SOWER: My Cultivation Creates Gods

2 | Fox-Fire Mending

Kiona was a Three-Star healer. Way above the pay grade of anyone else at this gate. She showed up to One-Star runs sometimes because, according to her, "someone has to keep you idiots alive." 

She looked like trouble given human form. Dark hair that fell past her shoulders in waves. Sharp features. Sharper eyes. The kind of face that belonged in magazines or on wanted posters, depending on her mood. Her healer's coat was crisp white, fitted in ways that were probably against Association dress code, and she wore it like armor.

Right now, those gorgeous eyes were locked onto the medical wrap around his head.

"Rome."

"Kiona! Hey! Funny seeing you here." 

"What happened to your head."

"This?" He touched the bandage like he'd forgotten it was there. "Oh, you know. Ran into a pole."

"A pole."

"Yeah. I was rushing to catch the bus and bam." He mimed the impact with his palm against his forehead. "Pole came out of nowhere. I'm thinking of filing a complaint with the city."

Kiona stared at him.

Rome stared back.

Somewhere behind them, Patterson was still laughing about the nuclear deterrent thing. The food truck guy called out that fresh breakfast burritos were ready. Life went on.

Kiona's eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

"I would never."

"You're always lying."

"That's a hurtful generalization."

"Last week you told me you got that gash on your arm from a 'rogue shopping cart' at Target."

"It was a very aggressive cart."

"What about last month when you told me you "ragebaited a group of pigeons with bread so they gave you a black eye"

"In my defense, LA pigeons are literally built different"

Kiona stepped closer to him.

"Rome."

"Yes?"

"Let me see."

"Kiona, it's really not—"

Then he saw them.

The air around her shimmered as faint fox ears flickered into existence on top of her head.

*She's going all out for this?*

"It's just a flesh wound." Rome tried.

"I'll be the judge of that."

"I'm being deadass. It's nothing at all to worry about."

"Rome."

"The pole said sorry."

"Rome."

Those fox ears solidified another fraction. Her eyes gained a faint golden tint around the edges. The temperature around them dropped by a few degrees.

*She's really not playing around.*

Rome sighed and bent his head down.

She was maybe five-foot-four on a good day. He had six inches on her easy. Bending down meant practically folding himself in half, which meant being way too close to her face, which meant he could count her eyelashes if he wanted to, which meant his brain was doing that short-circuit thing again.

*Focus. She's just healing you. This is medical. Professional. Totally normal.*

Kiona's hand pressed against his forehead. Her fingers were cool. Soft. She smelled like jasmine and something else he couldn't name.

*Very professional. Very normal. Completely fine.*

Her lips moved. The words came out low, almost too quiet to hear. Old words. The kind that sounded like they belonged in temples and ancient forests instead of a Los Angeles park next to a guy selling breakfast burritos.

"*Yoru no hikari, kitsune no megumi...*"

Warmth spread from her palm. It seeped into his skull, past the bone, into the places that still ached from three days ago. The gash he'd been hiding knit itself together. The dull throb behind his eyes faded. Even the headache he'd been ignoring since this morning dissolved into nothing.

She pulled her hand back.

Rome straightened up. He touched his forehead. Smooth skin. No wound. No scar. Like it had never happened.

"Wow." He blinked. "That's... you really didn't have to go that hard."

"It wasn't hard."

"Kiona, you just burned essence on a cut. Before we even enter the gate. That's like..." He searched for the right comparison. "That's like using a flamethrower to light a birthday candle."

"Maybe I wouldn't have to use a flamethrower if certain idiots didn't keep running into aggressive poles."

"The poles in this city are out of control. Someone should start a petition."

"Someone should start wrapping you in bubble wrap."

The fox ears faded into nothingness and the golden tint in her eyes retreated fully until Kiona was back to being normal. Her arms were crossed under her bountiful chest and her lips were pressed in a thin line trying it's hardest not to curve upwards.

*I see this as an absolute win.*

*"*Hey Rome-o and Juliet!"

The shout came from near the gate where all the other hunters for the expedition were staring at them.

A man stood in front of the gate. He was tall, broad shouldered with salt and pepper hair. He held a spear in one hand with the shaft planted against the ground like a walking stick. He had well maintained armor that looked like it was broken in at least five years ago.

Rome recognized this man. This was Reyes, he was one of the veteran One-Stars that have been doing this since the cataclysm thirty years ago.

"The HAA appointed me as party leader for this run. I'm happy to see a lot of familiar faces and even happier to see new ones as well." Reyes looked each hunter in the eyes. "Welcome to the grind."

Every hunter nodded. The kid from earlier kept checking his side to make sure his knife hadn't disappeared on him every few seconds.

"Does anyone have a problem with me being the leader?"

Silence.

Rodriguez shrugged. Patterson picked at his teeth. The woman with the spear on her back checked her phone.

"Great, looks like the association has this pegged as a One-Star Blue. Should be smooth sailing."

Rome’s hand drifted to the hilt of his knife.

"Game plan is simple." Reyes hefted his spear onto his shoulder. "We go in, we kill some monsters, and we get paid. Anyone got questions?"

More silence.

"Perfect." A grin spread across Reyes's weathered face. "Then let's get to work.”