She planned to strangle Georg. Slowly, looking straight into those lying, insolent eyes, which she would then scratch out. With great pleasure, listening to the screams of this smart aleck who thought too much of himself. It was a quick mission, just go in, grab something and get out! And the teleport would be nearby! Yeah, right! For some reason, she ended up right in the middle of demons, who quickly recognised her and sent a large cleanup squad after her. After all, she still has the title of dangerous criminal, which she is proud of as a woman. That's when Satan himself puts you on the wanted list! The reason for this, of course, is impressive — the practical destruction of an entire demonic House. If the demons knew the real reason for this, they still wouldn't understand. But as it is... Her sister is safe, and that's what matters most.
Kuroka was used to getting out of various situations practically unscathed, but this time the number of demons was too great even for her. On top of that, they used various spells to partially block her Ki flows! Where did they get those? Could it be that while she was away from the Underworld, Ajuka decided to experiment in this area?
"You can, of course, continue to bleed and risk possible infection, but I would strongly recommend accepting outside help.
Nekomata stirred and stared at this strange man standing at a distance, clearly waiting for her answer. Damn it! The effects of her wounds were already affecting her head... She felt a little nauseous, and the desire to lie down and rest was growing stronger.
"I don't understand! I just don't understand!"
Those were Kuroki's only thoughts as she looked at this... human. Although... His glowing icy eyes and aura, which felt like a cool summer night, suggested otherwise. Nekomata tensed up again, but hissed in pain from her legs and stomach. Damn it, those winged freaks had really beaten her up.
"I'll rip out Georg's heart."
She had told Vali not to work with these "heroes," but no! And now she was dealing with the consequences, facing someone she didn't know and whose intentions she couldn't understand.
"Yeah... And how am I supposed to know you won't finish me off?" Kuroka asked with an ironic smile. The blond, whose perpetual smile annoyed her, merely tilted his head to one side.
"So, trust is a big issue here," the guy said, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I have no way of proving my good intentions to you. So you'll either have to trust me or survive on your own."
The woman pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, trying to discern something in his gaze and smile! But nothing! She couldn't understand anything! Her keen sense of smell was now filled with the smell of blood, brains and bile, so she couldn't say anything else about the man! She hated being cornered, and even more so being forced to choose, especially in situations like this!
"Choice...?" She smiled inwardly. "Choices, choices, candidates..."
Kuroka grimaced as her wounds began to sting more painfully. Did she even have a choice? This mage could easily kill her without any trouble, but he hadn't done so yet. Run away? With legs like these, that would be a joke!
"Do I have a choice... No!" A painful cry escaped her as she tried to move her left arm. Damn it!
"Every day, people make a huge number of choices: from what to drink in the morning to what to eat for dinner. And any such fork in the road can lead to a chain of events that will either destroy or improve their life," the calm, even tone disturbed Kuroko no less than the smile frozen on her face. Cold and impartial.
"The most important thing is: are you capable of living with the consequences of your own choices and decisions?" The woman noticed how the smile became... sadder, as if. "Are you capable of carrying this burden until the end of your days?"
This mage... Very strange. His manner of speech did not correspond to anyone she had met before. Even Arthur did not speak so complicatedly! And that was an achievement: to outdo this gentleman seemed incredibly difficult!
"We can stand here and stare at each other all day, trying to understand each other's motivations," the man waved his hand. "Or you can accept my help with your wounds, and we can talk in a more favourable setting," his smile grew a little warmer. "But it's up to you."
Kuroka squinted at the mage, who waited silently for her answer. The woman couldn't decide what to do in such a situation. It could be a trap, or it might not be; he could be a good Samaritan or a psychopath. However, there was no real choice: try to run away and expose her back, or accept help and face unknown consequences.
"You're very, very strange..." she said, squinting and overcoming her bad habit. She didn't understand this magician at all! He was too confusing!
"Of course. If you decide I'm normal, then we'd be talking about your psychological state.
"And he calls himself strange..."
A choice... Well, she would make it. But if necessary, she would have enough strength to give the mage a good beating if he tried to do more than he should! Kuroka might be exhausted from her wounds, but she was used to fighting in such situations.
***
"Partner... I... I..." Castor heard the red lizard's clearly exaggerated sobs. "I'm proud of you! Bringing home a beautiful female right after meeting her! How quickly children grow up!"
Brinel did not react to this madman's ravings, silently seating the brought-in yoka in a chair to examine the wounds on his legs. He had no medical training as such, but years of receiving similar wounds had taught him the necessary skills. How to treat them, how to bandage them, how to care for the damaged area. Otherwise, he would have simply died of gangrene or tissue necrosis. Of course, pneuma could help with regeneration, but not when breathing was interrupted due to a dangerous injury.
"What conclusions can I draw, dear Kuroka?" — she finally deigned to give him her name as he led her home by a roundabout route. "The ones you might not like."
"And what are they?" the yokai asked suspiciously as Castor removed his used medical gloves.
"The injuries, if not properly treated, could lead to tissue necrosis and amputation of the limbs. Possible blood infection could also lead to other, equally unpleasant consequences. Including a slow and painful death.
"Hey, I'm a demon-nekomata! What gangrene?" the cat protested, causing Castor to exhale slowly.
"The most common kind," he shook his head, unpacking the first aid kit and taking out everything he needed. "Many underestimate their wounds and then die in agony. I've seen too much of this to believe in any excuses.
The mage turned to Kuroka, who had already opened her mouth but closed it when she looked at him. She silently held out her legs, wincing, and the mage began to treat her wounds. Naturally, he wore new medical gloves and was extremely careful. There were doctors who ignored their patients' pain, but that was an extremely inhumane practice.
"Ouch, ouch, that's unpleasant..." hissed the cat as Castor began to disinfect the wounds on her legs.
"It's surprising that you're not screaming in agony with wounds like that. However..." Brinel allowed himself an ironic smile. "They're not infected with ether, so everything's fine.
"Huh?"
"No, nothing. Just thinking out loud.
The archmage carefully bandaged the open wounds with sterile bandages and exhaled when Kuroka relaxed. Now her legs were relatively safe, but he needed to examine her stomach, arms, and chest. These were rather intimate areas, especially for women, but he couldn't ignore the injuries.
"Is the boy shy about looking at a girl's boobs?" the dragon said sarcastically. Castor slowly drew in a breath and pursed his lips. Then he turned away from Kuroka to change his gloves and bandages, and so she wouldn't see his straight line of lips.
"I'll cut you to pieces, use your meat for chops, your scales for armour, and everything else for artefacts if you spit out something like that again, lizard. Do you understand?" Castor said with arctic coldness in his mind. He didn't like jokes related to sex. Not because of moral issues, but because of memories that involuntarily popped into his head. Ddraig did not respond to such a tirade, silently retreating deeper so as not to show himself unnecessarily.
"We all carry the burden of our choices... Some heavier than others..."
"Do you have enough medical knowledge?"
"M... Huh?" Kuroka slowly opened her eyes and looked at Castor. Fatigue was beginning to take its toll, which was not surprising.
"You need sleep.
"So you can take advantage of my position?" the cat asked sarcastically, smiling slyly. Brinel looked at her wearily and exhaled slowly.
"I would never in my life take advantage of a woman's weakness or her inability to make a choice.
The mage involuntarily clenched his fists and exhaled very slowly. He had seen this happen before... Too many times. Enough to stop forgiving anyone for such a thing or treating them without the necessary compassion. Broken, shattered, and destroyed destinies...
"I'm sorry..." Kuroka whispered, looking away when she saw his state. Castor just shook his head at her apology.
"Don't. These are my own problems," Brinel looked at him more seriously. "Let me repeat: do you have any medical knowledge?"
"I know healing techniques, but right now..." The cat hissed and looked at her palms with dissatisfaction. "I can't use them.
"Then I must ask your permission to examine your stomach, chest, and arms.
If she refuses, Castor will think of something to get us out of this unpleasant situation. But we can't just leave this matter to chance. Perhaps the non-human is stronger than ordinary people, but he had seen the chosen ones of the gods die. Slowly, in their own blood, helpless and abandoned by their own benefactors. A terrible death. Abandoned by all, bleeding to death and hating the whole damned world. Perhaps... Ulgrim could have died like that.
"You are, of course, much stronger and more resilient than any human and some demons, but I have personally witnessed how such confidence became the main cause of death," Kuroka sighed at his words.
"But if you don't want to, I'll think of something," Castor added, seeing her discomfort and open fears. He understood and accepted it all.
"I... All right," the woman allowed herself a slight smile. "You could have killed me long ago, or worse, but you didn't do anything bad. I think you've earned my trust.
"Thank you for that gift."And thank you for not looking at me the way others looked at... my brother..."
***
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