34 Thorn of Sweet Flora

(Trigger warning: mentions of child abuse. Not glorified at all.)

(Trigger warning: tentacles. It's intrinsic to the plot, you will believe me.)

"Alright... talk to Thorn and see about enlisting, then get back to greet my dad. I still can't believe..." Hina shook her head. It was, of course, surprising... her dad had so quickly asked, even begged to be reincarnated here, and Aerendyl agreed without question, so long as he swore loyalty to Aerendyl- with the stipulation that should Hina and Aerendyl ever cross blades, he was freed. A... genuinely surprising twist, and Hina would love to call it a nice one- it likely would be, soon... she was just still reeling, in a sense, hard to sort out her thoughts.

"Talk to Thorn in the forest district, and see about enlisting..." Hina sighed, distracted, wandering aimlessly through the said area, where miles of trees spread in every direction but down, in some places with bridges hung at random heights in the air over her head. A messy, tangled expanse in which a golem lurked, preying on those who needed it... but Hina, she held the strength to take angels head on. She didn't need help to live, so how would she find this woman? Only one idea that felt remotely intelligent came to mind... and so she pressed on, ignoring the harpies and humans and Beastmen and demons and everything in between... pressing on until the trees became denser and the houses became less. Here, the sunlight struggled to enter the air, and the area was bathed as if in the very beginnings of the morning dawn, even Hina's eyes somewhat inadequate... and here, she called softly, so as not to disturb the peace of the atmosphere.

"Hello? I am the elder sister of a child you saved, and she's told me... can you hear me?" Hina could sense something nearby, watching her, but she couldn't pinpoint it... it was everywhere and nowhere, as if the forest itself now breathed down Hina's neck. For certain, it didn't feel like the Mirian capitol- or anywhere in the nation, truthfully. There was, for a moment, no answer, but just before Hina could begin to speak again, she heard an eerie, omniscient murmur.

"I have found many, who wander into my home... some are scared, and some are hopeful. Some know of me, but some are only lost... then there are children. I find them abandoned... by family, or worse, left for dead... but you... you hold the strength to end a very minor god, you could face the god arch's troops and walk away... so are you friend, or are you foe...?" Until the end and after, Hina could not for the life of her manage to pinpoint where the voice came from, but it was nearby, certainly.

"I would like to be friend," Hina uttered in the same tone as before. "You saved a girl who is as sister to me, and now that I know what you can do, I want to ask whether I may enlist your help. Become friends, in case I need any favors down the line- and vice versa, naturally, should the chance arise." Hina kept quiet about her other idea, though. It had been quite some time since she exercised the ability, but... Hero Skill: Transformation, to take on the likeness and abilities of another, toned to your own level of power. Only condition being that Hina had to somehow touch her intended collection to borrow their form later on.

"Is that a fact? I have saved many children, but only one left afterward, so I know the one... this makes you Hina, does it... not...? The slayer of knights, the hero of Lop, the shining blade, the... slightly too sexy angel, she said...?" Hina paused, nodding.

"Er... that aside, your name was..."

"Thorn, is my name..." The voice was becoming more solid, and in another moment, a figure seemed to rise and form like a spongy bunch of moss from the ground, taking a definite shape; a woman garbed in flowy green clothing, some sort of tiered, knee-length dress. Skin colored a delicate shade of green like the shoot of a young tree, she possessed startlingly pretty gray-blue eyes, and three roses- one yellow, one blue and one red, at her hair, shoulder and chest respectively. "I am Thorn, and you, you are the elder sister of a child I saved..." There was a pause, as if Thorn were thinking, or maybe just slightly brain dead. Wary, Hina kept one eye on the ground so to speak, just in case.

"You have come," Thorn continued, "-to enlist my help...? To call on me in your time of need, should that need arise. Then... what would you expect of me?"

"To protect the lives that need saved, and not the ones which don't." Hina spoke levelly, still cautiously glancing about because of the dim forest view.

"How do you define those who don't deserve saving?" Thorn angled her head innocently. "How do I know... this isn't a ploy, just meant to use a long abandoned tool...?"

"I define those who don't deserve saving as, people who murder, abuse and rape indiscriminately, people who do nothing but cause others pain. In some regards, a petty bandit may be worth saving, but there are always some who do not, and obviously so."

"This sounds... a fair assessment, to me. However, you have been here long enough, Hina, and... now, I know you. Would you not rather quit...?"

"Quit?" Hina stepped back, confused and suddenly more wary, but still nothing at all changed in the earth around her.

"Quit, yes... you, Hina, you know pain. Your mother... cut your face open, as a child. Broke your leg, hurt you, maimed your spirit... she tried to murder you, again, and again... until blood flowed as heavily as your tears... then worse, and faster... yet, you came here, to this other world, because through... hell, you would not break. Because your spirit was... strong enough to be given a second chance... not for the usual reason... while some burn hot with their desire to prove something... you burned with the desire not to fall, and die... Worry not- there is no trap, only talk."

"Shut the hell up," Hina snarled, suddenly, remembering the feeling of her nails in his face, of hot blood running down his face in the dark, of sniveling and crying himself to sleep because he could no longer keep his eyes open, afraid even then that he may not wake up in the morning. Years of that hell... "You can't imagine what-"

"No, Hina, I can't imagine what that does to a person, the weight... of your soul... all I know is that to an extent, you must, sometimes, feel... broken... like it would be easier to leave this world behind, is this not true...? You come to this world... you come here, and you nearly die in the cold... imagine if Emily hadn't saved you... in your words... 'what kind of sick joke is this'..." There was a pause in which the two women stared each other down, Hina's eyes cold and suddenly half dead, Thorn's soft, benevolent.

"So you ran, Hina..." Her voice gathered a bit of strength, boldness. "You had to run or die... you saw men attempt to rape, to pillage, you watched lives crumble away in the name... of purity, right...? Of justice, righteousness... supremacy, and nationalism, much like some areas where you're from... You fought... you were dying, and could only be freed by committing a slaughter yourself... and even then, what does freedom mean, when offered by somebody with an agenda...? A slave, to fate and to destiny... wouldn't you rather give up?"

"Hell no," Hina once again spoke viciously, practically baring her fangs.

"You are defensive... so, Hina, I will offer you a deal. If you wish to recruit me as your ally... submit to me and my methods. You see... my nectars leave a person, exactly as they want to be, as they will be happiest... if giving up is not what you want, if you would not rather take an anonymous form and run... you will come out exactly as you are. If you would, truly, rather give up... your business as a Summoned Hero can end here, now. I offer... the freedom to choose, with a yes, or a no." Her words carried weight, but no force- there was, even now, no trap about to be sprung- yet it was an offer, and a genuine one. "You could be human, or something else... simple, normal, and free- of all your responsibilities... with such power."

"My ally, if I..."

"Yes. Submit to me in a sexual sense, and when it is done... if you can still look me in my eyes, and ask me... to become your ally in your fight, then you may rest assured that... when you need me, I will be there. Unfortunately... this will be the only way to provoke a reaction in somebody with such strong... genetics as yourself. Drinking the nectar works only for humans, in my experience... and you're a different breed altogether."

"Sounds like an excuse to get rough with me..." Hina frowned, but nodded. "If that's what it takes to get you on my side, then I'll accept- as, um, weird a method it is, admittedly."

"Good. I have no wish to force anything on you, though... so, remove your clothes yourself, lest they get damaged." Thorn nodded, stepping back and peering expectantly as a frustrated heat crept into Hina's cheeks. This entire scenario was odd and perverse... but, if it was for such a strong ally and, in theory, borrowed abilities of her own, then it was worth it. Taking a seat on a stump that Hina was fairly certain hadn't been there before, she slipped her boots off, then her stockings, biting down a shuddering groan as her skin was allowed to breathe and the soles of her feet squished against the dirt. Standing then, she undid her belt, tossing it aside to lay with the other fabric.

"Can't believe I..." She trailed off, though. This was, generally speaking, a very easy solution in essence. Shaking off her hesitation and trying to ignore Thorn's curious, borderline innocent gaze, she pushed at the waistband of her shorts so that they hit the ground, hesitating for a moment with her thumbs in her waistband before sending them too. With a soft breeze brushing against all the wrong places, and Thorn only smiling pleasantly like some kind of office receptionist there to make a phone call and answer a few more, Hina gritted her teeth, shrugged her top off and sent her bra to the ground last, leaving her absolutely naked.

"Now, come here," Thorn beckoned, and Hina listened, coming to a stop abruptly when the golem raised a hand.

"This is your final warning... if this isn't what you want, this life... you will not come out of this as the same person. You will be happy, prepared to live the life of your dreams, but nonetheless... you are about to be faced with what could... change your life, body and even soul. Do... you... consent? Answer only if you truly, deeply mean it."

"Yes," Hina spoke as levelly as she could, nodding.

"Good. Then go, and be alone with your thoughts- it is not my place to watch such a thing happen to you." Nodding, Thorn turned, and Hina, confused, did not have long to wonder before something wrapped around her waist- a heavy vine- and gently pulled her down onto her ass. The badger girl yelped as she looked down- the petals of what looked like a massive flower were rising from the dirt as the vine around her waist held her in place, one sliding up between her legs, three at either side of her, two cradling her neck and one under her head.

"What...??"

"This is a private affair, and it is no business of mine... to stare, is it...?" Thorn smiled gently as the petals rose, starting to wrap around Hina's naked form, to pull her downward. "Go, and come out at peace when you have reached it." The last thing she offered was another serene smile, pure, wanting nothing but to do good... and then Hina's sight went dark as she was guided down, into the earth.

---

The inside was... not unpleasant. Hina found herself lying in a roughly spherical room walled with what was indiscernible from soft, spongy moss, and in the ceiling of this room was a small bud like a rose that gave off a warm, soothing orange ambiance. For now, Hina was alone, but she knew this couldn't last long, not like this... so she didn't waste time with some pointless attempt at escape, just looked around and thought, observing the space, letting her mind wander. Just before, she'd remembered her mother, thanks to the golem... nails cutting into her, Hina's, face, the sting of blood rising to the surface... what did she want there?

"I want her dead," Hina murmured, aware that her thoughts were being coaxed out but that it was true nonetheless as something like a tentacle gripped her right ankle; thick, a muted color indistinguishable from gray, red or violet in this lighting, pulling her foot against the moss... and into it. Deciding to trust, though, the badger girl didn't resist as her other foot received the same treatment, her body being guided further, until the moss rose to her knees, then lower thigh, where it stopped. Inside, the texture seemed to pulse and throb like a flower's stalk come alive, but it wasn't frightening, somehow. Still, she did try to sit up- and, surprisingly, succeed as something brushed against her inner thigh from underneath. The thought resurfaced, again, but not in time for Hina to think of any sort of answer before she was pressed against, gasping softly as the first tentacle pushed against her slit and into her, starting to move without pause or hesitation, leaving the badger girl with her eyes widening and then fluttering closed. There was something slick under her legs and her ass, but it didn't seem to be rising at all... just lighting her skin on metaphorical fire, tearing a moan from Hina's lips as the tentacle- vine?- inside her sped up, punching deeply into her... and as a second began to press against her ass.

"D-Damnit, wait-" She hesitated for all of a moment, raising her arms and trying to look behind her for some reason as another one of them gripped her tail, eliciting something halfway between yelp and moan. Before she could make another move or even try, she was being pushed into a second time, both tentacles starting to settle into a rapid rhythm, whatever that slick stuff was- nectar, did Thorn say?- filling her like some sort of disgustingly slimy lubricant. Disgusting or not, though, she was already rocking her hips downward and panting, not even noticing immediately as she fell, unaware until she was well and comfortably on her back in the bed of comfortable moss and slick nectar.

"H-Ha-" Thinking to bend her legs, Hina found herself as unable as she should have expected, only giving the moss leverage to yank her closer, for the tentacles to push deeper. "Mng!!" She shuddered, and though the dark thoughts tried to resurface, they began to fade just as quickly, giving way to bliss as Hina rolled her hips against the slimy vines. It felt good, almost too good- definitely too good- stop-!... with a shuddering, quaking moan, she came, squirming her hips to no avail as the tentacles slowed but didn't stop. A second was slowly looping around her waist now, and one around each of what little remained exposed of her thighs. With this, the lower half of her body sat almost entirely covered, and as two more rose to wrap through from her hips to waist and around her thighs, she realized she liked the feeling, starting to rock her hips against the tendrils violating her again.

"N-Ng... I want..." What, what do you want. What do you want, Hina... it isn't murder or death to those who have wronged you... so look. Wouldn't you rather just take the form of some unassuming human girl, run off and live in some city...? Become a baker, or a messenger~? "I w-want... don't know~" Hina stammered against her unconscious, grinding her hips forward.

Then think.

Two more tentacles rose, seeming to open, a bit like the heads of flowers in their own right... and they latched onto her breasts, tugging softly and kneading a bit less softly as if to milk the summoned hero, though of course this would be fruitless. Nonetheless they tried, putting the badger girl through more abuse still as she squirmed slightly, panting, her body hot enough that it might as well have been on fire at this point, yet still, no free will and nothing that she could do save for squirm, helpless when even more slowly wrapped around her arms... it was practically a full-body bind, though at least she could see, this thought prevailed as Hina shuddered, wiggling her hips downward like it was an attempt to escape, climaxing forcefully again.

What do you want...

An odd question posed at an inopportune time, granted what was happening to her body, but Hina found, strangely, that a time such as this, her body arching and fruitlessly resisting as her tongue, too, was introduced and well acquainted with one of the tentacles, was- hot, hot, hot... her body on fire... she could melt, here, and be reborn... the tale of the phoenix... anything... but she didn't want revenge... she just... wanted... peace... and the feeling in her waist, building again... she just wanted... peace... and quiet... and so, as the badger girl, the summoned hero, the fell hero, came again, and as the strange, alien vines inside and all over her body did exactly the same... she got exactly what she wished for, more than anything in her heart of hearts- she shut the world out, and faded to black.

---

"I must admit that this isn't what I expected." Thorn was kneeling, softly cupping a naked Hina's chin. Her body felt fine, not what you'd expect after such a brutalization, and she was resting in the soft grass. Far above, an evening sky still warmed her skin... and the many layers of fluids all over her. "Yet... it is what you wished for, and so, Hina, have you any questions for me?"

There was, for a moment, silence as the badger girl looked down at herself, a yawn on her lips... she looked just the same as she had before, excluding the grime and slimy cum. Blinking heavily, needing rest, Hina sat up, slowly, nodding. There was no pain, just fatigue.

"I want you to become my ally, Thorn... nothing has changed."

"No, something has." The Golem smiled sweetly, then added when Hina seemed alarmed for a moment; "You look just the same, but the look in your eyes is bliss. Your mind is healed of its wounds, grievous in nature, but... no longer."

"What...?"

"Hina... you have been through enough to cripple most... It wounded your mind... your wish was to have a healthy mind, again, to think and function normally... Yet you are the same person, only a shattered number of pieces, mended, into a whole again. It is not the wish I suspected... you'd hold, but it is a respectable one, and so... you may count me as your ally. If you'd like to follow me, there is a stream nearby, where you can bathe... I am sure that now it is a bit more understandable, my telling you to strip on your, own before beginning."

"Yes, definitely..." The Summoned Hero yawned, slowly getting to her feet. She felt the same, as said... just strong, rested, ready to tackle the day. Already diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder on Earth, her only wish was to... be mentally healed? To let to of the past and live freely of such shackles, was that it? If so, she'd definitely gotten that wish, at least as far as one could tell by the easy bliss in her mind now- but what a wish, for her to not realize what it was even when the pleasure knocked her unconscious. Only to be healthy, to have a whole mind in one piece again... it was a nice wish, Hina thought with a self-derisive smirk.

"Did you have fun?" Thorn seemed innocently curious, now, a soft smile on her face as she guided Hina toward a babbling little brook, then stood by. Sighing quietly, she, Hina, just stepped toward the water.

"I don't remember, but I know I feel a lot better now, I do." Truly, her mind felt only clear, bringing to mind the image of a small drop of water falling slowly into a pond below from the branches of that lonely oak at the lake shore.