The Plague Doctor Book 2 Chapter 43 (It's Not Cannibalism to Cook a Human) Part 2

Book 1: (Desperate to save his son, Kenneth, a calm and nonviolent doctor accepts a deal offered to him by a strange creature. However, the price he must pay is to abandon everything he holds dear: his wife, children, and world as he attempts to share his knowledge of healing and medicine in a world entrenched by violence. Yet, in such a place, how long can his nonviolent nature remain if he wishes to survive?)

***

Nokuji showed no emotion, unlike a couple of others. “Pick it up, and sit back down.” 

“I told you I resigned. If you want someone to fill my spot, I recommend Nokkuoras. Now I’ll take my leave, then,” she walked away. 

However, Nokuji wouldn't let her. “Take your leave. And where do you intend to go, back to your lifepartner, and children, or the entrance to Amitos' embrace?”

The room echoed for a moment, the sounds slowly fading as Nokiolite looked back. “Where I go, you won’t see me. And I don’t have time to wait on you.” 

As she walked outside, she turned invisible and stripped off all her clothing, becoming impossible to follow. 

“Well, I must say this has been a rather exciting, elegant lunch, now,” the woman playing with her food and stacking bones said, finishing off by placing a bone on top, making a little tower. 

She had soft violet scales, almost like an orchid, and even from where he was sitting, he noticed her tunic was a bit longer than most, going all the way down to her knees, though they did not lack for covering as she also wore leather stockings.

With a prideful look, she leaned back in her chair to admire her construction, exposing her brooch with the insignia of a hammer on it.

However, her marveling at her own work seemed short-lived as the woman beside her, with the insignia on her brooch being a gear, flicked one of the four bones at the bottom away, letting out a hearty laugh. 

The gear commander had smokey grey scales who, interestingly enough, wore a shirt, and most rarely, pants, though the oddity of her did not stop, as the most interesting were her eyes, more precisely what covered them, glasses.

However, it was not quite as Kenenth knew them. The easiest way to describe them would be by calling them bubblegoggles.  

“Bahahaha!” 

“Oh no, it's going to fall,” the hammer commander said in an obviously fake worried voice. 

The gear commander’s laughter stopped, and in visible annoyance, she noticed the little bone tower was still standing despite losing a leg. The hammer commander smirked at the gear commander as they locked eyes. Then she just went and punched the entire thing, sending the bones flying across the room, landing on another table. 

Her smirk persisted as she leaned back in her chair. 

It was clear who was winning the battle of the minds, but that was about to change as the gear commander jumped up, yelling, “You wanna fight?!” 

The hammer commander cracked her neck and got all up in her face, “You think I’m afraid?” 

“Knock it off, both of you!” Nokuji said in a raised voice, her presence still commanding respect. “Nokalccha, I’ve got a task for you.” 

“What commander?” the woman with the gear brooch asked. 

“You are to assist Black Beak in his work, and remember he’s a guest.” 

“As you say,” Nokalccha sighed. “So then, Beak, what do you want from me?” 

“A project. I need some assistance in building a fermentation tank,” Kenneth answered her. “It’s something that lies outside my area of expertise, so I figured if anyone could help me make something from scratch, it would be one with mechanical expertise.” 

“Let’s get started,” she immediately agreed, standing up and walking over to him. 

“That was faster than I expected,” Kenneth admitted. 

“Always wanted a man to say that to me, and you went and ruined it, thanks a lot, Beak,” Nokalccha said. 

“Umm.. what?” Kenneth asked in confusion. 

“Forget it. You coming?” She asked. 

“Okay,” Kenneth replied, standing up and leaving, never once looking back. 

Outside, Nokalccha took the lead, walking in front. As he walked, his mind was darting back and forth through the entire conversation. The awkwardness, the quite possibly hurt feelings, and why he’d said what he had said. 

The only thing that still made June his wife was his lack of a signature on a piece of paper, but even if he had signed, that wouldn’t have changed how he felt. And yet, how did he feel? 

He enjoyed being around Nokoovo, working with her, but… but… all of it was just happening so suddenly. He didn’t even have time to think. 

“Are you staring at it?” Nokalccha questioned.

Kenneth had been so engrossed in his own thoughts that he had not noticed the woman walking in front of him, who was now staring him in the eyes, with her head upside down, and her back arched. 

“Huh…? Um, what should I… I mean no…” he confusely stammered, only a moment later noticing that her tail was in... well, not a knee sock, but a tail sock, one lined with steel, the shape making it obvious the tip of her tail was missing. 

She stroked her opposite down chin, “Really, how disappointing. Everyone eventually stares at it.”

“…you don’t say.”

Suddenly, her upside-down eyes flashed with rage as her scales whitened, “Zillo!”

“..Um, sorry,” Kenneth apologized, honestly having not meant to look at it.

However, her anger had not been directed at him, but at the person following behind, the hammer commander.

Nokalccha straightened her back and snapped around, walking past Kenneth and getting all up in her face, “You want to fight?!”

“That is not why I’m here,” The hammer commander said as she looked past Nokalccha and directly at Kenneth. “Black Beak, my name is Nokaljjour, and I’m at your service. In regard to building, my experience outranks everyone else, especially this lesser commander.”

Nokalccha suddenly punched Nokaljjour, knocking her back, and before Kenneth knew what was happening, she took off her bubblegoggles and threw them to him. “Hold them for me.”

With no pause or attempt to communicate, both were in a brawl, with some of the surrounding people gathering around to keep watch and make sure nothing went out of hand. 

Though in Kenneth’s case, that ship had long since sailed, with both hitting each other with heavy blows, at the very least keeping everything above the belt, like a pair of boxers in the ring. 

However, unlike the saying fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee it was more like, fly like a stone, and sting like a hammer. That last one became quite evident when Nokaljjour sent a couple of Nokalccha’s fangs flying. 

It was far from a one-sided affair with Nokjjour and Nokalccha getting some good hits in on each other; however, right around when they drew blood, the crowd stepped in to stop them.

A silence ensued as both glared at each other…

“Not bad,” Nokalccha said. 

“I’ll remember that punch,” Nokaljjour replied. 

Seemingly having blown off enough steam, they were let go as everyone broke up and got on with their day, but despite it being normal here, Kenneth despised it, yet even so, he would do his duty. 

“Well, that was eventful!” Kenneth sighed as he walked over to Nokaljjour and shined a light into her eyes. “Pupils equally reactive.” 

“What are you doing? It hurts?!” She complained. 

“Congrats, you don’t have brain damage. Say if it starts hurting.” Kenneth instructed her as he turned to Nokalccha.

“Handy having a healer around,” She chuckled in a more relaxed tone than previously. 

It frustrated Kenneth, all of it did to the point he couldn't keep it in, “Yes, I should charge per check-up and make a fortune.” 

“You're one of those soft scales who’s never roughed up a little?” Nokaljjour commented.

“Roughed up, Yes. Roughing someone else up…” he grew quiet and checked her pupils. “They are reactive, and you don’t look absolutely worse for wear. Say something if you start having headaches and such.” 

“Do you know why I fight?” 

“A lack of control over intrusive thoughts.”

“It’s fun. Nothing better to get you warm and relaxed than a good little fight,” Nokalccha told him. “Well, one thing is better. Fighting that guard commander, and when Di is at her fullest, we go at it. I never knew men could go on top.” 

Fighting his glare, Kenneth held his hands over Nokstella’s ears, who looked around innocently. “There are children present, mind, cleaning up the language. She doesn’t need to hear about you fighting whoever you see without reason.”

“Let me explain, so she doesn’t get confused,” Nokaljjour said, kneeling down and, against Kenneth's better judgment, giving her the benefit of the doubt, removing his hands. “Little girl, you saw me fight that other woman, right?”

“Yes,” Nokstella replied. 

“Now you must always remember when you start a fight, you can’t do it without reason, and something like a simple bump or someone giving you side eye is enough. And always aim for pain, never damage, you want it to last.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Kenneth said defensively. “So are we going to get started on our work or what?” 

“If you insist,” Nokalccha shrugged, Nokjjour coming along, both trying to lead the way, walking faster and faster until they began to run, while Kenneth lightly jogged, arriving near the wall at what appeared to be Nokalccha's workshop. 

Inside was filled with gears, tools, and schematics, littered across the room as if a tornado or a ransacking thief had been here. Though from the lack of  Nokalccha’s reaction, he assumed it was normal.

“Why am I not surprised that you work in this mess?” Nokaljjour said with disgust. “Black Beak, come back out, we are going to my workshop.”

In a huff, she walked off to the building right beside it and waited.

Nokalccha walked out and put her arm around Kenneth, smirking at her neighbor. “Oh, sorry, but my good friend Black Beak here is going to make... what was it?”

“Well, a fermen--“

“We are going to make a furman! But stay over there, and I’ll tell the commander all about you giving up because you can’t handle my perfect placement of my work.”

“What placement?! It’s more cluttered in there than the scales in your brain. No wonder Noklobgi chose me to be her successor,” Nokaljjour snapped back.

“I don’t even need to see your workshop, you stank would make me blind anyway!” Nokalccha shouted as she stormed over.

Nokaljjour responded in kind, both meeting in the middle and yelling,” You want another fight?!”

‘Not this again,’ Kenneth internally groaned as he looked toward Split. “Can you do something to make them stop?”

“I’m watching and protecting you not stopping them,” She replied.

“Of course,” He sighed, putting Nokstella down and gesturing for Kolu and her to stay back while he intervened. “Okay, no need for another fight, you're both tough, and let's stop this and compromise. It’s a nice day, so I suggest we work outside.”

Both looked at Kenneth, then each other.

“I suppose.”

“Don’t think you are high and mighty, it’s you that wants to split up, and besides,” Nokalccha said, sitting down. “I agreed to it first.”

Nokaljjour had an annoyed look as she sat down as well.

Kenneth joined last as Kolu, and Nokstella knew this meant he was going to work, and they began to do their thing. “Okay, now what I wanted both of you to assist with was a fermentation tank. Essentially, it’s a closed-off... well, tank able to have a precise environment, with heat adjustment, and the ability to ferment. I’ve made some bad drawings to hopefully give an idea of what I want.”

It had been years since he’d seen a fermentation tank, but he still loosely remembered what one looked like and drew to the best of his ability. It was an area too removed from his area of expertise, so he tried to keep it as original as possible, not knowing what was more important than anything else.

Both studied his drawing for a moment..

“Well, we need to change the design for something like that. Maybe have a wide bottom and a narrow top for it to be over a fire and let the heat spread out and get as much of the surface covered,” Nokalccha suggested.

“And burn your hands every time you need to empty it,” Nokaljjour scoffed. “It needs to stand on legs, and then have a space underneath stick up into the center like a spear so heat can spread more centrally.”

“Are you dumb?!” Nokalccha yelled. “Then you might as well have a tube where you insert a hot rod and then change it all the time.”

“Perhaps my idea is too complex for you, simpleton.”

“Simpleton! Oh, you zillo, I’ll show you and your boring ideas,” Nokalccha said.

“Boring! I’ll show you!” She snapped both standing up.

“Please don't fight again,” Kenneth begged.

“There’s only one way to settle this!” Nokaljjour said, glaring.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Nokalccha agreed.

“A CONTEST!” Both yelled, spinning around and walking back to their workshops.

“Huh,” Kenneth let out. “That went better than I expected.”

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