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Wheel tracks stamped into the earth easily shows that something past this place not too long ago. Ivy smiles while petting Angela who still doesn't believe that she can touch things again. "Ullr I'm coming for you." Ivy mutters under her breath before marching forward. Every step feels like forever, and it feels even longer to spot the carriage. Ivy lifts her hand and not long after ice skewers whatever was pulling it. Two guards rush out swords drawn. She once again lifts her hand not wanting to waste time on them. Red ice explodes out of their heads a few moments later. Slowly the group approaches the carriage. Ivy's heart hammers against her chest. When she is close enough she hears whimpers and sniffles. Ivy looks at the front where two horses are impaled by ice, blood pooling beneath them. Angela walks atop the carriage. Ivy just ignores the cat and pushes past the fabric blocking entry to the wagon.
Something sparkled in Ivy's peripheral vision. "Go to hell!" she looks aside, flesh bag. Ivy's feet launch her backwards as it attacks her previous position. A dressed woman now takes up the space and Ivy doesn't waste time grabbing the wrist of her attacker dragging her attacker back with her. The attacker yelps in fright causing Ivy to smile as they hit the ground. Ivy grabs her assailant's face as Angela jumps atop the attacker digging her claws into the attacker's back. She continues by summoning an icicle and driving it through the attacker's frontal lobe, who collapses onto Ivy while Angela jumps of as Ivy rolls the corpse away from her. She grunts as she sits up. "Ivy what do you think is in the carriage?" Luna inquires. Ivy shrugs. "Hopefully Ullr." Pushing the fabric inside again Ivy peeks inside.
Something moves in the corner of a cage. Ivy walks over and plucks it from the ground her hands trembling as she looks inside. A tiny head rises, feline eyes stare at her its pupils widening. "Mom?" Ivy chokes on her breath. "Ullr." Ivy rips the door off and takes Ullr out with trembling fingers. Angela walks inside her mouth dropping as she spots the kitten. "My son." She wails in relief. Ullr looks at her biological mother tears pricking his eyes. "Both moms are here to get me?" He sniffles. Ivy places her head atop that of Ullr her hand sliding into Ullr's fur. "So soft." Ullr's sniffing turns into tears. "Mom! I was so afraid." Angela jumps onto Ivy's shoulder and drags her tongue over Ullr's head in silent gentle licks. Ivy shifts back into her fox form and curls around Ullr, Angela following the action. Ivy trails her tail over Ullr. "Are you alright my child?" Ullr nods quickly burying his face into Ivy's belly. Ivy looks up to see Angela's ghostly hair rising. "He smells like drugs." She whispers the revulsion in her voice clearly audible.
Ivy stares at Angela, her words register slowly. Lowering her head she smells Ullr's scent mixed with something tangy and bitter. Luna enters the carriage at that moment before spotting Ullr. "I assume that child isn't dangerous." Ivy's eyes turn to watch the elf. "He's not dangerous to us, but to others." Ivy finishes her sentence with a nod. "He's the son I adopted and also Angela's biological child." Luna blinks before settling down next to the fox. Ivy continues. "He reeks of herbs." Luna's eyes narrow. "It would be best to get him to puke, it should hopefully remove the herbs from his body." Angela turns her head to look the elf directly in the eyes. Ivy nudges her. "It sounds like a good idea Angela. We don't know what herbs they fed him." The cat looks down at her son before giving a sad nod. "Alright." Ivy gently laps at Ullr's head. "Ullr we're going to make you puke, hopefully expelling the drugs from your body." Ullr lifts his tiny head before nodding weakly. Luna carefully grabs him, before gently placing the kitten into her arms. Ivy and Angela jump onto her elven shoulders. Luna caries them outside before placing Ullr down on the grass, she also plucks a strangely curling plant. "Alright, I want you to bite down on this plant." Ullr opens his jaw before biting down on the plant. Ivy waits, tension searing her muscles. Nothing really happens, after a while Ivy turns to look at Angela finding her confused expression mirrored in her face. Suddenly Ullr muscles tenses under his fur, his face shifts before gagging. Hope flutters in Ivy's chest. He gags again before throwing up. Luna bows down examining the puke. Brown and red spots are all over the foul smelling stomach content. "The herbs are expelled." Luna nods with a satisfied grin. "Let's head back to the forest," Ivy mutters. "I need to gain more mana." Angela and Luna nod simultaneously in understanding.
Ivy pats some moss into the nests. Luna approaches her. "So this is a monster den. Pretty comfy and safe." Ivy turns to look at the shrunken elf. She was absolutely baffled when Luna shrunk into a smaller size, small enough to fit into den. She had explained that all elves could change their size to their will, apparently an ability derived from their spirit ancestors. It was hardly used so it was rather unknown. Ivy shifted her head ever so slightly to look at the two cats who were curled up in a nest. "Luna, are there any other ability's that have been retained from your ancestors?" Ivy inquired, her voice low and curious. "Yeah, apart from changing our size." Luna narrowed her eyes. "We can talk to spirits, but I don't know anything else." Ivy nodded at her response. Before quickly patting the last pieces of moss into place. "Well it's already night so let's sleep." Without words Luna crawled into the moss covered bed like nest while Ivy carefully curled around Ullr and Angela. Ullr body must have felt her curling around him, as his little body had moved closer to her warm belly. Ivy smiled with warmth as she watched her son being practically swallowed by her fur. Ivy rested her head down slowly letting her mind fall into the creeping darkness.
--Spirit world
Ivy woke by the smell of pines and snow. Slowly she rose to her paws. Tsalice sat before her while her tails teased numerous kits near her. "Hello… Ivy." Ivy narrowed her eyes. "Hello Tsalice, is there something that I can do for you." Tsalice smiles. "Not really, but I've noticed that you have reached a wall in mana progression." Ivy lowers her head. "You're right my progression in mana has slowed down." "I should mention that you need to absorb the mana of more dangerous monsters. It will have the same effect as before," Tsalice pauses before continuing. "You can still absorb mana of a weaker monster, but it would be slower." Ivy nods taking in the information. "Alright, thank you for the information." "No problem, but it's time to wake up."
--Physical world
Ivy groans as she sits up her head is heavy and painful. Ullr whimpers as Ivy's belly distances itself, Angela's tail covers the kitten as his whimpers reach her. Turning her head she watches Luna quietly sleeping her chest rising and falling with each breath. Ivy content stretches ignoring her screaming muscles begging for her to sleep longer. Crawling out of her den Ivy is greeted by the sun barely peeking through the overhanging leaves, the few rays that break through warming her white fur. Purring Ivy makes her way to a nearby opening and inhales deeply letting the multitude of scents bathe over her. "Goblins, rats and what not. That is something interesting." She mutters tracking it. Shortly after she spots a brown lizard. Three curving teeth poke out its closed jaw. Its tail is covered randomly in spikes ranges from miniscule to the length of a thumb. Three claws poke out of every paw. Ivy narrows her eyes taking a deep breath before jumping. She stretches out her claws before sinking them into the lizard's back as she lands onto it. The creature turns its head to look at Ivy before screeching in pain and fury. The ground next to them begins churning before a sharp earth pillar erupts from it. Ivy barely pulls her head back, but her left eye is grazed and blood starts to ooze at the wound. She cries out before being dislodged as the beast rises to its hind legs. Gasping and coughing Ivy trembles onto her paws before quickly summoning an icicle to pierce the beast's head. She flicks her ear and the thing crashes against the lizard's head, but it just shatters. Ivy curses under her breath before quickly summoning a magic circle under the lizard. Earth churns at both the right and left side of Ivy. She quickly jumps backwards barely avoiding being skewered. Eight earth skewers pierce through the salamander holding it in place as Ivy's other spell finishes charging. Ten ice swords manifest in the air before crashing all over the salamander each one piercing through. Ivy approaches, but the earth splits open beneath her and she falls in. The dirt around her start churning at numerous spots. "This isn't good." Her breathing comes out rapid and in gasps as she desperately begins clawing herself out the hole. Her hole body trembles as she just manages to escape as the hole becomes a death trap. Ivy turns to look at the still screeching salamander. Twitching her ear she summons a hardened piece of dirt with a sharp tip, and with a second twitch of the ear it's send flying into the salamander's mouth. It twitches a few times before going limp.
Ivy sinks her claws into the salamander's stomach raking it open, while blood flows out. Shifting into her demi-human form, Ivy rams her hand into the warm and bloody corpse before taking out the core. It's around the size of a strawberry and has a brownish-Grey hue. Ivy lifts her free hand reaching for her burning left eye, her fingers trembling ever so slightly. Pain pierces through her as she touches the wound. Blood drips down her cheek before exploding on the ground. Retracting her finger Ivy stares down at it the red straining her finger making her nauseous. She gags once, twice, trice before throwing up. Stumbling to a tree Ivy reaches out for support before expelling the last bits of her stomach content.
Shifting back into her original form, Ivy limps into the den her body screaming. She doesn't make it very far before her legs gives out, her body crashing into the ground. "Ivy!" Angela screams, hurrying to the collapsed fox. "What's wrong? What happened?" Ivy gasps for air. "I fought against a monster." The cat curses under her breath before grabbing Ivy by the neck and hauling it into a nest. Ullr bounces over while glancing at his mothers. "Mom, what happened to mommy?" Angela quickly looks at her son. "She fought against a monster, honey." Angela gasps as she spots Ivy's eye. Her mouth opens and closes unable to form words to her thoughts. "Ullr you know the yellow plants at the entrance bite of two of them and chew them into a paste." Ullr nods vigorously at the request, his steps fading as he goes to the entrance. "Ivy I'm going to lick your wound clean so grit your teeth." Ivy nods weakly preparing herself for the agony that is going to happen. Angela slowly rakes her tongue over the wound, cleaning some dirt and blood from it. Ivy flinches at the searing pain going to her as the cat continues. Ullr pops his head from behind her mother. "Alright Ullr, I want you to spread the paste over the wound." Ullr looks at Ivy with sadness before gently patting the paste onto the wound bit by bit. Ivy whimpers as the searing pain intensifies, her body writhing beneath the two felines. After a bit of time they had done everything they could to treat the wound.
Moonlight illuminates the entrance of the den as night falls. The salamander's core is covered in water soaked moss. Ivy slowly moves in pain, her body completely drained of stamina. Angela watches her, her face strained worry and fright. Luna is already sleeping. Ullr slowly crawls aside Ivy. "Are you alright mom?" Ivy lowers her head to look at the little fluff ball. "I'm better my precious little fur ball." Ivy lifts her tail and places it over the kitten. Ullr nods before pawing at Ivy belly. Ivy in turn purrs at his cuteness. Ullr plops his head into her fur and gently starts to suckle. Ivy stares in shock but she giggles letting the kitten have his way. "It must have been hard for him to see me like that," Ivy mutters to herself. "If he can find comfort that way I will leave him be."
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Character info:
Ivy: Now scarred across her left eye. Mana: 2 medium and 5 low-level spells. Lifespan: 4 years and 1 month.
Angela: Now able to actually have physical contact again.
Ullr: traumatized.
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