Chapter 24: The First Cut

The rat lay still on the wooden crate, its tiny chest rising and falling in shallow, unconscious breaths. The knife in Ghaz's hand gleamed under the dim light, its edge razor-sharp.

Nila watched with wide eyes, her small hands clenched into fists at her sides.

Ghaz exhaled slowly, his focus sharpening.

"Watch carefully," he murmured, his voice calm and steady. "Healing isn't just about waving magic around. If you don't know what's inside a body, you can't fix it."

He pressed the tip of the blade just below the rat's ribs.

"This is how you hold a knife." He adjusted his grip slightly, angling the blade with precise control. "Firm, but not too tight. You guide the cut—you don't force it."

The knife moved.

A single, clean incision.

The rat's skin parted without resistance, revealing the glistening red beneath.

Nila stiffened, her tail twitching. "T-That's a lot of blood…"

"It's not," Ghaz corrected. "Barely any. A clean cut bleeds less." He flicked a glance at her. "And don't vomit on the patient."

Nila swallowed hard, her ears moving slightly in embarrassment.

With practiced hands, Ghaz pulled the skin aside, exposing the rat's insides. The faint scent of iron filled the air. Muscle, fat, organs—all laid bare.

"See this?" He pointed with the tip of the knife. "That's the liver. Filters out poison. And here—lungs. Tiny, but they work the same as ours."

Nila hesitated before nodding, her amber eyes locked onto the exposed anatomy.

Ghaz continued, his voice turning distant, focused.

"The stomach… should be here." He frowned slightly, shifting some of the intestines aside. "But this—"

Something small, round, and pale sat nestled in the rat's gut.

He narrowed his eyes.

Carefully, he used the tip of the blade to pry it loose.

A stone.

A tiny, smooth pebble, barely the size of a fingernail.

"…The hell?"

Nila peered over his shoulder. "Is that… a rock?"

Ghaz turned it over between his fingers. "Yeah."

"Why would a rat eat a rock?"

He grunted. "Hunger, maybe. Couldn't find food, so it swallowed this instead. Probably caused some trouble in its gut."

Nila blinked. "So… you just did surgery on a rat for a pebble?"

Ghaz sighed. "Yeah. It's just a pebble. Don't dig too deep."

With the same steady hands, he began stitching the rat back up.

"Thread goes in here. Tight, but not too tight—otherwise, you cut off circulation. Keep the skin together, don't let it pull apart." He worked quickly, efficiently, sealing the wound as if it had never been there.

Nila watched in silence, no longer tense—just fascinated.

The rat twitched slightly as Ghaz tied the final knot. He placed it back in the cloth, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Done."

Nila exhaled, looking half-impressed, half-bewildered. "So… what now?"

Ghaz studied the unconscious rat for a long moment.

Then, with a sigh, he muttered, "Guess I'm keeping it."

Nila blinked. "Eh?"

He scratched his head. "Can't just leave it here after cutting it open. It'll probably die. Might as well take care of it."

She stared at him.

"…You're adopting a rat you just performed surgery on."

"Yeah." Ghaz picked up the little creature, carefully wrapping it in a spare cloth. "Why not?"

Nila opened her mouth, then closed it.

Finally, she just shook her head. "You're so cool,Master."

Ghaz smirked. "You just now figuring that out? And you can just call me Teacher."

The rat twitched in his hands, its tiny nose wrinkling as it stirred. It would live. Probably.

Ghaz glanced down at it. "Tch. Tough little bastard."

He looked back at Nila. "Lesson one—anatomy. Lesson two—sometimes, the problem's smaller than you think. Don't overcomplicate things."

Nila nodded slowly.

"…So what are you gonna name it?" she asked after a pause.

Ghaz considered for a moment.

Then, with a smirk—

"Pebble."

The afternoon sun hung high in the sky by the time Ghaz left the slums afte leaving Nila at her house.

As he stepped out of the store, his mind drifted back to last night's theory.

Humans, elves, and their meridian systems—channels designed to circulate mana efficiently through their bodies.

Beastkin, on the other hand, had a nervous system attuned not just for electrical impulses, but for mana transmission as well. However, this mutation was rare, which explained why most beastkin couldn't wield magic like humans or elves.

Then there were mana beasts—creatures with crystalline structures near their spines, allowing them to cast rudimentary spells.

And finally, orcs and goblins.

No altered nervous system. No meridian network. Just raw, brute-force biology.

Why?

He exhaled, adjusting the weight of the books under his arm. He hadn't realized how far he'd walked until he found himself standing in front of The Broken Fang Inn.

Perhaps this would be their last night here. Gorrock had mentioned he was close to securing a proper clinic where they could both live and work.

Ghaz shook his head and pushed open the door.

The familiar scent of ale, sweat, and burnt wood filled the air. The regular patrons were already in their usual spots—drinking, laughing, playing dice games.

And at the bar, Druth was nursing a mug.

The red-haired warrior looked up as Ghaz approached. "Where were you?"

"At the slums," Ghaz replied, nodding to the barkeep for a drink.

Druth raised a brow. "Did you see Reza?"

"Nope," Ghaz said, smirking as he unwrapped the cloth in his hands. "But I did get a rat."

Druth stared at the small, waking creature.

"…Too skinny to eat," he said flatly, taking it from Ghaz's hands.

"NO! It's a pet!" Ghaz immediately snatched it back.

Druth blinked. "You're keeping it?"

"Yeah."

Druth shook his head. "Right. And what's with the extra book?" He nodded toward the two tomes tucked under Ghaz's arm. "You usually buy them one at a time."

Ghaz smirked. "It's not for me."

Druth frowned. "Then who?"

"You."

A beat of silence.

"…No."

"Yes."

"No."

Ghaz exhaled, placing the book on the table.

"Druth, I don't just want you following me around. I want you to grow with me. I want you to be able to lead your own men one day, to negotiate if needed. And reading and writing? That's just a small part of it."

Druth scowled, looking away.

Then, after a long pause—

"Fine."

He downed the rest of his drink in one go.

Ghaz smirked.

He won't disappoint, brother.