I get to her side, she is laying on her back holding her wound who is bleeding still. Why is she not healing the wound?

It becomes pretty clear why when I kneel beside her, she looks at me but nothing but incoherent mumbling comes out of her mouth, it seems like she wants to tell me something but it's obvious she is confused, but aware enough to understand the situation she is in. Still, I heal her wound, just in time to hear the clanging of heavy armor hitting the floor and I turn to see Lionel hit the ground as the slim figure he was fighting was crawling away clearly too injured to keep on fighting any longer.

Without a care of the orders to take them alive if possible I cast my fire again in the shape of a fox, while the first time was an accident, but I quite like the flame to look like my feral form. The figure is not able to escape the fire and dies in a yowl of pain, I quickly jump on its charred body and siphon his life energy before running to Lionel’s side.

Lionel is still in his armor so I can barely understand in which state he is, the darts that he got hit by before still stuck out his mostly broken chest plate. The only thing I smell is blood, and not knowing where he is hurt I can't help him, and it doesn't help that he seems to be unconscious by the fact that he isn't moving or talking.

I use my claws to cut the leather straps that keep the heavy armor together and take it off of him, under his armor plate is a mess of blood, guts, and bruises, given that the cuts were all where the armor had an opening, but I wonder how he even still breathing, still, now I see where the wounds are and I heal him wasting a huge amount of magic energy, but I don't care and in the end, I leave him on the ground all of his wounds mended.

I look around the battlefield and now notice that the rangers and the foreign adventuring group had joined the fight and piled up on the huge figure, managed to subdue him, and were now staring at me with weapons at the ready. I sigh hoping that the battle was done and say: trying to sound reasonable as I gesture to the charred bodies.

Evan from somewhere behind me says:

I turn around and see Evan sitting against a tree holding one of the more serious injuries but it was obvious that he had taken many slashes from the figure’s blade and was very close to bleeding out, I look at the foreign adventurers for a long moment and seeing that they were not making any move to attack me I rush to Evan and close his wounds, trying to conserve some magic in case I had to fight them too, Evan thanks me and warns me not to lower my guard against the foreigners and I nod.

I turn back to the foreigners and said:

Pick seems to be taken aback by the accusation and says in anger: he takes a moment to look at me seething with rage but one of the cat people whispers to him:

Pick sighs calming down a little and says: sounding more like he was threatening me or wishing me ill fate than telling me to be careful.

And with that, they leave carrying their captive with him… Damn, I wanted to question one of them, but I couldn't risk my friend’s life, though, maybe. As the foreigners are leaving I shout behind them:

I can see Pike’s expression turning into a snarl before he says in a cold voice: And with that, they leave.

I am left with the rangers who now approach me and the others and Layla specifically, approaches me and says:

I chuckle wondering why the long name and answer courtly: and I hold my hand out to shake.

Layla looks at the hand for a few moments before shrugging and shaking it and says:

I shrug and say:

She chuckles and then says looking at my friends:

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I nod and help them carry Marina back as Lionel is a bit too heavy for just one person, so I leave him with the rangers, Evan instead still can walk so one of the rangers helps him move, I carry Marina princess style as I’m a bit too short to carry a human over my shoulder… I need to ask Ira how to change into an older form.

On the way back Marina finally starts making sense again and tells me with much strain:

I say:

Layla says:

I answer:

The walk back to the village is uneventful, Marina and Lionel recover enough to walk mostly on their own even if they don’t seem to be able to focus too well, and they need help walking straight. Lionel is still in a bad shape, needing 2 people to have him walk straight, and couldn't do much but mumble a few disconnected words, but in the end, we are let in the village and into the inn where the adventurers can finally get some rest and be seen by the apothecary.

I notice that since I entered the village everyone disappeared from the streets, I sigh as I wait outside for Layla to fetch the apothecary. He soon arrives, he is a fairly old man, with decently clean robes and a bag that smelled like herbs. I left him to do his job and when he comes back from visiting Marina and Lionel he says that they are mostly fine, they were affected by a poison specifically used to neutralize magic users… very common among demi-humans, makes it very hard to communicate and disrupts thoughts so you can’t shape your magic or even call it out, doesn't do much against non-magic users as it does not impact memory or coordination.

I guess Lionel saved my hide by taking the darts for me.

One last thing he says it's that both of them are gonna need 3 days to recover, no need for magic and he suggests not to ignore the request and let them rest for 3 days because even if magic heals the wounds and can clean the poison the body still needs rest to recover energy and reassess. Whatever that means, something about the body only being able to withstand so much magic before going into shock… maybe it's the same problem my soul would have if Ira didn't help me?

Anyway, I have 3 days to fill up so I go to the tavern part of the inn and talk with the bartender there, he doesn't seem comfortable with me being around, so I keep it short and ask him where I can find Layla, I’m still not great at moving silently yet and who better than a ranger to teach me how to move through the forest without disturbing it, and she seems like the only one who didn’t avoid me.

The bartender answers me hastily but truthfully and I am directed to a barrack-like building near the gates, no signs, but I guess they don't get visitors.

Inside I can see a kind of lounge area or maybe a preparation room? There is a desk, a big table with chairs and a fireplace, there were also armor stands and weapon racks with bows and arrows as well as other kinds of weapons. I see that a few humans are going about their business, one of them says friendly but with a note of fear in his voice:

I chuckle and say:

The guy nods and says:

I nod and follow the instructions. the whole place is pretty nice if you like hunting that is, there are several animal heads propped up as trophies, there are some crudely carved statues of animals and even a few creatures I don't even know anything about, the is also one of a magical fox in its feral fox, even if they were crude whoever made this did a nice job since if you know the creature you know what it is.

I get to the door I was directed towards and knock, I hear the sounds of water sloshing and then Layla saying: clearly pissed.

I answer: < It’s Ivo, I wanted to ask you something, but if you wanna I can come back later>

Layla says: Sound ashamed to have yelled at me.

I get in and inside is a kind of office/living quarters room, it looks pretty comfy and has everything a room should have… well except a tv, but well I guess that’s not a thing here, the thing of notice is that there are more crude statues in here, and no hunting trophies.

Layla is in a tub filled with steaming water, the water level being high enough to cover her almost fully except the knees and her head.

I am thankful for my fur or else I'd be blushing like a tomato right about now… never been good with girls… especially naked ones and pretty ones, but it's easy enough to shake the thought from my head and I just focus on what I want to ask her while staring anywhere but at her.

I say apologetically.

Layla chuckles and says: and shifts in the water.

I ask.

Layla sighs: .

I nod, it seems like a fair deal, I got time to kill, and this will train my smell as well as my stealth skills, and I will also get some good reputation from the humans… oh mother… why am I thinking about this in game terms