Gratitude

The woman laid out on the grass was like no one Liri had ever seen.

She had a pair of long, curving grey horns on her head, pale skin, black-colored lips, and large black wings with no feathers under her body. Stretching far past her legs was a lizard-like black tail as well. Besides that, she had wild black hair and a toned, strong-looking body.

As Liri's eyes roamed over her figure, she could feel her curiosity boiling.

[Who, or what, is she?]

Further inspection revealed that she'd been slashed in her abdomen and that all this time that Liri had spent gawking at her was time she'd spent casually bleeding out.

[Wait, wait, crap!]

Liri knelt down next to her and quickly placed a hand over her chest, searching for her pulse.

[She's still alive!]

She then went to put her hands over the woman's wound to heal it away with Nature's Blessing, but before she could, the woman, who had looked unconscious earlier, reached out and grabbed her.

Liri froze. The woman's grip was tight, though it weakened almost instantly.

Her eyes opened, showing off azure-colored irises.

"D-Do not…" The girl said before coughing up blood. "I…"

"Don't talk," Liri told her softly, putting on what she hoped was a comforting smile. "I can help."

The woman stared at her for just a second and then let go of her, allowing her head to fall back against the grass, and Liri muttered: "Liz ner marin."

Soon, her hands began to glow white. However, the aura she gave off was a lot brighter than it normally was. Liri tilted her head.

[Is... Is this because I spent that time charging up my energy?]

The result was that her healing Mantra was a lot stronger than Liri remembered it being. The wound on this woman slowly healed itself, fading away with just a thin layer of blood over her abdomen as a reminder that it was even there, to begin with.

With the wound closed, and the woman still breathing, Liri gave a sigh of relief and wiped some sweat off her own forehead.

[That was close,] she thought, smiling down at the stranger she'd helped. [Now… How the hell did you end up here?]

She needed to wait for the woman to regain consciousness before she could ask her anything, though. So, Liri lifted the woman's head up, placed it in her lap to let the woman rest on something marginally more comfortable than dirt, and waited.

Her eyes roamed over the woman's body again now that she wasn't dying right in front of her. This allowed Liri to notice that…

Well, she was hot. Really hot.

Liri had already noticed her strong arms, but now, with that slash healed up, she could see that her abs were sculpted. She had an actual 8-pack. It was Liri's first time seeing one of those, in this world or in the previous one. Her legs were long and thick, making Liir wonder what this lady looked like standing up.

[How tall is she?]

Her hands and feet were different from the rest of her body, though. much more animalistic with long, claw-bearing fingers and toes.

As her eyes remained stuck to the woman's body for just a little too long, Liri realized something, tearing them away.

[… Shit,] Liri thought, as she felt herself start blushing. [I'm so pent up.]

It had taken being in this woman's presence for Liri to realize just how horny she actually was. Even now, she had to resist the urge to get up and go take care of herself behind a bush or something, before the woman woke up.

Unfortunately, she did before Liri could build up the courage to do so.

Her eyes opened.

Those azure irises met Liri's again and the woman inhaled sharply.

She sat up, looking down at herself. The look of confusion on her face let Liri know she was probably wondering:

1. Why she wasn't dead.

And:

2. Why her wound had healed.

She turned back toward Liri with disbelieving eyes.

"Are you," the woman coughed. Her voice sounded strained. She then tried again and asked, "are you an angel?"

Liri blinked.

After a short moment of silence, she burst out laughing. A genuine smile appeared on Liri's face as she shook her head.

"No, no, I… I'm not."

The woman arched a brow.

"But how did you…?" She pointed down at where her wound was and pointed back at Liri.

"I used a Mantra," Liri replied.

"A what?"

As the woman countered with that question, Liri realized something important.

Maybe, the magic she'd come to love back at Elmira wasn't common amongst the other races of this world. The humans who had attacked her village, after all, hadn't used any such thing. All they used were guns and tanks. It was something she hadn't truly considered, as she'd expected all of Enverna to be reminiscent of some fantasy game.

"Magic," Liri stated, hoping that would provide a good enough explanation. "I used magic."

For some reason, the woman looked insulted.

"Truly?" She asked, turning away. "To think I would… Agh!" She punched the ground next to her. Liri flinched, having not expected that sort of outburst. "I am pathetic."

[I... What's going on here?]

She began standing up and so Liri did the same. The instant they were both on their feet, Liri's suspicions were confirmed.

This woman was built like a Greek goddess in the flesh. Or, maybe an ancient Christian devil.

Standing at 7, maybe 8 feet tall, her frame alone was so imposing that Liri decided that, maybe, she should take a step back, just in case.

Liri's head just barely reached the woman's midsection. She felt so tiny.

The lady looked up and down Liri's body, her gaze making Liri's face feel even hotter.

"Um…" Liri muttered, wondering what the hell she should say right now. Thankfully, the other woman spoke first.

"Thank you," she said, with a voice that was starting to lose its rough edge but maintained some deepness to it. "You say you are no angel but you may as well have been one. I would be dead right now, were it not for you."

"You're welcome," Liri replied. "It was the least I could do… I mean, you were hurt pretty bad. What happened?"

"It is shameful to even recall," the woman spitefully muttered. "I… I was hunting something. A type of creature that lives in these woods. Needless to say, our fight did not go too well for me."

Liri had never been too good at dealing with other people, but even she could sense how this woman was beating herself up over it.

"Well, don't worry," Liri said, with a bright smile. "You live and learn. Maybe next time you'll get it."

Upon hearing that, the woman's expression softened, and she turned back toward Liri.

"I'm only able to live and learn now thanks to you, though. Thank you, again."

"No, no, seriously, it was no problem," Liri replied. "I was happy to-"

The woman got on one knee.

[Eh?]

"I would like to pay you back," the woman said before Liri could finish.

"What?"

"For saving me," she said. "I would like to pay you back."

"I… That's not…"

Liri wanted to reject that, but, a thought quickly slipped into her mind.

She had very little in the form of food and water. Not just that, but if she was going to get her revenge on the people who'd taken down Elmira, she would need directions.

Maybe this was a good first step toward that end.

"Sure," Liri replied. "Um, what do you want to do?"

At that question, the woman smiled warmly.

"I wish to marry you."

"…"

[…]

Liri blinked twice.

"What?"