NOVEL SIMPLE 88. Death and Compassion
Bonny and her companions began working their way back to the city, following the road. The farms and crops were trampled and most of the buildings were damaged. Colette’s farm was demolished and Bonny was glad she had talked them into leaving.
The monsters were unorganized and frenzied, attacking each other more often than the group. There were a surprising number of goblins, considering how many had died in the forest, but also trolls, beasts of all kinds, giant spiders and other creepy insect things. There were a few beast kin as well, though they were either crazed, already dead, or fled at the group’s approach. At some point Bonny glimpsed a half human, half spider monstrosity, but it didn’t get close enough to engage with them.
Wrath scales fell by the dozens as the group scythed their way through the army and Bonny took what she could. Absorption was far easier now that she had captured Wrath, but she tried to convert each to Lust instead, unsure what would happen if she allowed Wrath to regain her full strength. Not all of the isolated spirits were willing to transition, just like at The Oak, and she allowed those to reunite with the demoness.
Zeal took the brunt of the attacks, while Eloisss worked around the dragon, protecting her flanks and assisting in culling incoming attackers. Adelina and Kanae handled crowd control, either blinding or mesmerizing monsters that avoided the other two, until Miu could take them out. Kanae also used her hypnosis to maneuver a lot of the monsters into attacking each other, adding to the chaos.
Miu had a wide, flat quiver with two rows of arrows, each holding twelve shafts. The tip were simple sharpened points without special heads, which she enhanced each with a skill as needed. She kept the range short and retrieved those that she could, reusing them far longer than Bonny expected. Inevitably they broke or were lost over time and, when Miu was down to a quarter of her arrows, she switched to using her knives.
The battle continued for hours, Bonny staying in the middle and casting “Mending!” and “Invigorate!” as needed. It wasn’t all conflict, and there were interludes where most of the monsters were already dead or incapacitated. The numbers thinned as they approached the city, and left the majority of the force near the forest.
Bonny asked Zeal to stop using fire as they got near the city and buildings became denser. Zeal seemed happy to oblige, as her refractory period between bursts of fire was getting longer.
There was a cluster of monsters around one building near the outskirts of the city, hammering at the doors and windows. After the group eliminated them, a face appeared in a window, then disappeared again as it caught sight of Zeal.
“Wait!” Bonny called for a halt. “There’s someone inside.”
Eloisss knocked. No one answered.
“Open up! We’re here to help.” Bonny yelled. The sound attracted some other monsters from around the house and they went to back to work. When it was quiet again, Bonny knocked and called out. “We can take you to the city. To safety. I’m a healer and the dragon is helping.”
After a moment, they could hear the sound of something shifting, then the door opened. An naked, emaciated, female wolf kin peeked out. When she saw Zeal, she recoiled and tried to slam the door.
Bonny hopped forward and caught it. “Please, let us help.”
The wolf girl hesitated, then nodded and backed away from the door.
The group followed Bonny into the building, Zeal morphing into her girl form and entering last. They shut and barred the door with a broken table that had obviously just been dragged away. Zeal collapsed against the wall beside the door.
A large wolf corpse lay in the middle of the room, torn and bloody. Bonny eyed it, then the wolf girl.
“Girls, check the building then take a break while I take care of her.”
Miu, Eloisss, and Kanae split to check the other rooms. Adelina had been riding on Bonny’s head and didn’t move. Neither did Zeal.
Both the wolf girl’s tangled hair and fur were dark gray and white, with silver highlights. Blood was splattered across her back and sides. “Analysis!” showed she was also sick and starving. Curious, Bonny checked on the girl’s status, “System Analysis!”
Status:
Name: Lupa
Race/Species: Werewolf
Age: 18
Health: Moderately Injured, Diseased
Soul: Stressed, Worn
Titles:
Achievements: Survivor
Class: Warrior / Feral
Skills: Agility, Bite, Growl, Rake, Pack Hunting, Stalking, Running, Shapeshift, Tracking
“Sit!” Bonny patted the floor in front of her as she sat down. “Someone bring me a bowl or cup if you find one.”
Lupa squatted just outside of Bonny’s reach and watched her closely.
“Come!” Bonny motioned her closer. “I’m not going to bite. I need to check your wounds and heal you.”
Lupa shifted closer and lowered her ass to the floor, knees pulled up to her chest and arms around her legs.
“Thank you.” Bonny reached out to touch the girl’s arm. Her Regeneration and Purification auras already at work healing and cleaning the girl, but some of the wounds were deep slashes that Bonny needed her skills to take care of. “Mending! Panacea!”
Miu and Kanae returned with a small stack of four bowls. Miu eyed the wolf girl closely. “There are three other bodies in the next room, another wolf, a wolf kin, and … one in between. I think she’s a werewolf.”
Bonny nodded. “She is. Does that matter?”
Miu hesitated before replying, “There are … stories, nya. Weres are … not natural.”
Eloisss slithered up. “Weress are curssed.”
Lupa flinched and started to move away.
“Stay!” Bonny commanded, as put her hand on the wolf girl’s arm. “Look. She needs help. She’s no danger to us. Can one of you remove the body?”
Eloisss carried the wolf corpse to the other room, while Miu settled down beside Bonny. When Eloisss returned, she coiled up next to Lupa.
“Create Water!” Bonny rinsed the bowls and poured the water out, then cast again and filled them. It wasn’t the slow trickle she had gotten when she originally learned it and convinced Recovery that it should be a class skill, but it wasn’t fast. As each bowl filled, she passed them around. Lupa got the first and Eloisss carried the second to Zeal. Adelina shared one with Miu and Bonny.
Bonny refilled them all again, then a third time for Lupa.
While Lupa sipped at the water, Bonny moved behind her and summoned the Brush. She started working at Lupa’s messy hair, slowly working out the tangles. When done, Lupa curled up and lay her head on Bonny’s crossed legs.
Eloisss frowned at the two of them.
“Do you want me to brush your hair as well?”
The lamia nodded, “Yess, pleasse.”
“Me too, nya.”
Bonny smiled at them. “Okay.” She turned, careful not to disturb Lupa as she straightened her legs. The wolf girl shifted slightly at the movement and seemed to fall back asleep almost immediately.
Miu moved into position first. Bonny glanced over at Eloisss who rolled her eyes and nodded. Bonny smiled at her and started to brush out Miu’s hair.
Miu screeched and jumped, her fur erect as she scrambled away and stared back at Bonny with wide eyes.
“Uh, Miu? Are you okay?”
Miu gasped for breath and shook her head.
Bonny looked at the brush, then at Eloisss, who shrugged. Bonny held out the brush and touched Eloisss’ hand with it. The lamia blanched and yanked her hand back.
“Uhm, what’s wrong?” Bonny tapped her hand with the brush and got to reaction. She touched it to Lupa, who also didn’t react.
“It’s cold!” Miu finally gasped. “It hurts. Inside.”
Eloisss nodded.
“Adelina?” Bonny held up the hairbrush.
“Noooo.” The fairy had been quiet so far. She jumped up and flitted out of reach. “Don’t touch me with it.”
Bonny called up her the Brush’s status with a thought.
Status, Equipment:
Brush of Death - Bonded (Legendary) - A hairbrush owned by Death.
“Oh. OH!” Bonny looked back at her two friends. “I’m sorry. I didn’t thi… Um, Death gave this to me.”
Miu and Eloisss looked at each other and shivered.
“But why didn’t it affect her?” Bonny asked. “Zeal, can you come here?”
The dragon girl opened her eyes and looked at Bonny and the brush. She nodded and crawled slowly over, settling down, and laying her head opposite of Lupa, on Bonny’s other thigh.
“May I?” Bonny asked.
Zeal nodded.
Bonny touched Zeal’s head, lightly.
She blanched and flinched, but didn’t move away.
“Are you okay?”
“It hurts, like your cat said. In the soul.”
Bonny frowned and dismissed the Brush. “I’m sorry. Do any of you know why it didn’t bother Lupa?”
All of them shook their heads.
“That’s fine. Come here. LoiSSS, can I lean on you?”
Eloisss smiled as she slithered over and curled up behind Bonny. “Of coursse.”
They all cuddled up, Miu looking at Zeal and Lupa before curling up on Lupa’s side, leaning into Eloisss and Bonny. Kanae did the same on the other side, both careful not to disturb the dragon or werewolf. Adelina returned as well, settling back down into Bonny’s hair, which was still tied neatly with a bow, despite the hours of conflict.
Before she dozed off, Bonny checked in with her other team, thinking that she should have done it earlier. ‘Violet, how are you doing?’
[we are defending the gate, the monsters are going berserk]
‘We captured Wrath. The monsters are no longer under her control. We're almost back, but taking a break in building on the outskirts. Please be careful and tell Freja and Willow the same.’
There was a brief pause, then [they both love you, I do too]
‘Thank you.’
Bonny drifted off and dreamed of a woman dressed in a familiar toga. She had gray skin, a full bust, wide hips, and thick thighs. She also had large ears and a small flexible trunk instead of a nose.
“You are very kind, Bonny. It is time for me to join you on your journey.” She smiled as she held out a cup of golden fluid, offering a drink.
Bonny took it and sipped, warmth suffusing her being. She smiled back at Compassion. “Thank you.”
