Ruyo was killing the big guy. The gang boss lay beaten at her feet just outside the sacred cave. Still staring at him, she said to her spirit, "That other guy. Is he breaking anything?"

Nusina said, "I don't think so. Are... are you okay with this?"

Ruyo just nodded. She refused to let herself spare someone who'd just come back to hurt herself or others.

Nusina zipped back toward the cave and reported on the fallen henchmen. "The conscious one's trying to shove the water out of the other guy's lungs."

Ruyo kept her spell going. "Help him. Disable the Quills."

She stayed there for a few minutes, making herself watch the gang leader die. When she was sure it was over, she nudged him, dropped the spell, and stepped back. Then she turned and vomited all over the grass.

Nusina floated back into view. She spoke solemnly. "One thug unconscious, one bleeding, one half-drowned but alive. Everybody else got burned or stabbed or choked."

Shaken and cold from more than water, she walked back into her cave to confront the remaining killers. Only one was in condition to talk, and he had several slashes across his cheek and a burn on one arm.

She made herself stand up, though her voice now trembled. "Your boss invited me to kill you and spare him. I didn't take the offer. Want to tell me what this was about?"

He shook, but tried to stand tall, too. His blade was on the floor with several others. "Sinna thought you were hiding magic loot. Something big, valuable, like a... he called it a 'Shroud' or 'Vastness' or something. Guess he was right. And we walked right into the bear's den."

"I don't know what that is. But maybe you'll remember this next time you pick on somebody that looks weak."

"I won't! I mean I won't do anything to you. I can go far, far away from here."

Nusina said, "This one cared about saving his buddy."

Ruyo nodded as some of her anger drained away. Cuts and burns ached across her body. "You don't have to run, but pick a different career." She looked the other two over, while collecting the gang's weapons. "You can stay here tonight to recover; I'll even give you food and water. Nusina knows what to do if you abuse that offer."

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Though pale and bloodied, the man nodded and said, "Thank you, ma'am. We'll be no trouble."

Nusina suggested, "Bandages?"

Ruyo said, "Good idea."

Ruyo worked with magic in her shaking hands, while the drowned man coughed and talked a little with the one who'd rescued him. The third man was still out. She spoke quietly to Nusina. "I... I feel terrible. Like I should be guilty. But I'm just relieved, and I'm glad I killed that man. And however much damage I did to the others. Maybe I should kill them too, but I don't know if I could make myself do it."

Nusina said, "This feels familiar."

"Was I wrong?"

"There are people who think you should always let bad people live, once they're subdued."

Ruyo cursed. "No! What would this guy... Sinna, have done? I let him walk away last time and this happened. And the man obviously didn't get thrown in a dungeon, so he's bribed the guards or something and he'd do it again. And then he'd attack other people and they'd suffer and die so I can feel righteous. Should I plow through the low-level thugs and let the real bad guy live?" She shuddered. "Sorry. I made you fight and kill for me. You don't have to do that again, if you think it's wrong."

The water spirit went quiet for a while. "We're bound together, milady. If someone kills you, everything I want to do will stop. I don't know if everything you did was right; I have to think about it. But I will fight and kill to defend you, and I'll back you as much as I can."

The goddess sank onto her bed, which had been kicked around and struck by ice in the brawl. "Thank you. But you've pulled me back from doing stupid things once or twice already. Keep doing that, please."

"I will."

Starting to calm down, Ruyo said, "I saw you get chopped up."

"I'm fine. It just takes me a moment to recover, if I was materialized. We could have Baris fight me next time. Just keep me away from any special anti-spirit weapons."

"Are there any?"

"I'm sure of it. Because sometimes we get out of line, just like mortals."

#

Ruyo dreamed of long ago, on the road, finding a wagon looted and burned. Her parents wouldn't let her look too closely at the shapes lying beside it, covered in flies. But she'd known what happened.

When she woke, most of her wounds had faded to nothing. It took her a while to notice that the scars she bore from various mishaps and fights were gone, too. Her body felt subtly different but she couldn't find any other obvious changes.

Nusina drifted lazily along the ceiling. She noticed Ruyo looking herself over, and waved.

Ruyo waved back. "Problems?" Two of the men were sleeping, hopefully, and the third was out of sight.

"They're alive. The one you hit in the face has stepped out, but he'll be back."

He returned while Ruyo was checking on the defensive Quills, dismissing one of the three in a spray of fog. The man had cleaned and bandaged his wounds. He bowed to her and said, "Thank you for sparing us. While you were sleeping, your spirit told us what you really are. And... it might help us find new jobs if we had magic of our own."

Nusina explained silently, "I didn't make them do anything, but suggested they could make a deal."

"One minute," Ruyo told them, and conferred with the spirit. "I'm willing to hire them if you think we can protect ourselves from them, maybe encourage them to be honest tradesmen."

They tossed ideas around, and then Ruyo answered the men...