Empire Ascension: The Rise of the Fated One-Chapter 177: Snake bite Treatment

There was panic in the air as the crowd pressed to see the commotion. The guards encircling the site clearly maintained a safe distance to avoid intervening.

In the center, Amira lay on the ground, her face contorted with pain despite her attempts to stay calm. Raamya knelt beside her, supporting Amira’s head in her lap and gently brushing the sweat-soaked hair from her forehead. Though Raamya’s face remained composed, her eyes were filled with deep anxiety.

"Stay with me, Amira. Don’t close your eyes," Raamya urged. She squeezed Amira’s hand to keep her conscious.

Amira, pale and trembling, tried to smile. "I’m... trying, didi (big sis)... just... it hurts," she whispered.

Nayak Ravi stood nearby, his face twisted with guilt, as he repeatedly stammered apologies. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry... If I had prepared better... I could have avoided this... This is my fault, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Raamya barely glanced at him, her focus entirely on Amira. "Not now! Apologies won’t help her," she snapped, then softened her tone as she looked back at Amira. "Hold on, choti. Just a little longer, the medic will be here any moment."

Soon, the royal medic rushed to the scene, his pouch of herbs and tools clutched tightly in one hand. Dropping to his knees, he quickly pulled out a silken cloth and tied it tightly around Amira’s arm, just above the bite, to slow the poison’s spread.

"Hold still, Princess," he instructed gently as he began cleaning the blood. But as he examined the bite more closely, his expression darkened. His fingers trembled as he leaned closer to the swollen, discolored skin.

He turned to one of the maids standing nearby, his voice urgent. "Tell me, what did the snake look like?"

The maid, shaking with fear, stammered her answer. "It was... small but thick... its scales made a rasping sound... it had diamond-shaped markings along its body..."

His hands trembled as he spoke, his voice barely steady. "This... this is a Phoorsa! Its venom is beyond my capability to treat."

Raamya’s heart sank. "What do you mean beyond your skills?" she asked with disbelief.

The medic swallowed hard, trying to steady his trembling hands as he spoke. "This Phoorsa’s venom is deadly. We need to suck out as much as we can and spit it out. Normally, four or five times works, but with this snake, the venom is more potent. It might take at least eight."

Raamya’s expression tightened, the weight of his words settling over her.

The medic continued, "However... the risk is great. The more times you suck the blood, the higher the chance you might accidentally ingest the poison through your saliva." He lowered his voice. "It could be lethal for the person trying to save her."

Raamya didn’t waste a moment. Before the medic could finish explaining, she took Amira’s arm and, without a second thought, began sucking out the poisoned blood and spitting it onto the ground without any fear. The crowd around them gasped, but Raamya remained focused as she repeated the process.

Once. Twice. Three times. Each time, she sucked the venom from Amira’s arm and spat it to the side. Her face tightened with the strain, but she didn’t stop.

The medic’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Your Majesty, you must not..."

But Raamya silenced him with a fierce glare as she continued. Four times. Five. The tension grew unbearable as the seconds passed. Sweat dripped from her brow, her breathing heavy, but she didn’t falter. Six times. Seven. Eight.

Raamya spat the last mouthful of blood onto the ground, her lips stained red, but her posture remained resolute. She cleaned her lips and, breathing heavily, asked the medic, "Now... do the treatment?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The medic, momentarily stunned by Raamya’s determination, stood speechless. He had seen many things, but Raamya’s sheer willpower left him dumbfounded. Regaining his composure, he quickly set to work, recognizing the gravity of the situation.

"Of course, Your Majesty," he stammered, reaching into his pouch for the necessary herbs and tools. First, he prepared salt water for Raamya to rinse her mouth thoroughly, followed by a herbal solution of tulsi and turmeric powder to neutralize any residual poison.

He then made a paste of turmeric powder and ghee and applied it to the bite mark.

Raamya leaned closer to Amira, whispering, "You’re going to be fine, Amira."

Amira, holding her arm and feeling a bit of relief, smiled weakly. "I know, didi... as long as I’m with you..."

The medic’s voice interrupted the moment between Raamya and her sister, Amira. "She is out of immediate danger now. However, there’s still poison in her body. I’ve done what I can with the limited ingredients, but we need advanced treatment to fully detoxify her," he confessed with concern. "Unfortunately, that’s not my specialty."

Raamya’s heart tightened with worry. "Do we know someone reliable?"

Ravi, always quick to act, was about to order other medics, but the royal medic stopped him. "It has to be a poison expert, advanced in Ayurveda, or it would be a waste of time."

As the tension grew, a boy, no more than twelve, stepped forward from the crowd, his voice urgent. "There’s an old man I know," he shouted, struggling against the guards blocking his way. "He lives near the Khandhar and has all the medicines. He once saved a villager from a cobra bite."

The crowd gasped, disbelief spreading through them like wildfire.

"What does a child know, cobra’s bite a joke?"

"He’s just trying to curry favor,"

"Shameless boy, trying to deceive those who fed you!"

But Raamya, eyes sharp with focus, called the young boy ignoring the crowd’s mockery. "Where does this old man live?" she asked firmly.

The boy pointed in southward direction with serious expression. "In a settlement near the Khandhar. It takes only a quarter of a day to visit there. "

The mention of the Khandhar: the ruins of a rumored university, once destroyed, now desolate, forested, and known for their danger, drew uneasy murmurs from those nearby.

But Raamya’s resolve only deepened. She turned to Ravi. "We need to find this old man. Prepare to leave immediately."

*****

By evening, they neared the outskirts of the forest. The crumbling structure of a giant tower loomed in the distance, barely visible through the trees. The boy, now leading them with confidence, brought them to a small settlement at the edge of the forest.

At the sight of so many soldiers, the villagers recoiled in fear. Their sarpanch, a middle-aged man, cautiously approached them with greeting. When the situation was explained to him, his expression turned serious. "Be careful not to anger our master," he warned. "He is grumpy and has become more reclusive. He rarely leaves his house these days."

Guided by the sarpanch, they arrived at the old man’s cottage. A figure emerged from the doorway: a thin, elderly man in worn robes, his eyes sharp and forehead filled with lines showing his age and wisdom.

Commander Vikram stepped forward, authority in his voice. "The princess requires your help. She was bitten by a snake, and we need your expertise."

The old man glanced at the group, his face unyielding. "Go back," he said bluntly. "I have no reason to help the royalty."

Raamya, undeterred by the refusal, plead earnestly. "Oh! wise sage, please help her. My sister is dying, and we’ve come a long way for your aid."

The old man’s stern expression softened just a fraction. He gazed at Raamya and the girl in makeshift stretcher, then sighed heavily. "Bring her inside."

They followed him into the cottage but only Raamya, Amira and Ravi could stay inside while the guards stayed outside on high alert.

Inside, the air was thick with the earthy smell of herbs and medicines. Shelves lined the walls, crammed with manuscripts and dried plants. Tables were scattered with claypots and grinders, while various ointments lay in small bowls.

The old man motioned to a wooden platform. "Lay her down."

Amira, barely conscious, was placed on the platform. The old man examined her condition with experienced eyes. He checked her wounds, eyes and pulse, then turned to Raamya. "Who removed the poison?"

"I did," Raamya admitted.

The old man inspected her briefly, peering into her eyes and checking her tongue. He nodded thoughtfully, then handed her a small, round tablet made from herbs.

Sensing her scepticism he explained, "This is a mixture of tulsi, ashwagandha, and manjistha leaves. You need to take it. When poison is sucked out like you did, some is often ingested, and while it won’t affect you today, it will tomorrow. Especially with ’phoorsa’ venom. It enters the body through long breaths of exhaustion."

Raamya hesitated only for a moment before accepting the medicine by swallowing it down. "Thank you," she said quietly, her mind still focused on Amira. "But please... treat her properly. I can’t bear to lose her."

The old man grunted, moving to another table. "Patience," he said gruffly. "I’ve been dealing with snake venom longer than you are being born. I have things prepared."

In the flickering lamplight, the old man grind the tablet into a fine paste, mixing it with a spoonful of water before feeding it into Amira’s mouth.

From a nearby shelf, he retrieved a small, shallow bowl. The stench hit the room before anyone could see its contents. Creepy, pale leeches squirmed in the murky water inside the bowl, causing Ravi to grimace in disgust.

Raamya, though startled, did not waver. "What are they for?" she asked.

"These," the old man explained, "will help draw out the remaining venom. It’s a process not many like, but it works."

He carefully placed the leeches on Amira’s arm, where the snake had bitten her, and the room fell into a tense silence. The old man worked meticulously, applying herbal pastes around the bite wound and setting the leeches in place.

"This will take time," he muttered. "But she will recover. Don’t disturb her for the night."