Limits

I watched over the rabbits for a few days. The 1st rabbit was healing pretty well, it could now walk and all. It still had some difficulties fully utilising its leg but it seemed to function. The 2nd rabbit was a bit more unlucky. It wasn't because the procedure went badly, it was due to attempting an escape. It hurt its hind leg even more during the struggle. There was no other option for me but to end its life. 'It would die anyway, a wild animal without a hind leg is doomed to be hunted down. Even if the leg stayed attached, the rabbit would no longer be able to use it' I thought and killed the rabbit.

I decided to give my own arm a try. Having some experience with rabbits was not a lot but it was something. I was quite pressed for time as well. I had only couple of days left, before I had to attempt the procedure on myself or use medicine to prolong the "freshness" of my arm in the bag.

I chose the former option. 'It's better to give it a try now, especially since it worked. I don't want to go down the route of preserving my arm even more, this can produce some very difficult problems later' I thought and started the preparations. I had to make more poison as well as loads more medicine. The Trantum Solution had to be created also. 'One batch of solution should be enough from my estimates' I thought. What I had was the human arm, it's structure was much more complex than a rabbit's and it was bigger in size. My arms were quite skinny, so 1 bach would be enough to attach it back together. If I was a burly guy, I would probably need 2 batches.

I started by preparing the poison. When that was done, I made medicine. I made a stronger medicine, which was called Healing Essence. It was much better compared to Vital Liquid that I used on the rabbits. With the poison and the medicine done, I prepared for the Trantum Solution. I wanted to rest my mind before starting the process of creating the solution. This would allow me to be in my peak condition.

I relaxed for about 30 minutes and then started the process. I paid much more attention this time and tried to make the solution even better. After about an hour of dealing with the solution. I finally had the usable Trantum Solution stored in a container. 'I don't know if it's alright or not, the icy blue colour is even more apparent now. Maybe it's just due to the winter season herbs used as replacement' I thought and prepared myself for the procedure.

I took it more seriously this time. Not only was this my own arm, it was also much bigger compared to that of rabbit's leg. I didn't use the needle and a thread before because the rabbit's leg was too small for my needles. Besides, a rabbit would never be able to exert similar strength compared to mine. The arm hard to stay attached and work under great pressures and weights. It had to be multifunctional and be able to execute skills. Sewing my arm together was a must in my case. I prepared the bone needles and the replacement of a thread, tendons.

If everything went right, I wouldn't have to worry about that after couple of months. My arm would grow new skin and attach itself properly. The bones would also connect by themselves after some time and the arm would be like brand new. 'At least that is in theory' I thought.

I started the procedure from unwrapping a part of my right arm, that was still attached to my body. The wound started to heal by itself and the skin covered some stuff already. I had to make some cuts in order to expose the muscles, nerves and whatnot. I applied poison first, to numb the arm. The amount I needed to apply was extremely greater, compared to the amount I gave to the rabbits. With my arm numb all over, I made some cuts with my dagger.

I could still feel some pain but I knew that adding more poison, would not solve that problem. I was operating on my own arm, I could see what I was doing to myself. My brain immediately assumed it hurts, even if no nerves were touched. I took out the severed part of my arm from the bag and cleaned it as well.

'I have to position my arm in correct way. This way, I can work on it from all sides' I thought and used the wooden blocks as supports. I had to have access to my arm from all sides and because it was attached to me, I had limited movements. When I finally positioned and aligned the two parts of my arm together, I started by connecting the bone. The bone was cut cleanly and there were no sharp edges. This was good news. Otherwise, there might be some defects and further complications in the future. I applied loads of Trantum Solution and medicine, much more than for a rabbit.

With the bones attached, I still couldn't relax. 'Now, I need to connect back my muscles. The muscles will repair themselves after a while, I just need to align them properly and make sure that no strand is left hanging' I thought and started stitching my muscles back. The pain became much more severe at this point, I added a bit more poison to my open wound. This numbed my arm even more but at least the pain lessened.

'I can't use any more poison for now, I have to continue like this. Any more and my left arm can become numb as well and I can't have that' I thought and continued stitching my muscles back together. I already used half of the Trantum Solution, as I was applying it generously. With my muscles connected, it was time for the next step.

'Now the nerves. I already memorised the diagram from the book. Looking at my arm and all the nerves exposed, the diagram is about right. The main part is to connect the correct nerves back' I thought and started working on each nerve, one at a time.

When I touched one of the nerves in order to connect it back, the pain intensified immediately. It was to the point, I almost shed tears from the pain. I gritted my teeth as I knew there is no return now. Adding more poison would solve this probably but it could also make things even more difficult. I connected the first nerve, then the second and so on. When the last nerve was connected, I was covered in sweat. The pain lessened a bit and due to the medicine I applied together with the solution, it became more bearable. Connecting the nerves back together on my own arm, was a hell of a task to accomplish.

"Gasp… Gasp...Haaaah… Now, I just need to connect the veins and sew it together. This should not be as painful" I said out loud. The time it took me to connect all the nerves together was about 23 minutes. I could apply a bit more poison now that so much time passed. With my arm numbed a bit more, I started to connect the veins. I could feel some pain still but it was nothing in comparison to the pain that the nerves gave me.

There was some bleeding when I tried to connect the veins but it was nothing major. It took me only couple of minutes to attach all the veins back together. "I'm almost done. I just need to stitch both parts of my arm with the bone needle and the tendons, I can then apply some medicine on top. Cloth and sticks will finish the procedure" I said to myself.

Attaching the tendons onto the needle, was not easy but I managed somehow. Each tendon was quite short, so I had to do it multiple times while working by sections. Just to make sure, I stitched my arm twice then added the rest of the Trantum Solution all over the wounded area. I topped that with medicine and wrapped my arm in a cloth, while attaching some sticks around it just to keep is nice and stiff.

"It's done. Hopefully, I will be able to use my arm. I need to wait couple of days and apply medicine constantly, before I will see the results. This was much more difficult than doing it on a rabbit" I said to myself and laid down. I was tired, this procedure took away most of my mental strength and focus. Not only was the pain intense during the part where I had to connect my nerves, it was also a stressing matter. I worked on my own arm, there were no second chances if I messed up.