The fifteen-minute wait felt like an eternity. Danielle thought of passing out more Fever-Ace, but she wasn’t sure that was a good idea with the Ranger Healers on their way; they’d want their own diagnostic Skills to be able to see all the symptoms, she imagined. Besides, they were going to heal everything, or at least, all the worst parts, and then they could possibly make do with a smaller dose. She settled for drinking her canteen of water, reminding the others to do the same, and clock-watching.

  It was Ranger Michael who showed up first, riding what looked for all the world like one of the electric bicycles popular with commuters Inside, but it seemed to have a completely silent motor. He turned it off from a handlebar control almost like the regular Insider ones, though. The biggest obvious difference was the fatter, knobbier tiers. He flipped down the kick-stand and left it sitting on the last of the halfway decent pavement.

  “Hello again!” He said, swinging a satchel around from his back to where he could get into it even as he walked over to them. He brought out a much smaller satchel-type bag with a large patch showing the red cross medical symbol stitched onto its cover flap. “We seem to be seeing a lot of you girls these days,” he added, approaching Sadie. “Are you my first patient?” he asked her.

  “Yes please,” Sadie said. “My ankle has the healed-over infection.” She pointed at the ankle with the rolled-up pant leg, as if he might be confused about which one it was.

  “I see,” Ranger Michael said, bending down to examine it. “Hm. Don’t need any special Skills to see that needs some attention,” he commented, setting the bag down. “Go ahead and show me the rest before I start activating things, please.”

  “Um, I, uh,” Sadie glanced at the other girls for help.

  “It’s kind of awkward, because the vine kind of shredded through our shirts,” Akari said.

  “Do you want everyone else to turn around while I look?” Ranger Michael said.

  “Everyone else is a girl!” Sadie said.

  “Ah. I understand, but I still need to see the injuries,” he said. “Would you like me to turn around while you tie your shirt so it just covers uninjured places? Maybe make a sort of bikini top?”

  “Fine,” Sadie said shortly, and he nodded seriously and turned around. “Someone help me?” Sadie asked.

  “I’ve got you,” Heather said. “Let’s fold it over like this and tie it – there’s nothing on your back, right?”

  “No, just the one side,” Sadie confirmed. “I thought Danielle was being stupid at first, fighting that thing with a staff, but she really kept the vines off our backs.”

  “What about your legs?” the Ranger asked without turning around. “Do you need to take off your jeans? I noticed a hole in the knee above that ankle.”

  “That was just a little thing,” Sadie said. “I accidentally knelt on a thorn, but it didn’t get to slice that one across me. It barely even bled.”

  “I definitely need access to that one,” Ranger Michael said grimly. “Thorn thrashers pick up dead meat with their vines all the time; wounds from them carry a very high risk of infection. A puncture wound like that probably needs my attention.”

  “Oh. OK, well, I have my shorts on under the jeans, so I can do that,” Sadie said.

  “Good. That’s the way it’s supposed to work,” Ranger Michael said. “Comfortable knits against your skin, absorbing sweat; denim outside to protect you from sharp sticks and little thorns and what not.”

  “Kinda shredded, now,” Sadie said.

  “Yes. Lucky for you, the rules for dealing with new Sent (stupid as they often seem) do allow us to replace uniforms if they get damaged by hostile wildlife early on. In other words: you’ll get new shirts. We’re also allowed to give you more medical supplies to replace the ones you used up. Would someone like to give me a rundown on what needs replaced while the patient gets changed?” Ranger Michael asked.

  “Can you replace a sewing needle and Necessities-store-quality thread with a curved needle and something that’s actually made for this?” Danielle asked.

  “I think he means stuff that got used up, like alcohol and bandages,” Cassy said.

  Danielle sighed. “I know, but can you blame me for trying?”

  “Are rubbing alcohol and bandages the actual list?” the Ranger asked.

  “About half a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a whole roll of bandaging tape, a bunch of gauze pads, about a third of a box of band-aids, and nearly all of a tube of first-aid antibiotic ointment with pain reliever,” Danielle listed.

  “All right, let me just radio that in – be ready with your shirt sizes, too.” So saying, he pulled his radio out of its belt cradle and toggled it. “Healer Praeco to Base 1, I’ve arrived at the Old Bridge, and evaluation is in progress. I told them we were allowed to replace things. Is Healer Hart within hearing?”

  “Healer Hart responding for Base 1, give me the list,” another male voice said.

  “Medic Falconer’s first response when I asked her what needed replacing was, and I quote, ‘can you replace a sewing needle and Necessities-store-quality thread with a curved needle and thread that’s actually made for this,’ end quote. Is that good enough for you?” Ranger Michael said challengingly.

  “You’re serious?” The voice on the radio asked. “That’s the first thing she asked for?”

  “First thing. Then her friend pointed out that my question was worded to indicate consumables, and she gave me a proper list, but I say that was a request for a suturing kit up front.”

  The radio transmitted an odd noise – wind? “Fine, you can give Sent Falconer a suturing kit. I want photographic proof of actual sutures though! Nobody’s going to believe this,” the radio voice said.

  “Why, is there still somebody who actually expects any part of this Sending to be normal?” Ranger Michael asked sardonically. “This is the Sending with the first-day Skill Sharer, two or three prominent home-studies students in the mix, and the two-digit death count already.”

  “And apparently a team of new Sent who tangled with a thorn thrasher and didn’t call for help until the next day,” the radio voice said and repeated the odd sound. Was that a sigh? “The world’s gone mad. Just get me that photo. What’s the rest of your list?”

  “Oh – rubbing alcohol, gauze pads, bandaging tape, uh, box of band-aids, antibiotic ointment, three uniform tops including T-shirts, and one pair uniform jeans.”

  “The pain relief kind of antibiotic, please,” Danielle said.

  “Medic specifies the kind of antibiotic ointment with pain relief ingredients,” Ranger Michael transmitted.

  “Can do,” the Ranger on the radio said. “Not that it’d do much for thorn thrasher lacerations.”

  “Presumably they’ll know better than to tangle with those again,” Ranger Michael suggested.

  “I’m ready when you are,” Sadie said. Heather had folded the top of the shirt so it stuck up above the arms, which she then used to tie it under Sadie’s arms as a sort of weird-looking cape. The tied denim shirt also held up the folded bottom half of the T-shirt.

  “Here, tell Ranger Hart your uniform sizes,” Ranger Michael said, handing Sadie the radio. While Sadie reported her size and passed on the radio to Akari, he got a small camera out of his satchel and took a close-up photo of the stitches in Sadie’s side. Then he moved up and photographed the ones in her shoulder. He was showing her the photos for approval when Akari handed off the radio to Danielle, and she told Ranger Hart her shirt size. “Make sure Akari’s set includes a bra,” she added. “Um, that’s the set right before mine.”

  “Danielle!” Akari protested. “Don’t just say things like that!”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “What? We’re listing clothing that got damaged and needs replaced. How are you going to wash that without making the tear spread?” Danielle replied.

  “Sounds like I won’t be photographing that one,” Ranger Michael joked loudly.

  “One or two examples from less sensitive locations will suffice,” Ranger Hart said dryly. “Complete set of female uniform uppers for second patient is approved. I’ll get those sent out with Flo. Go ahead and give the radio back to Michael, please.”

  “Oh, here, I’ll trade you,” Ranger Michael said, picking up the smaller bag and holding it out to Danielle.

  Danielle exchanged the radio for the bag, then looked at it, feeling wooly in the head. “What’s this?” she asked.

  “A little medical responder’s kit, slightly understocked, but containing curved needles and thread suitable for use in stitching wounds,” Healer Michael said. “Considering your lack of experience or directly related Skills, you did a very impressive job, here.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without Heather,” Danielle said, lifting the flap of the bag. She discovered that it was zipped shut underneath, and decided to examine it more fully later. Somehow, unzipping just seemed like one step too many right then. Behind her, she heard Cassy telling Akari, “I’ll help you do your shirt behind his back while he’s busy with Sadie.”

  “No, I can see that, and I commend you both for your good use of Skills that work together to conserve mana while stabilizing serious wounds. Managing our mana by working together is an important skill for Healers,” Ranger Michael said, carefully peeling back one of Sadie’s lesser bandages. “If thorn thrashers weren’t so blasted septic, you actually might have pulled this off. I’m very impressed with both of you. All of you, in fact, truly. That said, it looks like I am going to have to pull out one of my more costly Skills here. You’ll feel this, but if you got through this many stitches without local anesthetic, you’ll be fine – brace yourself, Skill activation in three, two, one, Activate Systemic Antibiotic.”

  A powerful mana effect engulfed Sadie; Danielle could feel it echo in her chest, like a loud deep sound at a distance. She drew a sharp breath, and Cassy did as well. Sadie gave a pained hiss through clenched teeth and leaned forward, stabilizing herself with hands on his shoulders since he was down on one knee in front of her. “Glad you warned me,” she said tightly.

  “It really kicks, doesn’t it? Doesn’t last long though,” Ranger Michael said.

  “No. It hurts less already,” Sadie agreed. “Less than before you did it, I mean.”

  “That’s a good sign. I’m going to ask you to wait on further healing until I’ve evaluated the others now, and then we’ll get you the rest of the way healed – Flo should be here by then, and we can do some of that working together stuff I was just mentioning,” the Ranger said with a wink.

  “OK, I’m good,” Sadie said.

  “You’re too stoic for your own good sometimes,” Danielle said.

  “I had practice when I was little,” Sadie said. “Surgeries and stuff.”

  “Oh. Really? You never told me about that,” Danielle said.

  “It never came up. It’s fine, I’m all fixed up and healthy now. I just have different ideas about what kind of pain is severe than, you know, most people I guess,” Sadie said with a shrug, then added, “Ow. Shouldn’t move my shoulder yet.”

  “Are you ready back there?” Ranger Michael asked, proving that he had heard Cassy and Akari even though he’d continued his discussion with Danielle.

  “I think – wait, let me tighten this. Yeah, OK,” Akari said.

  Ranger Michael went over to kneel by her and looked over her wounds with a slight frown of concentration. “Looks like you got the worst of it,” he said. “You must have been closest when it attacked, huh?”

  “Well, it was sneaking up on Sadie and she noticed it in time for Danielle to get me and my axe and our work gloves,” Akari said. “I got in position to get the first proper attack in with my axe though, so it was mad at me.”

  “Ah. Did you have the other healed-over wound?” he asked her.

  “Yeah, it was on my neck – about here,” she gestured.

  “Hm. Clean healing there, and very little irritation. It’s honestly kind of surprising. Can I take a picture of this set of stitches by your elbow?”

  “Yeah, that would be OK.” Akari held still while he took one more photograph.

  “Thank you.” He continued checking under her bandages. “I see four sets of stitches here, and there were three on your friend; are there stitches on the cut that went through your bra?”

  Akari grimaced. “Yeah. Um, it’s pretty high up, but I’d still rather wait for Healer Flo to handle that one. Since she’s coming anyway.”

  “Without moving your shirt again, can you just point to where it is for me?” he asked.

  “Um, about here,” Akari gestured.

  “In line with this one on your bicep?” Ranger Michael asked, pointing to the cut high on her arm.

  “Oh, yeah. Might’ve been from the same attack,” Akari said.

  “Makes sense. OK, this is going to be the same as for her,” he told her, gesturing to Sadie behind him. “I need to use the big Skill, and it’s going to hurt, but just for a few seconds and then things will start improving.”

  “OK. Um, just so you know though, I’m not as good at staying quiet with this stuff as Sadie is,” Akari said nervously.

  “Heh, that’s OK. Yell if you need to, I can take it,” the Ranger assured her. “In all seriousness, though, brace yourself. I really don’t want you to fall over.”

  “Um, OK.” Akari moved her feet into a fencer’s stance. “I’m good.”

  “All right. Deep breath, and activating in three, two, one, Activate Systemic Antibiotic.”

  Akari – roared, was the best description Danielle could think of. She saw Cassy flinch at the power of the Skill activation again, too.

  “What is that?” Cassy asked. “Is that a level 10 Skill?”

  “Level 10, tier 10,” Ranger Michael said. “There are a lot of anti-infection Skills, and I have several at level 10, but usually the goal is to never let a patient get to the point where they really need that Skill. I’ve got it at such a high level because I’m older than I look, and I’ve healed more thorn thrasher victims than most Healers will ever encounter in their lives. Command moved me down here to layer 1 when rumors started circulating about a new sending coming up, because the Sent on the layer I was on before are all advanced enough to handle themselves now, and they knew the layer 1 base gets thorn-thrasher problems.”

  “They knew those things were out there and they didn’t warn anybody?!” Danielle exclaimed.

  “What would you have done with a warning?” the Ranger asked, turning from his inspection of Akari’s wounds and giving her a curious glance.

  “Found or made some safety goggles!” Danielle exclaimed.

  “Heh, safety goggles. Hehe.” Ranger Michael tried to hold back his laughter but apparently couldn’t help himself, and ended up sitting back on his heels, wheezing with laughter.

  “I don’t understand what’s so funny about it,” Danielle sulked.

  “Most new Sent like you would say, stay out of the woods!” the Ranger gasped out. “Or make armor – I get that from Survivors who have been around a little more, and figured out some of the tricks – but not you! You can h-hehehe-handle thorns if you can just keep ‘em out of the eyes! Ah, hahaha, you’re not even wrong,” and he broke down again.

  Ranger Flo arrived on another mysteriously silent not-electric bicycle while he was laughing. “What’s the joke?” she asked, dismounting next to Ranger Michael’s bike and coming over to join them.

  “I asked, what would they do if we warned them about thorn thrashers,” Ranger Michael got out, “and our medic here says, (ahahaha) bring safety goggles!”

  Ranger Flo made a complicated face that Danielle didn’t know how to interpret. “Well. That and a good Disinfect Skill and Close Wounds would make the problem reasonably manageable, I guess.”

  “They used Align Body and sewing supplies! If they’d had Disinfect on someone other than the one who ran dry using Align Body, they’d have been set already! Level 1!” Ranger Michael exclaimed. “I’m telling you, these girls are going to be the next century’s Old Lions.”

  “We’re going to be what now?” Akari asked.

  “The Old Lions were a group of people from the founding of Firmitatem, before it was even a state – before the Unified States of North America was even a nation,” Ranger Flo explained. “They were leveled 10 to 12 when our government was formed, and at the end, the last four survivors were level 19. They were born and raised in the difficult times between the landing of the meteor and the founding of the sanctuary cities; and they had so many Skills. Legend had it that anything the System could let a person do, at least one of those four would be able to do it.”

  “Exaggerated, as legends so often are,” Ranger Michael said. “The Lions were the backbone of the city in the early days, though, and gave us the power to grow and become a state. Their high levels gave them long lives, so they were in their hundred-eighties when they finally died. Unfortunately, they all kind of went close together – the last four, I mean – and it caused a bit of a problem. We handled it, and life went on, but some things really will just never be the same again.”

  “What does that have to do with us?” Heather asked.

  “He’s complimenting your resourcefulness and determined attitude,” Ranger Flo said. “The Old Lions were famous for always saying, 'well we can’t let that stop us!' It was practically their motto. They would’ve approved of you girls. ‘Oh, is the woods full of cougars? Bring your bow and arrows, then, cougars are notoriously weak in ranged battles. Are you short of metal? Try bone carving, you’d be surprised what you can make out of bone. You say your bed is cold? Throw some rocks in the fire and sleep with them; a few rocks in the bed never really hurt anyone.”

  “Did they seriously say that to you??” Cassy asked.

  “Not me personally, but those are all from official logs of communications between the early Ranger patrols and one of the Lions,” Ranger Flo told her. “And yes, the thing about rocks in the bed never hurting anyone is a quote.”

  “I imagine you’re supposed to wrap them in a blanket or something,” Danielle said. “Like how we heated the tanning water.”

  “Oh – that does make sense,” Sadie said. “Those were all serious answers, then?”

  “Yep. You can see how we think they’d approve of Medic Falconer’s response to thorn thrashers. Keep ‘em out of your eyes, and you can handle the rest, you say? Sure, why not.”

  “You think we should’ve called you yesterday, don’t you,” Danielle said. “That’s the real joke. I’m only level 2, and I said something that would still sound a little crazy if a level 12 person said it.”

  “No, no, no!” Ranger Michael insisted. “The joke is that even though you’re super young, and even though it’s only week two of this madness, and even though you were raised in what they used to call the ‘cushy, spoiled’ Inside, you’re already talking like old hands. I say that that’s a sign of greatness to come! The Old Lions raised up Firmitatem because they wouldn’t let anything stop them. You’ll be the pillars of your own generation for the same reason!”

  “Don’t go giving them big heads before they even get back Inside,” Ranger Flo told him. “It’s still a long road to level 10. They have to get through the winter first, and then the long five-to-ten slog.”

  “We better heal them up so they can get back to it, then,” Ranger Michael said. “I gave these two the ol’ Systemic treatment, but there’s a couple dozen wounds to actually heal, yet.”

  were cleared out pretty thoroughly not that long ago.

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