The few minutes that followed his return to the city hall were the most stressful, and with his body in the condition it was in, Dante remained on the verge of passing out the entire time.
His main source of stress was the fact that he had been noticed by Erebus.
The shadowy hero was the most mysterious among Flame Guard’s members and not much was known about his powers, but it was rumored that he had the tendency of appearing where he was least expected, which gave rise to the theory that he had long-range teleportation and the abilities to support it.
Barely conscious, Dante trudged back to where the remaining rioters were gathered. The mess had quieted down after the devastating thunder shook the entire building a couple of minutes ago, but from the looks of it, things were picking up once again.
The original plan had to undergo one more adjustment before it could be brought to its end. Turns out the guards and authorities had decided to let the rioters run amok without offering the slightest bit of resistance, which didn’t work for Dante, since his goal had always been to get a good beating before calling it a day.
Left with no choice, he found a group of very angry-looking thugs, punched one of them in the jaw, then let them do the job. Of course, he had Volcan keep track of their NIMs so he could thank them properly later on.
Dante did his best to remain conscious until things calmed down and the authorities showed up. Once he was in an ambulance rushing away from the white building, he finally allowed himself to relax and lose consciousness.
The next time he opened his eyes, Dante found himself staring at a white ceiling, but that didn’t really matter as he was immediately struck with an unbearable agony, drawing a guttural groan out of his throat.
It took some time, but he was eventually able to ignore the pain long enough to survey his surroundings. The lined beds, the chaotic chatter, the crying, screaming, and cursing, all of it gave him enough hints about his current location, and as if to confirm that, someone appeared beside his bed not long after.
"You’re awake." A man wearing light blue scrubs and a surgical mask looked down at him. "Can you hear me?"
Dante didn’t move, only turning his eyes in the man’s direction. He seemed to be a nurse, and an overworked one at that, as indicated by the dark circles under his eyes. He reached down to Dante’s face and forcefully spread his right eye open before pointing a light at it.
"You got yourself quite the beating, buddy, but there isn’t much I can do." After doing some more checkups, the nurse grabbed a tablet then tapped it a few times before turning the screen to Dante. "You had no insurance documents on you so you’re only getting the bare minimum, but even that is running out. I’m gonna need you to pay the bill first. You can also buy a new care package and extend your stay. Otherwise, I’m gonna need you to empty that bed for me."
With his mind still struggling with the pain, Dante scanned the QR code on the tablet and looked through the options on the screen that popped up. He was currently in one of the many public hospitals in Neo-Vatra, one meant for peasants who couldn’t afford more prestigious institutions. Still, it being public didn’t mean its services were cheap or free.
Instead of asking him how he feels or doing more thorough checks, the nurse demanded he pay or risk being thrown out. The Care Packages listed on the screen ranged from the bare minimum, which only covers stitching wounds and stopping bleeding, to premium treatment that could get one a private room and priority response from the staff.
After a moment of thought, Dante paid his bill, which went up to 2500 Radmir Credits, or about 500G. He then bought the third-to-last package. That got him one full diagnosis, some painkillers, and an extended stay up to seventy-two hours.
Despite paying 7500 RCs for it -about 1500G- his accommodations would not get any better. He was going to remain in the same crowded room until his care package ran out, and after that, he would be forced to renew it or leave.
Receiving a message confirming the purchase, the nurse let out a sigh of relief then left, returning after some time with a packed syringe and a vial of some sort.
"Would you like to hear your diagnosis now or wait till a later time?" He asked.
"Tell... me..." Dante forced the words out, his voice sounding hoarse.
"Well, your body seems like it has been put through a meat grinder. The beating you received aside, whatever you used to do had left everything in a terrible state. I’m talking bones, muscles, and organs as well. Honestly, I just wanna know how you’re still alive."
Dante didn’t respond, turning his sights to the ceiling.
"Well, you’re still alive, and nothing seems damaged beyond repair." Sighing, the nurse rubbed some alcohol on Dante’s left arm then brought the syringe to it, injecting him with the serum from the vial. "You’re gonna need a very long rest before you’re back to normal. I suggest you call someone to come pick you up, unless you want to extend your stay with us, of course."
As if eager to be anywhere else but there, the nurse disappeared as soon as he was done with his job. A file was sent to Dante’s mail soon after, containing a more detailed diagnosis of his condition. Though the pain he felt was gradually fading, he was in no mood to go through it for the time being.
’How long was I out for?’
[Approximately twelve hours.] Volcan responded right away. [Rest assured. There have been no significant developments that involve you directly, and I have confirmed that our enemies have yet to discover any traces that connect you to what happened on the roof of that building.]