Ginseng & Yew (人蔘 x ᚔ) [NBxNB healer x necromancer xianxia adventure]

30 - Why would you do that?

A/N: I take these breaks from posting to try and build up the back catalogue, so tell me why, every time, I find myself writing chapters the day before they're supposed to come out?

I've gone through and changed a few of the transliterations of names and places. I didn't like the transliteration method I used previously, the one I'm using now is more intuitive to an English speaker.

Anyway, Ginseng and Yew is back, you animals. Enjoy.

CW: Suggestions of self harm

***

"No."

The necromancer was absolutely dumbfounded, but managed to slip the word out somehow.

The bear-fur woman scowled and looked at Sou Yuet. "Is man, yes?"

"They're not-"

"Looks like woman. But is man." She sneered down at the small monk.

The necromancer pulled Sou Yuet behind him, barely containing his anger. His tattoos began to writhe.

The bear-fur woman stepped back warily. "You have skill. I am village chief. Good for you."

The sound of the necromancer's sanity snapping was practically audible. He loosened his belt to let his robes slip, showing a flash of chest that was suddenly more curved than before...

"And what if I'm a woman?" she said, glaring down at the village chief, whose expression had turned from somewhat eager expectation to guarded confusion.

"Aufhocker?" the chief muttered, her hand curled around the hilt of the large knife at her side.

"A what? What's a..." The necromancer turned back to the dead boy in the grave. "A shapeshifter? No I- No, I don't ride on people's backs! Hey, what's with that tone of voice? Ye've got serious issues, kid. Anyway, I'm not one of these aufhocker things."

"... Ansuz?" The village chief's voice was tentative, tiny like a child meeting a tall shadow in the night. The necromancer looked at her for a long moment in complete silence.

"Now that's a word I haven't heard in a long time."

"Ansuz... Ansuz..." The villagers crouched down in the snow, despite the cold, their eyes fervent. The necromancer felt her skin crawl.

With a little smile, Sou Yuet peeked out from behind the necromancer's arm. There was a flash of green in their eyes, and every tree surrounding the clearing groaned and creaked, their branches reaching slowly inwards.

With cries of alarm, the villagers huddled close. The village chief's eyes widened as they turned first to the approaching trees, then to the smiling Sou Yuet.

The monk slipped out from behind the necromancer, winding her arm around their shoulders as they did.

"So about that fur..."

*

The next few days of travel were relatively comfortable, Sou Yuet generally riding Sunny to stay warm, with the necromancer wearing the fur. When the witch insisted that the monk wear the fur, Sou Yuet would put the cloak on, but immediately jump onto the necromancer's back like some kind of fluffy turtle shell.

"So you were the aufhocker all along."

"What is that?"

"Some kind of shape-shifting creature. Pretty nasty things, it sounds like. They hang out on people's backs until they die of exhaustion."

"So you're saying I'm a nasty creature who's going to make you die of exhaustion?"

"... yes, ye irritating bastard."