Chapter 22: Understanding

Rebecka felt a painful itching from her body as it hung suspended in the air in a cocoon of hair and clothing fibers. It was uncomfortable, like the biting of a thousand fire ants, but distant enough to ignore for the time being. Still, it was enough of a distraction that she didn't hear the truck serving as a gate for the wall roar to life before it started to back up. She used her mechanical legs to turn just in time to see a little more than a dozen people with cat ears and bows rush through the gap.

Great. Now they'll shoot me a point blank range, Rebecka thought as she backed her head up a few small steps toward Mokie and the shotgun.

"You must stop fighting the Blade Wielder," the catgirl in the front of the group said as she raised her bow over her head with both hands then dropped to a knee. The rest of the people behind her followed suit. The cat people and elves wore medieval European garb, like the villagers in Heiligvagr, but a few of the humans were dressed in more modern clothing.

"What?" Melee asked, staring dumbfounded at the scene of the archers bowing to a severed head with crab legs.

"Momo momo," Mokie said, which reminded Rebecka his front paw was resting perilously close to the trigger of the shotgun.

"No, Mokie. Back, back up," she urged as she rushed over to him. The fact that he was slightly bigger than her head didn't stop her from using her robot crab legs to shoo him off the gun. Once it was secured she paused to rest her own foreleg near the trigger, the weapon still aimed at the downed magical creature. She looked up at Melee. "You're not gonna try to kill us anymore, right?"

The magical girl glanced at her, then to the bowing people, then to Rebecka's body. She swallowed hard, extended her armsto her side still holding her weapons. First her weapons vanished, then a brief flash of light lit the area around her as she returned to the mismatched armor and clothing she was wearing before she had transformed.

"Please, release Fray. Don't kill them," Melee said.

"Release my body and Aettartangi," Rebecka countered.

"And what of your Standard?"

"I don't know what that means."

Melee pointed to Mokie, who sniffed the pool of blood from Sigyn's tail. "Your animal companion."

Rebecka leaned to the side to see around her own body better. "That's Mokie. He's just, like a mascot but there's nothing magical about him."

"He bested Fray in battle."

Rebecka thought a moment. Maybe her wild theory about Mokie did hold water? If so, that meant she should keep her mouth shut even more. There was no telling when she might need to use that information to her advantage but she was pretty sure now wasn't the right time.

"I don't know what happened. Maybe this guy ran into a tree or something. As far as I know, Mokie's just like a cute little rat with wings that followed us because we had food."

Melee didn't seem to buy it.

"Look, you said you can't kill me unless my Standard dies? I don't have one. Meanwhile, I'm guessing this animal companion of yours is why Aettartangi's attacks didn't kill you. Not that you were fighting seriously to begin with."

"Pardon?"

"I mean, you weren't going all out. You thought there wasn't a point because you're immortal, and that it was the same for us, right?" Rebecka asked.

Melee nodded.

"So, if I shoot this little guy's head clean off, then I figure Aetty over there's gonna kill you for chopping me up. Then, I don't know, it'll fuck off to find the tree we're supposed to kill together. Maybe leave me to wither and die as a head with crab legs. We don't exactly get along," Rebecka explained.

"And if I free," Melee pointed to Rebecka's body, "What's to guarantee that it won't try to kill me?"

"Me."

"What?"

"I figure Aetty kept my head alive for some reason. Maybe it does need me but I don't have to be attached to my body. Either way, feel free to take me hostage if Aettartangi doesn't agree to back down."

Melee pursed her lips as she weighed her options. "You'd let me take you hostage?"

"Yeah, sure. How long can I live as just a head, anyway?"

The archers got to their feet, knocking arrows which they aimed at Melee. The gray haired catgirl in the front spoke, her striped gray tail twitching. "We can't allow you to harm the Blade Wielder. Our lives are already forfeit for having hurt them and their companions."

Rebecka turned. "Whatever you think you owe me, you don't. You're all absolved of your transgressions or whatever."

"Even the Kings of Gullborg can not pardon us," the catgirl replied coolly.

"Fuck that. Fine, whatever," Rebecka skittered back around to look at Melee, careful not to discharge the shotgun in the process, but keeping one leg near the trigger in case she needed to fire it. "They have some shitty life-debt law. I hate it."

"You're sure it won't try to attack?" Melee asked.

"Hey, Aetty. Promise not to kill anyone if this nice lady lets you go," Rebecka said loudly.

I will remove her limbs from her body, devour her flesh and bones, to use her as fuel to destroy these archers and anyone else who stands in my way, Aettartangi hissed back.

"It says it won't attack you," Rebecka replied flatly.

"It's glaring at me."

Rebecka shut her eyes. "Okay, how about this? Aettartangi. I'm going to climb up you and you're going to reattach my head or I'm gonna let this magical girl chop me up. You need my brain for some reason, right?"

You wouldn't, it managed to say.

"Oh, I very much would. This quest can end right here as far as I'm concerned. You can find a new Host, or you can give me back my body," Rebecka countered.

Aettartangi looked down at the ground, away from Rebecka. It's skull didn't convey much feeling but, Rebecka could sense defeat in its pained reply. Fine. I will...reattach your head.

"It's going to let me have my body back. Then, I can keep it from fighting you," Rebecka said.

She had planned to climb up her own body, but instead, Melee picked her up like a stray cat along the way. She sat her atop the metal skull Aettartangi had created.

I can not move my cells. You must get her to release the magic binding me here, Aettartangi said as if it was gritting its teeth, but it hadn't bothered to create a lower jaw so the tone was completely non-verbal.

Rebecka wanted to sigh. "Your magic is keeping it from reattaching me. Archers, shoot me in the head if Aettartangi tries to kill Melee, please. That's an order."

Hesitantly, they aimed their weapons at her head.

"I'd nod at y'all if I could. Melee, please release Aettartangi, now," Rebecka said.

"Fiber Release," she said as she made a fist, then opened it slowly. The threads holding Aettartangi in place relaxed, turning back into hair that fell to the mud as Rebecka's clothing softened.

"Aettartangi, give me back my body or else," she said.

Fine, it said again.

The metal skull she was standing on melted into the robotic legs under her head. All of it sank back down into her body until her neck was under her once again. Her flesh and bones itched as they knit back together until finally she could feel her body in place once more. It felt exhausted and sore. Way worse than when Aettartangi had stopped talking to her. She stretched her arms and flexed her fingers then double checked that her neck was in one piece. It was. The itching sensation subsided as well.

She wasn't about to ask what Aettartangi did with the extra eyes and whatever other parts it had made. She was just thankful to have two legs made of meat again, even if they hurt.

"Thank gods," Rebecka said as she took a deep breath. She put her hands in the air. "I've got control of my body. Aetty feels...annoyed, pissed off, and embarrassed, if that makes sense."

You should let me kill her.

No.

Why not? It asked.

She just kicked your ass and wasn't even trying, Aetty. Not to mention she's immortal unless her flying fox dies. You wanted someone in the party who could use magic, right?

Not one who could kill me, Aettartangi groused.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Rebecka, you've met Aettartangi, the weird robot sword thing living in my body. Would you like to join our quest?"

"Pardon?"

"Will you come with us to save this world?" Rebecka asked. "I think you'd kick ass."

"I just attempted to kill you and you wish for me to join you. Are you out of your mind?" Melee asked.

Rebecka shrugged. "Maybe. Aetty hates the idea of you being on the team, by the way. Which makes me like the idea even more. That could be a problem down the line, but I have a feeling we'll have to fight some magic monsters or something, eventually. You and your skills would come in handy."

"Momo mo mo," Mokie said before drinking from a puddle.

"He doesn't get a vote."

Melee considered the offer then shook her head. "I'm sworn to help the people here. They need me. I can not go against that call. It's physically impossible for a Wandering Witch to do. We face consequences from our magic if we do not render aid to those we've vowed to help."

Rebecka rubbed some of the mud from her chin, thankful that she now had a hand use. "I guess that means they need you more than we do, which, honestly, is something I'm going to take as a good sign."

She walked over to her shotgun, picking it up gently, then slung the strap around her shoulders. The glowing magical creature at her feet began to stir. The light from Fray faded enough for her to see them better as they blinked open three eyes.

Melee rushed to Fray's side. "Fray, are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Not sure what hit me, but I'll make it. Just a little banged up. Nothing like when we fought Honey," they said as they shook their head. Now that the little guy wasn't telling Melee to kill her, Rebecka thought Fray sounded adorable and the combination of bat ears and fox parts was pretty cute.

She was securing her axes back in their holsters when the sound of heavy footsteps hurried down the road. Sigyn stormed up, fully naked, and missing half her tail. Just behind her were Dyr and Rifa, riding in the cart, pulled by Baby way faster than a pony should have been able to move. Rebecka felt the distant itch of magic emanating off the group. She put her hands in the air.

"Fight's over. We've got an understanding."

"An understanding?" Sigyn growled. "I thought you were dead!"

"Lost my head there for a bit but it's all good now."

"Is it?" She growled.

The archers all knelt again with their bows above their heads, which made Sigyn pause then squint her eyes.

"We are terribly sorry, oh great Blade Wielder," the gray haired catgirl said. Rebecka recognized her as the one who had shot her in the heart, then shot at her while she was just a head.

"Y'all need to stay here," Rebecka said.

"We can not. We must go where you go until we have made amends," the catgirl said.

"I really hate that fucking law."

Rebecka thought a moment as she took a deep breathe. There had to be a way to get around so many people suddenly joining the party.

"Listen up, if you shot an arrow and didn't hit any of us you're free to go. I won't count that as an attack," Rebecka shot back.

A little more than half of the archers got to their feet, turned, and ran back through the gate. The remainder of the group was composed of four cat people, an elf, and two humans wearing blue and yellow Mall-Mart polo shirts. It was still too many, but at least it was below a dozen.

"You two in the polo shirts, you can understand me, right?"

They nodded before one of them said, "Melee made everyone magic charms so we could understand one another."

"You know what's going on then, with this shitty law?"

"Thrima told us we'd be killed because we attacked you and your friends," the Mall-Mart employee said.

"Who's Thrima?"

The gray haired catgirl spoke up, "I'm Thrima Blood."

Rebecka pointed to the pair of humans. "These two aren't citizens of Gullborg. They didn't know about your laws or about Aettartangi or anything. They were just trying to defend the place, the same as you. Neither of them should be subject to this particular law because of their ignorance."

"But-"

"If anyone asks their arrows missed," Rebecka said.

The humans looked wary until Thrima nodded. "Their arrows missed."

"Great! You two can leave," Rebecka said.

The two humans got up and ran.

"The rest of you hit us, right?" Rebecka asked.

The cat people and elf nodded solemnly.

I was hoping they'd say they also missed and we could forget this whole thing, Rebecka thought.

They are too frightened to lie, Aettartangi said.

That makes sense and reminds me you and I need to have a serious conversation, Aetty.

"Preferably one with less screaming," Sigyn snorted.