NOVEL NEXT Ch 2.33: ❤ Recovery
Everything was gone at the same time, the hostage, Elaina’s bag, even the ropes. Not just from sight either, but from [Restraint] too. Elaina always had a mental map of anything she considered a restraint around her, a way to tap in and feel the item, but even the most basic thing like rope was invisible to the sixth sense her aspect provided. Temmie was gone, no way to track her down, and in her place was another platypus cub, one obviously very angry that its prey had disappeared, and only a few feet away from Tira’s unconscious body. It turned towards the girl, screaming into the sky as it waddled towards her.
“Hey, over here!” Flora shouted. Elaina turned to see the girl sprinting from the one platypus she’d just rescued, sundress slowly slipping down her figure. “Like what you see you big duck-beaver?” Both straps had been snapped, and the dress had a number of gashes besides, causing the entire thing to fall, first to her waist and then her feet before she kicked out of the garment entirely.
And as the dress slipped off, as she was finally naked, the monster looming over Tira looked away, letting out a chirp-like growl before turning away from the obvious prey and going after Flora. Did platypuses care about naked women? No, Flora’s skill attracts enemies the more skin she’s showing off. And that was enough for now, three of the monsters restrained, two occupied with Flora who could hold her own at least for a little while. Elaina had bigger problems to worry about.
“Carline, where is she? Where’d she go?”
Carline was scanning the area, eyes filled with despair. “I— I don’t know, she’s just gone again! I can’t even feel her with [Health].”
That settled it for sure then, someone was using an aspect to mess with them, to make the girl invisible. Had they followed them the entire time, just waiting for an opportunity to try and let the girl escape?
“Elaina, what is happening?”
Temmie? The voice had come from the direction of the tree line, was moving towards the forest as it shouted. Elaina couldn’t see anything there, couldn’t feel anything with [Restraint], but that had been her voice.
“Temmie, where are you!”
“Here!”
Elaina had to act, not with strength, but with precision. Focused this time, intent on pinpointing the location, she was ready. She knew where Temmie was, knew Temmie was in her bag, knew her bag had a metal clip that kept it shut. That clip, the straps, they were all restraints, all things she could get a grip on.
She reached out with her aspect, grabbing at the space she’d heard Temmie call out from. At first it was like trying to grasp air, but then she felt herself grab hold of something, a mass of restraints that she still couldn’t feel directly, only the resistance as something else tugged against her, trying to pull them away. It was more than just the bag, probably the rope that she’d tied the hostage up with too, but that didn’t matter. Elaina was going to take Temmie back, and everything else with her as well.
Elaina felt the tension break all at once with a single snap, and then only a second later felt herself flying backwards. She’d pulled them away, the invisible items she’d grabbed out of thin air, and right into her own chest. Clutching the wad of stuff that she still couldn’t see, Elaina tumbled to the ground, rolling over without letting go, either with her arms or [Restraint].
“Temmie, are you there!”
“Yes, I am here,” the voice said, coming straight from the center of Elaina’s arms.
“Thanks the gods…” Elaina said, half panting out the words. She still wasn’t done though. Making sure not to let go of the invisible bundle in her arms, she stood up, taking measure of the situation. A naked Flora was still engaged with the two unchained monsters, holding off one with her fist shoved into it’s bill, the other with a chokehold from her other arm.
“Carline, I have Temmie, can you put them to sleep?” Elaina asked. “Like with Tira?”
“Uhm, maybe…” The girl looked hesitant for a moment, but then she nodded her head. “Yeah, with time.”
“Get on with it then!” Flora said, kicking at the one biting her hand. “I can’t keep my skin from breaking forever, and once I can’t that venom’s going to take me out too.”
“Got it!” Carline ran over, dropping Tira sword and tip toeing up behind the one Flora had pinned.
Elaina kept gripping her invisible bag while Carline gingerly reached out to the beaver-like tail. Another chirping growl behind her startled Elaina, but the three creatures she’d chained up were all still restrained. The larger ones in particular were lunging forward, doing everything they could to escape. Elaina actually felt bad for a second as the one she’d caught with the bear trap whined, a pained sound, but she shook her head and pushed the thought away; it was the only thing she could have done.
“Temmie, are you still there?” Elaina whispered.
“Yes, I am.”
“Good… I thought you were gone.”
“I would not have been ‘gone.’ My main core is still at the academy regardless. Still… I was fearful myself. I am still confused as to what happened, as I cannot see out of the bag at present.”
“I’ll explain later,” Elaina said, walking towards Carline and Flora.
“Okay, that one’s down,” Carline said, letting out a heavy breath. “Can you choke the other one now? It helps me calm them down.
“Yeah, sure,” Flora said, grabbing the platypus by the scruff of its neck before swinging around and placing her elbow around its throat as well.
“You look ridiculous,” Elaina said. Carline laughed, but Elaina hadn’t meant it as a joke; it was just a fact that sort of slipped out. Still, it was true, the nude girl wrangling a giant mythical creature cub wasn’t exactly something you would see everyday.
“I’m sure I do, but you’re not one to talk,” Flora said with a smile as the platypus’s eyes began to droop, “not with what you’re carrying around.”
Elaina was confused for a moment, then looked down. Her bag had reappeared, at least visually, in her arms again. She was also holding onto the rope she’d tied the hostage with, still keeping it all together, bundled up with [Restraint]. But those weren’t the only two things she had. Stuck together to the rope and bag were a number of buttons, a drawstring, and what appeared to the remnants of a black, lacy bra. Elaina thought back to the struggle she’d had over the restraints with the invisible thief, how hard it had been to wrench it out of the woman’s mundane grip despite Elaina’s immense strength with her aspect, how she had felt a very distinct snap that was eerily similar to that of a bra strap breaking.
“Oh.”
