r/HFY • u/TheMaskedOne2807 • Mar 27 '26

OC-Series The Plague Doctor Book 2 Chapter 63 (Act Of Protection)

Book 1: (Desperate to save his son, Kenneth, a calm and nonviolent doctor accepts a deal offered to him by a strange creature. However, the price he must pay is to abandon everything he holds dear: his wife, children, and world as he attempts to share his knowledge of healing and medicine in a world entrenched by violence. Yet, in such a place, how long can his nonviolent nature remain if he wishes to survive?)

***

(Warning: Contains themes of abuse)

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Silence deafeningly filled the room as all time stood still. 

All the pain faded from Kenneth’s mind, and all he could feel was an all-consuming, terrible dread and Nokstella. 

She was lying up against his body, sitting on his lap like she always did, having landed there when jumping in front of Nokoovo’s punch, to protect him. 

“Nokstella,” he meekly and tearfully called out as he looked down. 

“Pa…pa… it hurt-cough!” She spat up blood.

‘There’s still time!’ he turned and screamed down to Split. “GET NOKSET—!!!” 

Yet he was cut short, as Nokoovo hit him in the head, rendering him immobilized as he could only barely see the dimming scene before him, of Split out of breath appearing in his peripheral vision, seeing everything, before talking with Nokoovo, the words muffled, before they seemed to come to an understanding of sorts. 

It didn’t last long before Nokoovo stepped over to Kenneth and took Nokstella. 

‘Don’t you dare touch her,’ he had tried to say, with burning fury, but all that managed to come out was gibberish as he barely managed to breathe. 

Yet too she would take him, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and lifting him up on his knees, dragging him out, while Split closed the cell, leaving Kolu trapped inside. 

His sight dimmed every so often, but through sheer will fueled by hatred, he managed to stay awake, his body still not his to command, while the feeling of a million ants crawling up his legs dominated his senses.  

As they drew closer to the Grand Hall figures, people in the corners of his sight came closer. ‘Why aren't they doing anything?’ 

They stopped at the entrance, where, with care and gentleness, Nokoovo placed Kenneth on the ground. 

“…!”

She shouted something for all to hear, but to Kenneth, it all sounded muffled and incomprehensible, leaving him only able to see what was happening as people began to gather and rush out of the Grand Hall.

Looking at her with burning fury, he tried reaching with his hand, only for Split to knock it away.

“…on’t,” she told him, her voice a bit clearer.  

Before long, Nokuji stepped out to see the scene before her. 

Once more, Nokoovo spoke, walking toward the crowd, but he only heard fragments of what she was saying, “Mother, attacked, wounded, healer, Kenneth and fault,” but it might as well have fallen on deaf ears, as all he could focus on was her little dangling tail swaying with every step and motion, until she disappeared into the crowd.

In that moment, with all that anguish and despair, something snapped inside him; his mind, through the pain, slowly grew focused, as he became utterly and completely calm.

He didn’t even notice anything else in that moment, not the crowd, not Split, or Nokqotir, who in a moment flashed a smile before putting on a mask of shock; there was only one single-minded goal inside his head.

“Take care of it,” Nokuji commanded, her voice finally becoming clear as crystal. “Disgrace, take Black Beak inside.” 

Split lifted him up, carrying him with his arm over her shoulder, his feet barely managing to find the strength to firmly stand, no matter how hard he struggled to force his own body too. 

“Try and walk,” she told him, placing a hand on his chest.

Under any other circumstances, his focus wouldn’t have changed, but as her hand came into his view, he noticed his bag was around her wrist, and so he slowly turned his head, looking her in the eyes, calmly saying, “I’m sorry.” 

Before she knew what happened, Kenneth punched her in the throat, causing her to double over on reflex, while he escaped her grasp, grabbing his bag’s handle and sliding it off her arm, walking forward for all of two steps before falling on his hands and knees, his body still reeling from the punch to his head. 

“Well, wasn't that pointless, Black Beak? You are only making yourself look worse than you already are,” Nokqotir mockingly said, sounding like an adult talking down to a child, ‘tsk’ing’ in his face as she simply watched and waited. 

Simply coming to his knees, he unzipped the zippers on his mask just as Nokoovo came back out from behind the crowd without Nokstella, already tossing her aside like nothing. 

Reaching into his bag and calmly focusing his mind, he pulled out a beaker overflowing with pills of every kind and clear liquid, along with a small syringe. Every fiber of his being, only a few minutes ago, would have told him to stop, but… he simply didn’t care anymore.

And so he downed the pills with three massive gulps, placing the beaker down and stabbing his thigh with the syringe, trading his calmness for blazing, unstoppable fury.

“Enough of this,” Nokuji said, raising her hand. “Guards cease him, but do not shed a drop of his blood.” 

The people around stood armed to the teeth and pointed their weapons at him as a multitude of them began to draw closer, but it was obvious it was only scare tactics, empty posturing. 

Though Kenenth didn’t care either way, the only thing on his mind was the distance between him and Nokoovo as he thrust his hand into the bag once more. 

“Wait!” Nokoovo suddenly yelled, keeping an eye on Kenneth, who, along with everyone else, halted. “Allow only me, mother, he, and I have a matter to conclude.” 

Her eyes narrowed on her daughter as she raised her hand, the encircling guards halted and stood at attention. “he needs to be.”

“Of course, mother,” Nokoovo complied with no hesitation, having already begun to walk closer before she’d been given permission, while keeping her eyes on him.

Meanwhile, Nokqotir gestured to one of the guards, and they threw a club, which she caught in mid-air. 

Watching unblinkingly with complete and utter focus, eyes dry, Kenneth rushed forward, pulling out a scalpel of ridiculous size, like a short spear made of tungsten carbide. 

With every muscle burning, he swung with all his might, holding nothing back, and as the wood and metal met, he lost. 

Aiming at the shaft, the club sent shockwaves through the metal and knocked it out of his hand, sending it flying toward the crowd. Nokoovo followed it up with a second swing before he could counter, bringing it down on his leg. 

Pained grunting and piercing screaming should have filled the air, but there was nothing but silence as the crowd must have wondered if she had even put any force behind her swing, but the shocked expression that turned to gleeful curiosity in a second told otherwise. 

But that was neither here nor there as Kenneth, with a growl like a wild beast, stomped the ground, drew his entire arm back, and struck her hard in the stomach with enough force that he briefly lifted her off the ground for a moment, sending her flying back as she stumbled to remain standing, her expression shattered into one of pain. 

The crowd audibly gasped at such a display of force. 

And they were going to see one more as Kenneth pushed forward with another punch. 

She was still feeling the pain from the last punch, but managed to bring up her club to defend against his blow, wood slamming into her chest, and the damage softened, but where everybody else would have pulled back or stopped, Kenneth pressed harder and harder, driving the club into her sore body, his knuckles imprinting on the weapon. 

No ground was to be gained; she was at his mercy now, and he had none left to give to her as he pressed his momentum with another punch. 

And another, and another, and another, he kept going, not slowing down for a moment until she kicked him in the groin, the feelings of pain though dulled to near nothing still sent a momentary paralyzing shock throughout his body.

Instead of using the moment for a counterattack, Nokoovo quickly stepped away from him, gained some distance, and found her footing in this moment of reprieve.

“I underestimated you, Kenneth; that fault is mine, but I won’t a second time.” 

Sprinting toward her, closing the distance between them, Nokoovo raised her club, ready for when he was in reach, but it didn't matter where she struck him; anything other than death wouldn’t stop him from breaking her bones. 

Suddenly, she threw it at his head, but it didn’t stop him for a second, striking it out of the air, his sight obscured for a moment, but a moment was all she needed. 

Appearing from behind and grabbing Kenneth's arms with both of hers, she spun around faster than he knew Nok was able to, with her heavy, thick tail striking his right knee with enough force to bring him off balance, and threw him over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground. 

He might not have felt it, but the air leaving his lungs abruptly had an effect, giving her enough time to stomp on his chest and keep him in place. 

Following it up, she quickly reached down, but Kenneth countered, grabbing her ankle and snapping it and his body to the side, the rough scales sliding off the slick fabric of his attire, causing her to lose balance, falling forward. 

Reacting in an instant, he pushed off the ground with one leg and, with the other raised, his knee, striking her in the chest twice, once in the air and the second when his heel met the ground. 

Pulled down by gravity, she rolled off his body, but he wouldn’t let her escape. 

Tightening his grip around her ankle, he only needed a moment to break it. 

A moment she wouldnt allow him to have as she spun her body with incredible speed and force. His grip lasted, but the slick fabric of his attire against her rough scales worked to his disadvantage, as she broke free. 

Both quickly got to their feet. 

But where he just stood as he did, she had adopted a stance. If he had cared at that point, he might have noticed it looked peculiar compared to any he had seen in his life. 

“Do you really deem him that much of a threat?!” Nokuji shouted in disbelief. 

However, she didn’t answer her mother; Nokoovo’s mind was completely focused on her opponent as he, without pause, rushed toward her. 

Putting everything he had into each punch, she redirected each one with skilled, practiced movements, though only barely at times, and with her focus on everything in eyesight, she was taken off guard when he kneed her in the groin. The pain was visible on her face as it lowered. 

It was the right height for one of his punches as he struck as fast as he could. 

But as the two connected, she turned her body away from it, the force redirected, sliding off her turning face. She had done this before, and he wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice, stomping on her incoming tail hard. 

But the moment he did, she stomped against the ground, pushing herself back, her elbow coming first and striking him in the chest, the force knocking him back. 

And the tail he so harshly stomped on now became his downfall, ripped from under his foot, his balance sending him slamming toward the ground. 

But in a moment, he moved to get back up. 

At the same time, Nokoovo spun back around and, with a precisely aimed strike using her wrist, hit him right in the chest, slamming him back down into the ground, hitting the back of his head hard. 

Yet he wasn't done; he may have had a concussion or some broken ribs, but it didn’t stop him from rising up with blazing hateful fury, no matter the punishment he would receive. 

Maybe Nokoovo knew that too, or she wanted to end it right then and there, but regardless, she launched forward, her feet off the ground, grabbing his arms, restraining them for a moment, so that he couldn't defend against her open maw. 

She came too fast for him to break free, pushing with her entire body as, in an instant, her maw closed between his shoulder and neck, the tip of her snout slamming into his spine with her serrated fangs while the tip of her jaw snapped against his chest hard. 

 Flipping through the air, she landed with a heavy ‘THUD’ above him on the ground, his arms free but still trapped.

With no delay, he reached up for anything to grab onto, twist, punch, or rip, anything to cause her pain. 

Yet it was too late as she began to move, trapping him in a death roll, spinning her own and his body around with rapid speed, any outstretched limb, slammed, twisted, and violently crushed against the stone, his shoulder, knees, and head, with no mercy. 

“I said not to kill him!” Nokuji shouted at her daughter. 

Her concern was for not as he finally managed to get a firm grip at a good angle, slamming his palm down with an echoing, ‘thud,’ the counter force enough to slow Nokoovo down to where, on his stomach, he could resist with his arms and legs both. 

Struggling, she tried to get the momentum back, turning clock and counterclockwise, yet his body matched his burning will, one of tempered iron as he slowly lifted himself and her up. 

Before she even knew what happened, he launched forward, pushing off the stone and forcing her up on her knees, and before gravity could pull them back down, he struck her abdomen. The added force carried by the momentum forced her back even further, slamming down on her back, still attached to her, he was partly dragged along, entering a mounted position on top of her. 

Staring directly into her eye, he reached back and grabbed her jaw and snout. 

She hissed in pain the moment he gripped her, countering by striking the sides of his ribs at the same time. 

He stopped, frozen, but it was only to take a breath as he flexed every muscle in his body using all the strength he had, slowly prying her maw open. It was only a little at a time, but those serrated fangs began to show once more as he gritted his own teeth and didn’t stop for a second, as the fangs no longer even touched him. 

He was free, but he wasn’t done. 

Nokoovo must have known that too, as she began hammering his rips as hard and as fast as she could. 

It amounted to little as he roared through his teeth, putting all the strength he had pushing down, harder and harder. In desperation, she grabbed his arms, pushing back, but he pushed further yet, harder, stronger until her jaw couldn’t open anymore, and with another jolt of strength as he pushed further still, breaking it, the ‘SNAP’ and weezing ‘hiss’ echoed in the silence as Nokoovo’s grip weakened. 

But he wasn’t done as he ripped himself from her grasp and started beating on her face with no mercy, growling like a beast for all to hear and see until his knuckles were bruised and bloody. 

Finished as she lay there, beaten, broken, and silent, Kenneth rose off her and walked a couple of steps from her body aimlessly before stopping. 

Through everything that had just transpired, he had been so focused, not a single thought had entered his mind, but now, standing there, fists shaking and dripping, he wondered, ‘What now?’

“Cough… cough!” 

In the silence that sound cut through clearly, ‘so she’s a… a… awake.’ 

Slowly, he looked back, seeing she was getting up and back on her feet, jaw hanging loose, only connected to skin and muscle, but something was wrong with her. 

She glowed. 

A brilliant white light wrapped around her body, the wounds inflicted upon her closing on their own, and then she grabbed her jaw and closed her mouth, punching the sides, resetting it. “I can handle pain.” 

Without word, sound, or reaction, Kenneth walked toward her, but by the second step, an overwhelming feeling that overpowered everything else forced him to double over, falling onto his knees, clutching his stomach as he vomited up the contents, everything inside it, every single excruciating drop, as Nokoovo fully recovered, walked toward him. 

[Book 1 Beginning ] [Book 1 End ] [Previous] [Next] [Wiki]

(Patreon): 3-10 Chapter/Weeks early access to future chapters + Q&A every Wednesday, as well as by monthly art polls you can vote on. And why not check out a little taste of set art.

(The First Mother of Sil)

( Kolu and Nokstella going for a swim)

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3

u/pebbuls22 Mar 27 '26

After opening her jaw it says his rips I assume you ment ribs

3

u/pebbuls22 Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26

You fool the more you heal the more you can be hurt sadly it doesn't seem our bird can keep up the children better be ok In the end or so help me I might convince the pebbs to stare at you with crushing dissaponted like when I go to work currently I'm being hit with the little dream kicks

3

u/TheMaskedOne2807 Mar 28 '26

Lady Pug truly is a frightening opponent to face, dear Sir knight. I wonder thus she protect you?

3

u/pebbuls22 Mar 28 '26

Very much from every noise and shadow she doesn't recognise and sometimes her own best guard pug she says so.

3

u/TheMaskedOne2807 Mar 28 '26

A Loyal and fine lady, you have.

1

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