Joseph, “Well that wasn't expected. You're missing a very important detail though. I have the findings from our most recent studies. At the very least that information will let me refine what I'm testing for.”

Maria, “You have a good point. Will this influence your studies in regards to whether or not we can use magic?”

Joseph, “Not at all. The relationship between your bodies and your seeming inability to use magic is still my primary interest. I just like this experiment because you can conduct it mostly by yourself and I can examine the results through simple blood test. You may have to spend a little more time hunting to find the right foods but I'll see about that after I examine the older studies you mentioned.”

Maria, “Well someone seems to have his energy back.”

Joseph, “I wouldn't go that far but this is a lot better then what we were talking about before. Now you just relax and I'll show you how good the foods I have in mind for you can be.”

A slight giggle escaped Maria as she set up slightly. “Well I'm sure not going to say no to you cooking for me. I'll just.”

Joseph, “Relax in here while I cook.”

Maria, “Ah! How come?”

Joseph, “Because it's been a long day and I'm not going to have little miss greedy fingers snatching food before it's done cooking. Unfortunately the only hope I have of protecting the pan is if you're not even in the same room as it. Oh no.” As he spoke Joseph noticed the expression on Maria's face. He had accidentally challenged her to a game.

Maria, “Oh? So you believe that pan is safe just because I'm not setting in the room?” As she finished speaking Maria gave her lips a slow pass over with her tongue and leaned forward on the chair taking on something of a pouncing position. “Well as we're testing things today let's find out.”

All Joseph could do was roll his eyes. There was no talking Maria out of the game whenever she acted like this. At least he hadn't succeeded yet. All he could do was hope to meet her challenge and perhaps defeat her. “Okay but if I catch you or block you mid grab then you have to spend an hour transcribing my notes to booklet for me.”

Maria, “Ah! But that's so boring!”

Now Joseph was grinning. “I know. That is why I want you to do it instead of me. It's pretty frustrating having half the food vanish before it's done cooking after all.”

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

Zarena took in a deep breath as she leaned against the wall. Nathan had apparently been quite drained by the day's events and had fallen asleep a short while ago but only after explaining his reasons and they had a little fun. He had said that he wanted to compensate her for putting her in such a difficult position. This brought a giggle from Zarena as she looked down at her vagina. Currently Nathan was nestled into the upper portion of her vagina with his head just resting against her clitoris. His arms would squeeze on it from time to time making her body tingle. Looking down at Nathan it was impossible for Zarena to resist giving him a bit of an embrace as she remembered what he said to do if someone came into the room. Just finish shoving him inside before they noticed him.

It had been some very nice fun as Zarena lightly tweaked her right nipple. Both nipples were still in an excited state despite her having come down from their fun for the most part. Now she found herself having to think about the real issue at hand. For a brother to be considered a brother they had to be someone that could be trusted. That was a truth that Zarena held strongly to. If they couldn't be trusted as a brother then they simple weren't one. There were certain truths that only brothers and sisters were allowed to know. If someone else learned of them they had to be killed. At least that was how things normally went. Dominic was making things difficult.

What would happen if a sister had accidentally told a trusted claimed something they shouldn't have known? The claimed only saw the female of their species. After all that's all there was. They would see human males and could assume they were people who had chosen to join the sisters. Claimed were then carefully conditioned to believe that the males remained within a protected area they weren't allowed to enter. After all they were plenty of areas a claimed couldn't go. Such magic trickery reinforced this miss information. Zarena gave her head a slight shake as she felt Nathan bury his face more firmly against her clitoris for a moment and had to hold in a gasp.

The shock was good for her. It wouldn't be right to kill a claimed because a sister had let her tongue slip but despite that she doubted they would let the claimed ever leave the forest. Now came a problem though. What if he tried to pass on the information to other claimed who could leave the forest? It would allow for him to gain some level of revenge that could hurt them in the long run. Was that a fair concern though? Zarena knew that things were changing and rapidly. How bad would it be if the outside world learned that the sisters needed males of other species to continue reproducing? A slight chuckle escaped Zarena as she looked down at Nathan.

Zarena, “I don't know if it matters anymore. If they knew that we don't have any males of our own but instead could use males of many species they'd only fear that we'd take their men. They'd begin to wonder about those who had vanished into the forest even more. But well what about how vulnerable we are to certain sound based attacks?” As she spoke Zarena reached down and placed her right index finger just above Nathan's head. She then began to draw it in a circle around his sleeping form. The image of people intruding into the forest carrying magic items meant to create very high level of sounded passed into her mind. It could drive a sister off and give them a chance to escape. That or it could drive her into such a murderous rage that she went berserk slaughtering everything in site to make the sound stop. In either case it wouldn't be a good thing.

Given the knowledge Dominic would have as a brother how could they trust him to work with other claimed? Just as importantly what good was a claimed that couldn't work with others? Did they even think of that before making him the offer? For a moment Zarena reasoned they must have planned to use some kind of magical item or spell to keep Dominic from telling the others about what he knew. There was of course the possibility that they would tell the claimed that Dominic knows things that could result in them being trapped there. A slight giggle escaped Zarena as she imagined a claimed beating Dominic to death in order to keep him from sharing a secret. That or perhaps he had already shared it and the claimed realized what Dominic had done.

A good keeper wouldn't allow one claimed to murder another but it was still a funny thought. Looking down at Nathan again Zarena gave a slight purr as she considered opening herself up and letting his body vanish completely inside of her. If he woke up she could always tell him that she believed she heard someone. Which wouldn't have been a lie as she could hear a great many people but none of them seemed to be coming to her room. She knew she would be speaking to Nathan about her concerns whenever he woke up. If he could put her fears to wrest as far as Dominic informing the other claimed of secrets then she would support their plan to make him into a claimed. She still believed he deserved worse but she would support her brothers and the keepers in this.

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

Tera gently pressed her hand against the mountain of stone Zarena had brought to them. While it was all good strong stone they were some imperfections in it resulting in different quality from section to section. She was currently working on marking those locations and was secretly trying to find the stone she wanted to make the foundation of her new shop from. No more having their entire store burned down for them. This time around they were going to use far more flame resistant materials. “Nora isn't this just a wonderful color?”

Looking to her friend Nora couldn't help but frown. “Tera this type of gray is fine for sterile settings but it isn't okay for a tailoring shop. We need bright colorful patterns. That's why no matter what stone we end up using we're going to be painting over the stone or. Oh I know! We could cover the inside with a wooden interior and the outside with the stone sandwiched in between. That way it could still give off that nice warm inviting feeling.”

Tera, “What do you mean sterile! The citadel is full of stone work and it's lovely. Decorations like what you're talking about are just setting us up for another fire, wasting space and wasting resources. A few plants in the right locations and some splash of color would work wonderful with this stone.”

Limina, “Hey! How about you two quit arguing and get back to preparing the stone for cutting?” As she looked down at both Tera and Nora Limina couldn't help the annoyance in her voice. Here they had an entire market district to rebuild and then some and two of her fellow guardians were arguing about store layout before the dining hall was even up.

It was tempting to tell Limina to mind her own business but Tera knew that would be a mistake. They were both guardian ranked but it was true she and Nora had become side tracked. There was also the little issue that in terms of combat skills Limina was typically considered in the upper five percent of her ranking mostly due to her tendency to hunt the more dangerous prey such as large wyverns. That didn't mean they had to stop talking they just needed to continue working. “Oh come on Limina. The designs for the new structures haven't even been finished yet.” 

Limina, “We still have prep work to do. I for one want to get the dining hall repaired as soon as possible and the smoke rooms especially. I miss my properly seasoned meats and vegetables.” Even while she was speaking Limina found herself moving to different sections of the stone feeling it out. Whenever she would find a change in the stone quality she would make a quick mark sectioning the stone off. It would be up to others to cut through the rock. Once the stone was sectioned off into different qualities they could settle on what it would be used for. Naturally the strongest stone would be used for structural material. All of it would either be magically or alchemically enhanced.

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

If Dominic was to tell the claimed he was working with about the sister's secrets it would mean that they can't release them. This would most likely result in the claimed harming him and the keeper would be hard pressed not to allow it. Furthermore Dominic would be punished for revealing such information. That had been Nathan's intention. Zarena had spoken to him about how dangerous that was and the odds that he could smuggle some information out. At this Nathan had relented and resolved to speak with the others about putting some kind of magical restriction or at least a monitoring system on Dominic. This had been enough to convince Zarena to relent. Now she found herself pushing up on the roof of her chamber so that she could climb out. It felt heavier then it should have.

Without the thick stone over head she could hear the others working and climbed out. She didn't know why but she was more careful then normal whenever she set down the roof to her chamber. It was as if she wanted to draw as little attention as possible. It was probably because she really didn't want to do what she was about to do. It was one thing to scold her sisters whenever she believed they were in the wrong. It was another thing to deliver news to them that she didn't like or agree with. She had relented a little over the night and resolved to help mostly because she didn't truly know what she wanted to do to Dominic. As she began to walk she resolved the best thing would be an open announcement asking the sisters to gather.

Looking up from his work Tera noted Zarena. First just looking and then realizing she was walking towards them. She was going to call out to Nora but Zarena came within easy hearing distance far too quickly. A slight chuckle escaped Tera as she realized even she had trouble judging how quickly a being that large could move. “Hey Zarena! How about helping us to grade some stone?”

Now Zarena gave a smile. “I'd love to but I can't risk using these claws on anything we hope to use for building material.” As she spoke Zarena extended her claws as if to demonstrate why. “The damage they deal isn't just a nice clean cut you know.”

Tera, “Ah yeah. You would upset the natural spirit of the stone hastening its decay.”

Zarena, “Yeah which is kind of frustrating whenever I just want to make something. I actually have to resort to tools.” As she finished Zarena couldn't help but give a light sigh. She was letting herself get distracted and immediately straitened back up. It was clear this caused those around her a bit of alarm including Tera as she took on a far more serious stance. “Sisters I have some news. We know what happened to Cita and Azala. To anyone that would like to know what I'll be waiting where we gathered to settle the issue of the spirit hunters. Please come join me in sixty minutes.”

Now that hadn't been what Tera had expected. She had been confident the brothers would figure out what happened on the water front. For Zarena to suddenly announce that she would be relaying the information instead of them was both strange and alarming. It almost put her feet to moving in order to follow after Zarena but she locked them in place. Zarena had given them sixty minutes most likely so that they could finish up what they were doing and inform the others. “Limina, Nora I'm going to go chase down a few sisters that might not have heard that okay?”

Limina, “Yeah. Yeah that's good.” As she spoke Limina didn't know what to think of the entire situation either. Finding the different grades of stone suddenly seemed to be less important then it had been.

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

Setting at the front of the meeting area Zarena would be facing all her sisters. This prompted her to take in a long breath as she noted those who had already gathered. It probably wouldn't take an hour for all those who wanted the news first hand to arrive but she would need that time. She had already told them that she would inform them what had happened so she couldn't back out. She still felt her body shake a bit as she imagined their response. What would she do if a mass of them responded by immediately running off in an attempt to find Dmonic? She wasn't going to harm her sisters for Dominic's sake that was for certain. She would sooner let a sister eat him alive them harm her for that.

Maria, “You look like you're about to be sick.”

A tingling that ran up her arm and part of her shoulder told Zarena how Maria had come to be setting upon her shoulder. She was still surprised that she hadn't noticed her running up it moments before. As a sister became larger she became faster and her reaction time increased as well. How had she failed to track Maria then? After all. Even if Maria's speed was frightening compared to other sisters her size Zarena's speed and reaction time should have been far greater. “Maria how did you get up there without me noticing you? Don't you know that's dangerous?”

Maria, “Well I wasn't trying to be stealthy about it. You looked really zoned out for the past ten minutes.”

Zarena, “Ten minutes? Wow I must have been gone.” A slight chuckle escaped Zarena and she gave a quick nod. “I sure don't feel my best at the moment. I guess I'm upset over what happened and I'm a little annoyed with our brothers.”

Maria, “Wow! I thought you were just upset with us for removing things like the spirit hunters and pets.”

A slight chuckle escaped Zarena as she looked at Maria. “This is different. This is the type of upset comes with being asked to do something that you really don't want to do but you're one of the few who can. It's the type of upset that comes with being asked to purge settlements near the forest of all life after they've repeatedly encroached upon our domain. You know that it has to be done but that doesn't make you happy to do it. It's also the kind of upset that comes with putting aside your own feelings and trusting in the wisdom of others because you do trust and love them.”

That last part hadn't been expected. “I hope you don't mind me saying this but the thought of you yielding to others and doing as they'd like is a little strange. Especially considering how commanding you were when you woke up.”

Zarena, “Why is that? I yield each time I lay down for the long sleep after all. The ability to follow the wisdom of others even if you don't agree with it is something all of us sleepers share.”

Maria, “That is true. I just never thought of it that way. So this must have you really upset then.” As she spoke Maria was made to remember her talk with Joseph the previous night. She was certain this is what he had been talking about. It had her even more worried then the previous night but at least she was better prepared for it. “Well I'll be heading back to my place. It's about time for you to start explaining.”

This time Zarena was able to watch as Maria quickly climbed down her arm and her seated leg due to her hand resting in her lap. The speed with which Maria moved still seemed remarkable and Zarena couldn't help but think what it must seem like to other sisters. Okay. I believe that I've kept you all waiting for long enough. Does anyone have any reason that we should wait a little longer?” As she went silent part of Zarena hoped that one of the sisters would speak up. Instead they all continued to look back at her making her feel all the more awkward. “Very well then. As it was explained to me  Cita and Azala died because they started to fight amongst themselves during the haze of battle on the water front.”

As she listened to Zarena Maria took in a deep breath. She could feel her hair beginning to stand up as she remembered what Joseph had told her. Somehow a brother had been involved in all of this. How was she going to feel whenever Zarena told her how?

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

To say Dominic was worried would have been an understatement. He had been stripped of any clothing that indicated his rank as well as most of his belongings. In return he had been given the clothing of a claimed and found himself waiting within a repurposed examining room inside the laboratory. He had actually expected to be allowed to remain in the citadel but Flora had said that was a place meant for brothers and sisters not for claimed. It frightened him. In the citadel he could hope that the protectors would come to his aid if the sisters tried to kill him. Here he didn't have that safety net. Now the door opening drew his attention. His heart rate sped up whenever he realized it with a sister without realizing who it was.

Flora, “Well it's time that I put you to work Dominic. It's been two days since Zarena set down and had a talk with all the sisters and now I believe they're ready to see you contributing.”

Dominic, “What are you talking about? There is no way that the other claimed have been put to work yet.”

Flora, “That is how their keepers are choosing to keep them. Alora has already put hers to work and so am I.”

A sigh escaped Dominic as he stood up. “Well then what do you want me to do? Is there some books you want translated or some calculations done maybe someone needs some help with spells?” It worried Dominic a bit whenever he heard Flora chuckle. The look on her face told him that she found something very funny.

Flora, “Now Dominic how are you going to cast spells with those restraints are your wrist?”

Dominic, “Aren't you going to take them off?”

Flora, “Of course not. I can't have a claimed I don't trust who can use magic unshackled. It's been a few days since we lost the town and we've had to use improvised deification areas. Guess who's claimed gets to tend to the mess?”

Dominic couldn't hold his jaw shut. He had spent the last two days thinking about what claimed of his ability would be allowed to do. He had even reminded himself of how fair of a keeper Flora had been considered before she became pregnant. Now she came to him with this kind of news. “What are you talking about! The brothers have been housed in the library which has facilities and then the citadel! There shouldn't be any need for such work!”

“Do you believe we always have time to run deep into the forest whenever we need to use the potty? There is also the claimed who are far more limited. If you might recall they spent some time working on the clean up before Zarena stepped in. Fortunately for you Zarena did most of the work and put an end to that but there is still a mess that needs tended to.” As Flora was speaking she could hear Dominic's heart pounding inside of his chest. The anger was clear on his face and his scent. It was probably a good thing she had chosen to tell him this in private or the other sisters probably would have chipped in.

Dominic, “Then have one of the idiots take care of it! I'm a fully trained mage! I can do more important work then cleaning up your shit and especially the shit of someone's pet!” The blood was practically pounding in Dominic's ears at this point. The fact that Flora could break him in half or remove a limb in an instant wasn't even registering with him at the moment.

Flora, “Dominic you know better then that. It isn't just about your abilities but also how much we trust you. Now from what I was told you were a very naughty person before you were claimed so you're going to have to earn my trust and that attitude isn't helping you. I'm afraid this is the only shit I trust you to handle. Now come on. I'll take you to your work site and you can begin. You're fortunate though. A while back a member of our community developed a mask to better protect people from stink. I found one that wasn't lost in the fire for you to use.”

Now Flora was talking to him as if he didn't know it was Joseph. She really was going to treat him like he was a newly captured claimed and didn't know anything about their society. “Fuck you Flora! At least let me use my magic.”

Flora, “That is quite enough! If you keep behaving so poorly I'm going to have to punish you. You may be allowed to use your magic in the future but first you have to prove you can be trusted with such a powerful tool. Now come here.” As she spoke Flora indicated a spot closer to her. She was going to end up carrying Dominic to get him to the location quickly enough but he could at least walk the few meters needed to put him within arms reach.

It felt like Dominic's mouth was drying up and his throat was shutting. He had been prepared to copy some books or perhaps work on making some basic alchemical items. To be told he was going to be cleaning up crap and not just crap but the crap of the claimed as well was worse then he had imagined. Yet the power in Flora's voice made his legs move and he found himself walking towards her albeit very slowly. So he really was a new claimed. Not just an ordinary new claimed but one who had been difficult during their capture from the way Flora was speaking. He was the low man even amongst the claimed.

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

Alaina, “We've been happy to see that the apprentices have began using the single handed method of awakening a glyph more then the two handed. It was a bit funny to watch some that are used to spreading the burden between two hands have to adjust.” As she spoke Alaina continued to move her brush about. It was nice to have a cooperative person to paint that wasn't another faelom. She had been speaking with Ridon for five weeks now and so far the original faelom found their activity agreeable.

Ridon didn't know what to think about his current situation. Currently he was wearing cloak that positively radiated magic, holding the staff Julia had used during their studies of the fallen sisters and pretending to watch a flask which was actually undergoing a very active reaction. Alaina was a short distance away painting on a canvas and despite her memory being near perfect she wanted him to hold still while she painted. At least her precision and speed meant she was working very quickly but so far he hadn't been allowed to see her work. “Yeah. I was surprised whenever Mirin teared up and had to walk out of the room while he was practicing.”

Alaina, “That one needs to learn precision spell casting. Whenever all you can use is spells that require a lot of energy and destroy a massive area you're in trouble when precision is called for. What would he  do if he was confined in a cavern and had to worry about dropping a mountain on his head?”

Ridon, “Possibly drop a mountain on his head. Alaina what exactly am I suppose to be in this painting?”

Alaina, “I was going for the look of a young Luvarian helping their mentor with a necromancy based construct. The cloak protects you from fire and necromancy so that if the construct went out of control the entire room could be bathed in flame without killing the Luvarian. The staff is to allow you to provide the needed energies.”

Ridon, “I see. So you liked to watch the creation process?”

To this Alaina gave a quick nod. “It was quite enjoyable. This is actually based on an early experiment to develop an undead command unit. As you know large numbers of undead can be difficult to control so often necromancers will make a sort of general to guide a portion of the undead for them. However, these leadership units tend to be difficult to create and replace. One of our necromancers resolved to make a new form of undead that could be placed within a lesser undead and augment their abilities to produce a leadership unit. Then if the unit was destroyed the construct could be retrieved and simply put inside of a new host.”

Ridon, “How did that work out?”

Alaina, “It was a little more eager for a host then was expected and tried to kill one of the apprentices. The project was moved else where whenever the Luvarian directing it was assigned to a new guild hall but they were high expectations for future results. I never found out what happened with the final product.”

Ridon, “Okay Alaina that's kind of frightening.” Ridon wasn't surprised whenever he heard Alaina giggle but still had to look at her. She was giving him a warm smile. “By the way. I liked that desert you made for me this morning. Do I want to know what it was?” It was nice whenever Ridon noticed Alaina smiling back.

Alaina, “I'm glad that you enjoyed it. It was just a properly prepared root from an iron bark.”

Ridon, “Um. Are we both thinking of the tree that got its name due to a tendency to break axes that are used on it?”

A slight chuckle escaped Alaina even as she resumed painting. “Yes. That is why I said prepared properly. It takes some time, patience and a good oven to properly cook the roots. They store a large amount of sugar whenever the weather starts becoming cold and can be made into a very sweet pudding.”

So he had eaten part of a tree. Not only part of a tree but a tree that was used to make armor and weapons that rivaled those made in a forge. The thought was enough to freeze Ridon in place as he tried to imagine what Alaina would have had to done to break down the tough plant fibers into the soft delicate texture that he had been eating. “Are you being serious?”

It was clear that Ridon was having trouble believing her. This only made Alaina chuckle to herself. She knew it would be hard to believe that such a tree's roots could be made into anything a human could eat. “It was a technique that first saw development for long journeys through waste lands. It was resolved that they needed something that packed a great deal of nutrients and energy but also lasted an extremely long time. The roots from an iron bark have an exceptionally long life span but they aren't edible by humans. So it was resolved to find a way to make them edible even while traveling. Surprisingly a constant heat source and the right compounds did a good job of this. Unfortunately a constant heat source couldn't always be insured in such situations.”

Ridon, “So when was it made to taste good?”

Alaina, “That was the work of Tiadra. She happened upon the knowledge and became curious what could be done with it. Of course, there is no where else in the world that someone could freely experiment with such roots other then this forest. They're simply too rare. Honestly I believe if she had picked something else she could have produced something far better in a shorter time period. She was determined to prove that even such a food could be made delicious though  and ended up making something with a truly unique flavor.”

Ridon, “Then did you learn it from her?”

Alaina, “Yes. I believed that it would be fun to share it with you and it was.” A sigh escaped Alaina as she looked at her painting. She had picked the wrong way to represent Ridon he just wasn't suited to the painting. “Ridon you do a poor job of representing someone who's been waiting for several hours for a reaction to finish while using their own magic to stabilize it.”

Ridon, “What?”

Alaina, “You should look more fatigued. I believed that I could compensate for the energy in your face and make you appear more drained but that isn't working. I even waited all this time for setting to become bothersome and show on your face but you've continued that smile.”

For a moment Ridon said nothing as his mind tried to catch up to what Alaina was saying. “You mean you wanted me to look fatigued?”

Alaina, “I told you that your character was meant to impart the emotions of someone who has spent long hours helping to complete a complex necromatic spell. Do you believe such a person would look spirited after spending several hours of such effort?”

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

Hadron felt so strange as he walked ahead of Alora and a few other sisters. Currently they were within the dining hall which had seen a lot of work recently. It wasn't quite functional yet thanks to the little details like pluming but they were hard at work on that. That wasn't what made him feel strange though. The fact that he was inspecting the work that had been done by the keepers, guardians and mages  that had chosen to live with them was strange. Alora was along to insure that he and Lewis felt comfortable  when commenting on the work that had been done so far. The sound of some chalk meeting stone drew his attention to Lewis who was currently marking a section of the wall.

Alora, “Is something wrong Lewis?”

Lewis, “I'm not sure. This spot looks like the mage who fused the stones together was running a little low on strength. It'd be a good idea to have it checked before it ends up carrying too much of a load and you have a crack.”  Lewis wasn't just being careful in his wording as he looked at the stone. He truly didn't know if it was a good enough joining or not and that was the problem. When building a structure if you didn't know if something was strong enough or good enough then you best assume that it isn't. As typically if you assume that it is sufficient and discover it isn't later you'll be in trouble.

Alora, “Well. I would come over there to confirm your work but I don't have enough knowledge on this subject to support or contradict you. So I'll just have someone that does look at it later. Thank you Lewis.”

Lewis, “Thanks. I'm still surprised that you settled on a design that Hadron and I came up with.”

Alora, “We didn't settle on a design. We made use of the best one available to us. I admit I wish we had some of the brothers that designed the library or laboratory around but we haven't built structures like that in a long time. You two did very good work.”

Hadron, “It was because they left behind good notes.” When he had first been claimed Hadron was surprised when he learned his life wouldn't revolve entirely around work. The claimed were allowed access to certain things and knowledge. Especially if that made them more useful. Hadron had found that he enjoyed studying design and to his surprise been allowed to revise the design to some structures such as those homes used by the unclaimed and even their own living accommodations. Once Alora trusted him enough. Lewis had started later then him but was a reliable assistant and learned fast.

Lewis, “I'm still a bit uncomfortable. This was quite a bit bigger then anything we've worked on before.  It would have been nice to design a few more refinement structures before working on one this large.” As he was speaking Lewis had rejoined Hadron and Alora. Even as he resumed his inspection there was something nagging at him that he wanted to ask yet he was worried about the answer and what the question may bring.

Alora, “Thanks to your development of such a valuable skill on your own there has been talk about promoting you to unclaimed. It seems many feel you have aided us enough to repay what you once took.” Alora had a large grin on her face as both Hadron and Lewis came to a dead stop. They weren't promoted to unclaimed yet but they were on their way to being. A lot of sisters believed that it made no sense that a claimed effectively the lowest ranking member of their society was designing some of the most important structures.

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

Mina felt silly. Currently Flora was setting beside her while she was laying down. Flora's hand was resting atop her stomach apparently trying to feel for Mina's child through that wall of muscle. “Flora what are we going to do whenever we become larger and become pregnant with a brother? I can only imagine that would happen if a sister learned she had accidentally murdered her new born son.”

Flora, “We're just going to have to be very careful during those times. At least our bodies give off a new scent before the baby is born.” As she spoke Flora took in Mina's scent again. She was most assuredly giving off that she was ready to give birth. The problem was due to the strength of Mina's body and her massive size it was hard to tell if that meant hours or days. Fortunately the problem wasn't overly difficult to solve as Dan walked into the room carrying a plate of freshly cooked meat and vegetables. Flora had brought them over and intended to cook but Dan insisted she stay with Mina while he cooked.

Dan, “So Flora how is my daughter coming along?”

Flora, “I wish I could give you specifics. Mina is going to give birth soon. From her size I am certain it will be a very easy birth. When I gave birth to Mira it was easy enough and well Mina is larger then I was then.”

Mina, “Hey Flora. What did you do with Dominic? I mean you're suppose to be his keeper so shouldn't you be keeping an eye on him? I'm not taking you away from your duties am I?”

Flora, “Julia volunteered to make use of him for a few hours. This is far more important then such things anyway. Okay Dan here is the good news and the bad news. Mina will give birth soon. That's good. To insure the child's safety she needs to remain home or at least close to it. She isn't allowed to go hunting, training or well really. Mina you don't get to do anything that would require you to leave your home understood?”

Mina, “Understood.”

Flora, “We're dealing with a newborn sister or that's what all the indicators say so she won't be too delicate. That said it would be best if you had someone to stay here with you and help Dan out. I believe that Terima would be a good pick for this. She's young and this would be a good advancement in responsibility for her.”

Nodding her head Mina took in a deep breath. She had never given birth to a child before. What was this going to feel like? Would she recognize it whenever the birthing process began? Everything she had read and been told said that she would but she worried. “What should I do if I realize I'm giving birth while Terima and Dan are away?”

Flora, “Find a clear clean spot and assume the position I showed you. Once the infant is born cut the cord and if she isn't crying like someone just gave your tongue a spiced rub down give her a light pat on the back to insure there are no fluids cutting off her air way. Oh and be sure to give a distress call.”

Mina, “That sounds about right. I was thinking that I might need to travel to the citadel and just stay there until I've given birth. If you say this is.”

Flora, “That is a wonderful idea! They're rooms that aren't in use. They're plenty of brothers around to help out and there is even the protectors. Don't you agree Dan?”

Dan, “Huh. It would make a lot of sense. Yeah I believe that is what we should do. Flora could you help Mina to the citadel while I prepare some things here? I'll be going to stay with her after all. This way we don't have to bother Terima to transport me two and from work either.”

Mina really hadn't been thinking whenever she had made the comment. Listening to the energy in Flora and Dan's voice though it was clear that they approved of the idea. She had first believed that such a thing would be unnecessary but she wasn't going to argue with them on the issue. “Well then. You just said I could be up and about around my home so how about I help to get it prepared then we all go together.”

Flora, “That's fine.”

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

This was not what Mina had expected even whenever Dan and Flora had began to move her. She was being watched and she knew it. Every once in a while a protector would walk by her room and look in on her. The door was shut but she could hear them, she knew they were there and she knew they were watching. It had finally reached the point that she had opened the door so she could see them to. What surprised her even more was the way that they were looking at her. They seemed to be smiling at her whenever they would check in. Now if only they'd take a moment to speak to her she could completely relax.

Ridon, “Good evening Mina.” As he spoke Ridon felt a little awkward. He had wanted to check in on Mina upon learning she had been moved to the citadel. Then Alaina had taken him aside and told him some questions that they wanted her to be asked. The only problem was how was he going to work those questions into casual conversation?

Mina, “Is it already that late Ridon?”

Ridon, “Oh I'm not sure. I haven't stepped outside of the citadel in a while. I've been rather on the busy side.”

A slight chuckle escaped Mina as she smiled at him. “Things are going alright. I'm a little lost as to what I should do with myself at the moment. I guess laying here and waiting to give birth is the extent of what I'm really suppose to do. Little Dremera sure is getting me a lot of attention.” As she finished speaking Mina lightly patted her stomach imaging that she felt a kick from the inside in return. Perhaps she did.

Ridon, “Yeah but you know after everything that has happened we're all eager to see her. I even think the citadel is. Did you know that there is even a housing area for pregnant Faelom?” Even as he spoke Ridon felt rather awkward. It was Alaina that had mentioned the room to him and suggested they move Mina to it. She had seemed so excited to be able to communicate a piece of information to the sisters even indirectly that he couldn't refuse.

Mina, “Faelom? Ridon what is a Faelom?” As she looked at Ridon Mina couldn't help but set up. That was the first time she had heard that word being used to refer to anything. It seemed like Ridon was a bit alarmed as she heard his heart rate speeding up. What had he been up to as of late and what was that word to cause such alarm?

Ridon knew his body was giving him away right now. His mistake would cause his heart rate to speed up and he would begin to respond to it. There was no claiming it was just a slip of the tongue with how his body was acting. “Whoops. I've been reading a lot of documentation of the Luvarians since I moved into the citadel. It seems the faelom was one of the names that the Luvarians used in order to refer to the sisters. I'm sorry for using such an outdated term.”

That wasn't right. At least it wasn't the name that Mina had learned to call the sisters. “That's not what I was taught. I remember documentation identifying us as the srale.” A shiver immediately went up Mina's spine as she said the word. “I hate that name though. It just sounds so ugly.”

Before Ridon could speak he heard a voice but not with his ears. It was more within his own head and he recognized it as Alaina. The fact that the voice seemed to be augmented by the amulet he and Julia made help insure him it was her. “That is not our name. That is a name for a vast classification of constructs. Just tell her that was the old name and faelom was given to us whenever we proved resistant to infernal influences by Lord Liben.”

Ridon didn't really have time to think about what Alaina had told him and he didn't know if he had a choice. He felt his mouth working without him thinking. Had that been a command spell as well as a message. “Srale was a name given to you before the infernal war within the Luvarians itself. Faelom was actually assigned to you after the sisters proved resistant to infernal influences. However, with everything that had happened the leadership at the time saw you more as family then anything else and just started calling you the sisters of the Luvarians.”

Mina, “Really! Even I didn't know that. Where did you get that information?”

Ridon, “A protector brought it to me actually. Since we've began using the library more they've been a bit more interactive with us. With a strong biased towards Allen. I wonder if they're going to show your Dremera similar behavior.”

Mina, “That's right isn't it. I heard about them bringing Allen that book and even showing him to use a one handed method for awakening glyphs. Now apparently they're a lot of brothers who are trying to learn to use one hand for glyphs thinking that means they all should use such methods. I wonder if that's true myself. They didn't even seem to consider that Allen might be a special case and not everyone should copy such methods.”

“Yay children to distract a sister.” Immediately flashed into Ridon's mind. Another thing immediately entered into his head. This seemed far more forceful then the first one as if more then one mind was backing the spell. He didn't even have time to consider what he was saying. “So have you considered raising Dremera in the citadel and see what happens? I remember Zarena mentioning how the protectors would at times help with young sisters. Remember she said one earned the ire of some of the children by constantly bringing them back to their parents when they tried to sneak out of the room.”

Mina, “I remember that being mentioned. I've never heard of them harming a child at the very least.” As she spoke Mina placed her hands on her stomach. “I don't want to just wonder off without Dan knowing where I am though. It's a little strange. The protectors keep wondering by and looking in on me. I finally started leaving the door open so that I could see them. It's like they're moving by faster now. Sort of like if Maria wanted to sneak a peak at something.”

Ridon, “Well perhaps they're just checking to make sure your baby is okay.”

A slight chuckle escaped Mina as she nodded. “That is a sweet thought. What do you think a protector would do if I was having trouble giving birth and the child was in danger of dying due to the strength of my body.”

Once again the words hit Ridon before he knew what he was saying. “Restrain you while inserting their claw slightly into your spinal column in order to numb your entire body. Then insert a claw into the upper section of your womb cutting an opening just large enough to retrieve the child. Once the infant was removed from your body it it would be a simple matter of using heavy grade wire or enchanted thread to stitch you back up. Due to the regenerative ability of your body the cut in your abdomen would heal within a few days at most and the damage to your spine would recover within a matter of hours.”

Once again Mina found herself sort of staring at Ridon. That was a bit more detailed of an answer then she had expected and she didn't know where that part about numbing her body had come from. “Wow. What was all of that?”

Ridon, “Well I don't believe they would allow an infant sister or the mother of that infant to die whenever they're in the citadel. They've also proven that they have intimate knowledge of all the Luvarians creations just by being able to maintain the citadel. Well that and the tools that they left us with whenever we began to research the bodies of the dead sisters.”

Mina, “That makes sense.” Even as the words left her mouth Mina felt a little strange. Ridon was speaking with an authority about the protectors that she didn't quite understand. It seemed like he had discovered something about them that the rest of them had forgotten. “Ridon what exactly did that book with the name faelom in it have to say?”

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

Alaina, “I apologize for the number of times we took over your ability to speak. It was just so exciting to be speaking about a newborn faelom! Well a faelom to be.” As she was speaking Alaina had picked Ridon up and pulled his body against her own. He still seemed a little stiff but was relaxing as he was held against her warm body.

Ridon, “Well honestly it was a bit unnerving and I worry you might have had me say too much. Alaina I really don't want you or anyone else putting words like that in my mouth again. Just taking control of someone's tongue like that without permission isn't acceptable.” Ridon didn't know what to expect but he was still surprised whenever he noticed Alaina nodding in agreement.

Alaina, “I am sorry. That amulet of yours caused the spell to behave strangely. It was only meant to be a suggestion or a request but for some reason it turned into more of a command for you. We realized this after the first command but couldn't remain silent.”

For a moment Ridon didn't say anything but took in a deep breath. “Well I already said what needs to be said. So let's leave it there.”

Alaina, “I intend to make it up to you later. I realize that having your body used in a way you didn't intend isn't pleasant even if there was no harm. We are grateful for what you allowed us to do. You might need this later by the way.” As she spoke Alaina retrieved a small book that she had retrieved shortly after Ridon slipped up by calling Mina a faelom.

Ridon, “What is that?”

Alaina, “It's a book that was written after the infernal influence weakened the Luvarians. It talks about constructs that were immune or resistant to infernal influences, those that were roughly what you'd expect and those that were far too vulnerable. It discusses the need to stop production of any construct that is overly vulnerable to being control by infernal magic and the study of those that are resistant to it. Most importantly it mentions the name faelom and has enough of a relationship with necromancy that you could have read it.”

For a moment Ridon said nothing but took a moment to look at how thin the book was. “It doesn't seem thick enough to be a detailed studied.”

Alaina, “It isn't. It's a bit of data and a thesis. Unfortunately the collapse of the Luvarians had already began even when this book was written so that it was never developed into a full study. I was going to suggest you read it but now that I think about it how about I read the book to you?” As she spoke Alaina slipped the book from Ridon's fingers and began to shift his position in her lap so that he was leaning his back against her left arm and looking up at the underside of her breast. “Yes this feels about right.”

As Ridon was cradled in Alaina's arm he didn't know what to think of the situation. He felt a little embarrassed being held like a child but those massive breast above him held such a commanding presence. His arms wouldn't cooperate whenever he tried to tell them to pull him up most likely because several parts of his body were telling them to stay down. All he could really do is grin as Alaina settled herself into the seat and began reading.

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

Kersara, “Ouch! Oh this hurts.” Even after she was done calling out Kersara couldn't help but giggle. She was lucky that she had found someone that could cause her this kind of pain on the water front. Granted her opponent had to have some assistance but if Kelah hadn't been there then she wouldn't have had anyone to spar with.

Kelah, “You're complaining about being sore!” Even as she spoke Kelah pointed towards a rather noteworthy gash across her stomach. Currently a searing pain was running throughout the wound while small bubbles rose from her skin. She wasn't worried about either of these effects as she recognized it as the visual signs that the damaged skin was rapidly mending. With the extra mass Kersara had put on and the power that came with it Kelah wouldn't have been able to safely spar with her on her own. If she was allowed to set up some spiritual focuses to channel additional power and have a shaman or two back her though that changed.

Kersara, “No. Being sore is the result of a good long swim where I push myself to the limit. Water really is wonderful. I can push my body to its limit working as hard as possible and yet it just returns to how it was. What I'm feeling right now is actual pain. You didn't mention those axes of yours actually slow down the healing process.”

A slight chuckle escaped Kelah as the wound on her stomach stopped bubbling. She could still feel a lot of smaller injuries being healed but they were coming along. “They're made from the bones of a dead dragon and imbued through numerous shamanistic rituals. You didn't believe that being cut with them was going to be the same as being cut with a regular weapon did you?”

Kersara, “I really didn't think of that. I knew that they were made from the bones of a dragon but I guess that should have told me there was something more to them. So has the path Zarena been walking proven useful?”

Kelah, “Very. I believe some of my men slow down whenever they believe that they hear an impact though. I guess they suspect that it might be her. You know they tend to get rather excited whenever she comes by for a visit. Especially whenever she has Maria with her.”

Kersara, “I believe those two like to practice Maria's speed training out here more so then in the forest.” As she set up Kersara took in a deep breath. Zarena's new path had worked out for her as well. It made it easy to return to the village for short visits and Zarena was happy to take her back later on. With the path becoming more and more defined Zarena felt comfortable moving at increasing speeds. “It's kind of strange being carried around like that though. At times I believe that's how a brother must feel but then I remember something. If we just set a brother down and leave him in the forest he'd be in serious danger. At least we know that we can get back home no matter where we are.”

Kelah, “I wish I could say that. Okay that's enough setting around for me. We still need to make preparations to move the living and storage areas back some more.”

Nodding her head Kersara immediately stood up. “Well then let's get to work.” Without waiting for a response Kersara moved ahead of Kelah. She had been living in the orcs settlement along with a few other sisters. As they were living together the sisters had naturally been helping the orcs building. “I really thought that we have solved the storm issue until last night.”

Kelah, “I did to! Then a wave comes smashing through my window, nearly takes the wall down and drenches me. I knew that the water held dominion here but I didn't expect it to be this invasive. Then I speak with the shamans and they tell me this land remembers storms that are far more powerful then the one we encountered last night. I wish those idiots we used to send out on fishing trips would have brought back more information.”

Kersara, “Well it's not entirely their fault. I used to patrol the water front after all. I should have known better but well. I never really thought about building on the water front in those days. A powerful storm was just a chance for me to go swimming and really work my body.”

Kelah, “You used to go swimming in that weather?”

Kersara, “Well yes.”

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

Pera, “That is so neat!”  Currently Pera was setting across from Allen who had set a cup of water atop a glyph. Resting on the surface of that water was a small stone that would have normally sunk rapidly to the bottom of the cup.

Allen, “Julia said this was a good way to begin really refining my ability to.” Allen gave a sharp grunt as he had to focus more energy into the glyph. He had hoped to put on a better show for Pera but this was rapidly draining all the strength he had. Increasing water's resistance enough to keep a small stone from sinking had sounded like great fun when Juila had told him about it. She had even shown him the glyph to use. However, despite his practice maintaining it for more then a minute was nearly impossible.

Pera, “Are you okay Allen?” Pera got her answer whenever Allen gave a sharp gasp and the stone rapidly sunk. This wasn't her concern though as she closed the gap between herself and Allen taking hold of his shoulders as she did so to keep him from falling over. She was relieved whenever she heard him breathing and saw him smiling up at her.

Allen, “I had hoped to be the one to release the glyph rather then to have it exhaust me. I guess that wasn't very impressive.”

Pera, “No way! That was still really neat!” As Pera spoke she went from holding onto Allen's shoulders to slipping her hands underneath his arms. She didn't bother asking as she lifted Allen's exhausted body into the air and set herself back down. She was still smiling as she settled Allen into her lap allowing him to look up at her smiling face. “So that was a glyph of armor right?”

Allen, “One of them. Bark skin, iron skin whatever you want to call it they're all spells meant to increase the durability and resistance to damage of something.  They do it by different means.”

Pera, “Neat. But Allen. Don't typically spells like this last for a while even after the glyph is activated? Why did you need.” Pera found herself going silent whenever she noticed the look on Allen's face. Clearly she had hit a sore spot without thinking. “Did I say something mean?”

Allen, “No. Yes that spell should last for a while but I'm not good enough to make it last for very long. When Julia did it she just touched the glyph for a moment and the stone remained suspended for over ten minutes. She used a heavier rock as well.” Allen tried to sound upbeat but he couldn't help but feel a bit sad at the moment.

Pera, “But Julia's been using magic for years and she went through that strange ritual to better attune her body to the use of magic! So you can't compare yourself to that. Besides it has to be hard making water strong enough to support a rock.” As she spoke Pera tried to keep her energy up. She wanted to show Allen that she was truly impressed with his progress and hope that would cheer him up.

Listening not just to Pera's words but also her voice did do a lot to help Allen and he soon found himself setting up again. “Thanks Pera. I've actually began working on making my own glyphs and speaking with some of the others about their use. You should have seen my mom whenever I told her that I liked using glyphs more then I liked learning to cast spells.”

Pera, “Well are there any benefits to using glyphs?”

By now Allen found himself relaxing and began to raise himself up from an inclined position. The fact that Pera's lap was almost as big as his mother's use to be was a strange though as he scooted away from her body to more set on her knee so looking up at her face was easier. “Yep. The glyphs are far harder to interrupt and quicker to activate. You can already have them prepared well in advanced as well. The problem is that they're not as easy to adapt and if they're not already prepared they take longer to ready.”

Pera, “What did your mother think of that?”

To this Allen gave a shrug. “I don't believe she looked into that. Whenever I told her that I might want to become a glyph expert she picked me up and hugged me for so long that I thought she might have forgotten that she was holding me. I'm pretty sure I spent a good ten minutes talking to her about it while she continued to hold onto me. She didn't say anything but I suspect she was just glad that I don't want to become a spirit hunter anymore. I didn't tell her though but one of the reasons I'm studying glyphs is that's what Julia is studying to become one.”

A slight chuckle escaped Pera as she placed a hand on Allen's hand nearly engulfing it completely. “Of course. When you're hunting dangerous and spontaneous beings you would want to have a quick response ability or two. So what did the brothers say?”

Allen, “My teacher says it's a little too early for me to start working on a specialist field. He suggested that I spend a little more time learning general magic and then make a choice but he did assure me that if after that I wanted to focus on glyphs it's a perfectly acceptable field of magic. Typically such mages work more on making magic items, equipments and constructs apparently but with the right preparations they can offer more direct aid as well. It was when I was speaking with Julia that I got a real surprise.”

Pera, “Did a protector give you another book?” With that Pera removed her hand from Allen's head she was a bit surprised whenever she noticed the grin on his face. “No way! One of them brought you another book!”

Allen, “Well nothing like a book. One of them brought a gauntlet to me and let me see it. It was covered in glyphs. The really neat thing was when I put it on several of them activated and it actually adjusted its size to fit me.”

Pera, “What happened next?”

Allen, “At first I felt this remarkable surge of energy. I could literally feel my muscles tightening up and it felt like my skin was being stretched. My skin texture changed and everything felt more comfortable all of a sudden. Then I got dizzy and almost passed out. She. Well she had to take it off me but she set me on one of the seats before leaving.” As he spoke Allen couldn't help but look down. “Julia said that I shouldn't feel bad though. Even she was surprised to see something like that.”

Pera, “Well that's one way to kill a buzz. What happened?”

Allen, “Julia said that the gauntlet was a guardian's gauntlet though more advanced then one she's seen before. She also mentioned that the darn thing was suppose to have a power source of some type that didn't include the wearer. Someone had apparently removed it from the gauntlet before the protector brought it to me.” An annoyed snort immediately escaped Allen as he gave Pera a lopsided grin that brought a chuckle from her.

Pera, “Well maybe she was trying to inspire you by showing you what a glyph crafter can make! That was pretty mean though if she was the one that removed the power source.” It was clear to Pera that Allen felt a little down about the gauntlet. She could understand why. He was having a rough time wherever he went in his studies. Sure Julia had praised him for the progress he was making with glyphs but he had also put in a lot of work. Then when he compares himself to one of the more trained mages they make everything appear so easy. “What about your protection from fire glyph? I bet you're really good at using that.”

Allen perked up almost immediately when Pera mentioned his protection from heat glyph. “Well it's protection from heat actually and I've gotten really good at it. You should have seen my mom whenever I cast protection from heat on the kebabs she was preparing for us three days ago. Allen dinner is going to be ready in a little under thirty minutes! She puts the kebabs on and them comes back to check them a few minutes later and they haven't even began to cook. Of course, they're wresting atop an open flame so she isn't certain what's going on and tries lowering them further into the fire.”

A sharp giggle escaped Pera as she imagined Stella fighting with the skewered meat and vegetables wondering why they aren't cooking. “She had to catch on that something wasn't right. What did she do?”

Allen, “Yeah it didn't take mom long to realize that natural meat isn't that resistant to being cooked.” Now Allen felt his face growing warm as he started to blush. “She told me that apparently the fire had broken so she may not be able to cook dinner. Then she went and said that I shouldn't worry because if it came to it she would breast feed me like when I was a baby. I swear Pera the look on her face said that she would do it.” Despite his grin Allen couldn't help but blush at the idea of his mother breast feeding him at his age. She sure was large enough to get away with it.

Even Pera blushed a little at this. “I really hope she was just joking and wouldn't resort to breast feeding you just because she couldn't cook dinner. That's going to be my job in a few years after all.”

Allen, “Pera I can't believe you just said that! As for my mom. I do not want to find out! Fortunately the fire began to burn through the magic about fifteen minutes after I cast the spell and she smelt it beginning to cook. She looked at me and said. Oh it looks like the fire is working again. It was the first glyph that she ever saw me using so I have to believe she knew it was me and was just trying to make me worry. After getting our plates though she told me that she was proud of the progress I was making.”

Pera, “She's not the only one. So how did the kebabs turn out?” As she spoke Pera placed both her hands on Allen's chest effectively covering it up. She used this to press him more firmly against her body in a gentle embrace. “Hey seriously when I get of age would you mind if I breast feed you?”

Instead of trying to look up at her face Allen made it a point to look down at the ground. The fact that he could hear Pera chuckling and even feel her body shaking from the laughter only made him blush even more. He hadn't mentioned it but when his mother had teased him he had actually been left thinking of Pera and her developing body a short while later. He also remembered what happened to them on the water front and how Kersara had to step in. “Well. Maybe once in a while whenever we're older.”

Pera, “Yay! I heard some sisters talking about it a while back so I have a few ideas. Apparently it's a good idea to spread some honey on the nipples for the first time.”

Allen didn't know what to think of that last comment. All he could do was look Pera in the eyes despite the huge grin that had formed on his face. Given how powerful the senses of a sister was it was pretty useless to try to hide such things as sex from her. They could smell it easily enough. This meant sisters tended to be quite casual with one another whenever talking to each other about such things. For Pera to be talking to him about such things was something of another matter. “I see. Well I suppose that would add  a sweet taste.”

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

Alexa, “Okay I need you to relax you're not going to like this much.” As she spoke Alexa pressed down on Julia's back. She was instantly greeting with a sharp grunt of pain and had to add extra force to keep her from setting up. “Now just relax this is good for you.”

Julia, “Why can't I heal sore muscles! Thanks for the help Alexa. I'm surprised you're so good with human muscles.” Currently Julia was laying across Alexa's lap feeling truly astounded by how sore her body was. She had believed that she was in good shape but the past two weeks had been a nightmare. She had learned how well conditioned the spirit hunters were and had asked for help in reaching that point. Alexa had volunteered to assist her in the process.

Alexa, “Well you know I am a keeper. I have to see to my claimed and that includes knowing what their bodies can take and good ways to train them. Besides with all the effort we put into insuring that our brothers stay in shape we have to know something about your body. We want you to be healthy not to break you. One moment this is going to. Well never mind.” At that moment Alexa had heard a very loud scream from Julia and felt a slight pinch herself. The pinch Alexa had felt was the result of Julia instinctively lashing out with her magic. “So are you ready for the heated oil?”

As she looked up at Alexa Julia could hardly believe this. She had tried draining some life energy from a few plants in order to restore her body. However, whatever strain had been put on her muscles due to the training Alexa had been putting her through couldn't be healed like that. Her muscles were exhausted and adjusting to the new burden that was being put on them. It wasn't like she had been cut open or struck with a club. “No!”

It was impossible for Alexa to keep from giggling. She had already reached into the small pot and began to dampen her hands. She was careful to insure it wasn't so hot that it would burn Julia but this was necessary. “You said you wanted the intensive treatment which also involves the intensive care. Don't worry once the pain is gone you're going to feel wonderful. Now quit fussing like a guardian and just relax.” As she said the words relax Alexa began to work Julia's body once again.

Julia was surprised by how the oil felt. She had expected the pain to continue but after an initial spike in the pain it seemed to be going down. “I haven't been out of the citadel in a while. What do you mean about complaining guardians?”

Alexa, “Oh some sisters don't like being forced to compare themselves to other sisters. It was always. Well I'm this much stronger then a brother so I should take care of them or I'm that much stronger. Now it's turned into I'm so much weaker then her that I can't even last thirty seconds. Then you factor in the pain of the training and all the other work that's getting done and I hear a lot of complaining. So if you want to take a step towards being seen as a keeper you'll show mental resolve and not scream whenever I push down here.”

Immediately Julia' felt her entire body lock up. Her eyes opened wide as pain shot throughout her back. Her hands opened wide and she felt her magic running throughout her body. Her fingers were positively tingling whenever she forced the magic to stop flowing and held still. Fortunately the pain was already fading as she tried to force herself to relax once again. Oddly enough as the pain began to fade she felt like something had been released. “So Alexa when did you begin learning how to massage a human body?”

Alexa, “Wow. I expected a bit of a backlash there. I learned it from my mother who told me that if you really want to have a good long time with a brother you have to make sure that his body is prepared for the attention. You presented a bit of a challenge naturally being female but not being a sister. I actually had to look through the citadel to find out how to handle your body.”

Julia, “Are you serious? They had books on that?”

Alexa, “Naturally. Well not dealing with this exact subject. I read some books on the structure of the home body that related to massage therapy. The library guided me to the books that would be useful. I admit this is a bit experimental for me.”

Julia, “What!” As she spoke Julia tried to raise herself up but once again Alexa kept her pinned. Suddenly she was a bit worried about the long term affects.

Alexa, “Relax! I wouldn't risk anything that would cause you long lasting harm. You're one of my sisters after all.” Alexa couldn't help but chuckle whenever Julia relaxed and settled back down. “Besides I did some of my experimenting on that claimed elf. She isn't a human but a human's body and an elf's is close enough that I could get an idea of what I'm doing from that.”

Julia, “What did she do to deserve that?”

Alexa, “Nothing and I didn't force her to do it. I explained the situation and offered a trade with her. If she was willing to volunteer her body to learn from I would see to it that she wasn't put in a manual labor position again provided she followed the rules. I also assured her that if there was any true damage she would be healed and receive some additional compensation. She isn't a very trusting one she demanded to know what kind of compensation I was talking about. We finally settled on that she would be granted a room equal in seclusion and comfort to that of a trusted claimed.”

Julia, “I would have taken that deal back in my time. Ouch!” Being no where near prepared Julia couldn't help her body's response and gripping Alexa's leg firmly immediately channeling energy into the limb meant to induce pain the same way she had caused Dominic to suffer. She was rather surprised by Alexa's response.

Alexa, “Ouch. That kind of stings.”

The fact that the sister's had been designed to be very magic resistance suddenly popped into Julia's head. A random little shot of magic that would have dropped a human to the ground wasn't enough to even slow them down. Especially a keeper who was as well conditioned as Alexa. “Sorry about that.”

Alexa, “No problem.”

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

It was nice to be done working with the dead sisters and back to working with the living ones. At least the time working on the dead had given him time to think and he had come up with an idea. Currently he was surrounded by three books and several badly written notes. The type that he would pester Maria to compile into something more uniform later. Two of the books was a list of various glyphs, their nature and how to combine them. The third a book on spell casting, how to amplify the power of spells in general and how to increase the amount of power flowing to a spell caster.

Dan, “So how are your efforts going Joseph?” As he spoke Dan settled down beside Joseph and leaned over in order to take a look at his notes.

Joseph, “They're going. At least I believe they are I won't know until I try this on Maria. I'm probably going to get an earful if this doesn't work out. You see. I sort of asked her to cut back on her eating today so that she's exceptionally hungry. The look on her face was so horrified that I honestly felt terrible for asking her but I didn't ask her to cut back a great deal.”

Dan, “How much are we talking about here?”

Joseph, “I just asked her to cut back by about ten percent. I mentioned wanting her really hungry whenever she came home.” Even as he was speaking Joseph found himself looking through his notes. “Dan would you take a moment to look at this glyph I've come up with? The original was meant to help a mage channel magic more effectively for extremely rapid spell casting. I've been trying to modify it so that someone outside of the glyph can awaken it.”

Dan, “Sure. Let's make sure that you haven't accidentally made a glyph to blast the person standing inside of it.” By now Joseph had scooted his papers over to Dan who wasted no time beginning to examine them. He could see the initial glyph in the foundation. “I see. So you took some aspects from a  glyph of holding and combined it with a glyph of revitalization. So you want to activate this glyph but you want the person inside of it to maintain it.”

To this Joseph gave a quick nod. “That's right. I'm pretty sure my design will work.”

Dan, “Give me the first book to your left please.” Taking the book from Joseph Dan quickly began to flip through the pages. He was confident in Joseph's work but he just needed to check one thing to insure that Joseph hadn't made a glyph of holding that used the victims own energies to bind them. “I take it this is for someone who really doesn't know how to channel magic energy. It would be dangerous to let a student use this as they could end up killing themselves with the power flow. So this is for Maria right?”

Joseph, “That is correct. I was thinking of getting her well fed so that the detection crystals began to respond to her and begin teaching her then. This was is a bit simpler and doesn't have such a narrow time frame to work with. The glyph should help any being that's capable of using magic to channel their energies. I mostly needed the books to find the most powerful one that I could find.”

Dan, “Do you have the ink ready then?”

Joseph, “Yes. Our research on the bodies actually helped with that. It let me adjust the ink to better suit the body of a sister. I guess that's another benefit of our studies. So what do you think?”

Dan, “It looks good. I just hope it works or you're going to have to deal with a hungry sister. Worse still you're the one that asked her to go without food. She's going to expect something special in return.”

Ridon, “Dan! I've been looking for you.” Ridon didn't bother waiting for Dan's response but was already sprinting towards him. “You need to get to Mina now!” It actually surprised Ridon how quickly Dan jumped out of his seat.

Dan, “What's going on?”

Ridon, “Flora believes that she's gone into labor. Come on.” Instead of waiting for Dan to respond Ridon began to sprint back out the door. He could already hear Dan following him and another set of foot steps. He knew they belonged to Joseph. Apparently he wanted to see the new born sister as well.

It only took Dan a moment to catch up to Ridon. While they were both excited Dan was on an entirely different level and that was lending him speed. He didn't even think about it as he began to pass Ridon. He knew where Mina had been moved and while he didn't mind if the others were there he wasn't going to wait for those with less initiative to catch up to him. “Hurry up you two!”

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It had all happened before Mina knew what was happening. She hadn't even known what was happening whenever the protectors entered the room and guided her over to the bed. It had worried her a little but they hadn't given her any reason to resist. Then one of them had grabbed her legs and adjusted them so that she was in a birthing position. It had seemed strange but the realization of what was happening had hit her whenever she felt her body responding and noticed the look on Flora's face. Now she felt her body responding but she didn't know what to think. It was strange but what Ridon had mentioned about the protectors had actually comforted her. “Flora am I alright? Ah!” Mina's eyes were made to widen for a moment as she felt a push.

Birthing for a sister of Mina's size wasn't like a human woman giving birth. Mina's body was a good bit larger then that of a humans at five meters tall while a newborn sister would still be roughly the same size. This meant her body had to stretch far less which was proving very important now given how difficult that would be for Mina's body. “Just let it happen naturally Mina. You shouldn't have to push just try to let your muscles respond on their own. You're giving birth to a sister here so as long as you stay calm your child will be fine.”

Mina, “Do you think anyone heard our calls? This place isolates sound so much that I hope they did. I don't want Dan to miss this.” As she spoke Mina was a bit surprised whenever she felt some dampness on her cheek. She didn't have time to realize she'd shed a few tears. “I'm really giving birth to a new sister aren't I! I'm going to be a mommy!” Even as she was speaking Mina felt her heart rate speeding up. To feel her body beginning the birthing process for the first time was an entirely new experience for Mina and causing several biological responses to trigger. The Luvarians had been careful to design the sister's body to insure the child would come out unharmed if she was large enough and to insure the mother would welcome the experience again.

Lestel couldn't help but smile as she looked at Mina. She could see the child's life energy as the child progressed through Mina's body and was happy to see that it was a very strong one. She knew that if the Luvarians had been around they would have been quite excited to see that a very noteworthy spiritual being had taken the body. It was fortunate that Mina and Flora seemed to realize she was there to give assistance. They weren't trying to drive her out of the room and seemed relaxed despite the situation. Now she just had to retain her composure whenever the child was born while insuring her safety and everything would be fine.

Flora was a bit surprised whenever Lestel began to work on Mina's legs. She was certain the protector knew what she was doing and looked to Mina's vagina. She was quite surprised whenever she noticed a tiny tail tip suddenly stick out from between those lips nearly being lost in Mina's vast bushy tail. Her heart seemed to jump and she quickly moved placing her hands underneath the child. In her rush she didn't notice Lestel calmly move to the side whenever Flora moved in. It had been Lestel's intention to be the one to help the child  but she understood why a mother would want a friend handling that rather then a quiet being she didn't truly know. It was a bit upsetting despite those thoughts as Lestel had hoped to hold the child for a moment at least. She could feel the disappointment in the others.

Flora, “She's coming Mina! I can see her little tail tip!” As she spoke Flora looked to her friend who was giving her a large grin. “Oh there is a little more of her tail. Keep going and we're going to see little feet or ears soon.” Flora knew better then to assume a tail meant head or feet first. When she had given birth to Mira she has assumed that she was coming feet first because of seeing her tail as well. Instead it turned out Mira had somehow kept her tail pointed upwards past her head the entire time.

Mina, “What color is her baby fur?” It seemed like a silly question but it was the first thing Mina could  think to say.

Flora, “Jet black like. Oh. Oh not black. I see a little stripe! Oh she has a long tail for such a newborn. Just like her mother I do believe.”

A slight giggle escaped Mina as she closed her eyes. “Were is that slow poke Dan?”

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 The citadel seemed bigger right now. As Dan ran he knew that he was getting closer but the notion that he could sprint the entire distance was soon passing from his mind. Unfortunately in the citadel there were no near by sisters to call for help. He had to rely on his own legs to carry him. The notion that he should have been packing a potion that would allow for a faster running speed entered his mind. The fact that being near Mina all the time would quickly drain it of its power did not so he found himself feeling very stupid. That did bring an idea. “Ridon you're a mage. How about casting swift steps?”

Ridon, “You got it. Brace yourself and don't run into a wall.” Even as he was speaking Ridon was gathering energy. He didn't actually know the spell that Dan was asking for but he knew a spell that had a similar affect. Endurance of the undead was a wonderful spell that imparted a level of stamina onto the recipient that was only found in creatures that didn't require air, water, food or even their own heart to beat. At the moment he would have loved to cast it on himself and Joseph as well but getting Dan to Mina was more important.

Dan felt an immediate rush as the spell hit him. Suddenly his lunges no longer felt stressed and his legs were no longer screaming for oxygen. His entire body felt lighter as he began to run even more quickly. “Thanks I'll repay the favor.” As Dan called out he didn't realize Ridon couldn't really respond. He was already leaving him and Joseph behind.

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It  surprised Flora how helpful Lestel was proving to be. She really did seem to have a masterful knowledge of the sister's and how their bodies worked. She had helped in cutting the umbilical cord  with a grace and speed that suggested a lot of practice. Flora had been a little concerned whenever she'd taken hold of the newborn infant but that hadn't lasted long. She had watched as those fingers worked over the infant poking certain places bringing a few cries of protest from the young infant but then they had relented and Flora knew there was a smile on Lestel's face. She had been checking the infant's condition. Now Flora found herself holding the newborn and looking at Mina who was positively transfixed. “So Mina are you ready to  meet Dremera?”

Even as Flora had been speaking she had been walking over to Mina. Mina for her part could feel her heart positively racing now that the child was born. She had black fur like Mina herself but it was striped with random bits the same color as Dan's hair. The extremely dark shade of Mina's fur made the stripes seem lighter then what they truly were and from the way the infant was screaming it was clear she had a good set of lunges. “I. I. Can I? I won't hurt her will I?”

Flora, “Well first stop shaking like that.” As she spoke Flora couldn't help but grin. The sound of some rapid thumping and then the door opening turned her attention to the doorway. “Well it's about time you made it here. What kind of example are you setting for your daughter arriving late like that?” Flora kept her tone light and joking as she handed the newborn over to Mina who had by now calmed down. The fact that the newborn could easily be held in one of Mina or Flora's hands only seemed to make Mina even more nervous.

Mina, “Oh Dan! Isn't she beautiful?” As she spoke Mina held Dremera to her chest effectively blocking everyone's view of the newborn who was by now calming down.

Dan, “She sure is.” Dan couldn't actually see Dremera at this point but he wasn't going bring that up and he sure as hell wasn't going to tell a new mother her child wasn't beautiful. That just seemed like a good way to get yourself killed. As he walked over to Mina though he tried to see around Flora to get a better look at the child. At least he could see the child's tail flicking about.

Lestel had a smile on her face. She knew but she couldn't remove it. She was a bit disappointed that she hadn't been given the chance to hold the child and examining its body was all too simple. She had even risked a few extra pokes to maintain contact for a little while longer. It was too hard to resist. She could feel every protector there was looking through her eyes in order to get closer to the infant. It was almost painful whenever she forced herself to step back. The infant was in good condition so she needed to lgive the new parents some space. She and the others would have to try to get near Dremera some other time. It had been so long since they had an infant they could take care of.

Now Dan was close enough to see over Mina's shoulder and look down at Dremera. He almost jumped whenever Flora's arm reached past him holding onto something that he quickly identified as some damp cloth. “Okay mommy let's get her cleaned off before she goes to suckling.”

Mina, “You do it Flora! I'm scared I'd hurt her.” Immediately Mina felt her heart rate speeding up even more. Just holding Dremera were putting visions of what would happen if Mina accidentally squeezed her too hard into her mind. It was sending her heart racing to the point that she thought Dan could probably hear it.

Normally Flora would have insisted that Mina tend to her daughter's first cleaning. Given Mina's strength though and her state of excitation Flora gave her head a nod. As she took Dremera from Mina Flora settled down onto the floor so that Dan could better see her. “She's calming down now but you should have heard her in the beginning. Your daughter has some very well formed lunges.” As she began to clean Dremera off one strange thing struck Flora. “Mina did you bring this cloth?”

Mina had settled down to watch Flora feeling relieved to have someone she trusted to be delicate holding her daughter. “No. I thought you brought it. Huh?” Mina felt a little strange whenever a bright blue drink was set down before her. Looking to her side it seemed even more surprising to see Lestel had been the one to set it down. “Is this for me?” There was no verbal response but whenever Lestel proceeded to scoot the glass closer to Mina she took it as a yes and picked up the drink.

Flora, “I guess it is. Thank you for your assistance.” Upon finishing Flora began the task of cleaning Dremera off. The child was calming down right now and actually seemed to be looking towards Dan and then to Mina. She had already recognized the two of them as having a scent similar to her own and thus objects of key interest to her. Apparently she wasn't sure which one she favored as she kept looking to each parent. “I guess she hasn't settled on who's girl she is yet.”

Mina, “That won't take long. Can you name one sister who when given the choice at a young age chose her mother over her father?”

A slight giggle escaped Flora as she shook her head. “No. I can't. I believe that might have been designed into us just to make training young sisters easier for the Luvarians. Ah! Are you already getting sleepy little lady?” While she had been speaking Dremera had given a rather noteworthy yawn. She had only been born for a few minutes and apparently she was already thinking of sleeping.

Dan, “Do you believe it'd be safe if I touched her?”

Flora, “Just keep your fingers or well any part of you away from her mouth and you should be fine. We're not like humans when we're born. See her teeth are already preparing to go.” As she spoke Flora slipped her finger against Dremera's mouth causing it to open up slightly. Her teeth weren't fully exposed but you could clearly see they were there and already quite sharp. “It would be sad if the first meat she ever tasted was obtained by taking a chunk out of her father.”

Nodding his hand Dan placed his right hand against Dreamera's head and began to gentle rub it. “Hello there little lady. Welcome to our family. We're going to make sure you like it here.” Dan wasn't certain what to think whenever Dreamera gave an extremely energetic squeal despite her drowsy state.

Flora, “Oh no Mina. I believe she's already deciding that she likes daddy patting her more then mommy.”

Dan, “Very funny. Mommy is the one that takes care of feedings. I'm pretty sure she'll be siding with Mina soon enough.”

Flora, “Bah. Even a brother can handle feeding an infant sister. Instead of milk he just needs to mash up some meat, vegetables and fruit then feed her with a long spoon to avoid losing a finger. Like I already mentioned we aren't like humans when we're born. Our digestive systems are ready to go. You just have to make sure it's well cooked so she can actually digest it.” As she was speaking Flora had to keep pushing Dremera's hands away from Dan. Apparently she was trying to get hold of her father.

Dan, “Well that part about a long spoon is reassuring. Well hey now little miss.” As he spoke Dan looked down at his wrist. He had felt something wrap around it and when he looked found Dremera's tail had wrapped around it. She apparently didn't have her fine control down yet or the muscles needed as it was a lose wrap but she had done it. “You're a clever little one aren't you?” As he spoke Dan gently ran his hand over the bit of Dremera's tail that had found his wrist. Once again the young girl gave a delighted squeal though it was clear she was fading fast.

Flora, “I guess she is. Okay Mina here is your little girl back. It's time to feed her.” As she spoke Flora used her own tail to push Dan closer to Mina so that Dremera wouldn't have to release him. It appeared Mina had relaxed after sipping on the drink Lestel had brought her. She didn't protest as Flora handed Dremera to her but gently held the newborn to her breast.

Mina, “Do you not want to let go of daddy?” There was no sound from Dremera this time. Rather she had already found her mother's nipple and was working on taking her first meal. The teeth the newborn had posed no threat to a female faelom and especially not one built like Mina. Instead she gave a giggle and looked over at Dan. “I'm surprised that Ridon didn't come back with you?”

Dan, “He and Joseph are on their way. Ridon was nice enough to cast a spell to help me get here more quickly. I'll have to thank him later.”

Mina, “I will to. So you want some help up here? You can settle down on my stomach and we can all just relax together for a while.” As she spoke Mina extended her free hand so that it was behind Dan. He gave a nod and she settled her hand against his back helping him to climb onto the bed and onto her. “Now Flora you're not going to run off on me are you? I want to make sure I do this right and having one of the few sisters who have raised two children as a consultant seems like a good idea.”

Flora, “Not just that. I have years of consulting experience as well. My new responsibilities as a keeper will occupy some of my time but I'll always be glad to help you out Mina. Especially with this little lady.” As she spoke Flora reached a hand down and gently ran her fingers along Dremera's side. She didn't seem to mind but she had stopped suckling already.

Mina, “They go to sleep fast don't they?”

Flora, “Enjoy that while you can! Pretty soon it's going to seem like they never sleep and they're always getting into something. As my first bit of advice I'll tell you this. If there is anything in your home that you truly value and it's delicate you need to store it somewhere else for the next three years. That or surrounded it with iron bars. At least that should generate enough sound that to can rush over and save it.”

Mina, “Seriously?”

Flora, “Back when Maria and Mira were children it seemed like breaking things then breaking them again was their natural instinct. I remember hoping that Mira would be less inclined to climbing and knocking things over then Maria but I was mistaken. After years of helping other sisters with their children I'm pretty sure this is natural for all of them.”

Mina, “Hm. Hey Dremera. Are you going break your daddy's fancy flask?” After a moment Dremera gave a slight chirp though it wasn't much of a response it was enough. “I believe that was a yes. I guess you won't be bringing your work home anymore Dan.”

Dan, “I suppose that I won't be.” As Dan spoke he turned to see two other people entering the room. “Well it's about time you two arrived. Dremera is already here.”

A sigh escaping Joseph even as he struggle to catch his breath. It was one thing for Dan to ask for some help given what was happening. As for Joseph and Ridon they both felt to use magic on themselves would be treating it too casually. “Well we came as quickly as our legs could carry us without magic assistance. So Mina. You look happy.”

Mina, “I am. It's been a long time since I was this happy.” Even as she was speaking Mina found herself gently running her fingers against Dremera's sleeping form while turning her attention to Dan every few moments.

Ridon, “I see she has her mother's tail.”

Dan, “Yeah I'd say you're right. I'll have to be on my guard whenever she learns to really use it.”

As they moved closer to Mina Ridon looked to Lestel. He imagined that Alaina was watching them through Lestel's eyes at the moment as was every protector in the citadel. They were probably all wishing that they were the one in the room right now but he knew they would resist the urge to flood into it. “Hello Dremera you've been born into a very exciting time.”

Mina, “Yes she has. So Joseph. When are you and Maria going to have a child for Dremera to play with? If you have a son then by the time he's born and you can convince Maria to let him start playing with other children Dremera should just be learning to avoid harming her brothers. Hm maybe that's too aggressive of a schedule. How about you make Maria pregnant in another year or so? That should give enough time.”

Joseph, “You think so?”

Dan, “Yes. You'd be amazed how quickly the infant sisters learn and well mature. In three or four years you may have trouble telling the difference between Dremera and the way Pera was whenever you first met her. Besides I think she's already got the being gentle part down.” As he spoke Dan pointed towards his wrist indicating Dremera was still maintaining her hold on him.

Flora, “Don't listen to Dan about that one. Dremera likely recognizes that he isn't a food item due to his scent. Right now she's still a bit dangerous to anyone that doesn't have similar genetics to her own.”

Joseph, “Thanks for the warning. So I guess holding her is out of the question.”

Flora, “Yes for so many reasons.” A slight chuckle escaped Flora as she noted the look Mina was giving her. “Well it's the truth.”

Mina, “Oh! I know. She just needs to learn who she's allowed to use her teeth and claws on and who she isn't is all. So when should we tell the others?”

Flora, “Let's keep you in the citadel for a while and let Dremera have some quiet. The worse part of the first three days with Maria was the other sisters wanting to see her. When Mira was born I knew better then to announce it strait away.”

Ridon, “I believe that would be for the best. Actually it might be a good idea if once you're ready to speak to the others you remain in the citadel a while longer. That should avoid the usual flood of people wanting to see the newborn. It'll also give Dremera time to get use to the scent of her family.”

Despite nodding his head Joseph had to speak up. “Would it be okay if I told Maria that Dremera is finally here? She would be pretty angry if I kept this a secret from her.”

Mina, “That should be fine but don't tell her outside the citadel. Invite her here and then let her know. Right now I just want to spend some time with my family.”

Flora, “Ah! A good hint that we should leave. Come along everyone let the new mother and newborn wrest. Dan be careful. No wagging your finger or the such in front of Dremera's face. You might think it looks cute but as amused as she may appear you're tempting her to remove your finger doing that.”

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To say Maria was feeling a bit on edge whenever she arrived at the citadel to find Joseph would be an  understatement. She had done as he request and limited her eating for the day and she hadn't felt so hungry in a long time. Fortunately her larger body felt the hunger less then when she was only three meters tall and especially less then whens she was less the two meters. She was still thinking that Joseph had best have a good reason to ask her not to eat. When her told her to stand in a circle she had nearly fallen over but reminded herself that Joseph knew what he was doing. As she was setting in it though she found herself feeling more and more silly.

Joseph, “So Maria how has gathering lumber been going?” As he spoke Joseph diverted his eyes away from the singing crystals in front of him and towards Maria who was looking around quite a lot. It seemed clear she was feeling out of place which was actually comforting. He was worried she would look irritable.

Maria, “It's going well enough. We're only harvesting limbs that looked like they were going to exceeds the trees ability to support them for much longer. It really helps to cut down on the amount of damage we do to the forest even if it's a bit more work. Three wonderful limbs were dropped by the same group of sisters today. They ended up being yelled at for a little while.”

Joseph, “Was it a keeper doing the yelling?”

Maria, “Nope. It was just another guardian but she was in charge of the project so it was her right. I didn't catch what made them drop the limbs but whatever their reason it didn't seem to justify dropping three of them.”

To this Joseph gave a quick nod and looked towards the glyph. He had awoken it a short while ago and now was just waiting to see results. “So Maria how are you feeling? Any better?”

Maria, “I'm not entirely sure yet. I feel more silly then anything else. Just give me about fifteen minutes and I don't feel any hungrier then I did a few moments ago I'll let you know. I mean. If need be I could just set her for two hours and then we'd know for sure if this was holding my hunger off or not.”

Joseph, “I'm hoping that it will do more then hold it off.”

Maria, “That would be nice but it's not like we can spend all our time standing around in these circles. I guess you could put them under where we sleep so we wouldn't wake up hungry at least. That would diminish the need for us to eat in the morning. Would it be safe for a brother to sleep with us though? Joseph if you've come up with an idea that will make it difficult for us to sleep together I'm going to smack you.” As she spoke Maria found herself leaning forward suddenly becoming very concerned.

Joseph, “Ah. No. No need for that Maria. You seem to miss understand. That circle you're setting in doesn't cause the world to channel more magic into the world. Rather it increases the rate at which your spirit can channel energy into your body. If the circle works then it offers more proof that the amount of energy you can channel into your body can be increased. This means that we don't have to use magical items that provide you with energy but rather we could provide you with magic items that help you provide yourself with more energy.”

For a moment Maria was silent. The notion seemed simple and she knew of items mages used to let them draw out more power. “Would such items be immune to the deterioration they normally suffer whenever exposed to us for too long?”

Joseph, “Well if they're not immune they should be far more resistant. Of course this really isn't my goal. If I can prove that the amount of energy you channel to your body can be increased then the next step is to find a way for you to increase the flow yourself. Like a mage learning to channel more power to cast more and more powerful spells. Right now your body draws this energy out itself but perhaps we can improve things by improving the issue on the other end.”

Maria, “So you want to teach us to feed ourselves?”

Joseph, “Yes. I believe that is the only truly effective solution to your problem.”

For a moment Maria was silent as she looked down at the circle. Was she feeling hungrier or more satisfied then she did a few minutes ago? She couldn't be certain yet but she was feeling happier. “Joseph if I didn't have to stay in this circle I would kiss you right now.”

Joseph, “Could you save it for later?”

Maria, “I believe so.” An excited chuckle escaped Maria before she took in a deep breath. “So any ideas on how you'll begin training us to use magic?”

Joseph, “That's the tricky part. Most methods I know work on the assumption that the person you're teaching produces some level of mystic energy. That assumption doesn't hold true with you but is rather quite the opposite thanks to the amount of power your body demands. In order to use those methods I would need to be able to put so much energy into you that it was positively flowing out. This actually can be done I believe thanks to our earlier experiment but if we use that methods it means the only time I can teach you is after you've just eaten a huge meal. You'd end up growing.”

Maria, “That would be a problem. What about a mage hunter?”

Joseph, “I've considered it but they learn to purge magic from the environment. I wonder if the Luvarians ever develop a magic eating technique. One that doesn't require you to first be a magic user. That's what we need.”

Maria, “Why don't you go take a look instead of just watching me? If I get so hungry that I snap and have to eat something I'll let you know. I somehow doubt you setting there watching those crystals is helping anything.”

Joseph, “That's true. Okay I'll be back soon Maria. Please give this as much time as you can to see if it works. Even if this just slows down the rate at which your hunger increases that would lend support to my theory.”