I'm a Catgirl (Ch 23) (Patreon)

After ensuring the other thugs can’t try anything- aka, beating them unconscious- the guards check the bodies while the one who seems to be the captain of the patrol approaches me.

"Are you alright, Miss?" His concerned voice is hesitant, as if I'm fragile.

I'm both offended by his assumption, and proud of my acting skills.

After ensuring that my eyes are red so that it looks like I was crying, I remove my hands to get a proper look at the... captain?

He has an open faced helm, the kind where a strip of metal runs down his face to cover his nose. The top is rounded. He has brown eyes filled with concern, but I brush that aside for now as I take in his outfit.

Obviously it's... not the same as the guard at the gate? The gatekeepers had full plate armor, but no helmets, and a tabard with a two-tailed black cat on a red background draped over it.

Meanwhile these guards have the city symbol worked into what resembles a set of leather armor, with four alternating squares of dark red and black on the chest piece.

"Miss? Miss. Do you need a potion?" I'm pulled from my thoughts when he pulls a red potion from his belt. Then I realize that I was staring at him. A slight blush colors my cheeks as I shake my head at him.

"No, no. I'm fine. Nothing that won't be healed by my natural regeneration in a few minutes." Really, aren't potions kind of useless to use after a battle considering you'll be at full health in, like, an hour?

He looks at the bleeding cut on my arm and frowns. "No, that cut seems deep enough that your regeneration won't heal it. Heavy bleeding cancels it out, since you’re losing as much, if not more, health than you’re regenerating.

...

So deep wounds won't be handled by regeneration, good to know. Though I suppose it would be ridiculous to assume that natural regeneration could heal everything. I had noticed people with scars and missing limbs while wandering around after all.

Anyways, I accept the potion he held out to me, then pause. Am I supposed to drink it, or pour it over the wound?

Seeing my uncertainty, the captain speaks up. "Even if the cut is deep, drinking it would be for the better so that it deals with all your injuries more evenly. Pouring it on directly would focus the effects. Though if you're worried about it scarring you can pour a bit on it."

Nodding in thanks, I take his advice and pour about a fifth of the potion on the cut and watch as it rapidly seals shut, leaving unblemished but bloody skin behind. I down the rest of the potion, holding back a gag at the taste. But then I relax as I feel the rest of my injuries rapidly healing. Even some soreness I didn't realize I felt from the injuries I got in the exam earlier.

I give the captain a nod as I hand the bottle back. "Thank you for that, I didn't realize that wounds worked like that." I grimace. “Though I’ll definitely need something to get that taste out of my mouth.”

After pocketing the bottle with a chuckle,, he turns back to me and speaks. "No problem Miss. Every guard carries a healing potion in case we or a victim need it. As for the taste,” he shrugs. “Medicine isn’t meant to taste good. At least that’s what most of the alchemists say.”

His tone goes from casual to authoritative as he continues. “Now, can you tell me what happened here?"

I give a firm nod and begin my tale. "Well, I'm new to the city. I traveled here from home to become an adventurer, and just took the exam today. I was recommended an inn to stay at while I'm here, what was it called again? The Lady's Boulder? Something like that."

He clears his throat. "Do you mean the Lady's Boutique?"

"Yes, that!" I nod rapidly. Good thing he reminded me, I got the name jumbled after the fight.

"Anyways, I got lost and ended up here. Then twenty people suddenly came out of the alleys! They surrounded me and said all these... things that they would do with me! And that if I tried to resist that they would kill me!

But I knew that they wouldn't let me go after having their way with me, so when one of them got cocky and came close, I... I... *SOB* I took a chance." I sob heavily when I tell the captain about how I killed the boss, trying to make it seem like I simply did what I needed to. And that it was my first time killing someone. Need to make sure to disconnect myself from that farmer's death as much as possible, and this takes absolutely no extra effort from me.

I take a deep, calming breath, and continue with my story. "Then half of them flew into a rage and ganged up on me, while the others ran away. I know some fire magic, so I shot some out to keep them away from me. But the one I hit was engulfed in the flames, and he couldn’t put them out."

My eyes take on a far-off look, like I'm watching it happen all over again. "He clung to the two next to him, screaming for them to put him out. But they caught flame as well. They screamed as they burned. Everyone stared at them. Nobody tried to help them. We all just watched as the screaming stopped.”

At that point, that man over there," I point at the Educated Thug, "tried to convince them to stop and leave. Another grew angry and struck him down. They were about to jump on me when you and your men appeared."

After I finish my story, the guard gets a pensive look on his face, peering intensely at the bodies lining the alley. Then he shifts his gaze to the walls blocking the other two alleys.

"What of these walls? They're clearly made with earth magic."

Trembling from telling him of the terrifying events I experienced, I answer. "I don't know, right before you appeared they suddenly popped up. Their appearance shocked my assailants into inaction, and I shudder thinking about what they might have done to me before you got here if it hadn't."

He stares deeply into my eyes, and I blush, looking down demurely. After a few more moments of staring, he gestures over one of his subordinates.

As they approach, I see that they're a woman, long gray hair poking out of her helmet. Behind her, I see a wolf tail slowly sway side-to-side.

"Yes, sir?" She salutes him. Looks like he really is the captain of this squad.

"Guide the young lady to the Lady's Boutique, make sure she gets there safely. Stay with her in case the ones who ran try something." He gets up and passes next to her. In a quiet voice I overhear a couple whispered words. "...know... she... anywhere."

She gives him a firm nod and salutes again. "Sir!"

Looking at me, her expression softens a tad. "Before I take you there, let's get you cleaned up a bit. Don't want to cause a panic walking the streets like that."

She's obviously referring to my torn and bloody clothes, but there's not much I can do about it without revealing I can use water magic. Plus I don't have any spare clothes to change into.

She pulls out a potion bottle similar to the captains, but this one is white. Seeing my questioning look, she explains. "Insta-wash. Pour it on and you'll be clean in an instant."

I perk up at that. Nice! I should look into getting some of those.

Opening the cap, she hands it to me. I pour it over my head and it expands into a cloud that covers me from head to toe. I don't feel anything when it does, though it does obscure my vision of my surroundings.

After a moment it *POPS* and I'm left standing there in torn but clean clothes.

Seeing my state, the guard frowns but shrugs it off. "Let's head to the inn. Oh, and you may call me Guard Sina."

Following behind her as she leaves, I introduce myself as well. "I'm Seka, brand new adventurer! Though my first day hasn't exactly gone as planned..." I cast a glance back at the scene behind me.

Sina lets out a short but loud laugh. "HA! That sums up the life of an adventurer pretty well I would say. Nothing ever goes to plan."