//------------------------------// // 944 - Feeling Half-Dead // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// “How’s Branwen?” The question left Solvei’s mouth before Agapay had fully entered the room – one of the many rooms within the “extradimensional mansion,” as Carnelia had called it, that Lex had conjured before he’d left – causing the angel to pause in mid-stride before smiling, seemingly touched by what must have sounded to her like a show of concern. “She’s resting.” “But?” Solvei practically barked the question, finding no relief at Agapay’s answer. It had been stress, rather than compassion, that had driven her to ask about the vilderavn. Successive attacks by Burly Brawl, a team of elves, and then that Gwyn-something woman, had left her nerves frayed. That it had all happened right outside her village, the place where she had – as Akna – grown up, had only made things worse. It hadn’t even occurred to her until the fighting had ended that the tension and chaos in the air had been just like when the yetis had attacked. Of course, unlike the tragedy from back then, Lex had shown up and saved the day...with a collection of beautiful girls tagging along after him, all of whom were his new lovers. That they weren’t soul-bound to him hadn’t lessened how shocked – or how upset – Solvei felt about that. She knew she had no right to feel betrayed, that she and Nenet were the ones butting into his relationship with Thermal Draft, to say nothing of the mares he cherished back on Equestria and still didn’t know if they were alive or dead. But that didn’t change how she’d felt upon learning that her master’s reaction to finally consummating the love they shared had been not only to run away, but to go find a bunch of other girls to be with. Regardless of whether or not he had a lack of “yin ki,” that had hurt. The only thing which had made her feel better was that Lex had at least returned from his self-imposed exile, and they’d finally be able to talk about how their relationship had changed. Only for him to announce that he had to leave. Again. But I’m sure it’ll be fine, snarled Solvei inwardly, chewing on her lip. It’s not like his goddess’s home is a dangerous place or anything. Why shouldn’t he go there completely on his own, even after everything we’ve been through together? Maybe he’ll be able to pick up a few more sluts on the way back! “...Solvei?” Mei Li’s voice, and the touch of her hand on her arm, made Solvei blink, realizing that she hadn’t been paying attention. Unclenching the fists that she’d unintentionally made, she squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm down. “Forgive me,” murmured Mei Li, removing her hand from the adlet’s arm. “I would have called you ‘Elder Sister,’ but you instructed me to refer to you by your given name.” The serious way that she was apologizing for something so inane was ridiculous enough that Solvei couldn’t help but snicker, her tension lessening as she gave the vixen a warm look, recalling how close she’d felt to her and Nenet both when they’d supported her from afar during her fight with Burly Brawl. Even if Mei Li had only been part of their group for a few days longer than those other girls, the vixen was her comrade in a way that they weren’t. All of a sudden the difference between wives and concubines seemed a lot more important. “It’s alright,” Solvei murmured, giving the kumiho a grateful look. “Really.” When Mei Li smiled and gave her a deferential nod, Solvei turned back to the chasmalim, aware that the angel had said something which she’d missed, lost in her own thoughts. “I’m sorry, Agapay. What did you say?” The angel gave her a conciliatory smile, but it faded a moment later as she sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Branwen’s condition is stable. She’s not in any danger of dying, but she’s incredibly weak right now...and I don’t know if she’s going to improve.” A sick feeling crept over Solvei then, thoughts of Silla running through her mind. She might have resented Lex’s new bedwarmers, but permanent injury wasn’t something she’d wish on anyone, especially a warrior like Branwen. Particularly when the vilderavn had laid down her life to keep Gwyn-whatever from kidnapping them. “What does that mean?” Agapay lifted her hands in a helpless gesture. “What Lex did...it was incredible. He actually brought back someone whose soul was destroyed, putting a piece of it back inside her body.” Dropping her arms back to her sides, she sighed again. “But it’s just a piece, and a small one at that. It might regrow over time, a little, but...” The way she let that sentence trail off made it clear how likely she thought that was. Solvei’s ears flattened against her head, and she let out another slow breath. “And Nenet?” This time Agapay’s smile had a gentler cast to it. “See for yourself,” she murmured, cracking open the door behind her. The room inside was lavish by any definition, being spacious enough that even the massive four-poster bed looked small by comparison, an island set in a sea of lush carpeting and richly paneled walls. With velvet covers drawn up to her collarbone, and her head resting on silken pillows, Branwen’s eyes were closed, the rising and falling of her chest beneath the blankets the only proof that she was no longer the corpse Dima had beautified. Having changed back into her human form, Nenet was also sleeping under the covers, lying next to Branwen. From her vantage point, Solvei could just make out that she was holding Branwen’s hand in her own, their fingers interlaced. “She wanted to be there so that Branwen would see her when she wakes up,” explained Agapay softly, “that way she’d know that she wasn’t alone anymore.” That was enough to bring a smile to Solvei’s face. “That’s so-” “-inappropriate,” murmured Mei Li, frowning. Barely noticing Agapay’s saddened look, Solvei gave the kumiho a surprised glance. “Huh?” Mei Li’s scowl was unforgiving. “It’s shameful for a wife to share a bed with her husband’s concubine when he’s not present. Such a thing is an insult to his masculine pride.” Solvei’s eyebrows went up, not sure what to say to that. The way Lex’s new playthings flaunted their sexuality made her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t see any way that Nenet’s actions were an insult to Lex’s pride as a stallion, and she felt fairly sure that he would have agreed. Certainly, Agapay seemed to. “Nenet’s actions aren’t motivated by any sort of prurience. She sees a kindred spirit in Branwen, and that moves her. That she wishes to ease her pain is a beautiful thing.” Mei Li’s response was to give the angel a cold look. “I’ve already had to scold you once today for not knowing your place. Do I need to report your continued impertinence to my husband?” Agapay’s eyes widened, taken aback at the rebuke, but Solvei jumped in before things could escalate. “Agapay, when Sanguine Disposition sent us to that maze, you tried to resurrect Branwen,” she noted, pulling the bedroom door shut, something which caused a disapproving expression to flicker across Mei Li’s face before the vixen resumed her usual placid expression. “If you have the power to bring the dead back to life, at least under normal circumstances, then shouldn’t you be able to help Branwen’s soul recover now that Lex revived her?” The angel shook her head, causing her cascade of silvery tresses to sway. “I can’t. I know a lot of healing spells, but when it comes to souls, my specialty is soothing them, not repairing them. And even if I could...I’m not sure that would be a good idea.” Solvei had to pause to make sure she’d heard her correctly. First Mei Li, and now Agapay? Why was everyone suddenly being so judgmental? “Repairing the damage to Branwen’s soul isn’t a good idea?” “Ah, no, that’s not what I meant!” blurted the angel. “It’s just that I’m worried that healing magic of any kind would interact badly with her condition!” Solvei shared a blank look with Mei Li then, the vixen shaking her head to indicate that she didn’t know what Agapay meant either. “What ‘condition’ is that?” An uncomfortable look crossed Agapay’s face, and she fidgeted for a moment before seeming to make up her mind. “I don’t want to violate Branwen’s privacy, but I don’t know if anyone else here has healing magic, and if someone uses it on her in her current state, they might kill her a second time...” “Perhaps you should explain yourself more clearly,” murmured Mei Li. Several seconds passed as Agapay collected her thoughts. “I don’t understand it myself,” she said at last, “but Branwen is, somehow, alive and undead at the same time.” Solvei could feel her stress from a few minutes prior coming back in force. “What?” Mei Li seemed equally nonplussed, her expression changing from placid to blank. “What?” “I know how it sounds, but it’s the truth. Right now, she’s undeniably alive; I confirmed that with my magic. But at the same time, she doesn’t have any positive energy in her body, only negative.” Mei Li was the first to recover. “If she has become an abomination, then we must dispose of her at once!” Solvei fought down a shudder, remembering the stories that Thermal Draft had told her about the legion of flesh-eating monsters that had destroyed her hometown. “Let her finish, Mei Li.” “But Elder Sister Nenet-” “I said let her finish!” snapped Solvei, her patience fraying. But to her surprise, and mild relief, Mei Li didn’t argue with her, instead backing down immediately, her nine tails lowering as she bowed her head. Thankful at not getting into another argument, Solvei gestured to Agapay. Clearing her throat, the chasmalim continued. “I don’t believe that Branwen is a danger to anyone. From what I can tell, she’s been like this for a long time. I’m pretty sure that the reason her left half looks...the way it does, is because of whatever did this to her.” “So what do we do?” “We make absolutely certain that no one tries to use any healing magic on her, for one thing.” Agapay nodded back toward the closed door. “Healing spells work by directing positive energy into a person’s body, bolstering the amount that’s already within them, which mends wounds and treats injuries as a result. But for Branwen, it would negate the death energy that’s somehow keeping her alive, and with how the remaining piece of her soul only has a tenuous connection to her body, she’d never survive that.” Solvei rubbed her forehead. “I’ve got to sit down,” she muttered, staggering over to a large, cushioned chair and sinking into it. The room they were in now was called – again, according to Carnelia – a “foyer,” which was itself part of a “suite,” one of quite a few that this place apparently had. Mei Li had been quite impressed, offering numerous approving comments on their husband’s ability to create such a magnificent dwelling, but to Solvei it just seemed uncomfortably reminiscent of Sanguine Disposition’s estate, being a maze of rooms that had no windows and were completely cut off from each other by walls that reached all the way to the ceiling, unlike how adlets built their homes. All of the others, however, had joined Mei Li in oohing and aahing over Lex’s creation, delighted by the various amenities it offered. There had been a huge dining hall with all sorts of food prepared, with Yamini and Sirrush falling on it immediately (and just as quickly complaining about the food having no meat or alcohol). Dima had found what had looked to Solvei like some sort of indoor lake – Carnelia had called it a “swimming pool” – and had set herself up there, while Spice had claimed another of the large bedrooms for herself, saying that she was going to summon Sugar to “see if the bed holds up” and asking if anyone had wanted to join in. No one had said yes. Carnelia, for her part, had stayed by Solvei’s side, explaining that with Lex gone, she was at Solvei’s disposal until he returned. Mei Li had seemed quite pleased by that, but Solvei had been less enthusiastic, finding the brachina’s combination of slutty dress and formal attitude disconcerting. In the end, she’d sent the devil away, giving her the cache of magic items that Lex had turned over to her. He might have wanted Nenet to look at them and figure out how to use them – apparently, he’d only examined them enough to determine that they weren’t trapped before rushing off to go see the Night Mare – but in Solvei’s estimation, the sphinx had enough to worry about at the moment, and if cataloging those knickknacks kept Carnelia out of her hair, so much the better. Nor had the donkey that Lex had brought back – Long Road, he’d introduced himself as – joined them in the mansion. Solvei had made sure to invite him, but he had politely – if rather stiffly – turned her down, instead taking it upon himself to start repairing the altogether minor damage that her village had suffered during Burly’s rampage. It had been surprising, given how world-weary he’d looked; Long Road carried himself like someone who hadn’t slept in days, yet he’d been firm in not wanting to join them. Though, given how his eyes had narrowed ever so slightly when he’d looked at Lex’s concubines, Solvei guessed that there was more to his refusal than a need to work. At least someone doesn’t have a thing for girls who’re easy, she sighed inwardly, knowing that was petty and yet unable to help herself. After everything that had happened, she felt as tired as Long Road looked, and she decided that once they were done talking about Branwen she was going to go find somewhere to curl up and sleep, confining rooms or no. “What about your resurrection spell?” she asked at last. “The one you used when you tried to bring Branwen back in that maze? That was a healing spell, right? It closed her body’s wounds.” “That was what clued me in to something being wrong,” admitted Agapay. “I used the spell mostly for Nenet’s sake, since Gwynharwyf had already announced that her scimitars were truedeath weapons. But when I did, the part of the spell that infuses the body with positive energy was repulsed, creating a backlash that filled it with negative energy instead. That’s what closed-” She was interrupted by a knock at the door. An awkward pause fell as both Agapay and Mei Li looked at Solvei, who stared back at them confusedly for a moment before realizing they were waiting for her to decide whether or not to send whoever it was away. When did I become the one who’s in charge of everything while Lex is gone? she groused to herself. “Come in.” “Pardon me,” replied Carnelia as she walked inside, holding a large crystal ball in her hands. “I’ve finished deciphering the first of the magic items that His Highness left you, and wanted to let you know.” Managing a polite smile, Solvei waved at a small table on the other side of the foyer. “That’s great, Carnelia. Just leave it over there.” “As you wish,” answered the devil politely, sashaying across the room in a manner that would have given Toklo a heart attack. Rolling her eyes at the exaggerated sway of Carnelia’s hips, it was only when the devil was halfway to her destination that the obvious question occurred to Solvei. “What does that thing do, anyway?” “It’s a scrying device,” answered Carnelia, her voice flat and even despite how the rest of her was jiggling. “One designed for long-range two-way communication, as well as-” She didn’t have a chance to finish as Mei Li suddenly stiffened, then lunged forward, snatching the crystal ball out of Carnelia’s hands. Carnelia paused at that, and Agapay blinked, both looking as nonplussed as Solvei felt at the sudden break in the kumiho’s usual calm. “Mei Li?” “Forgive me, Elder Sister,” panted Mei Li, forgetting to call Solvei by her given name as she stared at the crystal ball intently, trembling slightly. “But if Carnelia is correct, then...!” She didn’t finish, instead biting her lip as she stared into the pale orb, her tails waving agitatedly as she bit her lip. A moment later, the crystal ball began to glow... After a few seconds, the light from inside of it faded, revealing a garden, in the center of which sat a raven-haired beauty that looked a lot like Mei Li, except older and with fewer tails. The sight drew a cry of happiness from Mei Li’s throat. “Aunt Yuyan!” And in the crystal ball, the six-tailed vixen’s eyes widened as she turned and made eye contact with Lex’s third wife. “Mei Li?!”