Thorne was drinking his coffee as usual in his paper cups, although unusually he had a much nicer place to do that. Instead of the cheap platform over the side, the construction workers finally managed to demolish one of the buildings and a proper bureau was put in place.
It was just a metal container with painted walls, but it was god damn beautiful anyways.
The heater, the windows, actual floor that didn`t show the ground meters beneath him.
And well a coffee maker of course.
"DIRECTOR" one of the guards crashed inside
"What is this Johnson sips ?"
"THE HUNTER IS BACK"
"Great ! Get him here"
"AND HE`S DEAD"
Thorne threw the cup away and rushed outside. At the Tower the medic was already at his body examining it. From the distance, he was just like a corpse with a medic that came too late.
"WELL??? HOW IS HE"
"Alive. for now" The medic didn`t stop his assessment as blood pressure test and a heart beat monitor was in place and in action.
Thorne grabbed his phone and immediately got the transport to the nearest hospital
"He dies, you`re fired" right after the confirmation that help is on the way, he pointed at the posted medic.
"Man, I can`t do shit here. He`s got burns, cuts, fucking bite marks, I don`t even know what else is on him. If he dies here, that`s on him"
"Shut up and do what you can"
"As I just said, I can`t do shit. Band-aid and a lollipop, best I can do" He pulled out an actual candy and put it on Voro.
"AW shut up and get him....alive "
Weeeeeee woooooo weeeeee woooooo
Trauma team has arrived with their truck ramming through barricades and drifting onto the scene. Hospital bed went out, grabbed the body and put it back into the truck.
"Immediate care gentlemen. Anything you have to do, do it" Thorne said both incredibly politely and threatening at the same time.
The trauma medic team in their bright orange vests politely nodded and went on their way, All done within a minute time.
"No one was here today" Thorne grabbed someone else`s cup "NO ONE" and still drank the whole thing.
---------------------------------------
Voro woke up slowly, with only one eye being able to move but still - alive.
"Ugh where the hell did they take me"
"Hospital" Someone answered next to him "Where else"
If his neck wasn`t locked in with something, he would have at least saw his face. The voice would have to suffice right now
"Are you " while blood came with a large cough "with Thorne?"
"Yes I am mr. Hunter" The voice answered
"I need a something."
"Ask away mr. Hunter" same answer, same tone
"Get me blood"
A bit of awkward silence but still the voice sounded like he got up from his chair and left the room. Voro heard that , but still passed out again.
The next time he woke up, the neck block was gone and a blood line was attached to his arm. And the voice was clearly an agent of FBAM, suit sunglasses and a headpiece almost invisible to the naked eye.
"How long was I out" This time he at least managed to pull himself up on the bed. Still looking like garbage, but moving garbage.
"You exited the Tower over 28 hours ago. Last time you were recorded conscious was....7 hours ago" The guy left his newspaper and folded it neatly.
"And?"
"I don`t know. I don`t work for the hospital" He kept on with a completely unemotional tone.
"Then please,get someone who does"
"I`m not leaving you sir"
"I said. Please" Voro pulled the sickest and most pitiful face he could and looked at the man.
...
"Fine" The tactic appeared to work.
The guard left. The occasion was nice. Voro ripped the blood line out of his vein and grabbed the bag.
Newest skill in his collection and the reward he picked on the 5th floor. Perfect timing and his plan of survival.
Voro sank his teeth into the bag.
Piercing the plastic cover and reaching the fluid, he started drinking it.
The blood was disgusting, texture was horrible and it felt thick in his mouth.
He drank it all nonetheless.
Warmth came from his mouth and into the stomach, which later started to spread all over his body. Apart from the vomiting instinct, it felt...nice.
It felt like a nice visit to the springs, resting his whole body and having a quiet moment.
[Blood Wine Recovery LVL 1 has been activated]
[You will slowly regenerate as long as you consume blood]
Voro threw the bag under his bed and wiped his mouth. No one should know about this.
If slaughtering goblins was somewhat understandable, dissecting them could be taken as science, drinking blood coming from the hospital which is 99% human origin is definitely illegal.
"Hello mr Vane, how are you feeling?" A very bubbly nurse came into the room, with the suited guard behind her.
"Better" He pulled himself even higher "Much better"
"That`s ... " she looked at his charts "Surprising"
"Whaaat no, its completely normal"
"Mhm mhm. Your heart rate is back to normal, temperature too, breathing is almost the norm too..."
"What can I say, I heal fast"
"Yeah I can see that. But...didn`t you have burns on your left side??"
"I don`t know"
"No no, you definitely had 1st degree burns over your shoulder, I have clearly stated here"
"Well miss, I don`t think mr Vane has any burns right now" Thorne calmly put his hand on the nurses shoulder as he came in with a big smile and something wrapped in his other hand.
"I mean, he had them. For sure. I put the bandages myself"
"Yes well, he does not have them now. So he is fine" A bit tighter grip on her arm
"....Sure. I see no burns on his arms or shoulder, the chart is wrong"
"Yes it is. thank you very much for such excellent care. We`ll take care of him now.
Byeeee"
And the guard very politely moved the confused nurse outside while he closed the door to the room.
"So. You`re fine?" Thorne grabbed a seat and put it right in front of his bed
"Yes I am" Voro answered with a much more lively voice
"You were dying yesterday"
"Yes I was"
"And now you`re fine?"
"Yup"
"Can you tell me why?"
After a short delay of thinking of a correct answer, without really lying to him - "Skill issue"
"If I tell the doctor 'skill issue' he`ll make every single test he is allowed to do. You gotta tell more man"
"Okey, Tower skill issue"
"You mean you have a recovery or healing skill now?"
"eeeeeeee we can call it that"
....
"Great! Call me when you get out of here, there`s work to do" Thorne clapped his hands happily and left a small basket of fruits and cheeses at his side, just next to a lollipop that was somehow on the table.
Vane looked at the gift - common gift basket from the supermarket with a card signed by FBAM team. It`s a picture of a cat holding onto a tree branch with a tag that says
Hang in there!
"Who picked this thing?"
"HR why?" Thorne grabbed an orange while he got up to leave
"I spent 12 hours sitting on a tree waiting for a goblin to come pee under it so I could kill it"
"Good hanging in there I guess"
"Oh and, enjoy your break"
Slams the door on his way out.
Voro sat on the bed chuckling at the card. Eventually he got bored of it and grabbed something to eat. Among the cheese there was a small bottle of wine, deep red color and a label of 2008 Syrah, famous for its full taste and hints of forest flavors.
'Oh well' Voro looked at it for a good while, for it reminded him of the other liquid he just drank and needed to wash it off with something 'Better than the IV bag'.