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When Rurik came to her knees, where flesh had truly melted away, her eyes snapped open, and she screamed. She filled the caverns and tunnels with her pain.

His hands held her legs down with a tight grip as he continued to sweep them with his magic. He had to remain on her shins while he waited to feel her body heal and the warmth to fade, telling him he could move on from that area.

“Please! I was only trying to help everyone!” she screamed as her body contorted.

She was squirming and struggling against him, flailing like a fish out of water. He let her, knowing there was nothing he could do or say to stop her pain while he did this.

The noises she was making were distressing, even he felt for her – especially when he got to her feet.

The Witch couldn’t even scream. Her body just bowed and pulled taut as he worked his magic into her. He could smell burning and could see the line of coal flame through the gaps of his fingers while her muscles, tendons, and skin grew back.

She passed out when he’d gotten to the exposed bone of her toes, no longer able to withstand the agony she was in. It made it easier, and he was able to heal this and the bottom of her feet in blissful silence.

Once he was done, he checked her body all over to make sure there were no more burns. There was nothing he could do for the bruises and cuts on her face and torso in his human body.

He didn’t particularly feel like licking her with the healing agents in his saliva in his beast form.

He could only fix wounds of fire like this on another, and he could only do it within a certain amount of time of obtaining them. Others of his kind, those who had stronger magic, could do this no matter the length of time. But he wasn’t one of them, and they were exceedingly rare.

The last place he checked on her body were her hands once he unshackled them.

He healed the burns on the tips of her fingers and then left to obtain some cool water from the stream deeper in his lair.She will be dehydrated.

Rurik also went to one of the many alcoves that had his treasure hoards, climbing over gold and jewels to find what he wanted.

He’d never needed a cup before since he mostly stayed in his beast form when inside his home. The large bowls he had laying around were more like buckets in comparison to the size of her body.

A jewel encrusted chalice? It will be the nicest thing she has ever drunk from, that is for sure.

He returned to her and dipped that chalice into the water he’d collected before leaving it on the floor. After disrobing her of her destroyed clothing, he placed her body in the porcelain tub he’d filled with cold water.

He had to sit behind the tub with his legs spread around it and put his arm around her shoulders to keep her head above the water since her body was so limp she kept sliding in. He grabbed that chalice, tilted her head back, and slowly poured the contents inside her mouth.

He gave her little sips, making sure it went down first before adding more.

Would be awfully terrible if I did all this only to drown her.

Keeping his arm around her shoulders to keep her upright, he stayed with her for a long while.

Now what am I supposed to do with her?He couldn’t take her back to her cottage, there’d simply be no point.I could take her to the human town nearby.

No, he’d much rather not have this Witch close to him.

There were also laws he needed to consider.

A Witch that had seen the inside of their lair wasn’t allowed to be free. It was for their own safety. The Witches could bring others and take down their protective wards and kill them.

But she will not remember anything of the past day.

Once he thought she’d been in the water for long enough, he took her from it by cradling her body in his arms with ease.

Now, which collection of my treasures have those chests?It was difficult to remember where he’d put everything and what all of his hoards contained.

When he found the right one, he cradled her legs over his knees while he held one arm around her. He opened the chests until he found one with dresses of the highest quality.

He’d intended to gift these to someone, a female – he wasn’t quite sure who just yet – at some point.

Instead, one of them was going to be a parting gift for this woman. He dressed her in a blue one. He didn’t know why the colour was important to him.