Technodude's Story Pilots

The Plague Doctor

The year is 1771 in the City of Moscow, former capital of the Russian Empire (current capital is Saint Petersburg). I got off the stagecoach that had brought me here and I stared at the city for a moment before making my way into the city. I had my medicine bag on my left hand and my cane to my right.

I'm from the Kingdom of Prussia, thankfully educated in the medical arts, as limited as it is. I am fluent in Russian and French as second languages so I was perfect for this job. What also helps is I survived plague when I was younger so I can't get infected again.

As I walked into the slums, I saw multiple bodies on the road, all covered in buboes (swollen lymph nodes, common with Bubonic Plague). I have gotten used to seeing death, though I do wonder why God would allow so much death for his servants, to test our faith perhaps? No, God would not allow so much death if he had control of man but he gave us free will, and free will is what caused this suffering. Free will of those with authority and free will of the commoner allowed this. I walk towards the tavern or inn I will be staying at until my services are no longer required.

I open the door of the tavern and see the owner cleaning a countertop.

Owner: "may I help you sir?"

He looks up and sees my bird beak mask and leather trench coat.

Owner: "Oh! You must be the doctor. I was told you were coming. I have your room all set up on the second floor, fourth room to the left."

I silently nod at him and begin walking up the stairs to my room until he spoke up again.

Owner: "um sir, if I may, perhaps you could check on my daughter before you settle in, she's with the plague."

I turn to him and nod and he leads me out of the tavern to a house a block away. He opens his door and we enter the house. I see his wife cooking supper for the Owner and his family.

Owner: "She's upstairs on the first room to the right."

I nod again and walk up the stairs with my bag. I noticed the wife was staring at me, she seemed intimidated by my presence. I can't blame her honestly, whenever men of my profession come, death soon follows us unfortunately. I look to the first room on the right as the Tavern owner said and I open the door to see a little girl, no more than 4 or 5 laying on her bed, coughing and covered in buboes. I walk over to her as she weakly looks at me.

Girl: "Are.... you going to help make me better?"

I place my gloved hand on her head as a gesture to comfort her. I reach into my bag and pull out a bottle of medicine that should help relieve some of the pain and I lift her head up so she could drink it. She takes a little sip of the medicine before spitting it out in disgust.

Girl: "It tastes gross..."

I have her drink the medicine again, honestly I was really forcing it down her mouth as she really didn't want to drink it. The plague does make its victims very weak so I didn't have any problems forcing her to drink it.

I laid the girl's head back down on her pillow and she falls asleep. The medicine will only relieve some of the pain, but her symptoms appear too advanced to save her.

I walk down the stairs back to the tavern owner and his family. He looks at me.

Owner: "Will she be alright?"

I shake my head. The owner and his wife begin to break down into tears knowing their little girl is most likely going to die, this is the part I hate most about this job. I gave him another bottle of the medicine I gave the girl for him to give to her tomorrow and then I walk out and head back to the tavern. I do hope the girl survives but those infected with Plague usually don't survive it, maybe she will get lucky and God spares her.

On my way back, I kept seeing one common thing in my surrounding and that is people with buboes coughing out blood and some falling to the ground and dying. I have my work cut out for me starting tomorrow....

2019 Me: Howdy y'all, author here. Just to clear something with ya regarding the Plague Doctor, he's purely fictional in a historical setting (obviously). I have no idea if plague doctors were in Russia during this outbreak but I was trying to find a date that works and I saw this outbreak and said "fuck it, let's do a plague doctor in Russia story" lol.

2020 Me: So yeah, this was actually one of the very original stories I ever made but it went as far as this chapter due to my lack of knowledge and research of this subject, so I then focused on RWBY content as that was easier for me.