The Half-Blood Giant

Chapter 45: Toothache

When Hunter awakened the next morning, the woman he ate had sobered up and was fighting for her life. Unfortunately for her, during the course of the night she had slipped into the next stage of Hunter's digestive system. Hunter decided to let her live just a little bit longer as he enjoyed the feeling of her crawling around inside his intestines. He went to the cafeteria for a modest breakfast and attended his classes as if nothing were out of the ordinary. For some reason, he had a toothache, and the irritating pain put him in a sour mood. When the woman started making too much noise out of desperation, he got annoyed with her and released his magic to digest her, until she became nothing more than chyme in his bowels.

For the whole day, Hunter's molar throbbed and ached. He poked and picked at it with his tongue and nail, but couldn't dislodge whatever was causing him discomfort. After school, he decided to find a dentist. He'd never been to a dentist before, but he'd read about them in books. He was sure a visit would bring him some relief. Fortunately, there was a clinic close to the school that he remembered seeing yesterday on his way to the wall. He hoped that he didn't need an appointment.

He stepped into the reception room, looking lost. Was he supposed to just walk into the back rooms? Was that what was meant by a "walk-in?" Audrey, the receptionist, intervened and flashed him a warm smile. "Hi there, how can I help you?"

"My tooth hurts," Hunter grunted. He grimaced as he fingered his jaw.

"Oh, I see... we have a full schedule today, but I'll check and see if we can fit you in. Why don't you have a seat, and I'll be right back?" The cheerful giantess skipped to the back while Hunter lowered his bulk into a flimsy chair that creaked under his weight. He shifted to get comfortable as the armrests dug into his sides and winced as his gums throbbed around his molar.

Audrey hurried over to Dr. Larson, the head of the clinic, who was busy extracting a rotten tooth from the mouth of a giantess. "Dr. Larson! We have a client who came in with tooth pain. Is there any way we could have him seen?"

Dr. Larson sighed and shook his head. "No, everyone has a full schedule today. Although... Eren only works half-days now. Maybe you can convince her to stay longer?"

Audrey's smile dimmed with uncertainty. "Do you think... it would be okay for her?"

"That would be up to her," the dentist replied curtly, focusing on his work.

Eren was in her own examination room, sanitizing her tools and preparing for the conclusion of her shift. She was having a good day today. All her clients had been nice, friendly giants and giantesses, regulars of hers that she felt safe around. She hadn't experienced anything stressful to trigger a panic attack. It was her usual routine, with nothing out of the ordinary—just the way she liked it. She was feeling strong.

Audrey poked her head in with an apologetic look. "Hey, Eren?"

"What is it?"

"I know you're done for the day, but there's a client with a toothache and everyone else is busy... Do you think you could help him?"

Eren stiffened. "Is he one of our regulars?"

"No, I've never seen him before. He looked very unhappy though, like he was in pain."

Eren swallowed nervously. She didn't want to stay, but she hated to think a giant would be turned away who was in genuine pain, just because she was weak. She knew that the only way to overcome her fear was to face it head-on. She needed to be brave. She was prepared. She checked her wrist to make sure she was wearing her smartwatch—a compulsive habit of hers. Her compassion won out over her anxiety. She took a deep breath and started suiting up. "Alright. Send him in."