Accusations

Karasae picked up Nessa and headed to the door. When she reached the doorway, one of the tauren held his arms out. Karasae hesitated and he spoke softly to reassure her.

"I can run faster than you. No harm will befall her, you have my word."

Karasae handed Nessa over to the large being and he held her gently. It was clear that her weight was barely noticeable to him. The two tauren ran out towards the city with the rest of the group trying to follow. Karasae had to fly to keep up with their strides, and the blood elves were quickly left behind. The goblin tried to run after them, but gave up quickly. They took her to the hospital wing of the city, where they were directed to a room that had been prepared for her. A blood elf priest and an undead apothecary stood near the hospital bed, awaiting Nessa's arrival. The tauren laid her on the bed and the priest began to heal her.

No time was wasted in trying to bring her back to good health. The apothecary hooked Nessa up to IV fluids and poured a thick green mixture into the bag. It mixed with the clear liquid inside and looked rather ominous, but no one questioned his intentions. Nessa began to convulse as the liquid entered her blood stream.

"Relax, child," the apothecary said, "It isn't supposed to be painless, it's supposed to keep you from dying. The traitor Koreli used what little remaining life force he had to curse you."

Nessa coughed up more blood and clawed at the bed. She was paler than the apothecary mixing solutions to add to the IV bag. He looked at a stop watch while holding a vial containing a yellow liquid. After a moment, he added this as well. When the new mixture began to flow through Nessa's veins, she immediately became more subdued. She whimpered in pain as the priest tried to realign her ribs so they wouldn't jut into her lung anymore.

"Her heart rate is dropping too fast!" the priest said angrily, "This isn't working!"

Nessa's eyes began to droop and Karasae acted on impulse, grabbing her upper arm with one hand. She squeezed the blood elf hard, digging her nails into the flesh. Nessa took a sharp breath and opened her eyes wide.

"Let me die in peace, demon!" she yelled. The demon's grip slackened as she looked at Nessa in wide eyed shock. She looked like a wounded puppy at Nessa's words.

"Not on my watch, sister," the priest replied, "Koreli was an ass, and I'm not going to let his magic be more powerful than my own."

"I like how this demon thinks," chuckled the apothecary, adding another substance that looked no less like poison to the IV bag, "A little pain can do wonders to keep someone awake. Be careful though demon, too much will only hasten her descent."

The apothecary hooked up a second IV to her other arm, pouring a different mixture into it. It wasn't long before they got her stabilized. They then set about bandaging most of her body. When she finally calmed down, she looked over at Karasae. Karasae was sitting in a chair next to the bed sulking. Nessa tried to speak, but no sound came out. She mustered her strength and managed to say something.

"I'm sorry."

Karasae looked up, suddenly alarmed and said, "Mistress, don't speak right now! Your lungs!"

"It's not that big of an issue right now, demon," the priest said wearily, "But yes, it would be better if she saved her strength." Turning to Nessa he added, "Why don't you get some sleep, sister. I used enough mana to not feel my fingers anymore, I can't imagine what you're going through."

Nessa had to remain in the hospital for several days to recover. During this time, she mostly slept. Karasae watched over her day after day, but began to grow tired. One of the tauren came back to check on her as well. Finding her asleep, he sat next to Karasae.

"I had some trepidations about helping a warlock," he said, turning to the demon, "But it isn't in me to allow someone to die, regardless of my opinions of them."

"Why do you despise warlocks?" Karasae asked, genuinely interested in the answer.

"They are inherently evil. They are obsessed with power and will go to any means to achieve more, even if innocent people have to die."

"Nessa never descended into such a lust for power. Perhaps if things had been different she would have; but she has seen enough suffering for one lifetime."

"You refer to your mistress by name. Explain yourself, demon."

"She was tortured by a night elf while on a mission to gather some plant samples. Once she escaped, she summoned me to her side. I was surprised actually, as stories among my kind about beating and rape by summoners are all too common."

"It is difficult to handle the memory of such a thing on your own," the tauren said, "And her race is not known for compassion."

Looking over at Nessa the demon continued, "I just want her to be okay. I don't care about her race, or other warlocks. There is no one else, in this world or mine, that I can call a friend. For your help in saving her life, I thank you, but I mistrust you as much as you mistrust me. The fact that you could crush her in the palm of your hand certainly doesn't help."

"No, I suppose it doesn't," the tauren chuckled, "But I no longer mistrust you. From what I have heard of succubuses, they are mostly corrupters of hearts, and destroy many good people with lust and treachery. The fact that you show genuine concern means you do not match this description."

"Many of us do. You would do well to maintain that stereotype in your mind. I'm glad that you see me differently, however."

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Once Nessa had been released from the hospital, she returned home to continue resting. She barely could gather the mana to dismiss and resummon Karasae, and couldn't stand for long periods of time. Her memory of the incident was fleeting. Anything after Koreli's final curse was difficult for her to remember. Once she had regained her strength, Karasae elected to have a talk with her about it. She sat the other girl down on the bed and started to talk to her.

"In the hospital, you said something to me." Karasae said solemnly.

"I'm sorry," Nessa replied, "But I really don't remember. I'm sorry if I said something to offend you, I must have been delirious."

Karasae reached over and wrapped her fingers around Nessa's arm. They lined up perfectly with the bruise that was left when Karasae had squeezed. She put some pressure on it and Nessa gasped. The events she had tried so hard to remember suddenly came barreling back into her mind all at once. A flashback showed her just what Karasae was referring to.

"Yes, I remember now!" she said, a little triumphantly. Karasae squeezed harder and she whined, "Karasae, you're hurting me."

"Not as much as you hurt me."

"You're right," she said softly, looking down, "Of course you're right. I deserve this."

Karasae loosened her grip and her hand fell to her side. She couldn't bring herself to hurt the one she loved, but her anger still burned. "Is that what I stayed up all those nights consoling you for?" the demon demanded, "So you could just give up and let yourself die?"

"I'm sorry!" Nessa sobbed, "I didn't mean it! I would never want to do something like that! It was that curse, I swear! That wasn't me talking, it was the affliction distorting my mind. Karasae? Karasae, please say something."

After a short pause, the demon responded, "You aren't just saying that, are you?"

"No, I mean it. I only wanted to give up on life once, and you're the one who saved me then. Why would i want to die when I have you?"

"You hurt me a lot, Nessa," she said, wiping away Nessa's tears even as her own fell.

"Can you forgive me?"

"I'm not mad at you anymore, but the memory is like a deep wound that will take time to heal."

"I can help you heal. I'll do anything to help you heal." Nessa reached up and wiped away Karasae's tears.

Nessa leaned in and kissed Karasae. Their tongues met, and the demon's resentment slowly melted away. With each kiss her heart warmed a little bit more, and she was a little more convinced that Nessa hadn't meant what she said. They laid on the bed sideways, kissing each other deeply. The demon pulled back and looked at Nessa.

"What's wrong?" Nessa asked softly.

"You need to be punished." Karasae said with a smirk.

"Hey, come on baby, I didn't mean it. Can't you be a little more understanding?"

"It's not like that, Nessa. This is just too good of an opportunity to pass up. You're in good health now, and you need some serious punishment. It's been quite a while since we got to fuck because of how reckless you were."

"You're awful!" Nessa said incredulously.

"Yes, yes, the demon is evil," Karasae replied offhandedly, "Take your clothes off, and handcuff yourself. Don't put them on too tight, they're going to be there for a while."