Bast reaches for her father's corpse, and grabbed the knife in the sheath at the front.
"HAAAAAAH!" She screamed, stabbing the knife into the orcs skull!
"SQUUEEEEEEEEH!" It screamed like a dying pig!
"AAAAAAAGH!" She screamed back, defiance and rage incarnate as she savagely twisted the knife in its skull, before RIPPING IT OUT!
Brain and flesh and chunks of eyeball flew as she rolled away, throwing the knife the way her mother had taught her, and nailing the other orc's arm as she turned and ran.
"Run. Run Bast. You must live!" Her father's and mother's voices mixed in warning, in a plea as she ran, slipping and sliding among the leaves until she rounded a tree and froze.
She didn't know how long she waited until she heard a rustle.
A large shadow, bigger than a wolf but on all fours crept between two trees a bit away.
'Do they have a tracking beast?'
No. She had to get away from whatever that was.
She took a step... and a twig snapped.
"Crack."
'No. No no no no nononono-'
She turned to see a wall of indigo flames flying at her, and she tried to jump back behind the tree for cover-
The last thing she felt was a burning on her right side.
~ ~ ~
I stood in place, staring at the line of cinders and ash as if disintegrated a few trees just now.
'Holy FUCK I forget how hot that fire is!'
I narrowed my focus.
I could still see a lifeform...
I crept closer cautiously, only to freeze when I saw what it was.
A human girl with darker skin than most others I'd seen so far, with her right arm practically burned off, her skin blackened with cracks of bleeding all throughout the right side of her body.
If I hadn't focused my heat extremely tight, the heat released just from being so close would have cooked the rest of her.
I ran forward, light magic already beginning to light up form my horns and golden quills, and a faint glowing mist sinking into her body.
'What the fuck is up with me and getting startled by humans just to KILL THEM?'
She was somehow alive, but shock was going to kill her soon enough here!
'Wait. If I heal her, would I be making another Kire?'
No that doesn't matter! I'm not going to let a stranger die from my accidental reflex just cause I'm uncertain to the outcome!
Light magic courses through her, and I could feel every scratch it healed, focusing on the burns as the blackened and cracked skin flaked off an fell away like it was shredded as new muscle and skin grew underneath, replacing it.
After the arm regrew, I focused on the face and then chest, legs, and something began to bug me.
'She must have taken quite a beating considering how many bruises she has... is that a bite mark?'
I looked as the scabbed over circle on her shoulder healed, her clothes basically gone thanks to being incinerated.
More and more of a dark history became apparent as the magic continued to heal her, right up until it reached her abdomen.
[...Korven, can we communicate with humans the same way we talk with one another?]
[Yeah, of course.]
[Right, it's obvious I know. That's good though.]
Korven gave me an odd look. [Why do you want to talk to this human female?]
[I'm going to kill the one who did this to her.]
Korven froze, an absolute icy rage and pure intent to kill, a bloodlust capable of massacre and absolute hatred came as a tsunami of emotion filling that mental message.
I did not even say I was going to kill the one who did this to her, not in words.
It was pure emotion and intent that told him.
~ ~ ~
[Oh.] Korven took a step back. 'Whoever you are, I don't know what you did, but a literal force of nature is about to come after your ass. An awakened mythic with 3 elements... fire, light, water and air.'
Korven froze. 'Wait isn't that 4? But you can only awaken 2, and he already had one, so it should be 3. Did I miscount? Fire dragon, just fused with light, used air to kill the worm, has manipulated water many times-no that's 4.'
His gaze towards the dragon beside him held a tad of reverence and astonishment doubled over.
After the dragon finished healing the human they waited, and Korven kept feeling like he should ask whether they should keep going, but a silent pressure made him stay silent as the dragon waited.
~ ~ ~
Bast slowly felt... warmth.
Here there was no pain.
No memories. No knowledge of the past.
Just... life. Innocent, pure, warm and joyful.
She opened her eyes... and stared into a snout with soft, short purple fur.
The morning sky was lit up behind it, quite far into the morning too by the looks of it.
'Is it almost noon?'
It drew away, light floating around its golden horn and quills, as it looked at her with eyes filled with intelligence.
She should have been worried about seeing a monster face to face, but all she felt was peace and calm.
"Are you... a spirit?"
[What do you mean by that? Do you mean am I a ghost?]
The voice in her head seemed gentle, with so much compassion it brought tears to her eyes.
She mutely shook her head.
[Can you explain?]
"The-," she gasped for breath, "the Nesphirii believe that certain creatures exist above the awakened beasts known as monsters."
[These are spirits?]
She nodded. "Spirits of nature, shapeshifters and soothsayers. Northerners have their own version as 'gods', but it's not the same..."
[I am no spirit.]
"Oh." Her head limply fell back.
[Why did you wish I were?]
"To..." She hiccuped as tears fell. "I was... hoping that a spirit could grant my wish. To be... to stop being... afraid."
[Are you scared?]
"Not of you."
The beast took a step back, spreading out its draconic wings.
[Why not me? I am quite scary, don't you think? A fearsome beast like me?]
She giggled a bit, sitting up, and leaned over to hug the neck of the beast.
It stiffened up, staying stock still.
[...]
~ ~ ~
I focused on the wind. The trees. The heartbeat of the attractive girl with her naked body pressed against me-no! STOP!
I coughed. "Kah!"
She drew back, smiling.
"You're cute."
Bam! Critical damage!
'I don't want to be cute... who's even heard of a cute dragon?!'
[I can't take away your fear... but I think I can try to give you power. How you use it and whether you overcome fear is up to you.]
Her eyes widened. "Really? Then you must be a spirit!"
Okay what's up with humans and calling me random things?! I'm a dragon!
Not a god, not a spirit, not a weird wolf hybrid, a dragon! I don't care how I look!
[...sure.] I sighed in defeat. Fine. Whatever.
I focused. I think... I had an idea of how to do this.
She hugged me. "Thank you."
~ ~ ~
The beast dipped its head towards her, extending its neck as it tapped its snout against her forehead.
Then she felt... a rush.
Memories, knowledge whisking by so fast she couldn't see or even process it, emotions and memories.
And her own rose to meet it.
The horrors of the past nights hit like a freight train, and she screamed as the pain of loss, of shame and helplessness overpowered everything else!
She was alone. It was dark, it was cold and she was helpless.
Jonathan, the orcs, they all were stronger. They could do anything to her here and she couldn't fight back.
[I know pain.]
And then the darkness shattered with the voice of the spirit.
[I know the shame of being incapable and helpless before everyone.]
Memories not her own, of lying in a strange bed of strange material with stones and glowing glass that made noises and beeps.
Of being too weak to even stand, or relieve themselves without help.
Shame and embarrassment at this weakness, to the point of almost wishing they could die to be free.
She wished to die, didn't she?
To just let the orcs end her, or end herself before they could touch her.
But she was scared of dying.
And that fear was everywhere.
They both felt that fear together.
And then there was a third voice.
"You're not alone."
She looked up, at the darkness around her, and the beast from before was there, made out of light, with bits of fire, air, and water added in.
And a man made of water and ice, with swirling wind and cracking lightning was there too.
He grabbed her hand, and smiled with a young innocence and compassion.
He was even younger than she was.
"I'm Kire. And I don't know exactly what you've been through... but you look like you could use some help."