"Doctor!"
"Quick, get the doctor!"
"There's an injured one, fetch a doctor at once!"
Amidst the panicked shouts, the guards under the stone archway supported a figure in a black robe, guiding them into the front courtyard of the manor. The cries immediately caught Duke's attention.
Looking toward the commotion, he saw the robed figure staggering forward with the help of two guards. The black robe was soaked in blood, and in several places silver-tipped bolts protruded, their shafts broken off. From beneath the robe, an arm slipped free, its skin a deep violet hue.
It looked nothing like that of an ordinary human. In fact, it was closer to the skin tone of a Yordle maiden, only Yordles were never this tall.
"Violet skin?"
Duke narrowed his eyes. "A dragon girl?"
His gaze pierced through the robe, revealing the truth beneath: a woman clad in scorched, crimson-stained armor, her entire body marked with wounds. Her athletic figure was inhumanly defined, her golden slit-pupiled eyes burning with restrained fury.
"So it really is the dragon girl… but why would she come here?"
Rubbing his chin, Duke glanced at Lux and Sona still happily playing in the garden. Without a word, he quietly followed.
The first to step forward in welcome was Ogsa, mother of Garen and Lux. Upon seeing the blood-soaked dragon woman, her expression changed to shock.
"How did you end up injured like this?"
"On the road I encountered a crazed woman. She attacked me without a word."
Shyvana's voice was low, simmering with suppressed rage. As a half-dragon, the madness and fury in her blood was never easily contained. Even the scent of blood risked driving her into a frenzy, her draconic instincts buried deep within her bones.
"Come with me, I'll fetch a physician right away!"
"Aunt Ogsa, why not let me try first?"
Ogsa had just been about to order the butler to summon a doctor when Duke spoke up. Her expression stiffened, and she forced a smile. "Duke… have you already finished Sona's voice device?"
"I gave it to her earlier. She's playing with Lux right now. I heard the shouting here and thought I'd help. I've got some medical equipment with me, it should be enough to treat her."
Fixing his gaze on Shyvana, Duke smiled faintly. "No need to trouble anyone else."
"But…" Ogsa hesitated, only for Duke to continue: "I'm from Piltover, Aunt Ogsa. We see things differently than Demacians."
Hearing this, Ogsa understood at once that Duke had already seen through Shyvana's identity. She sighed softly, then beckoned him. "Very well, come with me."
Ogsa led the way. Duke stepped forward to support Shyvana. To his surprise, this woman who could shift between human and dragon felt oddly fragile at his side, like soft cotton pressed weakly against his shoulder, her body tense but light.
She didn't speak to him, but Duke could feel every muscle in her body wound tight, like a stray cat bristling in a hostile environment.
Before long, Ogsa stopped at an empty courtyard with only a fountain.
"Wait here a moment."
She moved to a wall and pulled a beast-shaped lever. The ground before the fountain split apart, revealing a stairway leading underground.
"Go below."
Ogsa led them into the hidden passage. Duke guided Shyvana down into a stone chamber, spacious and well-ventilated, furnished with beds, tables, and stools.
"Lay her down to rest," Ogsa instructed.
But Duke instead seated Shyvana at the table. "Better she sit. Her wounds make lying down dangerous."
As he retrieved a medical kit from his inventory, Shyvana's eyes flicked with curiosity. "You're a mage?"
"I'm a scientist."
Duke spread out his instruments. Overhead, a hovering shadowless lamp ignited, bathing the chamber in bright, steady light.
"Is this… a magical tool?"
"This is crystallized science." Duke snapped on disinfected gloves, drawing out a syringe. "I'll administer a local anesthetic first. That way removing the bolts and stitching the wounds won't hurt too much."
"Scientists heal people too?"
"Of course." He snipped away the straps of her battered armor, tossing her a gown to cover herself. "Hold still."
Anesthesia set, Duke raised his scalpel with a calm, confident smile. "Not to brag, but I've dissected more corpses than you've met living people. Trust me."
Shyvana glanced at the scalpel, then his smile. "...So you're a butcher."
Before her mutter ended, Duke had already plucked free the first bolt, tossing its gleaming silver head into a tray, his hands moving fast as lightning to stitch the wound.
"What did you just say?" he asked casually, while another arrowhead clinked into the tray. Shyvana shut her mouth.
In truth, after modifying Vi with Warwick's aid, Duke had realized his surgical skills still lacked refinement. He'd since had Camille acquire hundreds of cadavers for practice until his technique was flawless.
In no time, six silver bolt-heads lay in the tray. For a creature like Shyvana, each one was a lethal threat. A hit to the vitals would have ended her instantly.
"Who the hell did you cross paths with to get such a warm welcome?"
The question came as Duke dropped his scalpel into the cleaning pan. Ogsa, unable to stomach the sight of surgery, had already slipped out of the chamber.
"A lunatic woman," Shyvana growled. "She came at me without a word, using silver bolts soaked in holy water."
As Duke drew blood from her arm, Shyvana asked, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Keep talking." Duke's eyes stayed on the vial of blood glowing like molten lava.
"I fought back, but she wore strange armor, with strength and speed beyond a normal human. And her weapon wasn't Demacian at all."
"What kind of weapon?"
"Some sort of arm-mounted crossbow."
Duke sealed away the blood sample, then draped a robe over Shyvana's shoulders. "I've stitched you up. The anesthetic will wear off in half an hour. Don't move around, or you'll tear the sutures. You'll need rest."
"...Thank you."
"I've already collected my fee," Duke replied dryly, pocketing the blood and leaving antibiotics by her side. "No need for thanks."
"By the way, I'm Duke. From Piltover. And you?"
"...Shyvana," she finally said. "I am a dragon."
"Obvious enough. Outside of Yordle girls, I've never seen violet skin. And those eyes, I've seen their like before. Back in Ixtal, when I hunted a drake. A lesser one, but still."
Shyvana blinked in surprise. "You're not afraid of me?"
"Why should I be?" Duke shrugged. "I've dealt with Yordles, undead, shapeshifters, elemental mages, even Void creatures. A dragon is nothing new."
Shyvana's gaze softened slightly. For the second time, she met someone who neither feared nor rejected her.
"I've traveled a bit," Duke went on. "Bandle City, Bilgewater, Ixtal. This is my fourth time abroad, in Demacia."
"I heard Bilgewater folk hunt sea monsters. Is that true?"
"Very. The docks reek of blood every day. Sea beasts are butchered until even the tide runs red. Rats there follow people openly, waiting for scraps." He smirked. "Once I saw a hundred-meter kraken worm chased all the way from Freljord. Its teeth are still in my garden."
"Sounds… wonderful."
"You could see it too, someday."
"I doubt it." Her eyes dimmed. "I belong to two worlds… but neither truly accepts me."
"You'd get along with my little sister. She's a Vastaya, can shift at will, speaks with a lisp, a funny little thing."
"...I'd like to meet her," Shyvana admitted softly.
Then Duke's eyes fell on the silver bolts glinting under the lamp. His gaze sharpened.
"I might know who attacked you."
"Who?" Shyvana's eyes blazed with hatred.
"A woman whose family was slaughtered by demons, who turned down a twisted path of vengeance. An excellent hunter nonetheless."
"What's her name?"
"Shauna Vayne."
"But Vayne doesn't wear armor," Duke muttered, frowning. "She's always in leather, with her cloak, night-vision, and that giant crossbow…"
Shyvana's words cut in sharply: "The woman who attacked me wore arm-mounted crossbows!"
"...Hah?"
Duke froze, eyes wide.
If it really was Vayne… why the hell would she wear armor?
End of chapter....
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