Villainous 42 Welcome Home

Having someone smaller and weaker to keep an eye on was a new experience. She met Otto in the forest, a place she was already familiar with and was very confident in moving through safely.

Though Otto was much weaker than her, it wasn't really a problem since she just strapped him to Bao's back and carried him home. The guy was also much taller than she was, and rather than a feeling of protectiveness, his cherubic face made Li Mei want to bully him more.

Bao had always been stronger than her, so he didn't count either.

Hana was so... Small. And delicate. Li Mei's eyes softened when she thought of the girl's pale face and sunken eyes.

Unforgivable!

If Faust had a hand in Hana's treatment, Li Mei would never forgive him!

She exhaled a turbid breath before her temper flared up too far. Making sure Hana was secure and as close as comfortable inside the sling as she could get, Li Mei nodded to herself and crept back toward the cage with all the bodies inside.

They stank. Badly.

'I wish there was a way to search the bodies without actually touching them,' Li Mei whined inwardly, wrinkling her nose. Dead bodies weren't that big of a deal themselves, but when they started to rot they got stinky and sticky and mushy and then there were bugs and...

Ugh! Gross!

Luckily, her resolve and bravery in the face of decomposition bore sweet fruit.

The Cla.s.s-A Keycard!

Li Mei washed her messy hands in a nearby sink until her skin was raw. 'Finally I can get out of here! I got the Cores, got the data which I can check later when I'm safe, if I get Hana out of here my Quest will be complete! Ah, I should look into getting explosives or something... It'd be nice if I could just erase this horrible place from existence.'

She remembered fondly how it felt burning that manor to the ground. Even if she got hurt and had to flee into the Forest of Pain, it was worth it in the end.

Sighing, Li Mei crept toward the entrance of Lab 3, sticking to the shadows and taking slow, measured steps.
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Without her staff, Li Mei experienced a sense of discomfort that surprised her. She didn't realize how much she'd come to rely on it, and once more cursed the evil millipede in her heart for biting it in half.

An a.r.s.enal of knives and homemade acid was nothing compared to the long metal staff she was used to wielding!

Li Mei sighed again. At least some of the monsters in the forest had strong large bones, she could make a suitable temporary staff later... And some back-ups. Maybe some other reserve weapons!

Her mauve eyes sparkled as she crept through the facility toward the emergency escape tunnels, stretching her senses to the maximum. Hana would be disturbed if she got in a fight, and it was better for her to rest well.

The entrance to the emergency tunnels was a ma.s.sacre. Li Mei shook her head and clicked her tongue as she dug out their Cores.

People had Cores too, after all. Not just monsters or beasts!

Compared to exploring the research facility, escaping was easy. The infiltrating soldiers already cleared the tunnels, then died in a fracas while the people inside tried to escape. Since the tunnels were sealed by the security system, none of the creatures managed to get into them.

Li Mei heaved a sigh of relief and checked her map, choosing an exit close to where Bao was waiting. The escape tunnels were a vast network with exit hatches all over the forest, a fact she kept in mind for possible later use. With her new Cla.s.s-A Keycard, she had free access to all of them!

As soon as she set foot in the forest, the Quest 'Escape' counted complete, rewarding its enormous chunk of EXP and the stats it promised for the bonus objectives. Li Mei grinned.

The Fera almost bowled her over in his excitement when she finally arrived at their meeting spot, nosing against her injuries with obvious displeasure on his fluffy face. Then he snorted, catching sight of the injured girl on Li Mei's back.

"Her name's Hana and I rescued her," she explained. "She was experimented on. Her brother died protecting her in there."

Something like sympathy, or perhaps pity, flashed across the Fera's golden eyes. He glanced at Li Mei, also a child who'd been hurt and in need of rescue, and wisely understood why she brought the younger girl out.

He was a very clever boy, after all.

Bao knelt so Li Mei could get on his back without disturbing the sleeping Hana, then the three of them made their way back home.

...

Hana awoke as Li Mei was changing her into a clean s.h.i.+rt. The girl's face turned beet red as she curled her body like a shrimp trying to cover her shame.

Li Mei rolled her eyes and flicked her finger gently against Hana's forehead before tugging the s.h.i.+rt firmly over the smaller girl's head. "Hey, hey. We're both girls, you don't have anything I don't. Wings aside, I mean." Seeing Hana's mouth drop open in shock, Li Mei's expression darkened while she resisted the urge to flick the girl's forehead again. "Do you have to be so surprised about it? First that idiot, now you..."

"Is she decent yet, Boss?" A man's voice called from the other side of a curtain, and for the first time Hana realized she wasn't in the familiar Lab or even the horrible holding cells.

"Yes, bring the food in." Li Mei sighed as Otto trotted in holding a tray of warm dishes, Bao close on his heels - the Fera never let Otto near Li Mei's room without close supervision.

Hana snapped her mouth shut as her mind whirled with questions.

Sh was brought to the research facility as a small child and barely remembered that the soft thing she laid on was called a bed, a comfortable surface for sleeping so different from the stiff cots in the holding cells she'd grown accustomed to.

Her crimson eyes glanced around, searching for the security cameras or medical tables or even a scientist in a white coat watching with cold apathetic eyes as though she were already dead, or a fish gasping its last breaths on a chopping board...

But the surroundings smelled of earth, stone, herbs and fresh air mixed with the aroma of warm food. It was peaceful, and refres.h.i.+ng, and oh so confusing to the girl who barely recalled what any of those things were. Memories buried deep within her heart stirred, clawing their way to the surface.

"The tall guy is Otto, and the fluffy one is Bao," Li Mei introduced both her companions while setting the tray on the bed. "I made the food myself so I promise it won't be gross. Eat up, you need to recover your strength."

"Where...?" Hana asked, only to be interrupted when Li Mei held a spoonful of porridge in front of her lips. She opened her mouth obediently, s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g her eyes tight shut in preparation for a horrible bitter medicinal taste.

Instead, the porridge on her tongue was warm and sweet. Hana, who didn't have any memories of ever eating something so delicious, felt tears roll down her cheeks.

Li Mei smiled, her expression gentle even if the fire in her heart raged toward the people who tortured a child so badly that some porridge made her cry for joy. "Don't worry, you're safe now. Welcome home, Hana."