Chapter 27 - The Man With the Top Hat

Dr. Ilec left, leaving the door open ajar. Char Char remained sitting only long enough for Dr. Ilec’s footsteps to travel a few paces out of sight before she tip toed up to the door and peeked outside.

Just outside the door, the hunter with weathered skin and short dirty blond hair sat on the bench with his arms crossed. His eyes glanced over to her as her head appeared in the doorway.

“Ah, it’s you.” She said, opening the door and stepping outside. She crossed her hands at her waist and bowed politely. “Thank you for saving me.”

A flicker of a grin appeared on his lips as he bowed his head slightly back to her, “I should say the same for you.”

A look of confusion crossed her face, and Reid added on, “You saved me too, when you cut off its tongue.”

“Ah. I don’t remember it very well.” She said, the memory of the moment came flashing back at her. It was honestly a blur of hectic motion and pain.

“Have you ever held a blade before?” He asked the question that had been on his mind.

“No.” She shook her head, “Never.”

“You’re a natural, then.”

She smiled brightly at the compliment, pleasantly surprised by his congeniality. He was completely different here than the intense, cold person he had been in the forest.

“I...” Char Char began to speak, but immediately cut herself off. More than anything, she wanted to ask if he could show her his abilities. If maybe he could tell her stories about his adventures. If he could teach her how to fight monsters. Her face blushed as she felt embarrassed by the thought. It was much too forward of her to ask.

Instead, she bowed deeply to hide her face. “I’m Char Char Zhao.”

“Elliot Reid. Though everyone calls me Reid.” The man replied, then patted the bench beside him. “Come, sit for a bit.”

Char Char slipped out of the doorway and sat at the edge of the bench. She couldn’t look at him, as the embarrassing thoughts still floated in her head. She forced herself to come up with a different topic. “Those wolves that attacked me... what was wrong with them?”

“They were infected, by some kind of monstrous plant. Or creature. I’m not too sure yet.” Reid said. “Not something natural.”

“Same with the giant monster then.” Char Char said softly. Her recollection of the monster was hazy at best. She hadn’t gotten a good look at it. When she’d come to after being knocked to the ground, her hands had closed onto the handle of the sword. She had immediately noticed that something was constricting Reid and instinctively ran to free him.

She couldn’t remember anything after that point.

“These are dangerous times.” Reid said, “Across the sea, monsters are fairly common. But monsters haven’t been seen for hundreds of years on this continent.”

“Across the sea?” Char Char asked, “You mean in Banbajan?”

Reid nodded.

Their country, NianXing, was divided into three provinces - Kumin, Huan and Banbajan. Kumin and Huan were neighbors on the same continent, but far across the Altic Sea was Banbajan. It was a land of knights and mystics. A civilized foothold in an otherwise foreign and savage land.

She knew her grandfather did a lot of trade with Banbajan, but the stories he told of the land always seemed too exaggerated to be real. Giant manta rays that fought dune worms the size of castles in the deserts. Knights in shining armour facing down elder dragons with the power to create hurricanes. Flying ships that travelled through the skies!

One of her greatest dreams was to one day travel to Banbajan. However, travel to and from the other continent was incredibly restricted.

With a sigh, Reid ran his hand through his hair, “I’ll be reporting my findings tomorrow. I expect that the news will reach the city officials fairly quickly. It’s likely they’ll close off the forest.”

“Are you going to kill that monster?” Char Char asked.

“Probably. At some point.” Reid sighed again. “I’ll have to do some more research before I try taking it on again.”

Char Char’s heart nearly leapt out of her mouth as she clasped her hands together and leaned towards him, “Please! Let me help!”

He looked at her, startled by her sudden enthusiasm and then laughed. The laugh was so hearty and genuine that Char Char felt insulted.

“How about you help me when you’re stronger.” Reid grinned. The girl looked so deflated and annoyed that he couldn’t help but rub it in. “You’ll have to be able to swing a blade at least two times in a battle.”

“Forget it.” She pouted, turning away.

He laughed again, having no intention to recruit her help.

Presently, Dr. Ilec returned, “Rosalie is on her way to your grandfather, Char Char. Room six at the end of the hall is yours for the night, or are you still chatting?”

“We’re done.” Char Char said, standing up and heading down the hall without looking back at Reid.

Dr. Ilec shot Reid a confused look. He shrugged, smiling.

“Kids.”

~

Just under an hour later an enclosed carriage pulled up outside the clinic. It was painted black with brass trimmings and was pulled by a single horse. It had curtained windows and curved railings that gave it a refined look. The driver sat under a covered awning with a black cap, trenchcoat and leather gloves. At this time the wind had died down and the rain was steady but moderate.

The driver halted the coach and stepped down from his seat, holding up a black umbrella as he opened the door. He held out his hand, helping the brown haired nurse with a brown coat over her scrubs alight from the vehicle. Behind her, a man in his mid thirties stepped out. He had short black hair and was clean shaven. He was shorter than the average Kumin man at 165cm, but he wore an extra tall top hat that gave him a total height of 180cm. An old scar bisected his left eyebrow, but was not too noticeable. He wore a heavy cloak over a grey vest and grey cotton slacks. His shoes were polished and the toes were pointed and also quite long.

He escorted Rosalie into the building under his own umbrella while the chauffeur waited outside with the horses. They half ran down the short paved path towards the front doors, both to get out of the weather quickly and also due to the man’s desire to see Char Char as soon as possible.

A concerned, urgent look was in his eyes, but he had the social propriety to hold the door open for Rosalie. She led the way through the clinic hall to a door with a brass number six in the center of it. Char Char’s laughter drifted through the half open door, easing the man’s nerves even before they entered.

She was sitting up in the hospital bed with a blanket up to her waist. She was wearing a light blue hospital gown and her hair was hanging down loosely around her shoulders. Her left arm was lightly wrapped with white cotton bandages. Sitting beside her was a middle aged doctor with curly black hair. They were laughing about something as Rosalie knocked gently on the door.

“Char Char, I’m glad to see you’re alright!” The man entered with a relieved smile on his face, removing his top hat and holding it in front of his chest.

The girl’s smile instantly faded as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Your grandfather sent me to check on you.” He said.

“It’s not necessary.” Char Char humphed.

Seeing the inquisitive look on Dr. Ilec’s face, the man smiled and bowed politely, “You must be Dr. Ilec. My name is Corbin Nao, I am the aide of Sansen Zhao, Char Char’s grandfather. Thank you for taking care of our family treasure.”

“I am glad to be of service.” Dr. Ilec said, “However, the credit should go to Hakuya and Reid.”

“Ah, yes.” Corbin looked around, not spotting any others in the room. “And they are-?”

“Hakuya is a Cleric of Yuima who healed Char Char’s most grave injuries. Reid is the man who saved Char Char in the forest. It would be best if you asked them for the details. They’re currently resting, but perhaps in the morning you could meet them.”

“And how is Char Char’s present condition?” Corbin looked at Char Char, who glared at him. He pretended not to notice.

“She is quite well, as you can see. Her most grave injuries have been... healed.” Dr. Ilec paused on the word healed, not exactly sure how to describe the miracle that he had witnessed. “All that is left are a few wounds from a wolf bite, and some minor cuts and scratches.”

“I see why you give most of the credit to the Cleric... Hakuya, was it?” Corbin took the explanation in stride, “I will have to ask him for more details when I meet him. In the meantime, I have orders to bring Char Char back to the manor if her condition isn’t too serious. Can I have your permission?”

Dr. Ilec nodded, “It should be fine-“

“No!” Char Char exclaimed, shaking her head adamantly. “I won’t go.”

She had two logical reasons for her opposition. First, she wanted to talk more with Hakuya and Reid and learn more about them. And second, she had a great dislike for Corbin. Since she had arrived in Noga, Corbin was constantly telling her what to do, which she despised.

The reason for that was simple. Although Corbin’s main function as Sansen Zhao’s aide was as his right hand man in business matters, with Char Char around he had been assigned a secondary task of attending to the beloved granddaughter of the family. In particular, Corbin was assigned to any task or decision which Sansen thought would upset Char Char, while Sansen naturally handled the more amicable matters. Of course, this arrangement was not communicated to Char Char.

“Your grandfather is very worried about you, Char Char. You’ve been attacked and hurt. You shouldn’t even be out of the manor in such a storm.” Corbin said gently.

“Dr. Ilec said I should stay here overnight in case there are complications.” Char Char rebutted, looking over to the doctor, “Right?”

“We can call the family doctor to come check on you.” Corbin countered, not letting Dr. Ilec respond.

“He isn’t as good as Dr. Ilec.” Char Char said.

“That’s not-“ The corner of Corbin’s mouth twitched as he quickly decided against directly refuting the statement, “Dr. Baolan is one of the best doctors in the city. Your grandfather trusts him, so should you.”

“I’m not going.” Char Char said, crossing her arms.

“What am I going to tell your grandfather?” Corbin found himself gripping his top hat quite hard, and forced himself to relax.

“Tell him you’ll come back in the morning” Char Char said, then added on, “After lunch.”

Corbin sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose, “It’s three in the morning, Char Char. Can’t you just-“

He held his tongue to avoid saying what was on his mind.

“Just what?” Char Char quipped.

“Just come.” He sighed.

“No.”

“I’m not asking again!”

“Good!”

More than anything Corbin wanted to grab Char Char by the hand and drag her out. But he knew his place.

With taut lips he wore his top hat on his head and politely smiled at Dr. Ilec, “I will be back in the morning to pick up Char Char. As for renumeration for the services rendered...”

“We can discuss that in the morning.” Dr. Ilec smiled, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “Have a safe trip back.”

“After lunch!” Char Char repeated firmly.

Corbin suppressed a loud sigh. “Only if you promise not to raise a fuss.”

“Deal.” Char Char’s smile beamed across her face again.

Corbin stared at Char Char for a moment with a deadpan expression, then turned to leave.

As he walked back to the coach alone, he shook his head at the driver with exasperation. The driver nodded, understanding the situation perfectly.

Corbin set his hat down on the seat beside him, sighing as the coach lurched forward on its way back to the manor.