Practice and pain

That evening, your group makes their way out of the city, and heads into the woods to meet with Samus. Once again, no one pays you any special attention, and you slip out without an issue. You wonder how long that will last, once you start stirring up trouble. You file that away in your mind for future worry, and head towards the arranged meeting point. It’s a quick journey, and before you know it you find the demigod in a small clearing, seated on a fallen tree.

As you and the girls arrive, he stands, and moves to the center of the clearing. “I won’t waste too much time. Your practice will be simple, all you need to do is have Nadia channel your powers into me. I will guide her in the intricacies of what to do..”

You chuckle. “Oh, is that all?”

Samus shrugs. “With my aid, yes. All the rest of you need to do is relax. It will be slightly uncomfortable, but I must ask for your trust.”

Sarah laughs. “If we didn’t trust you, I don’t think we’d be here. So, we don’t need to do anything, just relax?”

Samus nods. “Correct. Relax and empty your mind as much as possible. Distracting thoughts can be transferred along the bond as well.”

Alex giggles. “So, no horny, is what you’re saying.”

Samus blinks, staring at the fire spirit. “Right…yes, those would be distracting thoughts.”

Cassie and Alex giggle, and the other girls hide their smiles. You chuckle and roll your eyes. “Okay then, we should probably get started.”

Samus nods, and sits down on the forest floor. “Nadia, sit across from me and place your hand on my forehead. Do not worry, this can’t hurt me.”

As the rest of you get comfortable nearby, Lilith speaks in your mind. There’s something he isn’t saying. I can tell.

Samus looks over to you. “Correct, succubus. I was going to save the warning for afterwards, so as not to distract everyone, but we can say it now instead. This will be painless for us, but the real thing will not. Especially for the one you’re curing.”

Melora looks worried. “What do you mean?”

Samus sighs. “You will feel a strain when you do this for real. Nothing too extreme. And it will leave Nadia quite tired. However, it will cause considerable pain in the person you’re removing the corruption from.”

Cassie looks concerned as well now. “Why? Is there anything we can do about it? I don’t want to hurt the person we’re saving!”

Samus shakes his head. “The corruption has roots in the body, and in a person’s essence. Think of it like removing an arrow from a wound. It hurts terribly, but until you do it, the wound cannot heal.”

Melora sighs. “It’s bad to hurt someone, but sometimes it’s necessary, even if they don’t know it.”

You nod. “And we only have so many options here. If this is how it has to be done, then so be it.”

Samus looks at you for a minute, and then nods. “Good. I’m glad we are in agreement.”

He looks back to Nadia.