Monastery (Part 7)

Neneke was angry. It was fine when Yennefer brought a man into the monastery, not like they had none here. It was also tolerable when young nuns started to doze off during classes from time to time.

But today the young man went overboard. So Neneke decided to go and reprimand frivolous spirit who didn't even bother to ask her permission to bring this filth inside.

Her footsteps grew seamless and slow when she heard voices from the room. She didn't want to eyes-drop, but knowing what was happening before storming in is rather advantageous in any proper negotiations.

"Shouldn't you rest more?" - asked the young man with a rare caring tone.

"Rest... rest. I will die from all this resting and eating bland porridge with mushrooms. And that bitter drink they feed me? Alan, never fall ill here. It is life-threatening!" - said a young girl in return with a complaining voice. Then she added with some expectation.

"So it is fine to fall ill elsewhere. Noted." - laughed the boy in return. - "But are you really fine?"

"I am. Yennefer let me come. She said I need some fresh air."

"And you came here..." - said Alan with some underlying meaning. After all he was standing near a huge rotting body, not a flower bouquet.

"My mouth is bitter. Do something." - pouted Ciri.

Neneke nearly tripped by the door, hearing that.

'What is this indecency inside the walls of the monastery?'

Just as she was ready to catch the adulterous couple in the act of making out, she heard a reply.

"You will get fat." - said Alan with a laughing tone.

"Tch, you will get fat! I will never get fat!"

"Okay, you will never get fat. But there is too much sugar in there."

"Sugar, mugar... there is no such thing as too much sweetness! Give it to me already. Give me." - Ciri said in a demanding tone that somehow was full of begging and surrender.

"Fine, but only one. Don't come running to me asking for more."

Mother Neneke heard some rustling and strange sound she never heard before.

"Mua! This is the best! I love it, I positively, terribly love it!" - came an exclamation from the girl after several gulping sounds. - "So, what are you doing with this?"

'Are they indulging in alcohol? Those children need some real scolding! You watch me, I, mother Neneke, am coming!"

But just as she was ready to rein hell on the lazy duo, she heard another phrase that made her freeze in place.

"Dissecting. I need to know what is so different about this fiend. During the fight, it used magic and unusual flame. It was very deadly, way more than you will expect from a normal fiend."

"Wow... hey, Alan, not to ruin your mood, but have you asked mother Neneke for permission?"

"Should I? It won't take long and I will clean everything after it's over."

"But... you put it on a dining table." - Ciri squinted her nose cutely. - "And it stinks."

"Well, I can clean the table too. As for the smell, it is sulfur." - explained Alan to the curious girl. She was skimping around the monster with sparkling eyes.

"The fact that it is sulfur doesn't make the smell better." - Ciri complained. - "Hey, can you gift me it's antler? I will hang it at the door of Yennefer room."

"Sure, should I help you nail it?"

"Absolutely preposterous!" - came enraged scream and the door to the dining hall was ruthlessly open with a kick. - "Where and what do you want to nail again?"

A plump woman in her fifties stormed in like a hurricane. Despite her stature, she was very energetic with a certain power to her gaze and actions. But if one needs to say how any resident should behave in front of her using short words... well, the description will be a laconic and direct phrase.

Don't fuck with this nun. And don't fuck the nuns.

All will be fine as long as a person follows those simple rules.

"Mother Neneke, I can explain." - said Alan calmly. His overall serenity and guiltless look only further incensed the old head of the monastery. But she was at the end of a day a nun with exemplary character and benevolent temper.

"Then do so. Why is this... whatever this thing is called, here, on the dining table instead of a cellar?"

"Oh, you have a cellar here?" - asked Alan and already envisioned a sizeable room with many dirty little secrets inside.

"Yes. Clean this up now, Alan. Here. The key. Whatever you want to do with this fiend is your choice, but don't let it disturb the everyday life of the monastery. Questions?"

"How do you know it is a fiend?" - he asked with a smile and noticed a tinge of embarrassment on the old nun's face. This alone satisfied him to no end.

Actually, Alan liked this old woman. She was warm, caring, yet strict. But all in all, she took care of his injury and him these several days and let him stay until it will fully heal. What is more, mother Neneke never tried to lock him up or limited him in any way.

Well, aside from banning him from entering the girl's dorm, that was totally fine with him.

"I have my own ways." - she said while coughing in her hand. - "Remove it from here, young man. And you, young lady, stop wasting your time. Your teacher is waiting for you to attend lessons."

Ciri reluctantly gazed at Alan, then at the body of the fiend, and then again at Alan.

"I understand. I'm going."

Neneke saves herself embarrassment by leaving after talking. She was sure that they will follow her command and didn't make a mistake here.

Ciri stopped at the door, turned around, and ran up to Alan. Before the latter could say a word, she stood on toes and kissed him on the cheek.

When Alan realized what happened pale-haired lass was already nowhere to be seen.

"This girl... really..." - he sighed and stored the fiend in the ring, proceeding to clean the mess around.

The cellar wasn't some nasty place, but a clean room with several barrels of beverage.

"Okay. Let's see what that thing got. Why are you so different." - first Alan removed the hide and cut off single remaining antler. - "Wow. Going deeper, it actually has some crystal veins inlaid in muscles. They are not exactly artificial, but a coagulated liquid. Is it some sort of demonic blood? It is still warm to the touch."

Alan traced the veins through the body and saw that they got thicker in the vicinity of solar plexus.

"Crystal? Not very big, but that thing should be the core of its newly found power. The tissues around the place are slightly burnt and not entirely connected. It seems it was inlaid there using magic, and the process wasn't finished. Did we kill some semi-complete experiment? Someone or something did it. It is not some natural evolution."

Alan looked at the back. Sure enough, where its wings were, the vein pattern grew very thick. The same thing went for the third eye.

But what really caused Alan to feel dread is its brain. It was thoroughly contaminated and in some parts even replaced with the same vein patterns.

"No wonder it had a resemblance of fighting skills. Man, this is tough. Monsters are enough as it is and now some freakish thing going around giving them magic and battle techniques." - Alan took the crystal inside his ring and stored the fiend, before extracting a sample of its greenish-black blood.

'That crystal needs some more investigation. It can't be just a core of mana. Perhaps, through it, the fiend could be controlled. Maybe it even has a connection to find the monster. Well, if it's the latter, then I just painted a splendid mark on my head.'

Still, it all was speculation. Albeit the one that is most probably true.

Alan placed a plate on the floor, made a cut on his hand, and let several drops to fall on the fiend's fluids. He just wanted to see what will happen to his blood.

Suddenly a shock wave of power spread out, two different liquids mixed together in explosive chemical reaction and explosion threw Alan away. He slammed at the wall and coughed, looking at the result in bewilderment.

"Great, now I made a hole in the floor. Neneke will eat me alive." - he grumbled, stood up, and approached it. - "Well... you just look at that. I found the best ingredient for weapon oil there is to use against those freaks."

He looked at his stomach and sighed.

It bled again.