NOVEL NEXT 36. Bonny and Matt
Bonny danced for Matt.
They had been together for a couple years and she knew what he liked. She looked into his eyes, twitched her hips, and licked her lips.
Bonny danced for Miu.
She closed her eyes and imagined Miu’s face instead of Matt's. It was a trick she had learned the first time she went out on the stage. She had shivered in fear, her legs unsteady, dozens of men staring up at her, expectant.
She had looked through them, into the distance, and found a beautiful woman sitting in the back. Bonny had danced for her, danced for the woman's angelic smile. The men had watched with lecherous eyes as she ignored them, concentrating on the one bright spot in the room.
She had questioned her sexuality for the first time after that, but had kept her job and learned to look beyond her audience, meeting each of their eyes briefly, giving just enough attention so that they thought she was dancing for them.
She had danced for her angel during individual private dances as well. The men were almost always drunk, often smelly, occasionally dirty, but she had looked past it all and taken their money, while imagining the angel in the back of the room during her first dance.
Bonny danced for Eloisss and Kanae. Both were wounded and tired from the fight and needed time to recover.
She shimmied and twitched, bent and straightened, stretched and flexed. Used her body to buy the time her companions needed.
Bonny danced with her gods and demons, their auras coming under her command easily, instinctively. She shifted the demonic aura shadows over her breasts and groin, hiding her exposed skin and fur. Teasing. She would occasionally highlight a nipple or thigh with a divine spotlight, before concealing it a moment later with a hand or spin.
She danced with Kandi’s memory, an unknown rival that Matt had apparently watched a little too closely. Bonny incorporated parts of Kandi’s routine and used a dildo as a prop, not for insertion, but to tease, licking and rubbing it across her body. Bonny imitated her, watching Matt’s eyes and feeling his desire rise.
She pushed out her aura and felt everyone’s desire. She exuded courage and healing and lust, feeling her friends’ morale and health tick up, while their attention reflected experience back to her.
She stepped near Eloisss, foot touching tail for a just a moment, long enough to whisper a spell, and take the lamia’s pain, as she had done several times during the fight. “Wound Transfer!”
Most of Eloisss’ wounds were on her arms and abdomen, since her breastplate and scales covered her chest and groin, opposite Bonny. She felt pain flare as cuts and punctures opened and blood seeped out underneath her leather.
Bonny danced with time. Time to heal and time to bleed. Time to distract Matt from the battle, time enough for her friends to recover.
She danced with her heart, and her love, and all the will she could muster. She stepped tantalizingly close to Matt, then backed away. She moved from side to side, willing his eyes to follow, to watch her and no one else.
She felt herself tiring, from exhaustion and blood loss, and stepped near him again, the dildo low in one hand, held by the head at her side. She raised her other hand, reaching out, her lips pursed and eyes closed. A kiss offered.
He moved in, close to her, reaching out. She caressed his cheek, his jaw line, and whispered words only he could hear. “Wound Transfer! Sacrificial Restore! Sacrific…”
A sharp blow to her chest cut off the third spell. She opened her eyes to see his spear driven deep into the top of her breast on the left side. It angled inward and felt cold, a chilling spike that reached through her chest to touch her spine. It felt like death.
She swung the dildo as hard as she could, catching him along the jaw with the heavy balls at the base of the toy. Just like the first goblin she had met, so many days before. She felt a deep throbbing pain in her abdomen this time, her link to the dildo transferring the pain of the impact back onto her. She collapsed, the fall tugging the spear out of her chest.
Blood sprayed from the wound, pulsing with her heartbeat. Dark red, not oxygenated. Probably her pulmonary arteries, carrying blood from the heart to her lungs. She wouldn’t last long. But at least Eloisss should be restored while Matt would be exhausted and injured. She hoped it was enough.
She tried to talk, but didn’t have any air. A whistling and bubbling around the wound explained why.
A fox appeared in her darkening vision, sniffing at the blood. It shifted into a cute, naked, crying girl with orange fur. The girl put her hands over the wound and pressed down. Keeping blood on the inside was important.
Bonny wondered if it would help, then realized that she had a way to check. “Triage!” She thought the spell, unable to talk, unable to breathe. She felt the red glow around the stab wound. Useless. She needed more detail.
“Triage! Triage! Triage!” She cast over and over, concentrating on narrowing the scope. Her eyes were closed and she envisioned the damage, seeing red auras light up in her mind.
Chest Puncture Wound, duh.
Rib Fracture, that could wait.
Pulsatile Pulmonary Hemorrhaging, Critical!
Pleura Puncture, Important.
Lung Puncture, Critical!
Alveolar Hemorrhaging, Important.
She concentrated on the most critical wounds and thought the spell, “Mending!” As always, it was underwhelming. Demonic healing wasn’t an option, because there was no one to transfer to or sacrifice, at least not without killing them. She wasn’t willing to murder a friend to save herself.
She felt lightheaded and sparks appeared in her vision, even with her eyes closed, bright against the darkness.
She had a goddess of healing right beside her and she couldn’t even use divine mending. The goddess had warned her before they left, but this was disastrous than imagined. Why hadn’t she… No, the real question was, why not?
Bonny initiated the spell, but focused on her Divine Affinity instead of the skill. “Mending-Divine!” There was a spiritual pressure that built, then released, and she felt healing flow into her, repairing her deepest wounds. It pulled out all of her remaining mana.
She felt dizzy and faint, but wasn’t sure if that was from mana overuse or blood loss. Could be both.
She opened her eyes, to see Kanae still crouching over her, looking down, crying. Bonny reached up and mouthed, “May I?”
The fox girl nodded, tears and snot running down her face and dripping onto Bonny.
Bonny wasn't sure if Kanae knew what she was asking for, but decided it didn't matter. The fox was probably willing to give anything to save her. At least this wouldn't harm her.
“Sacrificial Restore Mana!” Bonny felt mana flow into her from what felt like an endless reservoir within the fox. She pulled on the wellspring to trigger divine mending over and over until her wounds closed up and the pain receded. She cast once more to be sure, "Triage!"
Bonny opened her eyes to see everyone standing around her, looking down, companions and incarnations both. She smiled up. “Hey girls. I think I’m okay. Thank you, Kanae.” She looked into the fox’s eyes as she thanked her.
Everyone sighed in relief and tried to hug her at the same time. Eloisss and Miu each taking a side, squishing Kanae in between all of them.
The goddesses hugged her neck and nose, somehow separated from the rest of the world and unfazed by the physical hugs overlapping them. The demoness hugged her breast, of course. She could feel the indentation of its arms.
She hugged them back. More hugs were welcome, even if everyone was covered in gore, herself most of all. She finally got a chance to ask, “Where’s Matt? What happened?”
Eloisss answered, “He teleported away after you collapssed. We killed the boarss.”
“Good. Can someone else get the artifact? I think I’m going to sleep now.”
Before sleep took her, she remembered to check her “Status!” On her own, for once.
Alerts (3):
You have forced a skill to use a different affinity than chosen. A title has been forcibly improved.
You have improved your title to Beginner Sage. You may use any available affinity for known skills or spells.
You have increased your Magic stats by usage during combat and healing. You have exceeded mortal limitations. Your Magic stats have improved. Plus 1 skill for Magic related classes.
Status:
Name: Bonny
Race: Outworlder / Rabbit-kin
Age: 22
Health: Healthy
Soul: Healthy
Titles: Beginner Sage, Divine System Engineer
Achievements: Proficiency with all Magic Affinities, Attention of the Gods, System Update
Affinities: Arcane Beginner 30%, Demonic Master 12% (Lust), Divine Beginner 60% (Courage, Healing), Elemental Novice 57% (Air, Water)
Auras: Divine Courage (allies), Divine Cleansing (area), Divine Healing (area), Demonic Desire (area)
Class: Lesser Medic/Demonic (alternatives available)
Skills: (2 skills available)
Create Water (all)
Mending (all)
Pain Management (all)
Panacea (all)
Sacrifice (demonic)
Triage (all)
Ward (all)
Wound Transfer (demonic)
General Skills: Agility, Dancing, First Aid, Running, Walking, Outworlder Knowledge
Equipment: Big Red - Bonded, Growth (Epic/Demonic)
Phys Pow: Average
Phys Con: Above Avg +
Stamina: High
Mag Pow: Novice 0%
Mag Con: Novice 0%
Mana: Novice 0%
Aura Pow: Beginner 75%
Aura Con: Beginner 99%
Will: Journeyman 13%
After Bonny went to sleep, the others looked at each other over her, relieved she had survived, and fearful of what almost happened.
“Eloisss, she needs better armor, nya.”
“Yess, I am ssorry. Thiss was unexspected. I did not know what sshe wass involved in when I disscussed it with Lindisss.”
They decided to wait to release the magic circle around the willow and rat artifact. Willowbelle stood watch while the rest cuddled close to Bonny and slept. Miu and Eloisss each took a side, while Kanae, once again in animal form, crawled onto Bonny’s stomach, and curled up.
