"You made the right choice," Emily whispered softly, cupping Hina's shoulder. "Once they discover that you're not human, it's likely that they'll try to make sure you disappear, or turn you into a whipped and muzzled show-pony so that the commoners think they're being progressive. We're leaving, though, and they won't be able to touch you once you're across Mir's border. Just because they summoned you as a Hero doesn't mean you need to be some obedient lap dog." Hina listened to this, and nodded slowly.
"Listen!" It was to the trees that she called out, though. "I can hear you in there, giggling your ass off, that's twice now! Just come out here!" Saying this, she slowly sheathed her knives, trying not to remember the image of a one-armed Yukino that they'd created. It was a good question, whether or not the person in the trees would actually come out, but Hina didn't have to wait long for the answer. In a flash like lightning, something small streaked from the trees, alighting, standing on the pommel of the knife at Hina's hip.
"Ah, I was telling you about these," Emily sighed as the girl on the knife did a back flip toward the ground... and when she landed, she was the size of an average human... if you could call a girl who stood at a hundred-forty-three centimetres average. Clearly, this was one of the aforementioned succupixies- behind her, a long burgundy-colored tail flicked and swayed, tipped with a thick, bulb-like heart shape.
Other than that, she looked fairly normal, wearing a blue mini dress patterned to look like it was made from some sort of exotic leaves, and under that, dark shorts were just visible. Her feet were bare, though, and behind her, four large wings like something between a dragonfly and a butterfly's fluttered and twitched, whispering against each other. Her eyes were strange; the left was blue, and the right was green, while her hair started out blonde at the roots and slowly faded into ginger, a bit like Hina's white-to-black hair . She was a colorful girl, and smiled primly.
"My name's Aurelia," she said before they could ask, and Hina noticed that, just like her and Emily, Aurelia sported a pair of small, sharp fangs. Was that both a Beast Man and Demon thing? "I've been watching you, miss Hina, because, well, who wouldn't be interested when they see a badger girl from another world crash into the mud from a big glowing portal in the sky? So I figure, I'll come along with you two for a while! I'm super curious, and all, and you both seem like lovely people, of course~"
"Hm... most people would immediately pass on that offer," Emily said, and then corrected herself. "Well, unless they were interested in fucking you, of course. I don't see any harm, though, in an added pair of hands and another fighter. What about you, Hina?"
"No, I don't see any problem..." Hina agreed with Emily, but even though Aurelia was smiling like a prim schoolgirl... something about her just screamed out "Pervert, Pervert!"
"Oh, and I can teach you magic, too, if you want," Aurelia threw in flippantly. "I heard you saying something about wanting to learn... I guess I'm sorry for constantly following you guys around~ I just, you know. Again, big glowing portal, cute girl falls out of it..." She shrugged. "I've got no bags, and you two have a lot of reasons to get moving, so shall we?"
"Yes," Emily agreed immediately, and turned, leading the way toward the trees and in the opposite direction as Yukino and Marie had gone. Suddenly, Aurelia was falling into step beside Hina and behind Emily as if she'd been there all the while... in a way, though, the badger girl supposed that she had.
"Well, want to start?" Aurelia smiled as they walked into the nighttime forestry, speaking conversationally. Hina managed to ignore the hidden lechery in the back of her mismatched eyes... but it was there. No mistaking it, when Aurelia snapped- and she would, without a doubt- it would be either very good or very, very bad.
"What, you mean with magic?" Hina was aware of her own eyes widening, some, and Aurelia nodded pleasantly, her sunset hair bouncing. "Nobody but a demon can use Hellfire, which would be why Emily hasn't offered to teach you, I imagine... the magic that I know and could give to you is largely nature based, but it's better than nothing for now, right~?"
"Don't let the girl teach you anything unholy, now, you hear?" Emily shot Hina a playful look. "No, though, I should focus on keeping to the route I had planned, so just keep close behind me, and I'll pipe down for a while." Her smile was warm and her eyes affectionate, and Hina felt her cheeks warming as she looked away, back toward Aurelia.
"Well, something simple, to start, but it could save your life," Aurelia stated casually. "Actually, no. First, we need to make sure that you can even access your mana... it'll make your hands glow with whatever color yours is, when you're ready to use it. How should I word this... just, root around in your brain. Focus, relax, and look around in that cavern until you find it... it'll make much more sense if you just do it, I promise." Aurelia grinned, and began to walk in silence, allowing Hina the peace she needed to think about it.
Letting the world partially fade from her, Hina tried to do what she thought might work, casting her consciousness about as if she were going to force it to leave her head. It didn't take long before this gave her a physical shock, like she'd run into something head-first... suddenly, it was like forcing her way through a barrier, half her body walking through the forest and half of it trapped away, struggling in some shady cavern against that wall.
"Don't worry," Aurelia's voice reached her, but only faintly. "It'll get easier and easier, until you can do it while fully conscious, and in less than a second." As she finished speaking, Hina crashed through the barrier, and gasped aloud as her hands and forearms were suddenly bathed in a warm, golden light, slightly warm and completely painless.
"Hold onto that..." Aurelia murmured quietly. "Keep it... just focus on keeping it, for now. It isn't as hard as getting it, so you should be fine..." She was speaking softly and gently, like a kind sensei living at the top of the mountain. Hina focused on hanging onto the strange, alien power behind that barrier, which filled her heart, then spread through her chest and down her arms, coming to the surface just below her elbows. It was a bright light, as well; casting harsh light and shadows over the night-darkened foliage all around them.
"Good," Aurelia said. "You're learning quickly, but what else could one expect from a summoned hero? Next to invincible in most cases, right?" Hina stretched her arms and flexed her fingers, watching the glittering light and shadows shift. Emily looked back and smiled, the orange-gold light making her blue skin appear white wherever it hit.
"It's funny, really," the devil said softly. "Many people think that the color of your magic is associated to your spirit, and to the kind of person you are. The kingdom says it isn't true... and their knights? Red, black, gray, violet, all of them. None of them have a color like that, I can say that almost for certain." Her own lower arms sparked to life, then; Emily's mana was a bright, impressive silver, like diamonds in the sunlight... and as Hina watched, Emily swung her arm, sending a sheet of flame forward. She, Hina, hadn't been paying attention, but she saw now that while the blue-white flames left the trees alone, they sliced through some sort of monstrous, five-foot-tall wolf, leaving two charred sides lying in the dirt. Emily sent out more of her flames, and in the dark, howls and whines erupted; if she focused with her beast senses, Hina could see the wolves darting around in the dark, less and less until the last of them fell to the ground, each and every one cleaved neatly in two.
"By the way... do we still want to stop by the mage's college? The nearest branch, we could be to in about six hours, well before sunrise. We could steal some library books, in and out. Or, we could just continue on." Hina listened, but also focused on holding onto her mana, using it as focus practice. Without thinking about why she did it, Hina glanced at Aurelia.
"Don't worry about me, I won't be offended~ if magic was foreign to me, I'd probably be dying to learn about it too! I'll teach you some, and you can avoid books on nature magic, cover more ground in that sense."
"I'll take that as a 'Yes, please,' then, Hina?" Emily was still bathed in golden light, but now it mixed with the silver glow emanating from her own arms.
"Yes, please," Hina answered happily.
~~~
"Now, for your first spell," Aurelia said primly, clapping her hands together. It's simple, really. Think warm thoughts, happy memories... and slowly exhale. With your mana on the surface like that, of course."
"I'm not going to spit fire, am I?" Hina giggled, not quite liking how girlish the sound came out of her. Was she getting far, far too comfortable as a girl? This was probably fine, though, right? Why was it so easy, though?! Really, all of this was too easy, when she thought about it... she'd seen Yukino without an arm, too! That was different, though, she told herself, since he could be healed and grow his arm back, apparently... but to be so utterly comfortable as a girl? Then again, nobody was trying to talk her into swallowing a cock or something gross, and she was still associating with only Emily in a romantic sense, who was a cute, albeit strange girl... it didn't really matter what her chest looked like or what was between her legs, as long as she didn't have to see one of those things on someone else.
"No, you aren't. Watch it," Aurelia warned as Hina's thoughts wandering caused the mana swathing her arms to flicker. Focusing, she dragged it back, and called on... she thought around for warm memories, but the only things that immediately came to mind were shopping for weapons and supplies with Emily, and after that, the sex while she'd looked exactly like Emily herself. These thoughts were enough to cause a shaky exhale... and as that happened, Hina found herself warming up, as if she were being dipped into a pocket of hot air.
"It's one of the simplest spells," Aurelia said quietly. "It works no matter where you are, and using it, you could stay warm lying down under ten feet of snow. Really, it'd just melt the snow," she added with a laugh. "It's easy, and doesn't require any big effort to cast, and as I said, it can save your life." As she finished speaking, she gripped the hem of her blue, leafy dress and offered a playful curtsy.
"How long does it last?" Hina raised an eyebrow, finally letting the glow fade from her hands. She could see well enough in the dark, and it seemed, before she'd brought forth her mana, that Aurelia and Emily could see almost as well as her. Once the mana faded, the warmth didn't, like a warm breeze all for her.
"It usually lasts about a half hour before it fades, by default," Aurelia answered casually, almost bored in tone. "You can pour as much of your mana into it as you want, though, and an average person with no special abilities can usually make it last about ten hours without running out of mana... so you, as a Hero, could probably make it last a good week or so. Basically, you'll never have to shiver at night again!" She smiled brightly and folded her hands under her chin, wings flaring.
"So what's your story, Aurelia?" It was Emily who spoke.
"What do you mean, you gorgeous Devil you?" Aurelia sounded innocent, and it was the innocence that made Hina laugh. "Don't worry Hina, you're sexy too, I promise~" the Succupixie added, sounding like she was going for humor, but very serious. Badger girl blushed lightly, glancing away.
"I mean, what's your story? Have you always lived in this forest? What's there to know?" Emily sounded politely interested, glancing over her shoulder at Aurelia but keeping a cautious stare around them, for the most part.
"Well," Aurelia thought about it for a moment, but she seemed to be speaking honestly, when she did answer. "I haven't always lived in the forest, no, but I only migrated from the Southern parts of this country, I've never been over the border. Really, there's not much to know about me; I've had a few run-ins with poachers and soldiers, but my life isn't the most interesting." Emily's next question was swift.
"How about romantics~? Surely something as cute as yourself must have had a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or three of each, right~? I mean sure, your breasts might be tiny, but you're still adorable~" Aurelia huffed, but there was no anger or malice in this non-verbal answer. She seemed only amused, and rolled her eyes, tail flicking about a bit faster.
"There was one guy... I'm still fairly young, though, so it's not like I've had all the time in the world~! I'd rather not spill all the juicy details yet, though, since we just officially met~" She put a finger to her chin and stuck her tongue out in a playfully bratty, very cute expression. Hina found herself laughing again, but she sobered rather quickly as Emily spoke to her in playful tones.
"Careful now, Hina, or you're going to have a harem on your hands~" Purely teasing, but Hina was embarrassed enough not to realize it.
"That's n-not what I'm going for!"
"Oh?" Emily smirked, her lips- the same almost-purple as her nipples, Hina noted for some reason- curling up at one corner in a playful, ever cute expression. "It's not like I'd mind, being part of your harem, you know? As a Devil, well, there are probably far worse groups and activities I could be part of, don't you think~?" Before Hina could answer, Aurelia followed up.
"Then it's settled, isn't it?" Her voice was bright, prim, and proper, severely contrasting with the decidedly perverted look in the back of her eyes- which Hina wasn't sure whether she ought to be annoyed at or curious about. "We'll just be a happy little harem for the summoned hero, maybe even recruit some more girls! Guys too, if you're into that, but I did hear you say something about your being a man before."
"W-What the hell, you two?" Hina laughed softly, awkwardly. "I'm not asking for a harem, or something like that..."
"Mmm, but," Emily jumped in again, her silvery mana lighting up the forest around them for sixteen or seventeen meters even though there was nothing to combat at the moment. Aurelia cast a spell, probably the warm wind trick that she'd showed Hina... but once she'd used her pastel pink mana to get herself, she cast the same over Emily, who smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Aurelia. I was going to say, Hina... you can't really tell me you never thought about having a harem of cute girls fawning over you, right~? That's like, a thing with male Summoned Heroes, as far as I know. They always end up with four, five or seven girls around them-"
"I-I haven't, no!" Hina shouted, embarrassed, and the other girls fell quiet, snickering.
"You know, Aurelia." Emily again. "I bet it wouldn't take much to convince this girl she wants a harem~"
"Why are you so hung up on the idea?!" Hina's voice was loud, embarrassed.
~~~
"Alright. Into the college and out." Aurelia smiled, flexing her fingers. It was strange, she thought, to join this party as easily as she had... but there wasn't any reason not to let her, considering safety in numbers, especially for anybody who wasn't human. The three of them were standing next to a mossy wall; the back wall of Cloularth Abbey, the branch of Cloularth's magical academy situated relatively near Emily's home, and in the very outskirts of the Fae Forest.
"Right... I don't like that you want me to stay outside, but I get it." A meter and a half away from Aurelia, Hina sighed.
"Relax, love~ your natural armor will probably protect you from even some blades or projectiles... but in a mage's college..." Emily smiled reassuringly in the badger girl's direction as Aurelia watched. "You'll be ready before too long, you just aren't yet, you know? This isn't an insult, and Aurelia and I will get the books for you as quickly as we can."
"I meant what I said," Hina answered, her voice taking on a slightly brighter tone. "I don't like it, but I get it. I'll find a place to hide around here... and thank you, both of you, for risking your necks like this for me." Aurelia felt a small smile crossing her face, and she nodded.
"In and out, Badger. We'll be back as soon as we can," Aurelia uttered her thoughts and turned, exchanging glances with Emily. The blue skinned Devil nodded, and Aurelia started beating her wings. Snagging Emily under the arms on the way up, Aurelia took the added strain to her wings without pain and made her way up to the top of the academy wall before vanishing.
Well, she didn't vanish, but Aurelia was now no more than seven centimeters tall as she flapped those four, shimmery wings to stay in the air near Emily.
"Ah, I get it," Emily murmured with a smirk. "Turning tiny so that I can take all the damage and attention if we get caught, eh~?" Her voice was playful, but her eyes worried as she looked back over the edge of the wall. Already, Hina was nowhere in sight, and even Aurelia's magical body didn't have eyes strong enough to pierce the darkness enough to find her.
"Not at all~?" Aurelia landed on Emily's bare shoulder, smiling even though the Devil couldn't see at that angle. "If you get caught, I can grow back to full size behind the enemy and help you, catch them off guard~ now let's get going. Mush, go, onward!"
"Yes yes, I'm going, but I don't exactly know where the library is..." Emily started walking down the walkway of the wall, activating a familiar Hellfire spell to help her blend into the shadows better, and to lower the chances of being seen. In a moment, Emily came to a doorway, which led into a small tower... and inside that, devoid of any sort of guard- because who would cause trouble in the forest where giant wolves and a fearsome Devil lurked- was a staircase leading down, into the school grounds.