."

She looked at Dean, warning:" This is out of my normal field of work, so don't expect a miracle. His chances of surviving are slim. My process is imperfect, so it hurts, a lot. He may scream, be prepared."

He only nodded, not daring to speak right now, doing his best to hold on his sons small body.

Mikael could vividly recall the feeling, but also knew how it helped.

" Now, stay quiet."

She began to work, the energy not visible to the naked eye, but the increasing moans of the kid turning into muffled crys.

After a minute, her forehead already drenched in sweat, the hands bloody, she gave the command.

"Pull it out!"

Mikael hands shaking, he clung around the remaining stick, and in took out in a flash the object.

A second later the breathing of the patient stopped, and the crying also ceased.

"What happened, tell me!" the father said in shock. The absence of a living sign made him panicking.

"Quiet, I'm on it!"

Mikael saw her sweating bullets with clenched teeth.

The wound before stopped bleeding, and then she began to bend over the kid body, shoving away Dean who still held him down.

She closed his nose, pushing air with her mouth into his body, after which she began to press down onto his chest to some rhythm she spoke silently, only her mouth moving.

After some repetions, the father already sat on the ground, holding his head and mumbling:" If only I had looked after him properly. Put away the wood like always. Because of my stupidity..."

"Come on, breath!" she angrily said, beginning again with her hands pushing onto the chest.

Mikael already thought the boy was gone, and Jenny's method failed.

But a moment later, a deep breath was heard, and all three of them turned their eyes to the boy.

He coughed apruptly, spitting out more blood, and began to scream in pain.

But despite the earpiercing sound, their reaction was happy and cheerful.

Dean got up, wanting to hug his son, but hesitating, as he was unsure if it would do harm.

Jenny sunk onto the ground, pale and breathing heavily, closing her eyes but smiling.

Mikael also was relieved, but even more so impressed how she brought the boy back to life.

"Please get from the store a box, it should be under my counter and have a plate with Pain Relievers written on it."

She sounded exhausted, her voice shaking.

Mikael did not ask, just going and coming back half a minute later, box in hand.

The man sat next to his son, tears streaming down his cheeks, only daring to hold his hand.

Jenny received the box, taking out green, uneven balls.

She herself took one, giving another to the kid. She had to open his mouth forcefully, even ask the man to cover the mouth so he couldn't spit it out.

"It will dissolve, so he shouldnt run danger to choke, but it taste bad." she simply said, as her own face was warped like she bit into a lemon.

"You achieved a miracle, thank you so much." Dean said in tears, relieved as the crying and wails ceased.

"You still have to pay me, that was. By no means a charity."

"Of course, even if I have to sell all my property, I'll make sure to pay that debt."

Mikael didn't want to stand around idle, so he went to the store room, searched for cups and water, bringing them over.

They all received it without words, exhausted and tired.

" I need to keep him here over night, after all the danger is only lessened, not passed. Mikael, thank you for your assistance. You also can go now, if you'd like."

Mikael nodded, also somewhat exhausted.

The process may only have lasted maybe ten minutes since the arrival, but so much happened.

He left, wanting to congratulate her for saving this kids life, but choose not to. Only after he left the shop he could take a deep breath. The cold air and people walking along made the whole experience feel surreal, but he clearly remembered each part of it.

'Still, I need to relax after that. Maybe talking to Boss might help.'