Blade Maidens: The Hunt – 17

“A gut wound is simultaneously one of the best and worst places to recieve an injury, and which fate is entirely based on luck. If the wounded manages to avoid nicking any of the digestive organs, liver or intestines then they simply have to worry about the standard blood loss and infection. However, if any of these organs are damaged, the threat of seepage, internal bleeding and countless other dangers are nearly certain. Even with a skilled vitalist close at hand, survival is not guaranteed and a long, painful death leads many to beg for a swifter end. More than nearly any other part of the body, survival comes down to little more than the whims of the gods. Or a coin flip, if you’re a non-believer, I suppose, although I would be shocked if any weren’t turned to prayer by such a fate.”

– a passage from On the Treatment and Complexities of Wounds, a collection of findings from Richau Kolin, house physician and vitalist to Baron Minsk of Valfald.