Desmon, “Now hold on a minute. I don't like the sound of that one.”

Pera, “Mom would really like it if you would come live with us and so would I. We could use your help in teaching the brothers how to fight again as well. You saw how badly they need it. It wouldn't be like you have to live in the house either. We could give you some kind of marking so that when you're in animal form the other sisters know not to attack you.” As she spoke Pera looked down at her father. He wasn't fighting against her.

Desmon had always been there whenever Pera needed him or wanted him. He hadn't been prepared to give up his life style as a druid when she was born though and that had caused a rift between him and her mother. Not that Pera couldn't lived with him in the forest but Phinila hadn't been prepared to give up her old life either. In the end he had relented believing it best for Pera to be raised amongst others like her and Pera had remained with her mother. Now he was in the same situation again having to choose between giving up his life as a druid and being closer to his daughter. “Okay Pera.”

Pera, “Really! You'll come and live with us or at least near the home?”

Desmon, “Yes. Perhaps some time not so close to nature will allow me to see something that I have yet to discover anyway. My progress has been quite stagnant.”

Pera, “Thank you Daddy!” Before she knew what was doing Pera had turned slightly and pulled Desmon more firmly against her body. Feeling confident in her father's strength from past experience Pera forgot to account for her increase in strength and ended up squeezing him more tightly then intended.

A sharp grunt was Demon's response to Pera's hug. The entire situation made him feel like he'd willingly walked into a trap with his daughter's unusually strong hug being the vice. He wasn't going to try to back out now despite that feeling and found himself smiling. “That's a little tight honey.”

Pera, “Whoops! Sorry.” As she spoke Pera relaxed her hold on her father. “So how do you want to stay at our house?”

Desmon, “How do you want me to stay?”

For a moment Pera went silent. She hadn't considered how her father would choose to live with them before. It didn't take her long to decide how she wanted to live with them. “I'd like it if you would live inside and if you could keep to your human form. Would that be too much trouble?”

Being out of animal form had a cost for a druid. If you spent too long away from the animal you could grow distant from the animal and the form would lose power. Desmon knew this risk quite well even as he spoke. “Okay. I'll keep to a human form.”

***********************************************************************************

Mirin, “What happened in here?” As he spoke Mirin found himself looking around the storage room where the bodies of the sisters had been kept. He could feel his alarm growing as currently he didn't see a single one of them. “What happened to the bodies!” Despite knowing that every brother currently in the room had been with him the entire time Mirin couldn't help but look to them for answers. The fact that twelve of the sister's corpses had gone missing was proving rather overwhelming.

Nathan, “Hold on a moment Mirin. Let's not panic and ask the citadel.” As he spoke Nathan was walking over to one of the guidance orbs that had been stationed throughout the citadel. He knew that all the eyes were currently on him but wasn't worried. After speaking with Zarena and seeing the last few days of activities he had a good idea of what had happened. The moment he touched the orb the answer popped into his mind. “Currently the bodies are in the research and development rooms available to apprentices.”

Mirin, “Did it tell you who moved them?”

Nathan, “No but I have a good guess as to who it was.” Instead of waiting for another question Nathan began to make his way out of the room and towards the research area. Everyone had been assigned their rolls and knew what the bodies would be used for. There was one thing they had to do before they could begin studying the bodies though. “Julia are you ready to examine the corpses and see if there is any abnormalities with their former owners?”

Julia, “I just need to retrieve a few items that I left with the corpses to augment my spells. Did you get a vial of Zarena's blood to provide additional energy?”

Nathan, “I tried but it's really hard to just get one vial from her. You should have seen the look she gave me whenever I asked her to cut herself one more time. Okay everyone. Once we get to the room. Everyone who's going to be assisting or staying within the casting area has to put on their protective clothing. Otherwise you should be well outside the casting zone.”

Carter, “Don't worry Nathan. We all know the standard procedure.”

Nathan, “Then why did we have to ask Vera to go retrieve some alchemical potions to fortify certain people's bodies against hostile or aggressive magic?”

Carter, “That's because we were up late last night working with an exceptionally large amount of mystic energy to try to restore one of our lost sisters.”

While the others were talking Dan looked towards Ridon. “Ridon are you well enough to really do this? I know you must be hurting right now.”

Ridon, “Yeah. I'm not the only one though. You and the others really did me a favor last night and took a great burden from me. I know we still have a lot to figure out but first we need to check the other sisters at the very least. If they're all like Aphila then we've got a real problem.”

Dan, “If that is the case we may even have to put the study on hold. In either case though this is the place to begin our work.”

Ridon, “You know I just realized I've never asked you how you're doing. I know you considered Liza a good friend.”

Dan, “I haven't been the one tending to the shop for a while but I was used to seeing her regularly despite that. Knowing that I'm not going to see her again hurt a lot. I miss speaking with her but I'm finding other things to fill that gap. With everything that has been happening I'm going to have plenty to fill it soon.”

Ridon, “That's good.” As they had been speaking the group had reached the apprentice research and develoment rooms. Ridon wasn't certain what he'd see whenever he entered but from the way those in front of them were moving it wasn't what they had expected. He realized why whenever he stepped into the room as well.

The sister's bodies had been laid out each at their own station. Amongst the bodies were some of the tools the brothers had prepared for their study. Others tools were missing while several tools they didn't recognize was setting next to them as well. One odd item that stuck out even amongst all the new material was a large chest with a symbol on the front of it. It seemed to draw the attention of most of the group especially those who knew what the symbol meant.

Joseph, “Is there something strange about that box?”

Mirin, “That's an old Luvarian symbol. It means damaged goods.” As he spoke Mirin moved towards the box. Did they expect them to put the remains of the sisters inside the chest? He doubted it given its size. There were no warning signs on the box to indicate that there was something dangerous in it but he worried what damaged goods may mean to the Luvarians. It felt like Mirin had been kicked in the stomach whenever he opened it up and looked inside.

Nathan, “What is it?”

Mirin, “It's the missing tools.” As Mirin spoke he opened the chest completely to allow the others to see inside. A great many of the tools they'd brought to examine the bodies had been placed within the chest. “Whoever did this apparently believes that these tools aren't sufficient to be used in our studies.”

It took Nathan a few moments to organize his thoughts. In the mean time he found himself listening to a few comments from the brothers. “Zarena did mention that the protectors would at times bring things for what they considered the apprentices to use. If they're leaving these materials for us then it's their intention to help us. I wonder if it was this type of behavior that started the first brothers to moving away from the citadel. I admit. I'm a little offended to.”

Julia, “A little?” While everyone had been looking around Julia had walked over to the chest. One of the things she noticed inside was an imbued bracelet she had made to help augment her necromancy. The fact that it went into the defective container did not make her happy. “Well let's take a look at what they do consider appropriate for our work.”

Nathan, “That sounds good but keep in mind. Perhaps they're just saying that our tools aren't suited for this particular task. This is very important research after all.”

As she listened to Nathan Lestel gave a slight smirk. How could they believe those tools were worth noting?  The cutting instruments had clearly been enchanted after forging and had been crafted in a natural flame. The necromancy bracelet had a piece of cut amber inside of it which was once again enchanted but it had been taken from a natural tree. A proper piece of amber would have either came from the tree of a dryad or from one that had been nourished with the proper alchemical formulas. So many of their instruments didn't show the proper loving care that it took to make an adequate item.

Mirin, “I wonder if behavior like this is one reason our ancestors began to work so hard on completing the library and the laboratory. In any case. These tools do appear to be superior to what we had been planning on using. Let's begin our work and feel offended later. Julia you still need to insure that none of the sisters are in the same state as Aphila.”

Julia, “Okay. You're right.”

***********************************************************************************

Dinon felt rather strange as he looked around their village. He had learned the rules set upon their society early and didn't expect them to change. Now he would be leaving the village to help build a new one and he truly felt strange at the moment. The orcs who would build this new village had been selected and now they stood ready to leave. He actually found himself worrying as to whether or not the original village would be safe while they were gone. They were taking a good portion of the skilled artisans with them.

Kelah, “Well someone looks like he's ready to go.”

Dinon, “I wish. I'm still worried about what's going to happen here with so many of us gone. It's not like the Amalgam was the only threat we have to worry about.”

Kelah, “True but who said I was talking about you?” As she spoke Kelah turned her attention away from Dinon and towards Razor who was currently leading a group of young tuskers out. “See. He's done selecting the tuskers that will live in the new village. It looks like you picked the younger ones. Are you sure they can make the trip.”

Adapting to a new home was typically easy for a tusker as they traveled a great deal. Despite that Razor had selected tuskers that weren't too set in the forest. Learning to run on the sand would be difficult for them. He truly hated it but he would follow Kelah wherever she chose to take him. At least that is where the tusker believed they were going. Kelah had given him the command to herd and combined it with the one to move out. He had taken this to mean he needed to prepare a herd to leave. Then she had mentioned mating and he was certain she was taking them to a new place to live.

Dinon, “It figures. Aren't you worried Kelah? Without you here the villages defenses are going to drop considerably and after everything that happened in the spirit realms the animals have been acting strangely.”

Kelah, “I spoke to Linod about it and he doesn't believe that we should worry or more likely he believes that this is worth the risk. I wonder how this is going to work out. My father has actually been trying to speak with the spirit of our ancestors to find the proper way to build sea boats.”

Dinon, “That is an issue. All of ours are only suited for riding the rivers. It's been a long time since we last saw the sea and I don't know of anyone who knows how to make the old ships.”

Kelah, “There were some records of it but apparently they haven't been well kept. Plus the layout of the ships doesn't make a lot of sense if what I've seen is to be believed.”

Dinon, “What's the problem with them?”

Kelah, “They just strike me as small for fully grown warrior orcs. Then again perhaps that's what our ancestors were like. This forest has a way of changing what comes into it. That's something I'm going to leave up to my father to worry about for the time being. I'm going to go check on the others and their preparations. Whenever I return I expect you to be fully prepared to leave.”

Dinon, “What? You are not prepared to depart either.”

Kelah, “Dinon I've had my gear prepared since two days ago. Just because I'm not carrying it with me doesn't mean I'm not prepared. Razor make sure Dinon is ready to go when I get back. If he slows down give him a poke.”

There was no doubt in Dinon's mind that the tusker had understood what Kelah told him and would do it. The fact that the tusker was walking over to them confirmed his fears and served to speed him up. He was confident that he could take Razor in a fight but he also knew if he did that would mean fighting Kelah when she returned.

***********************************************************************************

She was a veteran necromancer. She had taken to crafting her own magic amplifying equipment attuned to her unique spirit and body. Her work was on par with the best. She wasn't suppose to be struggling just to retain her sense of self. Yet as Julia held the staff in her hands she was less casting a spell and more trying to keep herself from being overwhelmed as the item directed the energies. She could feel the presence of the previous owners of the staff as well as the gauntlets, ring and amulet she was wearing. Their personas seemed to pound into her head and she was struggling to force her will upon them. Despite all of this though she could feel the magic working.

Those who had remained in the room with Julia had given her quite a large area to work in. They could feel the power coming from the items and believed themselves prepared but this was even stronger then what had happened earlier. It also served as an important reminder. Knives, swords, staffs and other items were tools. The more powerful the tool the more careful one had to be while using it. It also meant one needed more experience and knowledge in many cases. Magical items were also tools that demanded respect. All of them were experienced mages and alchemist of some type so they had assumed they would be able to handle these tools. Now they weren't so sure.

You're not going to overwhelm me. I am the one that is directing this spell not you. Ran throughout Julia head as she struggled to retain control of not just the spell but the equipment as well. As she thought this and pushed forward with her will she could feel the magic binding yielding to her desires. Despite what she was saying in her head though Julia was being careful not to push anymore power into the spell. It was hard enough to handle as it was. “I. I believe I know why they didn't leave the needle for us.”

Ridon, “Are you okay Julia?”

Julia, “The enchantment in these are far weaker then what was inside that needle I can feel it. I believe the only reason we were able to control it is because we were working together. Be careful whenever you're using this stuff.” As she spoke Julia felt like she was more in control of the magic. She was getting use to the tool's strength and could at least speak now. There was no way she was going to try directing more power into the spell yet despite those feelings.

Mirin, “Can you tell us anything about the sisters?”

Julia, “Give me some more time Mirin. I'm stilling trying to locate their spirits but so far I haven't found anything.” Even as she spoke Julia had been feeling for the spirits. This wasn't like with Aphila. In her case they had a specific spirit in mind. Now Julia was trying to locate any spirit that might be the spirit of one of the sisters. Fortunately their deaths were recent which would make them stand out more against the others. Julia was also capable of narrowing down the field by only searching for particularly powerful spirits and finally by the fact that they should be relatively close.

Nodding his head Mirin took a moment to look away from Julia and towards some of the other tools the protectors had left out. Given Julia's response he felt the best thing they could do was take some time with each one of the tools they were going to be using and insure they could handle it. “Everyone let's give Julia some more space and inspect our equipment. I'm feeling a little worried after what just happened.”

***********************************************************************************

At least Zarena had something to do now. As she slipped her hand into the ground she looked to her side and noted the strand of rope that had been left with her. It had several markings noting the depth to which she was suppose to dig. It had apparently been resolved that the new dining hall should be large enough to accommodate sisters that were up to thirty five meters tall. It actually made Zarena chuckle a bit as she imagined that it would be like if every sister was matron sized except for the sleepers. Did that mean that the sleepers would become the new matrons if they were allowed to remain awake? Zarena wasn't sure but she picked up the rope and lowered it down to see how much longer until the foundation was deep enough.

Terima, “Hey why are you getting to play in the dirt while I have to hunt?”

Upon hearing the voice Zarena immediately turned to see a rather young sister watching her. Currently she was holding a large tusker and a rather plump dear. Both of which were clearly dead. “Believe me I'd rather be hunting then doing this but it's so troublesome to hunt at this size and not lay waste to vast tracks of land.”

Terima, “I imagine so. So is it safe for me to come over there? I was told to give you your space when you're working.”

Zarena, “Of course. What brings you here.”

Before moving towards Zarena Terima extended her arms holding the deer in one and the tusker in another. “Pick the one you want.”

Zarena, “Huh?”

Terima, “Na. I'm kidding. They're both for you. The adults have us kids running around doing all the hunting right now. We pulled in a bit more then we need for the day so I was told to bring you a little something. We figured it's been a while since you tasted fresh meat after we woke you up using the life bloom and healing potions.”

Despite Terima's words Zarena was even more confused. “I was given a crate of life blooms not too long ago. I admit it's nice to have something solid on my stomach but you don't need to worry about me that much..”

Terima, “Well. They're still for you. A lot of the storage facilities were damaged during the destruction of the market district as was the smoke rooms. So we really can't preserve this meat effectively right now and we hunted a bit too much today. So we decided that you could use some fresh meat.”

It was Zarena's first instinct to refuse the food. This wasn't how a sleeper was suppose to behave after all. They were meant to deal with a threat then return to their slumber. She was already awake far longer then she should have been and now she was beginning to eat actual food instead of relying on the energy system. Unfortunately she could feel her mouth watering at the thought of fresh meat and Terima had made a good case for why she should eat it. “Thank you very much.” As she spoke Zarena lowered her hand towards Terima being certain to keep it upturned. Rather then taking the meat from the young sister she would let Terima put it in her hand.

Once Zarena's hand was close enough Terima hefted the animals up onto just past the tips of her fingers. Seeing those large animals dwarfed by Zarena's fingers was actually quite a display. “Zarena I hope you don't mind me saying this but some things about that size has to suck.”

Zarena, “Oh by the makers yes. It takes so much to nourish you that you can't rely on natural energy sources but you keep your taste for meat. Fortunately without the hunger our desire to hunt is greatly reduced. Given that every time we're awoken we have a powerful enemy to deal with we effectively don't have to worry about our hunters instinct overwhelming us. When you eat you have to take your time or you won't even taste your food let alone get a chance to appreciate the flavor. Then there is so few things that you can actually do. As a sleeper you can do really big things but that's pretty much all you can do. You quickly learn that there aren't a great deal of really big things to do though but rather a whole lot of little things that have to get done. I really wish that my brothers research into encouraging mutations had paid off more.”

Terima, “What was that?”

Zarena, “Azon was part of a group of brothers that disproved of the idea of a sleeper. Quite vocally to be honest. Rather then having a few sisters grow to such monstrous size he wanted to work on methods to encourage us to develop mutations. After all who knows how powerful a sister would be if she was carrying twelve or so mutations similar to my claws, Maria's speed, Fera's eyes and Mina's strength plus a few others. I would say that such a sister could even be a serious threat or more powerful then a sleeper even if she was your size.”

Terima, “They chose to go with the path that was certain though instead of going down the path that might take far longer to show results if it even succeeded.”

Zarena, “That is correct. Of course there was a major problem with it to begin with. For the project to work they would need sisters to study that would mean sisters that are willing to go into comas for five or more years at a time for the sake of the research. They would also need a large sample size. Put simply we didn't have enough sisters that were willing.”

Terima, “What did he have in mind as far as the project?”

Zarena, “Azon wanted to try a great many stimulus. He wanted to have some sisters to go sleep hungry so their bodies felt stress, some very full so their bodies felt relaxed, he wanted to apply environmental stimulus and have systems that constantly delivered food into the sister's system. His goal wasn't to learn why we developed certain abilities but rather to find a way to encourage those abilities to happen. He thought of dozens of things that could easily contribute to if a sister developed an abnormality or not. He thought of dozens of way to apply different stimuli as well. He argued constantly that the best way for us to increase our power was not for a few to accept a great burden but everyone to accept a moderate burden.”

Terima, “That sounds fair. What happened in the end?”

A sigh escaped Zarena. “Some argued that because the sleepers wouldn't know hunger the constant pain of living with it that it wasn't just a burden. That in some way sleeping like this would be justified by not feeling that hunger.” An annoyed snort escaped Zarena and she couldn't help the bit of anger that flashed upon her face. “Naturally very few of us were willing to become sleepers and those who argued that it wasn't that great of a burden didn't volunteer. It became clear to all of us especially Inperia that we weren't going to convince them within this life time.”

The name was immediately recognizable to Terima as one of the sleepers. “Did they consider applying your brothers stimulus methods to you and the other sleepers? Perhaps we could have ran some kind of feeding device to your mouth and tried that method. I don't believe anyone should have to sleep hungry after all.”

Zarena, “Even if you have to do it all the time?”

Terima, “Yep. Well unless the person is a food stealing rascal or worse then they can sleep hungry.”

A delighted giggle escaped Zarena as she looked at Terima. She still had the fruit from earlier so it was nice to be able to eat the tusker and dear now. “Well it's a good thing we don't have anyone like that around here.”

For a moment Terima went silent as her mind immediately switched to the distrusted. The only way Zarena could say something like that is if she didn't know about the distrusted. The thought caused Terima to freeze up for a moment. What would Zarena do if she learned of the distrusted? Given her belief in the old ways it seemed to Terima that she would kill them. What would Zarena have to say to the rest of them for allowing the distrusted to live? The thought actually made Terima shiver a bit as she imagined an angry sleeper roaring at them.

Zarena, “Terima are you okay? You look and smell distracted all of a sudden. Did you think of something that frightened you?”

Immediately Terima gave her head a slight shake. “Yeah I noticed that little bit of drool on the right of your bottom lip. I'm not used to having something as big as you looking hungry.”

Zarena, “What! I'm not drool. Oh.” Zarena went silent as she wiped her lip. “I am. Sorry about that. Perhaps I should go ahead and get these things inside of me.”

It was hard for Terima to be sure if she had really done the right thing. She wasn't fond of the distrusted but she sure didn't want to see what would happen when Zarena learned about them. “I like your brothers plan it would have been nice if no sleepers were needed but what about in the long term? Even sisters with powerful mutations eventually give out. Sleepers last longer as well you're asleep so much you don't feel the fatigue of time or that's what I've been told.” While Terima had been speaking she watched as Zarena carefully bit the deer in two. There was no need for her to chew but she began to do so anyway apparently taking her time to enjoy the taste.

Zarena, “It's true we don't feel as much fatigue. The first few times waking up are the worse then it becomes manageable. It is nice to be awake longer though. My brother hoped that he would find a way of causing sisters to develop that was so effective he could insure each time they slept for five years they would awaken with a new power. It was his belief that such an offer would be good enough to convince many sisters to sleep at least once and some of them would do it more then once. He couldn't convince the others to try his method however as he had very little data to say that it would work.”

Terima, “Sisters can develop more then one mutation though after all you have two in your eyes and your claws.”

Zarena, “That is very true. He didn't have that data at the time. I wonder if I would have more by now if they had tried different things each time I went to sleep. We couldn't use sleepers though. We're too big and too powerful. If something was to go wrong and when we woke up we weren't in our right minds a great many sisters and brothers could end up dieing and well I don't know how I would handle it if when I came to my senses I learned I had murdered many of my own family.”

Terima, “That is true. I guess it's a really difficult thing to experiment with. Perhaps when we learn more about the sister's bodies we can come up with a theory at least.”

Zarena, “Perhaps. That or maybe once we've learned enough about ourselves we won't even need to sleep. If that is the case though I wonder why the ancient Luvarians didn't use such methods on us. You're a very bright young lady Terima.”

Terima, “Thanks.”

***********************************************************************************

Julia, “I can't find any of them. There is nothing to lead me to believe that any form of necromancy has been used on the other eleven sisters at this point.” As she spoke Julia finally relaxed her body having been trying to detect the spirits of the fallen sisters. She doubted that it would even be possible to turn them into undead at this point given that she couldn't find their spiritual selves or anything that might lead to them.

Mirin, “I see. That is reassuring in some ways. Ridon Julia, the two of you are going to be in charge of Aphila's body. You're responsible for trying to find her spiritual being and seeing what influences this act of necromancy might have had on her corpse.”

Ridon, “Thanks. What do we do whenever we're prepared to begin tracking her?”

Mirin, “Sora and Fera agreed to accompany you to investigate the situation. They said that if someone is tampering with the spiritual existences of their fallen sisters they want to see what's happening. As they're both matrons I don't anticipate they'll cause any complications with the spell.”

Nathan, “Sora and Fera? If you're going to send that kind of power with them why don't you just ask Zarena to go with them?”

Mirin, “Huh. Well if you don't believe she'll mind I'll ask. I guess there isn't a lot she can do around the village right now. Won't that pose a problem if they need to investigate inside a structure or underground? The only way Zarena could get inside is to open the entire structure up and then she may not actually fit inside of it.”

Nathan, “That could be said for matrons as well and I'm sure Zarena would like to have something to do. She's a sister so she'll be glad to protect someone.”

Mirin, “Julia, Ridon are you two okay with that.”

Julia, “It should be fine.”

Ridon, “Yeah. But Julia how do you plan on tracking Aphila's spiritual self?”

Julia, “We're going to use some of her remaining blood. The blood contains a great deal of a beings spiritual energy so we're going to use it to make an item that will direct us to beings with similar spiritual energy. It's fortunate that the body is in such good condition and we didn't use much of her blood last night. I just hope that the protectors don't decide that it's an inferior tool and put it in the chest before we have a chance to make use of it.”

Mirin, Ridon and Nathan all felt a little strange. It was as if Julia had taken a jab at the protectors for putting their tools in the box. It actually left the three men grinning as they wondered how the protectors would respond to such a comment. Nathan have inspected one of the protectors to appear behind Julia and give her a little poke or an annoyed snort but that didn't happen. He still had to assume that they had noticed what she said and had some kind of response.

***********************************************************************************

Carter, “Okay everyone I suppose it's time to begin our work.” For a moment Carter felt a burning pain in his throat which he had to force down. Currently he was holding one of the cutting tools the protectors had left and he wasn't looking forward to using it. He didn't dare think of the name that once went with the corpse even as he looked at it. “Keep in mind that the more we damage the body the faster it's going to begin to break down. So we need to work diligently once we begin cutting.”

Dan, “How should we go about this if our goal is to determine what energies the sisters respond to most positively? I think what we're mostly interested in is the tissue found in the digestive track.”

Carter, “Yeah. Fortunately the specimen wasn't too developed so we have less muscle to cut through then we normally would. Should we section the digestive system off into its own sections?”

Dan, “I don't believe we should that seems to be going too far. I believe we should immerse the entire corpse into a necromantic chamber that has the outside warded against decay. We then can open up the stomach and begin taking tissue samples of each organ and exposing them to different types of energy. We may not want to introduce any life energy to avoid contaminating the research material but that doesn't mean we can't keep the natural influences of decay away from the body. I also believe that we should use natural methods of preservation such as chilling the corpse.”

Carter, “That is a good idea. Okay I'll take two of the others and go gather what we need. I hope that a chest large enough to store a sister's corpse isn't too hard to find.”

***********************************************************************************

Julia, “Ridon I want you to take this.” As she spoke Julia handed Ridon the staff and received a rather strange look in return. “The staff, gauntlets and amulet nearly overwhelmed me during the casting. I don't believe I can safely handle all four of these items so I'm going to intrust you to use the staff wisely.”

Ridon, “Then shouldn't I use one of the weaker items? You already have me using the ring and well I'm not as experienced as you Julia or as controlled.”

Julia, “You're just as strong as me though. In this case you may even be stronger as it's Aphila we're trying to find. I expect you to meet my expectations.” As she spoke Julia moved to Aphila's corpse and began the process of drawing another flask of blood. She had chosen an amber and copper amulet to serve as the target for the tracking spell. The use of someone's blood to locate them was something Julia had studied fortunately and adapting it to find an undead was hardly a difficult task. “Ridon I also need you to remember that someone or something had to do this to Aphila on purpose.”

Ridon, “I know. That means that someone might try to stop us from recovering her.”

Julia, “Yes but it's not just that. Ridon. The only way this could have been done to Aphila is if the spiritual being that once used her body was willing. Her response to our attempts to find her shows that she isn't struggling against whatever happened. You may not like what you find once we actually begin to track down Aphila's spiritual self.”

Now Ridon went silent. He knew what Juila was telling was the truth but he didn't like the implications of it. Perhaps Aphila had responded to the magic without thinking in order to avoid a more permanent death. That wasn't the type of behavior that his studies led him to expect from a spiritual being. “Julia what are you going to do if you find another necromancer has Aphila's spiritual self?”

Julia, “I'll try to barter with them and see if we can convince them to give her back.”

Ridon, “What if that doesn't work?”

Julia, “Then we'll kill them and take her back naturally. Unless the spiritual being that is Aphila resist that is the next logical step. You don't use necromancy on a member of someone else's family without realizing there is some risk involved especially if they come looking for that spiritual being. So are you ready to begin?”

Instead of answering immediately Ridon took a moment to clutch the staff in his hand. He could feel the power of the magic that was held within the item. He could feel it reach out of the staff and push into his body threatening to overtake his own spiritual energies. The energies that he had become use to manipulating. In some ways this feeling frightened him as he knew that while in many ways they were the same each person and items mystic energies were shaped by their source and behaved slightly differently. Would he be able to handle such a powerful foreign power?  “I'll have to trust your judgment on this one.”

Julia, “That's a good decision.”

**********************************************************************************

Flora wasn't entirely certain what to think as she looked out over the changed landscape. Zarena had been quite busy. Not only was the market clear of the remaining debris but it had been leveled and the foundation for the dining hall had already been dug. When Flora looked to the massive Zarena she realized how simple of a task this was for such a massive being but it was still quite a site. Now Zarena seemed to be looking around apparently in search of something else she could do. “I see that you've been busy.”

Zarena, “Not as busy as I'd like to be.”  For a moment Zarena looked down into the opening she'd been working on digging. Zarena was a good deal over one hundred meters tall though not two hundred meters. Given her scale the depth to which she dug looked to be around one fifth or one sixth her height. Given the width and length as well she couldn't help but wonder if she would be able to lay down inside of the opening. “So is there anything else that I should do? I'm getting desperate enough that I”m thinking about going back and reading what my brother left me.”

Flora, “Your brother left you something to read? Then why don't you take some time to read it.”

Zarena, “Well. I sort of don't want to read it too quickly. You see. It's sort of like a letter from the past to me. So long as there is more to read though I'm not expected to respond to it. Once I finish though there won't be anyone to respond to and well that will be it. Normally I only read it after finishing my task after being awakened in the few hours before the sleep overcomes me. It needs to last me a long time after all.”

For a moment Flora said nothing. She could remember what it felt like when Maria went to sleep. Knowing that she wouldn't speak to or see her daughter walking around for over a decade hadn't been easy. What had Zarena's brother thought whenever he realized that he would be dead whenever she next woke up most likely? At least he would have been far older. “Your brother must have put a lot of thought into what he left you.”

Zarena, “Yeah. I wish that I could have told him how grateful I was whenever I discovered it.”

This was not the direction Flora had wanted to go. It seemed the longer that Zarena was awake without doing anything the more time she had to think. “Isn't it something that when the time comes that you may be allowed to remain awake you find someone like Nathan waiting for you?”

A slight chuckle escaped Zarena after only a moments pause. “I thought of that to! Oh.” For a moment Zarena went silent and lifted a hand to her face partly covering up her smile.

Flora, “You just thought of something.”

Zarena, “Well yes. Oh how this size can be a curse at times. I would whisper it to you but I'm afraid everyone could hear my whisper.”

A slight chuckle escaped Flora. The sisters were used to knowing the brothers business as they couldn't speak quietly enough to hide what they had said. It was a different matter for the sisters that were used to using low speak in order to communication with one another. “Well then how about you pick me up and whisper into your cupped hands very gently? Even if the other sisters hear you they know better then to speak about the private business of another sister.”

Zarena could feel her face growing warmer. It had been a long time since she had a girl talk with another sister and she felt out of practice. It almost felt like she was a young sister once again just beginning to become sexually active with her brothers. “It had been so long since I mated. Well not if you count the recent times but oh I feel like a naughty little girl again.”

Flora, “You were a naughty little girl?”

Zarena, “No!” Immediately Zarena felt her face warming up as she realized her mistake in words. The blush didn't appear to be going away as she looked back towards Flora and pressed her two index fingers together. “Well perhaps a little naughty.” With those words Zarena lowered her right hand down next to Flora so that she could climb onto it.

There was no hesitation from Flora as she climbed onto Zarena's hand. Being friends with Mina and dealing with a daughter like Maria meant Flora was well experienced with beings that are more powerful then her. It was strange being lifted in one hand towards Zarena's face and Flora allowed herself to fall into a seated position just at the edge of where Zarena's fingers connected with her hands. “Now what's on your mind?”

For a moment Zarena said nothing but pressed her lips against one another. She could feel her skin becoming all the warmer and knew that her feelings had to be filling the air. Any sister in the area or within a few kilometers would probably know that she was feeling embarrassed. Zarena just barely moved her lips as she cupped her hands around her mouth to muffle the sound in attempt to insure only Flora could hear what she said. “When you mentioned me meeting Nathan in this era I couldn't help but think that perhaps this was destiny or something like it. It's been so long since I've felt such a strong attachment to a single brother and for it to happen when I have a real chance at remaining awake at least for a while it really is wonderful.”

Flora actually had to listen quite careful to hear Zarena. She really didn't want this to get out. “It looks like all that breathing control you've been practicing with Nathan has worked out. You're being very quiet. You know I bet Mina felt the same way whenever she woke up though for different reasons. Mina had intended to grow to keeper size once again and then go back into a coma to see if she developed another mutation. She would have if Dan hadn't been around to give her a reason to stay awake. However, I don't believe that's why you wanted to whisper to me though.”

It seemed that Flora was good at these things. It was true Zarena hadn't said the reason she felt embarrassed. “Well it's just that.”

Flora, “Whenever you met Nathan you felt like you have gotten your brother back and more.” The speed with which Flora accelerated backwards was quite stunning even to her though quite breath. Upon looking up at Zarena's face and the expression upon it she knew that she had hit the nail on the head.

Zarena, “It's so embarrassing!”  Before she knew what she was saying the words burst from Zarena's mouth as she looked down at Flora. With only those three words others wouldn't know what they had been talking about but she still felt a bit worried. “I mean for that to be one of the features that makes me so attracted to him. It's just felt so good though to feel like I had regained a part of something so precious to me from so long ago. You would be amazed by how many things they have in common.”

Flora, “Did they both put on the I'm a frail old man so you should do things for me acts?”

Zarena, “No. He didn't have the look to put on such a routine. Then again Nathan doesn't have it either if you take off those robes and shave off his facial hair.”

Flora, “When did he do that?”

Zarena, “He never did but my eyes let me see things that yours don't. Nathan is both preserved by his magic and by active use of alchemy as are all our brothers if I'm not mistaken. I can see it running throughout their bodies. Even the ones that aren't mages are constantly exposed to alchemical potions meant to strengthen the body aren't they?”

To this Flora gave a nod. “Yes they are. If we could give birth to human brothers on a more regular basis I wonder what they would have become by now. It's really amazing that they still let Nathan get away with that act though.”

Zarena, “It's because he puts so much effort into putting the act on that people let him get away with it. That is one of the similarities I see. As I mentioned to you Azon once sneaked back into the citadel after being told to stay away from it. Even if he wasn't harmed by the protectors the fact that he ignored such an order should have been a problem. I didn't tell you the full story though. Azon quickly learned that the protectors wouldn't allow him to be removed by force so long as he didn't damage anything.”

Flora, “You mean the sisters tried to take him out?”

Zarena, “Yes and they ended up being put out by the protectors. Then whenever they tried to bait him out by not bringing him food it was learned that the protectors were bringing food to him. He caused so much trouble and shifted so much of our understanding of the citadel and the protectors on its head. It was as if the protectors had accepted him as a ranking Luvarian and we weren't allowed to exercise our will over him even as constructs of the Luvarians.”

Flora, “Yet when he finally left the citadel he got away with it.”

A slight chuckle escaped Zarena. “It wasn't his first time doing these things either. My brother got himself in trouble often by taking risk that were considered too dangerous for a brother. However, keeping him from taking these risk proved completely impossible. So finally he was allowed to get away with taking risk no other brother could because he put so much effort into taking them. Even now whenever I think about it I still feel a level of amazement that he didn't get himself killed. He was very close to the original Luvarians in that.”

Flora, “What do you mean?”

Zarena, “Flora just consider how the Luvarians worked and the aggressive pace with which they created new life forms. They were an organization that was entirely enraptured by the act of creating with little to no regard for what happened after the actual creation. The only reason they took efforts to preserve their organization was because if they all died the creating would stop.”

At first Flora said nothing. Given the respect that Zarena had for the early Luvarians it was surprising that she would see them in such a light. It was pretty clear due to his reckless behavior how Zarena could believe he had the same spirit as them as well. Flora had never known Nathan to be reckless though but she was a sister and couldn't be certain of everything he did. The brothers had their secrets after all. “Nathan is one of the brothers that is pushing the hardest to find an energy source that will let us sate our hunger. He has no concern for what will happen once we become that powerful just like the ancient Luvarians.”

Zarena, “Now you see. Our brothers don't design kill switches into the systems they make for us. Even now you know exactly were the life bloom is I'm sure and know how to cultivate the plant as well. It is truly wonderful that our brothers put such trust in us as a society and as their family. However, to deliver such power to so many is also extremely reckless.”

It was impossible for Flora to keep from chuckling. “You make a good point. They are so caught up in their great work that they don't consider what it might mean in the long run. It has always been. We will solve the issue of their hunger and then deal with what comes next after that. I wonder how our brothers would respond if we told them all of this.”

Zarena, “It may be good for them. I don't believe it would stop their efforts or even slow them down. It may even speed them up but it's important to know one's own motives. That tenacity and drive though is one of the thing that draws me to Nathan. I suppose I like my mates a little reckless. With a body like mine they sort of have to be.”

It was nice that Zarena was no longer thinking about what she lost. As Flora listened to her though the thought of putting Zarena back to sleep was almost sickening. It was one thing to ask someone to sleep before they had formed any strong bonds. To ask her after she had come to love another and get to know so many was very different. At least providing for her with the new developments hadn't proven to be a burden but how long was this going to hold? It was possible that Zarena was using energy she had obtained from the fight and the actual system wasn't fully sustaining her. If that was the case how much was she going to need to eat to sustain herself. “Zarena. What are you going to do about your body? I mean if we did all grow large enough that the sleepers were no longer needed what would you do about restoring yourself to a smaller size.”

Zarena, “Now that is a problem. Naturally I don't want to be away from Nathan for any length of time but at the same time this massive body is very troublesome. Naturally there is the question of how easy this massive body is to sustain should this happen but assuming that there is no environmental pressure for me to reduce my size I would like to remain like this and be with Nathan. While he studied my body and looked for a way to cause me to shrink. That or I wonder if I could pour my spiritual self and memories into a knew flesh.”

This was not the response Flora had expected and she couldn't help her alarm. “What! That would mean giving up your powerful body!”

Zarena, “It would be worth it to no longer be a burden on a society that doesn't need me and be with the one I love most in this world. Nathan's comment about Aphila and how they were trying to turn her into one of the undead got me to thinking. If I were to kill myself then it should be possible for them to take hold of my spiritual self and put it into a new body. Naturally I'd lose the power that this body held and I have no way of knowing how suitable that body would be but it seems worth it if you only consider that. The only reason it wouldn't be worth it to me personally is how much Nathan loves this body.”

This was so far from the response Flora had been expecting. For Zarena to be willing to give up her power rather then slumber while her body shrunk and be separate from the one she loved was surprising. Especially whenever Flora considered the dangers of using such methods. “Well I hope you'd give him some time to figure out how to reduce your body without killing yourself or putting you into a coma first.”

Zarena, “I'm sure that he would have some ideas that are better then my own.” A slight giggle escaped Zarena as she noted the concern in Flora's voice, her scent and face. “I don't really believe Nathan or the others would let me try such a risky method to reduce my size. That said. If I was no longer needed as a sleeper I would be willing to do it in order to remain with Nathan. I love all of you enough to endure the burden that comes with this size but if you no longer need me to endure that burden things change.”

***********************************************************************************

It felt like Ridon's fingers were going to fall apart. After a moment he changed that thought to this entire body falling apart. The strain of handling the staff had been far greater then he imagined and he wondered what had kept him going. His body wasn't use to the energies that radiated from inside the staff and it had been hard to force them to work with his own. “I remember reading that an extremely powerful magical item could kill a weak user. Now I feel I know why.”

Julia didn't say anything as she held up the amulet and felt it resonating in her hands. Ridon was truly just being dramatic. He wasn't used to using truly powerful items and it had been more of a burden then he expected but he was no where near death. She wouldn't scold him for that as it was the first time he had used such a powerful item but she would teach him later. “If we confront another necromancer then you may be expected to use that staff to fight against them.”

Ridon, “That's fine. If it will aid me in finding Aphila then it's worth while.”

To this Julia gave a nod. “Okay let's see.” As she held the amulet Julia could feel it pulling on her. “This should now lead us to Aphila we just have to follow it. Let's go speak with Vera in the entry room and see. Oh no.” A sudden wave of dizziness struck Julia and she found herself leaning against her casting table as her memories began to adjust.

Ridon, “What's wrong Julia?”

Julia, “The memories are becoming clear. I know what the two sisters ended up fighting one another.” As she spoke Julia began to look around the room slowly. “I need to go speak with Vera. Ridon you come with me.”

***********************************************************************************

Vera, “I see. So your first belief that it was a sister that somehow manipulated the two of them into fighting one another was wrong. Instead it turns out the two of them weren't suited to be guardians in the first place.” A low growl escaped Vera as she shook her head. “The idiots. I am not however certain how to handle Dominic.”

Julia, “I'm surprised it happened or that a brother would be willing to risk so much. Apparently Dominic had been seeing both sisters. This normally wouldn't have been a problem but he had them both thinking that he was going to become their mate. The scent I noticed wasn't the scent of fur but rather the scent of his hair because he spent a lot of time helping in the dining hall. I don't know how the sisters ignored their noses they had to smell his scent on one another and each others scent on him. The big issue is that he lied to both of them.”

For a moment Vera went silent. Sisters knew the brothers were in limited supply so they understood they had to share. That didn't mean they didn't desperately want a mate just for themselves. This tended to make the sister's territorial whenever they became close enough to a mate and they stopped sharing. This had some benefits for the brother and some cost. It was however insanely dangerous to try to play two sisters at once. A sister could easily kill a brother in a moment of rage and the brothers understood this. Playing with a sisters heart was a great way to get killed. “It seems that it was a matter of all three of them being stupid. So Julia what do you think should be done?”

Julia, “Whenever I tell the others what happened Dominic's credibility is going to be destroyed neither brother or sister is going to trust him. However, I don't believe deceiving and manipulating two sisters for the sake of some sexual thrills and perks is severe enough to be considered a crime. Yes the end result was a tragedy but if a brother wants to take such risk isn't it his choice?”

At first Vera said nothing. She wanted to be angry and blame Dominic for what had happened but in truth it was because two sisters learned the truth and chose to take their anger out on one another at the wrong time. “This is so fucking stupid! Can you imagine a dumber reason to get yourself killed? Right now I'm having trouble doing it.” A sigh escaped Vera as she shook her head. “Our society is built on trust though and he manipulated that trust for his own gain. I don't believe he's fit to be considered a full brother any longer.”

Julia, “Well you know now Vera. I need to get back to Ridon and resume our hunt for Aphila. Can I trust you to handle the wrest of this?”

Vera, “You know some sisters may try to kill him. They're going to imagine what it would be like to manipulated like that and they're going to remember the pain of their deaths. They're going to blame Dominic for what happened and I swear it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to kill him. Why couldn't it have been entirely his fault? A situation in which several are partly to blame including the victims is the absolute worse case scenario.”

Julia, “You know there is distrusted sisters in this society. Are you surprised that they are some distrusted brothers?”

Vera, “Oh! That is a horrible thought.” For a moment Vera went silent as she took in a deep breath. Effectively this is exactly what the situation was. A distrusted brother. It was a strange thought and it made Vera's chest burn but it was the situation. “I wonder if making him live as a claimed that it was illegal to kill would suffice.”

***********************************************************************************

It hadn't been long since Julia had went to speak with Vera. Upon her return Ridon immediately perked up. “So is everything okay?”

Julia, “No. In fact there will most likely be quite a lot of ugliness now that I've spoken to Vera. However, you and I have other concerns. Have you made any progress with the amulet?”

Ridon, “It feels like I'm holding Aphila's hand whenever I hold this amulet. It's no wonder some necromancers go crazy trying to regain a part of someone they lost. It's strange though. At first it felt like the amulet was pulling me in the direction of the library but then it shifted. Now it feels like I'm being drawn towards the apprentice dining area.”

Julia, “That is strange. Ridon let's try moving outside. It is possible that all the magic in this place is influencing the amulet. We should be certain in this situation. It may even be better if we waited until we were in the market before we tried using it.”

Ridon, “That sounds good. If Vera is gone what sister is going to help us get around?”

Julia, “Vera should be sending one of the sisters to help us. I remember being told that Sora and Fera had already involved before Nathan made the suggestion of having Zarena help. I assume it's going to be one of those three.”

To this Ridon gave a nod. He was glad that Julia hadn't asked him to hand the amulet over. He didn't know if he was willing to do so even as they stepped outside. It was strange but as they walked out of the citadel the amulet seemed to be pulling them back into it. He was so lost in this feeling that it was only Julia's hand pressing into his chest that kept him from falling down the steps leading to the citadel entry way. At this time he realized that he was completely engulfed in a massive shadow and didn't need to guess who had come to help them.

Zarena, “Well hello you two. From your attire I take it that you're Julia and Ridon.” As she spoke Zarena wondered what all the courtyard to the citadel had been meant for. There was a section that was basically clear flat stone large enough for her to stand or even set in though she had to keep her legs close together. She imagined it was either for displaying large war golems or perhaps for dragons to land in. She wasn't sure of which.

Julia, “Hello Zarena. Are you ready to help us with our search.”

Zarena, “Yes. Sora came by and mentioned it a little while ago. Everyone else is busy running around finding resources, deciding on what the resources are going to come from, who's going to build what, what has to be rebuilt first, when the changes are going to begin it's all just well. If I was small enough to help I would but such work isn't suited to me.”

Julia, “I don't know. You could go over to the beach and search around in the ocean for some large slabs of stone to use. That way they wouldn't have to go digging up the forest.”

Zarena, “Hey! That is an idea. Once I'm done helping you two I should really go do that.” Zarena found herself actually grinning when she considered the notion that she might be able to help out. The ocean was also one of the few things that could still make her feel small as long as she didn't think about it too much. “So what's the plan?”

Julia, “We need you to carry us to the town center and then from there let Ridon guide you.”

Zarena, “Okay. Is there any particular reason that we're going to the town center?” Even as she was speaking Zarena had already began to walk while holding the two brothers in her hand. This thought struck her as strange for a moment as she looked at Julia. Did Julia prefer to be thought of as a brother or a sister? It was a strange thought but Zarena wasn't used to dealing with human females. It would be really bad if she called Julia a brother and the woman preferred to be thought of us as a sister. “Alright. Julia I hate to ask this but do you prefer to be noted as a brother or a sister?”

Julia, “We want to get away from the magic of the citadel. It seems to be making the amulet behave strangely. As for that. Well most seem to think of me as a brother and they sure treat me like one.”

Zarena, “That is strange. I've never heard of the citadel negatively influencing magic before. You didn't really answer my second question though. I asked which one do you prefer to be thought of as.”

A sigh escaped Julia as she looked up at Zarena. It wasn't surprising that a sleeper wouldn't have trouble thinking of her as a sister when she considered it. Any sister below matron was no threat to Zarena whatsoever and even matrons weren't much of a threat. “I prefer to be considered a sister. I sure don't have interest in other females.”

Zarena, “Ah! That's a shame.” Immediately Zarena was made to giggle as she noted the look on Julia's face and felt a tingle in her skin. She knew that she had just been struck with a low level magic spell but had no doubt it was involuntary. “I'm sorry. I joke. I joke.”

Julia, “You worried me there for a moment. I thought you were interested in women to.”

Zarena, “I used to be. At times it was good to be with another sister so that you didn't have to worry about breaking her in half. It's not like the brothers were always available either and at times a girl just wants some companionship. Then again you did just say you wanted to be seen as a sister.”

Julia, “Okay! Ridon how goes the amulet?” At this point Julia wasn't even going to try to hide that she was changing the subject. She didn't know if Zarena was joking or not but given Zarena's size and power she wasn't going to risk it.

Ridon, “It feels like its trying to draw me back to the citadel.” As he spoke Ridon found himself looking into Zarena's stomach. The amulet truly felt like it wanted them to turn around.

Julia, “That is very strange. I don't remember any records of the magic within the citadel influencing spells that were cast outside of it. I wish the protectors had let us take the staff and other items with us.”

To this Ridon gave a nod. They had been so focused on their work that they had forgotten they would never get out the front door with the items. Fortunately with Zarena's power backing them he had no doubt they could handle whatever they found. “What do you have in mind?”

Julia, “I was thinking that I should increase the amulets power to help it cut through any mystic interference. I don't need any of those items to do so I just wanted to add some additional power to it.”

Zarena, “You're not going to ask me to cut myself again are you?”

Julia, “No. This work is a bit more delicate and adding too much power wouldn't improve the results.” As she spoke Julia was surprised by how steady Zarena was keeping her hand. This made it easy to walk over to Ridon. “Okay just hold onto the amulet and let me try this.”

Ridon, “I will.” Ridon felt a tingle as Julia began to work her magic. The first thing he noticed was a change in the amulet. It went from feeling as if Aphila was laying her hand in his and lightly pulling to as if she had suddenly grabbed his hand. The feeling was getting stronger and he could swear feeling her soft fur wrapping around his fingers. “She got me! She got me!” said Ridon excited as he felt Aphila’s fingers grabbing his hand, but then he worried as he was quite familiar with that kind of hold. “It's still taking me to the citadel! Aphila is going to drag me to the citadel!” Burst from Ridon as he felt like he may be suddenly pulled off Zarena's hand.

The surprise in Ridon's voice surprised even Julia and she immediately relaxed her efforts. “What's wrong Ridon?” When Ridon began breathing hard after his outburst Julia was even more surprised.

Ridon, “It felt like the amulet might drag me through the air at any second.” A sharp gasp escaped Ridon and he felt himself calming down.

Julia, “Oh. You and Aphila already share a powerful bond. If you couple that with the amulet it must be a very note worthy feeling already and then when I increased the power it must have been quite a pull. Actually it might have been more like a domination spell was at work upon you. I apologize Ridon I didn't fully consider how powerful the amulet would be on you.”

By now Ridon was calming down though he could still feel his heart pounding in his chest. “That's okay. Are you sure you're no longer under that needles influence though? You normally don't let things slip your mind like that and jumping to using necromancy like that right away. You're getting a little on the aggressive side Julia.”

Julia, “I well. There may be some residual influence but it shouldn't be anything long lasting.”

Zarena, “So what now? The amulet says go back towards the citadel.”

Julia, “Yes but I still want to wait until we're in the center of the market area.” It surprised Julia whenever she heard a slight giggle from Zarena. “What is it?”

Zarena, “We are in the middle of the market district. Do you want to see the hole I dug for the new dining hall?”

Being carried by a sleeper was a very unusual experience. They were so much larger and faster then other sisters that riding with them completely threw off your sense of distance and how long it would take to arrive somewhere. Julia was confident that this was more then far enough to insure the citadel wasn't influence the amulet though and Ridon was still saying go towards the citadel. “Okay let's head back to the citadel if you don't mind Zarena. This time I want to you walk past the citadel though and make sure we simply didn't head in the wrong direction.”

Zarena, “Sure but what happens if it leads you back to the citadel?”

To this question Julia looked over at Ridon. “In that case I become very surprised and Ridon and I begin walking around as much of the citadel as we can attempting to trace the source. This could turn into a very long term investigation though with our limited movements.”

***********************************************************************************

Ridon wasn't really certain what he should be thinking. At least they were inside in a comfortable environment but he also knew how limited their movements were going to be from this point on. It wasn't as if they could just go where they wanted to. “Julia what are we going to do now?”

No immediate response came from Julia. At least this explained why Aphila had felt like she was close. Whatever condition she was in she was currently housed within the citadel. “I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. There are so many things we don't know about this place and you can only begin to imagine what's kept within the restricted regions. What did you feel earlier whenever we were in the citadel?”

Ridon, “I felt like she was close but also like she was moving.” It was clear that Julia didn't like Ridon's answer as she looked at him. It was the truth though and he couldn't change that.

Julia, “We have no choice but to give pursuit in that case. Ridon where do you feel the presence now?”

Ridon, “It's back towards the sleeping area.”

Julia, “Then lead on.” As Julia walked behind Ridon she found her mind going over the possibilities. When they had found Aphila's spiritual self it didn't seem distressed. So whatever was going on it had agreed to it and hadn't began to reject the current situation. That was a good thing. She was confident that none of the brothers had used necromancy on Aphila but she knew necromancy had to have been used on her. Was there someone within the citadel they didn't know about? The thought wasn't very comforting.

At least Aphila seemed to be staying still now. As Ridon was walking through the hall he felt somewhat alarmed. He knew that they were going closer and closer to a closed off section. “Julia what do you think we should do if Aphila is in a restricted section?”

Julia, “In that event you're going to continue wearing the medallion and living within the citadel until you encounter her. We both still have responsibilities after all. I doubt this will be something we can push. Just remember as long as you can feel Aphila with that medallion she is still within reach.”

Ridon, “Do you believe she's alright?”

Julia, “The spiritual existence didn't seem distressed but that doesn't guarantee she is alright. Ridon you do know that even if we do find whatever is holding Aphila's spiritual existence it won't be the Aphila you remember right?”

Ridon, “It could still have her memories.”

Julia, “Ridon, you know how necromancy works.”

For a moment Ridon stopped and forced himself to nod. It was unlikely that Aphila would remember him or who she was. He didn't even know what kind of condition she would be in. “Are you sure that she has a new body now?”

Julia, “As far as I can tell yes but that doesn't mean it's a living body. It probably isn't.”

Ridon, “I know. I don't like to think about it but I know.” As he spoke Ridon continued to look forward and he wasn't surprised by what they came to. It seemed like every time they had an answer for the situation another problem would show up. Every time he felt relief he was given another reason to worry. Now he was looking at what appeared to be an open doorway but he recognized the markings as protective glyphs. That didn't stop him from reaching forward and trying to push his hand past the opening. Whenever it felt like he was pushing against something very solid he looked back at Julia. “Do you know if there is any locations that we can reach that extend past this point.”

Julia, “I'm afraid there isn't one that I know of.” This hadn't been what Julia had expected. She knew that they were plenty of things that could go wrong with necromancy especially when hunting for an exact spiritual being. She didn't expect this many complications that would still leave things open to success. “Okay Ridon, We're going to try to pursue the spiritual being whenever you feel it moving. Perhaps it'll come to us if we can't come to it.”

Ridon, “Okay but what are we going to do if we find whatever has Aphila?”

Julia, “That all depends on what we encounter.”

***********************************************************************************

Typically after a day of dedicated work Joseph felt like  he was helping people and this gave him some satisfaction. As he set looking towards the door he didn't get that feeling. They had began processing the sister's body and running different experiments. As he had watched her form changing from what appeared to be a sleeping sister to clearly a corpse he felt like he was doing something terrible. The others had been quiet most of the time and not really spoken about their work. He was certain that they felt the same way but he felt the worse of the bunch. He was glad that his heart still lightened when the door opened and Maria stepped in.

Maria, “My feet are going to fall off!” While normally very mobile to begin with Maria had spent the day investigating various locations for resources to rebuild the town. This had kept her busy running all over the forest. Even with the healing ability natural to all sister's she had pounded the day lights out of her feet and they were letting her know they didn't appreciate it. At least Joseph made her feel lighter on her feet as she walked over to him. “Well good evening handsome.”

Joseph, “Good evening to you as well beautiful. I take it you've had a productive day?” Joseph felt himself bounce lightly as Maria basically fell into the seat so that she was now across from him. He responded to this by setting up in order to better face her.

Maria, “Well I found a few spots that we could gather what we wanted. Then I come back and learn that may not be needed or as much may not be needed as apparently Zarena is going to see what she can dredge up from the ocean. I wish they could have shared that information with me before I came back.” As she spoke Maria began to change her position going from setting to laying her legs across the  couch and Joseph. She then gave her thighs a slight pat. “How about instead of setting there you lay across here.”

Joseph didn't need much prompting and placed his hands on top of Maria's legs. Fortunately she had left him enough wiggle room to begin climbing up and onto those legs. “Well I doubt Zarena can find everything you need in there. Perhaps stone but you're still going to need lumber for building.”

Maria, “That's true. Joseph if you don't mind would you do me a favor and not destroy your skin.” By now Joseph had managed to work his way out from under her legs and was making his way over them. It was tempting to wiggling her legs some to try to toss him off but there was one major reason Maria didn't. After running that much it also felt like her legs were going to give out especially now that they were going into rest mode.

Joseph, “What do you mean?”

Maria, “The soap you used to clean yourself off with after you were done working. You over used it. I appreciate that you were trying to keep the smell from influencing me but I'd rather you didn't go so rough on your body.” Reaching down Maria took hold of Joseph's shoulders in order to help guide him where she intended. She had already changed her mind about having him lay on her legs and instead had him settle against her body so that his head was just beneath her breast as she leaned backwards. “This is a nice way to relax.

Joseph could actually feel the bottom of Maria's breast just beginning to touch against his head. “I'll keep that in mind. I just wanted to make sure you couldn't smell what I was doing.”

Maria, “Don't worry about that Joseph. If you don't mind I'd like to hear a little about what you've learned today or what the evidence is pointing towards.”

Joseph, “It's the first day so we haven't learned anything very remarkable. They're a few compounds that appear in your bodies that I've never seen before and we really don't know what they do. We're trying to isolate those and then figure out what they do but there is a problem. Some of them begin to break down very rapidly whenever not in the presence of one another. We had a theory that if we exposed the compounds to the right energy source they wouldn't break down quite like that and had some early results with a few of them. It leads me to suspect that those compounds are magically attuned.”

Maria, “What do they do?”

Joseph, “We don't know yet. The easiest way to find out would be if we could just take a sister and destroy all the compounds in her body. However, that could easily end up killing her for crippling her for life for all we know. Okay that's a little bit about my day so tell me something that happened on your run.”

Maria, “Oh! Okay let's see here if I can think of anything that is worth mentioning. I found some trees that I believe we could harvest for lumber a bit past were the petal birds like to nest who were as ill tempered as always. I don't see why the rotten little things aren't call thorn birds. They were a lot of branches that looked like they'd be good for harvesting and I figure we can easily cut off the upper sections of the trees. They could afford to lose some height anyway.”

Joseph, “I didn't know you had petal birds in this forest. It's a good thing I didn't make it that far. I believe the people who named them that did so because they wanted the region to seem attractive to others. They are pretty after all they're just mean and swarm in numbers.”

Maria, “You're thinking of the petal birds that are outside the forest. These rotten little things have learned what plants they can eat to give them a poisonous peck without harming themselves. They even rub their beaks against certain leaves to build up a toxic residue. These things are pure meanness in a cute package.”

Joseph, “Is anything in this forest even remotely friendly other then you! Even a good deal of the plants can kill you without you eating them or touching them. The slumber flowers may be one of the worse but they're not the only.”

A sharp chuckle immediately escaped Maria as she noted the tone of Joseph's voice. She wasn't used to thinking of the forest as dangerous but it really was. At least it was to a human. “The orcs are quite friendly. I don't believe they'd kill you just because they found you in the forest.”

The truth of what Maria said instantly struck Joseph and he began to grin. “So are there any friendly bears or wyverns in this forest?”

Maria, “Well it all depends on how you treat them and what's happening but not all of them are aggressive. I'm sure you know how adaptable wyverns are as a species they're just about as adaptable as the kobolds and perhaps more so in some ways. We've encountered some that instead of aggressively eating meat they prefer some of the plants that have a good deal of mystic energy stored in them like well the slumber flower you mentioned. They seem to shy away from dense areas though I guess even they can get overwhelmed. There is also the lunar bears. I'm not sure what happened to them but I swear they look like they're radiating moon light at night during their mating season.”

Joseph, “Are you pulling my leg?”

Maria, “I'm being completely honest. You have to remember a lot of the plants that grow wild in this forest are fairly powerful alchemical reagents.”

Joseph, “This forest gets stranger the longer I live here.” As he was speaking Joseph spread his arms and began to press his fingers instead Maria's sides behind him. He felt her shift and a slight vibration coming from underneath him that said she was enjoying it. “So the things we'd expect to be sweet and innocent like birds and flowers will kill us while what we're used to thinking of as dangerous may not kill us but probably will.”

Maria, “That's about the size of it. I mean. Our sisters and I are considered the most dangerous thing in the forest but we're actually the most reasonable things here.”

Joseph, “I dunno about that. I haven't spoken with one of those lunar bears yet.” Immediately Joseph felt a light smack upon his face covering his mouth for but a moment. He knew that it was Maria's tell immediately. “And you say you're not a violent bunch.”

Maria, “Oh shush. Joseph my body is exhausted. Would you mind reading to me some?”

It was tempting for Joseph to say that his mind was exhausted after what he'd been doing the majority of the day. That was just sloth speaking though and he knew it. It didn't take much effort to read. “Okay what do you have in mind?”

Maria, “How about you read more about the theory of life magic and the connection between animals and plants? I was extremely interested in the section that talks about testing to see what happens to plants when you try spells meant to influence humans on them.”

Joseph, “What?” Joseph knew exactly what Maria was talking about and it was a book he had spoken to her about. However, this was far from romantic or relaxing reading and at the moment he didn't think his head could handle it. It was only whenever he noticed himself being shaken lightly that he realized the truth of the situation. “Very funny.”

Maria, “I couldn't help myself. You sound so exhausted. How about you read some more of the titans garden to me? I'm curious what she does to help alleviate the pain of isolation.” Maria relaxed her hold on Joseph so that he could stand up but continued to watch him as he walked over to the small collection of books they had gathered.

Joseph, “You know. If something were to happen that killed off all the sisters and brothers except for a single sleeper one of them could end up living this story.”

Maria, “Hm. I don't believe so. I know if I was in her situation I would just go to sleep and wait for my body to shrink. At least then I could try reaching out to other societies. I doubt I'd even worry about someone finding me while I was asleep and vulnerable. Given the situation it would be worth the risk.”

Joseph, “That is a fair point.” As he walked over to Maria and once again settled himself onto her stomach Joseph was careful about his positioning. If he so much as allowed Maria to glimpse the page she would instantly read it and any feeling of suspense would be taken away from that page. So long as he read the story to her though she had to take in the information at his pace and this gave her time to think about what he was reading to her. “Do you remember what page we were on?”

Maria, “I have no idea. I try not to even look at how thick the book is. If I did I'd probably end up telling myself that you're almost finished and rush through the rest of it.”

Joseph, “It's been a while since I was last able to read to you with everything that has happened. Okay I believe I have our page. We were just to the point that she realized that she couldn't hope to interact with human society right?”

Maria, “Yeah but the title sort of makes it obvious what she's going to do about that.”

Joseph, “Let's find out.”

Maria, “Hey have you been reading without me?”

Joseph, “No. Of course not.”

For a moment Maria just looked at Joseph. She had a feeling that he wasn't being entirely honest with her but he wasn't fibbing either. “You asked someone else who'd already read the book didn't you?”

***********************************************************************************

It probably wasn't the best idea in the world but Ridon had found it impossible to help. Julia and he hadn't been able to locate where the amulet was trying to pull them. The location was constantly moving and they were blocked by the protected passages constantly. He had chosen to hold onto the amulet even during the night though. It made him feel like some part of Aphila was laying with him and he could have sworn that he was laying atop her stomach and not a bed. It made it hard for him to wake up as he knew when he opened his eyes she wouldn't be there and the feeling wouldn't hold.

As he lay there though Ridon found awareness coming to him and with it something unexpected. There was a scent in the room that hadn't been there the previous night and it was very pleasant. This helped prompt him to open his eyes and see the surprise. Currently a tray holding a freshly cut peach, a bowl of oatmeal, two eggs and a small bowl of cherries was waiting for him. It was enough to cause him to set up in the bed and take a clover look. After the food one thing he noticed immediately was that the carrying tray was clearly made from some kind of stone and had the symbol of the Luvarian's marked on the side.

Julia, “Ridon are you awake?”

The voice of Julia made Ridon jump slightly but he turned to the door. “Yes come on in. It isn't locked.”

Opening the door Julia immediately went to look around and right away she took note of the food that was set out for him. “Huh, well aren't you mister special. I only received half a peach and no cherries.”

Ridon, “You mean you had a plate of food waiting for you as well?”

Julia, “Several of us did though with different servings. A few of them are actually quite angry after only receiving half a loaf of bread. Then of course there are those who didn't receive anything. I wonder what made you so special though and let's see what you have to drink.” As she spoke Julia stepped further into Ridon's room and took hold of the cup. Instantly she knew it was special because a small lid covered the top preventing contamination and keeping the drinks either hot or cold. When she opened it she realized that it was hot but wasn't certain of what it was.

Ridon, “What is it?” Julia's first response wasn't to answer him but was to thrust the drink towards him letting him see inside and smell it.

Julia, “I don't know but I smell spices. Drink it and tell me what it is.”

Ridon, “Are you sure it's safe?” Even as he was asking Ridon carefully took the drink from Julia.

Julia, “Well no one has suffered any ill affects yet and Vera couldn't smell any taint on the drinks.” It seemed that was enough for Ridon as he began to lightly sip the drunk. “So what is it.”

Ridon, “Very tasty. I have no idea what it is called though. It's my first time trying one. Do you want a sip?”

Julia, “No thank you. Well eat your breakfast and then come join us in the apprentice research section. You and I have a great deal of work to do.”

Ridon, “Are we looking for Aphila again?” Immediately Ridon felt his heart sink as he noted the look Julia gave him. “I guess we're not.”

Julia, “Ridon if you want you can spend your day following the amulet. After all. Surely Aphila will enter into the sections we can reach eventually. However, we can't afford for both of us to be pursuing her especially given the situation we're in.”

Ridon, “Does that mean you're going to further the examination of Aphila's body?”

Julia, “Yes that is my intentions.”

Ridon, “I understand.” As he spoke Ridon chose to divert his gaze to the plate of food waiting for him. He knew they were going to end up talking about that as well. He probably wouldn't be there for the conversation as he intended to spend his time trying to reach Aphila.

***********************************************************************************

Lestel, “Are you okay Alaina? You appear to be excited.” As she spoke Lestel approached her fellow protector placing a hand upon her shoulder. The fact that Alaina didn't pull away was reassuring but she was still worried. “You have been dead for a very long time. Perhaps you're having trouble adjusting to the new life within you.”

At first Alaina said nothing. She could remember Lestel and knew from those memories that she was a kind protector that could be trusted. She was even one of the most active in helping the apprentices both before and after they went silent. Yet she hadn't reformed the trusting feelings that she once had for her. It would take some time for those to develop after all. She wasn't dealing with the Lestel she remembered even though they were very similar. “I am doing alright. I brought the apprentices their meals. Well those of them who earned it. When do you think they'll move to deal with the disfavored apprentice?”

Lestel, “I don't know. The apprentices are so busy now trying to relearn the knowledge of the masters. It's unfortunate that they haven't learned that the fastest way to relearn what the masters knew is to make their own creations. Just studying the past works will not teach them what they truly need to know and there is more then enough knowledge to begin creating in the library.”

Alaina, “Well. They're trying to perfect one of the master's works after all not trying to create their own works.”

Lestel, “Yes and that's why they're still apprentices despite their ability. Enough about that though. We all felt you bringing that one apprentice an extra treat. You even took the time to cut his fruit for him and provide extra sweetening.” Lestel could feel Alaina's shock and knew that she was feeling embarrassed. This actually brought a slight giggle from her. “Do you believe that we have another Azon?”

Alaina, “I wouldn't say that. You would have brought him his food if that was the case given how close you were to him. In fact. As I recall you died shortly after Azon did.”

To this Lestel gave a nod. “Yes. There is a fourteen year gap in my memory whenever I was dead. You're right he doesn't have Azon's crazy recklessness. If he was Azon he would already be trying to reach through the amulet and touch the very spiritual being of the person he was after to communicate. It's easier on my heart that he isn't quite that crazy.”

Alaina, “Mine as well. Lestel does the you that's here now agree with the silence?”

A sigh escaped Lestel as she shook her head. “No. I would prefer if we could speak with them and just give them a smack whenever they started being stupid. I know some would require more pain then the others to learn but it seems a more effective method of teaching to me.”

Alaina, “I can feel some of those who agree with us. I believe the time is coming whenever we'll be able to speak again one way or another. This generation has been very clever though haven't they? In the way they tried to restore their friend, the creation of a new energy system, the return to the citadel and the spirit hunters reformation. They're a very progressive bunch.”

Lestel, “Well that spirit did frighten them a great deal. They were on this path before but I believe it moved them along. I normally wouldn't approve of their relationship with the orcs but given the situation I agree with its formation. Besides those orcs are clearly accidental products of the master's work so I can understand bringing them in.”

Alaina, “It's a shame that the creators aren't around anymore. They would have loved to see how their creation of the forest has given birth to other creations as well. It is nice that not all of their work ended with them. Do you believe that they are other works that we haven't heard of yet?”

Lestel, “I believe there would have to be. I'm sure some of their creations have taken on new rolls or simply remain sleeping. I wonder what we're going to do whenever the master works we have stored here begin to wake up. You know that it's going to happen in time. Then we're going to see if the master's were right to fear waking them up or if they should have been woken up long ago. In either case I hope that we're ready for it.”

***********************************************************************************

Kelah had been told stories of the sleepers from Kersara. She had heard how massive they were. However, despite what she had been told and heard she hadn't been prepared for how truly massive these beings where. Now she found herself looking up at the towering being and knew that she had been seen as Zarena's eyes looked straits at her. Kersara had seemed powerful in her own right but this being was on an entirely different level. The fact that she could feel every foot step Zarena took was a bit hard to take in.

It was rare that Zarena saw something that wasn't a sister, brother, food or in need of killing. She had heard how the orcs aided the sisters during the conflict on the beach and was eager to greet them. “Hello there. You must be the orcs that aided my sisters and brothers during the conflict with the kobolds. It is nice to meet you.”

At least she remembered who they were. This brought a smile to Kelah's face. “You must be Zarena. Kersara told us a bit about you but I must say you look a bit bigger in person.” A slight chuckle came from Zarena and she stopped moving towards them and instead began to lower herself into a crouched position. The change in height didn't mean a change in size but it helped Kelah to relax for some reason and that helped the other orcs to do so as well.

Zarena, “I've been told as much before. You look to be going to the beach as well but why isn't Kersara with you? From the talk back at the village I thought she was helping you to move as part of repayment for helping us during the conflict.”

To this Kelah gave a quick nod. “She was suppose to but my father rushed us out of the camp sooner then expected as well. I do not know why he's being so aggressive about us preparing the new settlement as soon as possible but he's being a pushy old orc.”

Zarena, “Do you think it might be because he feels a seasonal change coming? It could also be he fears gathering gains will decrease due to the influence of the Amalgam and believes the town has to be made self sufficient now or any further work will have to wait several months.”

This wasn't what Kelah had been expecting. She knew they were on good terms with the beast people and their humans. She hadn't expected that would mean meeting one of their sleepers though and she didn't expect their sleepers to be so friendly. The unstoppable death machine wasn't just talking to them but apparently was considering what they said and knew something about them. “It sounds like you know the old orc.”

Zarena, “Nathan fought alongside him and of course I had Nathan tell me the entire story after the fighting was over. Nathan is my.” For a moment Zarena found the words escaping her. She wanted to say that Nathan was her mate but that wasn't fitting to the situation. Until she knew if she was going to have to sleep again she couldn't call Nathan her mate. She didn't want to bind him like that. “Nathan is my very precious friend.”

Kelah, “I see. So are you out here retrieving something for him?”

Zarena, “It's more like I'm hunting for something the community can use. Now I want to make sure. You're going to the beach right now aren't you?”

Kelah, “Indeed.”

Zarena, “There doesn't seem to be a great many of you. If some of you would be willing to ride my shoulders I could give you a lift to shorten the journey.”

Zarena was most assuredly nicer then what Kelah would have expected. It made sense when she considered it. Who would want a mean spirited bitch having the kind of power Zarena's size granted her. It would also shorten their trip a great deal. The only issue Zarena could think of was the tuskers. “Well do you think you could keep me with the big tusker there and keep the other tuskers with him?”

Zarena, “That shouldn't be a problem. Here just guide them into my hand.” As she spoke Zarena lowered her right hand for the orcs to direct the tuskers into. She would need to keep one hand free in case there was something to move or in the event someone fell but as long as they made use of her shoulders she felt confident she could carry the entire group and only have to dedicate one hand to their transport.

During the conversation Dinon had been silent not being certain what to say. He wondered if that was a good idea as Kelah had already agreed that they would all receive a ride from the massive beast woman. He was a bit worried but pushed these fears aside with a simple thought. If this massive being meant them harm they would be in her stomach or under her feet within moments if they accepted the ride or not. “So you heard about our fight from Kersara?”

Zarena, “A lot of us did. When we learned that such a serious battle had broken out on the beach the keepers just about went into a panic. You should have seen Stella fussing over her son Allen. As soon as she was certain there was no physical damage she went strait to checking if there was mental damage. It was wonderful watching her show her son such love but I was a little worried she might cause some damage herself.”

Dinon, “I remember Allen. He actually ended up taking up a bow in order to help defend our position. He's quite a brave young fellow. I know many his age would have chosen to remain hidden and let others handle the fighting.”

Zarena, “I heard about that to! I normally wouldn't allow a brother to fight at his age but given his age that really was the best choice. Did you see if he managed to hit anything?”

Dinon, “He fit a few of the sea kobolds I know that for sure. He was also careful to shoot well above everyone else so that he didn't hit any of my people or your people. He slowed down only to be told to keep firing and not worry about running out of arrows in this situation.”

Zarena, “Which means that there were so many kobolds that he could fire blind and still hit one.” A slight chuckle escaped Zarena as she noticed the look of shock on Dinon's face. “I know you were leaving that part out intentionally. From what I know of him Allen is a sweet child but his experience with a bow and in combat are both quite limited if I'm not mistaken. He most likely used one while playing with his sisters but I doubt it was frequent enough to develop a solid aim given his mother's protective nature.”

Dinon, “Well yes there was a very large cluster of sea kobolds to shoot into.”

Kelah, “It was also very nice of him. Even if he couldn't do much to help us knowing that everyone was doing their part really helped encourage the rest. The wolf inside of me included.”

Zarena, “Oh yes! You're a shaman that has a contract with Night Fang. I remember whenever the spirit hunters spoke of their first encounter with that wolf spirit. He was considered a powerful spirit even then but it sounds like he has grown quite a bit stronger since my time. The spirit hunters considered him a favorable spirit to hold influence over the wolves in the forest as he focus more on the pack aspect of the wolves and less on their more destructive traits. He brought about smarter wolves instead of more viscous.”

Kelah, “You mean he had competition?”

Zarena, “Oh yes indeed. The spirit hunters had been actively seeking two other wolf spirits with the intention of destroying them. They tended to make the wolves more violent. Smart wolves are in some ways more dangerous of course but smart wolves also know what areas to avoid and who to avoid. Is everyone holding on okay? I'm not moving too fast for you?

Kelah waited to say anything as several orcs called out their comfort. She was busy watching the tuskers and warning them to stay seated. So far they were listening to her but it was clear they weren't fond of being carried by such a large predator. Razor wasn't particularly happy but had settled in next to her. He seemed to sense that she was relaxed and that made him more relaxed which made all the tuskers more relaxed if not as relaxed as him. “I wonder if they had any dirt on Night Fang I could use to make him give me more power.”

At first Zarena said nothing but then an amused chuckle escaped her. “Oh that is naughty! Well I remember them talking about spiritual contracts. From the way Kersara talked though you and Night Fang had a friendly contract.”

Kelah, “We do. So long as I don't show any weakness that wouldn't be fitting of an alpha wolf” As she spoke Kelah lightly scratched Razor's head while feeding him some leaves from her bag. “Naturally I must look for his weakness as well as a respected Alpha. Oh who is a good tuske,who is a good tusker.”  Kelah made it a point to increase the vigor with which she scratched Razor's head while the tusker made a move to snack the small satchel she was feeding him from away.