The Strength of Man

"Don't test yourself, young man." The old physician said as he picked up a pair of bronze scalpels, scratched it against each other, and placed it inside a brazier of flames. "I am going to do direct surgeries against your muscles, that level of pain, trust me is worse than any kind of wounds that you got ever before."

"It is fine, signore, just do whatever you like, and don't tie my arm to a metal rod, I shall never allow my arms to be bound by something"

Giovanni pulled a table towards him and looked at Antonius. "We got to do something to kill the time… My brother, do you still remember how to play Scacchi?"

"Aye"

"Good. Pull a chair opposite me." Giovanni, satisfied with Antonius' reply, then asked Mauro by the side to place an Italian Set Di Sacchi on the table and laid down the pieces with his right hand, while his left hand and arms remains stationary.

The old physician sighed, and sneered at the stupidity of this brave young man, then pulled the pair of bronze scalpels outside of the fire, and placed them into a basin of boiling water on top of the brazier, producing a series of sizzles that made Antonius and Mauro gulp their saliva, as they only saw people use burning red-hot blades in torture, not medical treatments.

"Perhaps this old chap is just a crooked witch man after all, who uses burnt blades in medical treatments." Mauro grumbled by the side, but Giovanni ignored him and continued placing his Scacchi pieces.

After a while, the old physician pulled out the blades, still with a white smoke coming out from its piping hot blades and asked his disciple to place a metal basin beneath Giovanni's injury.

He then aimed at the injury spot and began his surgery, cutting open the flesh, detached the arrowhead from the muscles and dropped it into the basin. He then continued to gently trim off the tiny pieces of begrime corrupted meat and clotted blood, blood began streaming out of the wound as he continues to move his pair of bronze scalpels, dripping into the basin.

However despite the seemingly immense pain, Giovanni continues playing the chess game with Antonius as-if nothing is happening, but Antonius can still see from the cold sweat on his forehead and his trembling right hand that he is, in fact, enduring the unimaginable level of pain with no Anastasia.

The surgery continued, as the two men continued playing their game of chess, while Mauro on the side, wanting to say something, but dare not to distract the old physician who has all his attention on the shoulder of his liege. The double scalpels, under the old man's experienced hands, twisted and rolled like a butterfly's wings.

Soon, the surgeon finished with his blades, and Giovanni lost the game to Antonius.

The old man pasted and scrubbed some herbal medicine cream on the wound, then started sealing it with a needle and twig. While Giovanni drinks wine from his water flask with a casual look. After everything is done and set, the old physician stood up, wiped the sweat off

"You are incredible! Beyond words! It is the first time ever in my life that I had the opportunity to see such a tough and tolerant man like you, general! It is like the Aglos, the god of pain never got you!" The old man is awed, and exclaimed, with his ashen goat beard being blown up and down. His twig-like hands are also trembling from that exhausting surgery, as he stared and tutted at Giovanni.

Giovanni laughed, stood back up, and moved his left shoulder, and thanked the old physician. "Thanks a lot, old man, I now feel that my arm is in perfect condition like last time!"

Mauro approached holding a plate with a red cloth. Giovanni removed the red cloth and revealed that it is full of pure silver Genoese ducats. "Here, signore, is a present of my thanks."

"I don't need your silver, general." The old physician replied. "I have heard your fame and glory from my disciples, you are shot for protecting us…. Furthermore, you have gave me a much more valuable present today."

"Aye, thanks, what is it?"

"Of all these fifty years I am as a physician…. I must admit that I have underestimated the mind of ánthropos…humans, you showed me something I have never seen, general."

Giovanni laughed, and walked out of the room with his hands around his waist. Antonius soon followed behind. Mauro bowed towards the three old men, placed down the plate of silver ducats, packed their belongings and went to chase his liege.

…

Giovanni is not the only person to have been treated with hot metal today.

"Emperor of the Romans… I must give you my strongest complaint, for the terrible mistreatment of an Ottoman knight and nobleman, a right honourable Pasha of East Rumelia, this is appalling even in the eyes of the most barbaric nomads of all…." A man, half naked, is muttering a complaint in front of Constantine, as the later is filled with an abashed smile on his face.

The half naked man is Selim Pasha, who was kept captive on Antonius' ship. Apparently Antonius got so furious after examining Giovanni's conditions that he vent his rage on the poor Selim Pasha on the way back to the city. The miserable Pasha suffered burnt marks all over his body and trembling with the harsh winter Mediterranean wind.

"You have my apologies, honourable Pasha, I shall treat you like a nobleman until you or the Sultan pays your ransom, don't worry." Constantine continued smiling in embarrassment. Seeing that Selim Pasha is about to cry again, he immediately continued comforting him. "Don't worry, I promise you that kind of things will no longer happen, you are free and safe now Pasha."

"I hope I am…."

Constantine, trying to hide the embarrassment on his face, turned away from Selim Pasha and ordered. "Servants! Give the honourable Pasha a set of robes and a pair of shoes!"