He held it out and Anthony took it gingerly. He concentrated, but nothing happened.
“That’s what I thought,” he said. “I can’t put it in my Inventory, it’s not System-recognized. To the System, it doesn’t really exist.” He looked around. “But we do. We have classes, we can use Mana. We’re part of the System now.” He examined the gun briefly. “It’s not.”
“I get it, I get it,” said Joe with an excited voice. “It’s like the System makes things work better. Our bodies are stronger, tougher already. Nobody heals this fast.” He waved at his chest, which was completely healed. “It’s like we’re reinforced. Unless whatever hits us is also reinforced, It just can’t do that much to us. That’s a big gun, it probably throws a big bullet, right?”
“Slug, but not important. Yes, it does. It’s about the size of my thumb,” said Mike. “And it’ll put down a deer fifty yards away.”
“It was the force of the bullet that hurt us, then,” I said, the light dawning. “I mean, it was still a big chunk of metal moving really fast. It was like getting hit with a hammer. But it couldn’t pierce us.”
Anthony nodded. “I think so. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. The bobcat had a level. It had been absorbing Mana. It was part of the System. So its claws could cut me.” He grimaced. “Little fucker.”
“None of this makes sense,” said Mike. “But at least it’s consistent. Sort of. Good thing it wasn’t a rifle. They have smaller bullets, but they move much faster. That might have been able to break the skin.”
“I’m glad we figured that out, nya,” said Danielle. “And I’m really glad James isn’t dead. But I’d like to wash my paws now, please.” She looked like she was about to cry.
“Your… paws?” said Samantha, blinking and looking at the cat-eared rogue. “You mean your hands?”
“That’s what I said, nya,” she answered with a frustrated voice. “I want to wash my paws. They’re all bloody and it’s making me want to throw up, nya.”
“Danielle,” said Anthony slowly, “Why do you keep saying ‘nya?’”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, nya,” she said, flustered.
I looked at Anthony. He looked at me. We were both, I think, trying very hard not to smile.
Chapter 8
More Is Revealed
“I’ll explain later,” I said quickly. “Let’s check the house and find some water so Danielle can get cleaned up.”
After some shouting and some half-assed ‘clearance,’ as seen on bad cop shows, we found that the house was empty. Well, if you didn’t count the beer cans. Kaa didn’t really fit into the house very well so Samantha left him on the porch just to the side of the door, where he’d be out of the weather at least.
There was a bathroom that the hunters hadn’t had time to mess up too badly and I got Danielle in there and started helping her clean up. The water pressure was almost nonexistent.
“Probably a well and a pump or something,” I said. “Tank somewhere with water, but it won’t last much longer.” I helped her wash her hands, careful of the vicious hooked claws. When they were as clean as we could get them, I said, “Let’s get you out of those bloody clothes, and I’ll change you back.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I feel all slimy, nya. Like little… bits of that man are all over me. I have a clean shirt and pants in my bag at least.”
“We’ll see if we can at least rinse you off,” I said. “It’ll be easier to wash skin than fur.” I looked her up and down as she shucked off her clothes. “Not that that fur isn’t incredibly sexy.”
She was covered all over with a very light downy fur that matched her skin tone so well it was hard to see in most places. Well, almost all over. I deliberately didn’t stare at any restricted areas.
Her ears had a heavier coat and were reddish on the outside fading to almost white at the center, with tiny white tufts on the tips. I reached up to touch one and she shuddered.
“Are you okay?” I said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Sssss… sensitive,” she gasped.
I couldn’t help myself. I caressed the incredibly soft ear and she moaned. With her mouth open, I could see that she had adorable little fangs.
“Please stop, nya,” she whispered. “It’s… really nice… but I feel filthy.”
Ashamed, I snatched my hand back.
“I’m so sorry, Danielle,” I said. “I was just… this is… you’re so gorgeous.” I turned away and shoved the cheap shower curtain aside. “Get ready to jump in.” My face was burning.
“Really, nya?” She sounded surprised. “I don’t look… like an animal?”
“You were a gorgeous woman before and now you’re a gorgeous woman with cute ears and… a… tail?” My voice trailed off when I turned back and realized that a red-furred tail with a white tip had fallen down her leg when she took off her pants. It was swaying lightly and when I looked at it, the tip curled up suddenly and I heard her gasp. Something twinged in my head and I felt a little faint.
“You don’t like it?” she said, turning her face away and trying to hide.
I took a deep breath.
“I, ah, I kinda have a thing for catgirls, Danielle,” I said in a quiet voice. “You were my type before but now you look so sexy I’m having trouble remembering we just almost got killed. I’m sorry.”
This got a nervous giggle.
“The look on your face is distracting me too, nya,” she said. Then she gave me a little shove. “But change me back so I can clean up, please.”
“Right.” I shook my head. “Byebye kitty,” I said firmly.
As before, I didn’t really see her changing. There was no transformation sequence like in a werewolf movie. She blurred, and then she was her old self again. There was a little blood in the corners of her nails, right where we hadn’t been able to quite scrub the base of her claws.
“That’s so… weird,” she said, shuddering.
“What does it feel like?” I asked, getting ready to turn the water on.
“Like sneezing with your whole body,” she answered.
“What did it feel like… being a catgirl?” I pulled off my shirt and set it aside, then turned on the water and waved her in. It was chilly and she let out a little squeak. The showerhead wasn’t much more than a dribble.
“Everything got… sharp,” she said, scrubbing at her skin. “I could see everything, every little detail. I could smell things I’ve never smelled before. When I jumped behind the house, it was like everything was moving in slow motion.” She bent her head, and I tried to work a little shampoo into her hair as fast as I could. The water ran brownish-red down the drain.
“And I could hear where that man was. It hurt like Hell when he shot that gun. It was like getting poked in the ears with a stick. But then I lost it and forgot about how much it hurt.” Her voice was far away.