Space Wizards

39. An Arm

They found Øregård and Mr. Grimble sitting on the dock near the underground lake in the catacombs beneath the citadel. They were a sorry-looking lot. Grimble's clockwork robot was covered in dents, deep gouges, scratches, and blood. Its once shiny bronze plating was tarnished and stained in myriad vile liquids. The head plate was open and he was chatting with the ogre who looked far, far worse. 

Øregård sat with his legs dangling over the water and holding his severed arm in his lap. A makeshift tourniquet was tied off near his shoulder. He gave a missing toothed grin that mashed his swollen-shut eye when he saw the Melock and Murphy. His body oozed blood from countless holes, bites, and lacerations. The only thing left of his armor was a partial thigh plate on one leg and his boots. He was smiling at Murphy's bare feet. 

"At least I kept my boots," he said. 

"Oh my god, Øregård! Your arm!" shouted Murphy. "We have to help him." 

"Indeed we do," said Melock. "There's nothing left alive or undead down here anymore." 

Melock had just destroyed a non-functioning portal at the back of the catacombs before retracing their steps in search of the others. 

"We did a thorough job, but with his bad arm and my suit not being airtight, this water hazard has us at a loss," said Mr. Grimble. 

"Looks like we're right on time then," said Melock. "Everyone to me."

Melock put a hand on Øregård, touching both his severed arm and his shoulder. Murphy put an arm through Øregård's good elbow and grabbed Grimble's robot with her other. Sabastian popped into the visible spectrum and grabbed Melock's shoulder. They teleported directly to Melock's lab. 

"Put him on the table." 

Øregård sat on the room's large central table and laid back on it. Sabastian took his arm and set it next to his shoulder. Grimble parked his robot and climbed out onto the operating table. He brought with him a small pack with a roll of tiny tools that he unwrapped and inspected. 

Melock slid Sid's spellbook onto the bookshelf, went straight to a side table, and began mixing up a series of concoctions. He took a drink of the first one himself saying, "One for the doctor," before bringing it to Øregård's lips. "Drink this. It will stop any infections." 

"No magic," said the ogre. 

"It's just medicine. This second one will numb the pain and help you sleep." Melock grabbed another beaker of a strange murky yellow. 

"No sleep." 

"Honestly, I don't think you will be out completely but this is going to be a painful process," said Melock. 

"Just drink it, Øregård. If you want to save your arm?" said Murphy taking his good hand in her's.  

He drank it down all the way and Murphy lowered her head and prayer. 

"I suggest we rebuild the bicep and tricep brachii before reattaching the arm," said Grimble holding up a small hooked needle and thread. 

"An excellent suggestion. I didn't know you were a surgeon?" said Melock. 

"Bodies are just organic machines. Gastraddars are hardy. You can put them back together long before they would die of their wounds. Bread to be warriors, you know." 

"Why don't you lead the operation," said Melock. 

"Alright then."

"What should I do?" said Sabastian. 

"We're going to need your hands," said Grimble before Melock could assign him anything. 

Melock pulled a greasy tin can off his shelf, opened it, and spit into the goop within before stirring it around with his finger. He took a small putty knife from a drawer of tools and handed it and the can to de Martín. 

"Spread this stuff over the bites and cuts that aren't too deep or haven't caused underlying damage. Like this." Melock smeared some of the goo over a bite wound on Øregård's neck. "Think of it like spackling a wall." 

"Pourquoi pas," said Sabastian and he began filling in holes. 

Øregård didn't even flinch. He just lay there like he was made of stone. 

Melock took a knife and slit the arm open. It was gory business and Sabastian focused on his wound covering while Murphy closed her eyes in prayer. Grimble began sewing the muscles back together. He and Melock chattered on as they worked, not unlike a song.

"We connect the inner parts first then work our way out," said Grimble.

"Agreed," said Melock. 

"First we cut our way down to the humerus and set it."

"Then reposition in with humeral head."

"Overlap the deltoid." 

"Stitch it to the lateral head and bicep."

"The arm bone connects to the shoulder bone."

"Them bone, them bones, them dancing bones," they both sang in harmony.

"The bicipital aponeurosis connects to the flexor carpi radialis." 

"The brachialis wraps to the tricep."

"Them bones, them bones, them bones."

Sabastian finished his spackle job and was given a needle and thread and shown how to stitch up deep cuts. After finishing a couple of dozen, he followed it up with more goo, smoothing it out over the stitching. It went on and on like this for hours. Murphy fell asleep sitting on the floor next to the table with her forehead pressed against Øregård's thumb. 

Melock and Grimble admired their work on reattaching the arm and after snapping a few digital images of their work they got down to the business of sewing all that thick dark green skin back together. Sabastian followed behind them with the goo. When they finished Øregård lay there snoring on the table like a patchy death painting of himself. 

Melock put a few more drops of a sleeping potion on his lips and they left the sleeping hulk to rest. 

"Dr. Frankenstein would be proud," said Melock. 

"Who?" asked Grimble.

"Oui, Oui, I know this story. It is a very ancient Earth fable. But isn't the monster called Frankenstein? Sure, Øregård looks scary at times, but he is no monster," said Sabastian. 

"In the story, the doctor brings a sewn together corpse to life," corrected Melock. 

"He does look like that," said Sabastian. 

Øregård twitched falling deeper into sleep and he moved his reattached hand. 

"He's alive!" whispered Melock but no one understood. 

"This operation was a success," said Mr. Grimble. "I wish there was something we could do for Tykö." 

"I do too my friend, I do too." Melock seemed to be thinking about this for a long time, then he said, "I'm going to return his body to Uz, return him to his palace on the Green Star. I think he would like that." 

"I think he would too," said Grimble. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on our patient here and his faithful companion. Grimble smiled at the two sleeping warriors. 

"And you?" Melock said to de Martín. 

"No, there is nothing more I can do for Tykö. Tell Abeba, the property is her's in perpetuity. I want to explore Abraxas. This world has much to offer someone like myself, someone seeking adventure." 

"Very well, I shall return by the morrow. Do try to get Sister Murphy into a bed. She can't sleep on the floor next to him all night." 

But, of course, that's exactly what she did.