As Desmon looked around he took in a deep breath. Stone walls surrounded them but they were darker then what they had been moments earlier. Vines reached up from the stone floor and weaved in and amongst the walls then through the windows as if they had been there all the time. There was a massive opening in one wall as if it had been torn away though he knew in the physical world that wall was solid. This world was the world of shadows and it was shaped both by thoughts, what was real and those who lived there. Four others stood with him including Mirin.

“It feels as if there is a powerful spirit here.”

“There is Mirin it's a spirit of nature and it's reached into this fortress but don't worry. She doesn't mean any of us harm.” As he spoke Mirin glanced towards the opening and noticed some vines beginning to grow where the wall had been torn away. “That doesn't mean we can simply stand around though.”

“Is she preparing to drive us out?”

“No. I think she's preparing to keep us here and we need to get moving.” As he spoke Desmon released a slight wave of energy causing the vines to move and open up. He then began to make his way towards the opening. “It'll be best if we climb down.”

To this Mirin gave a nod and began to follow behind Desmon. As he moved though the thought that there was a spirit of nature inside the old fortress was quite strange to him. He had never noticed the spirits presence before hand. “Desmon could you tell me a bit more about this spirit?”

“I believe it's a spirit of nature from what I can feel and she doesn't mean us any harm. I think she's just been influence by the energies your sisters radiate as well as the forest. So she's got a strong impulse to protect.”

“Why haven't I felt her before though? I've looked into the spirit realm before. Is she new?”

“Probably not. I get the feeling that she's been here longer then any of us have been. She feels older then the forest itself. If I had to make a guess she was invited into the fortress and granted permission to take roots here as well as fed to help the fortress last.”

“That is a strange thought. A spirit of nature protecting a man made structure and helping it to endure.”

“It's not so strange if you think about how this entire forest could be considered man made. She probably also serves to help keep out more destructive spirits.” As he spoke Desmon gave his wrist a quick jerk and freed it from a vine that began to wrap around it. This time he didn't address Mirin. “Don't worry we don't plan on going out into the forest and dieing.”

“Desmon who are you talking to?”

“I'm just trying to get the lady here to relax and not drag us back inside. I'm getting the feeling she has the power to do so but is uncertain.”

As Mirin's feet touched the ground he looked back at the fortress. He knew that spirits could be influenced by the emotions they fed upon. This meant that any spirit residing inside the fortress would have been feeding on their sister's emotions and strong protective instinct. “Well what way should we go first?”

“We're going to head towards the kobolds old nesting area first. Keep in mind while we're here that this isn't the forest you truly live in. They are things here which don't exist in the physical world or at least they shouldn't. Some of them are less dangerous then you are used to and some are more so. Do not assume you recognize anything.”

To this Mirin gave a nod and began to walk towards Desmon as he moved though he couldn't help but glance back as the feeling that he was being watched grew more intense. He was quite surprised whenever he noticed a set of feline eyes watching him from the darkness. The eyes where too big though and too high up to be the eyes of a simple cat. “Desmon what is that?”

Desmon wasted no time turning around and looking to see what Mirin was talking about. He relaxed a little bit whenever he noticed the figure watching them from the a distance. “Don't worry she's not here to harm us she just wants to watch.”

“Do you know what it is?”

“Something that we don't need to think about for the moment. Now come on.”

After a moment more Mirin gave a nod and began to follow behind Desmon. As he looked around he couldn't help but be surprised by how tall the trees seemed to be. They were massive in the physical world but here in their shadow they seemed to reach high enough to touch the clouds. It was an odd moment as they moved away from the citadel. He was quite surprised though whenever he noted a doorway built into one of the trees. The door was large enough for a sister of keeper status and they were windows but they had never built into one of the trees. It was an odd moment. “Can you explain that?”

“I believe that's a side affect of how the rest of the world thinks of this forest. The notion of homes and buildings inside this place would seem impossible to those outside of the forest and that affects this shadow world. However, their ideal of a constant flow of trees is false and the physical world and shadow world mesh what is true and what is ideal here. Thus your homes do exist here to an extent but they're affected.”

“They are too few homes though.”

“Indeed. Your memories shape this place as well though. The homes which have stood the longest are the most resistance to the outside worlds influence and exist here in the most completed state. That citadel of yours is something of an exception though. The very forest remembers that place and thus it stands as the most complete structure of them all within the shadow representation housing some plant life but not truly over taken by it. Mirin did you say that you and your brothers had been here before?”

“We have looked into the shadow world but our trips have always been very limited and very well secure. The areas we journeyed into were already secured from the physical world before we entered the shadow.”

“I understand..”

As another question came to Mirin he was rather surprised to see another set of feline eyes watching them. This time though there was another. Whether it was the same eyes from before or not he didn't know but there clearly was another set. “Should I be worried that someone seems to be gathering friends?”

“From those spirits? No. You don't need to be worried about them so long as you don't attack them.”

“What are they exactly?”

“Oh. They're spirits of nurturing and protection that have moved into this region mixed in with a strong desire to eat.”

“Okay I was comfortable with what you were saying up until that last part.”

A slight chuckle escaped Desmon as he glanced back at Mirin. “The ones here have been heavily influenced by the feelings of your sisters they've fed upon so they're not dangerous. They're just watching us to make sure that we're safe. Once we get further into the forest that's when the frightening ones begin to make their presence known especially near the edge of the forests. You see that's where those spirits who have been influenced by peoples fear and ideals of your sisters like to dwell. The are truly frightening beast indeed.”

“I see. Do you believe we could speak with those spirits and see if they know anything?”

“I would not do that. You see they're not malevolent spirits but they are quite powerful and they are kind of hard to predict. I don't believe they'd do anything to harm us but they could still be quite a hindrance.”

“Very well.”

While up until this point Mirin had been asking Desmon as Desmon looked around he couldn't help but notice something in their path. “Mirin do you see that blackened land?”

“Huh? We'll I'll be. Yeah I wonder what happened there.”

“Okay just making sure I'm not seeing things. That is not a good sign. You might want to have your sisters check this place out once we return to the physical world and insure that nothing is there. You may even want to burn that area of land. You see that part of the shadow forest has somehow been killed.”

“That's easier said then done. I know that none of the houses were this close to the fortress.”

“That's true. Alright, I'll place a marker here. We should be able to find it even in the physical world.”

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

Sora took in a deep breath as she stood outside the citadel. For a moment she couldn't resist glancing inside where Mirin and the others had vanished into the shadow world. It made her wonder how many of her sisters she could take on even with her mutation. If they found out what had happened and that it had been kept from them they would be quite upset. After all it had been agreed that the brothers would only look into the spirit shadow world not actually enter into it. Yet here they were going into it to explore. It made her worry as well and she wished that she could follow them into the spirit realm. A sigh escaped her at last and she straitened up and began to walk away from the citadel.

They were no bodies inside of it for her to protect at the moment. They were truly inside the shadow world. Where might they be at the moment? The thought passed through her mind and she found herself looking around hoping to see some sign of their passing. Naturally none came and she wondered if there was any that would be able to see them. Immediately Sora's mind turned to Fera and she felt a wave of concern building up inside of her. Fera hadn't been told what was going to happen and to say she would be angry if she saw them and realized the truth would have been an understatement. Suddenly Sora found her legs moving as she dashed towards Fera's last known location. Hopefully she would still be inside of her room.

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

Housing for matrons was tricky business. Their sizes was much greater then that of the other sisters even the keepers after all. Fortunately they were given something of a break thanks to the Luvarians having previously allowed the sisters to grow much larger then their current sizes. Even then there had been some sisters which were allowed to grow much larger then many of the others and there had been special housing built for them. This took on the form of large underground structure which were a bit awkward to get into.

The main entrance was actually situated so that it appeared in the side of a large basin in order to help hide it. Water would have filled it long ago but the basin itself held some rather interesting plants which never seemed to have enough of it. Sora wasn't certain where the planets were from or if they truly existed in nature but they were always thirsty and remarkable durable. The matrons actually had to cut away the plants quite often to keep them from blocking the entrance. From the main entrance the path soon formed into three tunnels which branched off in a northern western and eastern direction. Each one of these tunnels led to different rooms each room having apparently been design to house a different size of matron. Sora would have actually lived in one of the rooms closer to the entrance which was clearly meant for the smaller matrons while Fera would have been somewhere in the middle. Only the sleepers were large enough to take up the rooms in the furthest back though.

“Sora what brings you here?”

“Um hey Fera. I've come to talk to you.”

“I swear you're so lucky.”

“Huh?”

“You get to walk in here standing up strait I have to crouch the entire time and if I get delayed it can leave some real pain in my neck. I swear you'd think the Luvarians could have made these structures more comfortable.”

A grin formed on Sora's face as an old topic was brought up. “I believe they did really. Look at the roof after all. It's clear that those are magic glyphs of come kind. Perhaps they were meant to open up and let us climb out. It would explain why the rooms are set up the way they are and it would be easy for us to leap out.”

“Perhaps you're right. What happened to the opening system though? Surely they didn't mean to have a mage here every time to open it for us.”

“Perhaps the system was lost whenever our primary energy source was or perhaps it was lost during the actual conflict. There isn't much point in trying to repair them though right now.”

“That's true. Now you said you'd come to talk to me.” As she spoke Fera set up and scooted closer to Sora. Fortunately in her room she didn't need to crouch down so she was able to move comfortably. She could tell Sora was nervous though from the way her energy was forming in her skin. Sora was thinking of vanishing from sight.

“Fera I have to ask you to do something for me. If you notice any strange behavior in the energy around the forest please come to me before you speak to anyone else or speak to one of our higher ranked brothers. At least three claws.”

“Uhuh. The brothers did something stupid didn't they?”

“What?”

“Sora with a request like that it's obvious they did something that they don't want getting out and you were let in on the secret. Now you're worried that due to my eyes I might notice something that would give them away.”

“That is well.” A sigh escaped Sora as she looked up at Fera. “It's true.”

In response to Sora's comment Fera gave a slight chuckle and stood up to her full height. She didn't bother speaking as she walked over to her sister and placed a massive hand on Sora's shoulder. “Hey we're friends though. If you don't believe you can trust me with the information I'll keep quiet about it.”

Standing next to Fera was one of the few times Sora felt small. She felt certain that Fera could shatter her shoulder easily. “It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I promised Mirin I wouldn't tell anyone what was going on.”

“Oh! Okay that's a bit different then. So he's the one that doesn't trust me.”

“Fera! You know it's easier to keep a secret when fewer people know about it.”

A slight chuckle escaped Fera and she gave a nod. “I know. I'm just giving you a hard time sense you get to be in the loop and I don't. Okay. I'll come talk to you about any strange sights or one of the brothers. It's not like our sisters would be able to help much anyway.”

Thank you.”

“So did you only come by to put in that request or was there something else?”

“That was my main reason but I don't have to be anywhere right now. What's on your mind?”

“We're at war right now aren't we?”

For a moment Sora was silent as she looked at Fera. It was an odd question. They both knew the answer and she doubted her friend was the type to shy away from such things. So such a question truly was strange. “I believe that we are. Our enemy is in hiding now but we don't know the amount of force they'll use to ambush us.”

Instead of responding right away Fera took a moment to set back down and pat a spot next to her. “Come on and have a seat please.”

As Sora walked towards her friend she couldn't help but think back to when they were each assigned their new sizes as matrons. Sora had actually accepted a smaller size then they offered in order to retain her ability to operate within certain areas. Fera had been granted a larger size though as stealth was anything but her strong point and in some ways she was seen as a weapon meant to seek and destroy. As she came to set next to Fera though Sora felt taller then her friend despite the fact that her head didn't even come up to Fera's shoulder. “You're really troubled by something aren't you?”

“I haven't seen any of my sisters die in a long time. At least not in numbers. You know the initial attack on the village?”

“Yes.”

“I saw some of them being murdered.”

“Fera those were distrusted. It's not like their loss truly influenced our strength.”

“I know. I know. Still, they might not have been distrusted and there was no way that I could get to them. You know these eyes of mine are a strength in many regards but at times they can be a real curse. I see situations. Situations I don't even bother mentioning to anyone else or trying to stop as there is nothing that I can do about them and nothing that can be done. Seeing those distrusted being killed. Even if they had been sisters I loved beyond my own life there would have been nothing that I could do. They were too far away and by the time I realized they were in trouble I couldn't reach them.”

“This sounds like it happens more often then just recently.”

“I can see when our brothers are going to die or I have an ideal of when. I can see their life energy weakening and they are times I can tell that it isn't just their bodies weakening. This goes for our sisters as well though. I can tell when they're about to give up their bodies to the flow of time and.”

“You tried to help them in the past didn't you?”

“Yeah but it's hard to restore someone's desire for life.” A sigh escaped Fera as she looked down at Sora. Sora's mutation had been built around stealth and in many ways her friend seemed to show stealth. Her fur was a light gray which blinded in nicely with the surrounding shadows and especially the night time. Her tail was a bit on the long side but slimmer then normal and often wrested peacefully across her lap while she was seated or strait behind her while she was running. When she moved it always seemed to remain in alignment with the rest of her body. She was slimmer then most sisters that was clear to Fera's eyes and her feet actually seemed a bit wider then normal.

“What are you looking at?”

“I was just thinking. You're really built for being sneaky aren't you?”

“Ookay I'm not sure where that came from but yeah.”

“It's just that well. I can see how Mina's body shows her mutation and even how Maria's shows hers. I just noticed how your body gives a hint at what your mutation is as well. I wonder if there is anything indicating my eyes.”

“Well I have to say you have a unique fur pattern around them. It honestly looks like a glyph I've seen some of our brothers draw.”

“I'll have to look into a mirror some later.”

“So are you done getting off subject? If so. I would like to know what has you so worried.”

“Some of our sisters are going to die and I won't be able to do anything about it but I will be able to see it happen. I saw Mina's mother dieing you know.”

“What?”

“Our life force in general is pretty strong so whenever it's being violently removed it's pretty clear even from great distances. I saw her life force leaving as she was overwhelmed though I didn't know who exactly it was until I got there. Her body was such a mess.” As Fera had been speaking she didn't even realize that tears had began to flow from her eyes and dampen her fur.

Fera was a front line warrior for her sisters. She would go out to confront enemies with notable life energy and often the situation would be taken care of. Sora and all the other sisters knew this. “Hey Fera.” As she spoke Sora placed a hand on her massive friend's upper arm. “You do all that you can you know and you do it well. You can't be everywhere at once though.”

“It still hurts though. Just knowing that I'm going to see things happening but I won't be able to stop them. It really hurts.” As she was speaking Fera didn't realize it but she'd actually reached down and picked Sora up. Despite being a matron Sora seemed as a child as she was held against Fera's massive frame.

Sora made no move to protest but continued to hug her friend. “It's been a long time since we had a true war hasn't it?”

“I don't know if I can make it through this one Sora. I don't know if I can endure seeing our sisters die like the last one.”

“Fera for every sister you can't save they are many more that you can and will. We need your strength and your eyes to help us through this time. You help us all see a little more clearly.”

A slight chuckle escaped Fera as she gave a nod. “These eyes of mine can be such a curse and blessing all in the same moment. It's sort of like our bodies. They're so powerful but so demanding all in the same moment.”

“We're getting better at meeting those demands though and I'm certain in time they'll just be a blessing. As they were meant to be.”

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

“I see Uthra. So could you give me any information on where the kobolds might have come from?”

“To the north, west, south, east everywhere. From beneath the ground and hidden in the trees converging in one path.”

As Desmon listened to the spirit he gave a nod. “I see. Then could you give me any ideal of where they were being guided from?”

At first Uthra said nothing but looked at the human. Uthra was one of the spirits of death that lived amongst the sisters feeding on the death they caused. At times he would follow a sister throughout the forest though this only went for certain sisters. He had learned which ones were worth leaving his domain for. This connection gave him more of an interest in the sisters then those spirits who'd only came to feed on the slaughter. “Their master wrest in the northwest.”

Uthra wasn't the spirits true name and Desmon knew this.  The spirit had only given him a name which he could be called by. “Thanks for for this information.” Even as he spoke Desmon gathered some of his own energy and formed into it a spear of light which he handed the spirit of death. The creature eagerly took the essence energy and began to drain it.

“Tainted death has began to fill the forest.”

As the words hit his ears Desmon was a bit surprised. He wasn't expecting the spirit to volunteer information suddenly.  “What do you mean?”

“My brothers and sisters have become agitated within the forest. There is death filling certain areas but the death carries with it a strangeness. The strangeness gets inside of them and they twist and begin to think differently. They move from their territory and turn against old allies.” As far as spirits went Uthra was in an odd position. He was a spirit of death but he was constantly surrounded by extremely powerful spirits of protection. Normally this would mean his existence would be cut short quickly but his presence was tolerated. He knew the spirits of protection in the area and he knew to how to avoid their interest or anger. He couldn't afford to become tainted like the others. It would mean his end.

“I see. So whatever is hiding amongst the kobolds is also influencing the spirits of death spread throughout the forest. What does this puppet master tell them to do?”

“They gather in an abundance such that life can't endure and they run out of food. Then they move on.”

“Is there anything else that you can tell us?”

“No. The protectors watch me. I can not leave. They would destroy me should I leave and return. The others though they whisper to me from a distance from where they can flee should they be seen. They tell me to come but I am not a fool.”
“Very well. We must be going then. “

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

Mirin had been a bit surprised as had the other brothers whenever Desmon began speaking with the spirit of death. As he finished though Mirin was glad he'd taken the risk. Now that there was some distance between them and the spirit though he had to speak up.“So do spirits of death normally talk like that? I imagined them as more the type to attack on sight.”

“They will if you look like easy prey. That spirit back there was a bit different though.”

“A result of the environment it's part of?”

“Indeed. So Mirin what do you think about what we were told?”

“I have to say I'm not happy at all to hear that whatever is going on here is influencing spirits of death.  How does one spirit corrupt another?”

“Pretty much the same way a virus corrupts a human's body. “

“Interesting and worrisome. I'm amazed by how little I truly know about this world now that I'm here. I suppose looking does  little good compared to actually being here though.”

“I would have to agree.”

“All the text I read though talk about how dangerous the spirit world could be though. Yet we've only seen a few threats. Would that be your doing?”

“Yeah I'm trying to lead us around the spirits that would attack us on a whim. The problem is those spirits that are currently following us from the shadows. In this forest they are powerful spirits of a predatory nature and we have to be careful of them. So long as we don't appear weak though they shouldn't make a move against us. Fortunately many of the spirits of this forest have been heavily influenced by the sisters.”

“Does that mean they recognize us?”

“Yes but don't think that means they have benevolent feelings towards” a sudden rush of air made Desmon go silent as his eyes turned up towards the sky. A massive black form flew above them it's wings and body actually blocking out the light for a moment. As the figure made no move to alter it's path though he risked breathing a sigh of relief.

“One of the things we have to be worried about I take it.”

“Yes. That was a dragon.”

“We'll have to talk about that later. I believe I see something that we can speak with?”

Desmon gave a grin and a nod as he began to move once again. He could already see what Mirin was talking about and he slowed down his pace. “Just be careful you may believe you know what she is but you might be quite mistaken here. Let's just be careful.” With those words Desmon continued to make his way towards what many would have mistaken for a young woman from a distance though that clearly wasn't the case from where they stood. Her hair seemed to be made from vines though of an extremely thin make and her eyes were a solid emerald green. Several petals wrapped around her body as well concealing certain parts of the spirit.

Vania had been quiet as the humans approached her but turned to look at them as they drew within her reach. Immediately she recognized Desmon as a druid while Mirin's energies and the other brothers were a bit different. The spirit had enough experience to know that they were magic users of a type. “Hello!”

As the spirits greeting met his ears Desmon couldn't help but notice the sing song tone of her voice. This did little to relax him as he continued towards her. “Greetings to you spirit. I hope you don't mind us interesting your territory but I was wondering if we might speak with one another.” 

“Your intrusion is not entirely unwelcome but I would know why you've done so.”

Instead of waiting for Desmon to comment Mirin stepped up and began to gather some of his mystic energy before him. There was no spell to be cast though instead he held his hand up in offering forming the energy as Desmon had done before. “We are currently investigating the spirits of the forest. It seems the natural order of things have been thrown off.”

There was no immediate comment from the spirit. Instead she held up her hand and a vine formed from her fingers reaching out towards Mirin to wrap around the bit of energy and bring it to her. “Ah yes. I know of the one you speak of. The greater ones have began to war with it and while their movements remain subdued they have been increasing. Even the one you know as night fang has spoken with me on this subject.”

“I see. Would you be willing to share information with us?”

“Not without a price.”

No immediate comment came from Mirin but instead he looked to Desmon. Desmon took the sign and spoke up. “What would the information cost?”

Now the spirit's smile was made to grow as she looked at the five humans before her. One druid and four mages. The mystic energy they could provide her would provide a meal indeed. She could sense power coming from them though especially Desmon and Mirin so that she did not wish a violent confrontation. “Druid why do you stay so far away from me?”

“I do not trust your nature.”

Vania couldn't help but grin now as some of the petals were made to move away from her body revealing both skin and fangs. Fangs that opened up to reveal mouths hidden beneath those petals. While a spirit of nature and plants Vania was a predatory plant who lured in its prey with beauty and the promise of fruit only to sink her fangs into them. “What would I like in exchange for the information I've gathered? What would be a fair price? I think I would like my  payment in blood.”

It was hard for Mirin to keep from recoiling as he looked at the spirit. Something told him that despite seeing her true nature he wasn't truly safe. Especially when he remembered how the vine had reached out to him. “We won't relinquish any of our lives.”

“Oh I don't require that much.  The blood of mages and druids though is quite tempting. Grants me a rabbit’s worth from each of you and I will share with you all that I know of the spirit you want to learn of.”

Instead of risking any agreement from the others Desmon spoke up. “You would leave us weakened to continue. You ask too much.”

“Very well. Then I will share not just the knowledge of that spirit but the knowledge of two others except for myself and night fang. He and I hold an ancient contract. What say you?”

Now Desmon glanced at Mirin who after a moment of standing still gave a nod. A low sigh escaped Desmon as he looked at the spirit. “We agree. However, you must give us your word that when you are strengthened by our blood and we are weakened you will make no move against us.”

“We have a deal then!” As she spoke Vanea leaned back and placed her hands behind her while her mouths remained open. There was no intention in her of taking the mens blood but rather she had every intention of forcing them to cut themselves on her teeth. She just continued to smile as they approached her and began to extend their hands towards her teeth.

Mirin could hardly believe he was doing this as he looked at the teeth of the spirit. It was fairly clear why Desmon had slowed down their progress. As he began to cut his hand though he couldn't help but notice the spirit looking at him. “Yes?”

“Oh I was just thinking how good your blood will be considering that energy you granted me in greeting. Mm I bet you're going to be as sweet as can be.”

 Mirin didn't know what to say as he looked at the spirit and nothing was coming to mind. So he remained silent as he lightly grazed his hand against her teeth and began to let his blood flow into the open mouth. Just how powerful was this spirit? Spirits power tended to be strongly related to their intelligence though that could also be due to their age and experiences. This one seemed rather powerful though and it made him wonder if she was the result a single predatory plant or many of them. Perhaps she was the result of those who lived outside the forest and the fear they had for it. He doubted she would give him a strait answer though even if he asked so he remained silent.

Desmon found himself watching the spirit carefully despite their dealings. He didn't like the ideal of weakening himself like this but she had made a good offer. “So is there a name you go by?”

“None that I would speak to you. You may pick one to call me if you wish.”

“I'll just call you Slumber then. After all you were born from the flowers of eternal slumber.”

“Oh you guessed my origin.”

“Your form gave it away. Now how about you tell us what you know about this intruding spirit?”

“The spirit you want to know of isn't a member of the natural order like I am. She is an amalgam you see. I suppose you have some theory as to what type of spirit you're dealing with.”

“We thought that it was a spirit of decay.”

“The amalgam is related to a spirit of decay or to be more precise is partly one yes. It is a spirit of disease, predation, fortitude and more. I do not know the spirits origins but I know that it seeks to consume this entire forest and turn it into a permanently diseased land.  It does not seek restoration but instead desires stagnation. However, this is all irrelevant to what you truly desire. You want to know it's weaknesses yes? Well I'll tell you what I know. This spirit can only stand on land that the kobolds have touched and somehow tainted.  Even in this world so I suppose it was born amongst the kobolds or heavily influenced by them. That is why it had my sisters the dryads driven off and why it can't touch my sanctuary.”

“You kill the kobolds before they can taint the ground.”

Now Vanea was made to grin. “Naturally.” With those words Vanea moved her hand and the plants around her were made to shift and lift up revealing what was beneath. Bones upon piles of bones lay. The corpses of a multitude of kobolds lay underneath the plants. “They have done much to feed me in your world.”

“What other information do you have for us?”

“The amalgam has began to grow frustrated with its efforts. This forest confines us and sets certain paths we must take. With the kobolds being the key to its freedom the amalgam has always been limited in its movement. It was only through great effort it was able to forge a path.”

“Is there a way we can tell where the amalgam is allowed to stand?”

“Where it is allowed to stand? There is a scent to those areas and I know those who could guide you to those spots. However, that would come at a price as well. To know where the spirit has stood though you only need to see the plants. They will be sickened and dieing. Even in the most fertile soil where that thing touches life is sickened and may perish. Purification is almost always needed.”

Finally Desmon stopped bleeding and looked to the others who'd come with us. “That's enough to fulfill our contract.”

Vanea couldn't help but frown as the blood no longer flowed into her mouths but she made no comment. She once again closed and covered her mouths taking on a far more gentler appearance as she set back up. “Don't you want to know what spirits may guide you to where the spirit can walk?”

“I believe we will try to find that information for ourselves and now tell us what else you know of this spirit.”

“Very well.”

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

“This sucks.”

Terima couldn't help but nod as she looked over at Pera who was currently hiding a few meters away from her. “No kidding. I enjoy hunting but this is really a bunch of crap. This is the first time I can remember being told to go hunting for a specific animal and it not been a punishment.”

“I really wanted some kind of bird today as well. Perhaps a few hawks or a nice turkey if we could find one. No though. We have to go out and find some venison. Then again it's not like we're going to be the ones eating any of it. We have to finish off the kobolds first.”

“Well have you tried thinking about how you're hunting for Allen?”

“It's crossed my mind and that makes this a little better. Wouldn't it be more fun though if we could be out actively hunting rather then having to stay this close to home? I mean we could handle a few kobolds if they attacked us and if enough showed up to overwhelm us we could easily out run them.”

“Shh.” Terima held up her finger as she scooted forward while keeping her body close to the tree.  It actually took a fair bit of willpower to keep her tail from flicking about as she spotted what they'd been looking for. A rather well fatted buck had wondered into the opening. “Do you think he's big enough to reach our goal.”

“I believe so. Do you want to take the”

Terima didn't wait for Pera to finish. Her feet had already pushed off the tree leaving a rather notable gap in the bark as she jumped towards the deer. There was no sudden burst of movement or fear from the creature. Not even a flinch of recognition. Before the animal could even see or hear Terima her claws and teeth had found their mark sinking deeply into the animal and nearly removing its head entirely.

“Hey!”

Instead of responding right away Terima continued to hold onto the deer waiting for all twitching to stop before removing her teeth and claws. “What?”

“Couldn't you have asked if I wanted to make the killing strike?”

A slight chuckle escaped Terima and she gave Pera and impish grin. “Sorry. You're not the only one that doesn't like the taste of kobold though. I really wanted to get the flavor out of my mouth and blood works just as well as anything.”

“Humph. Well fine then. Next time though I want to make the killing move.”

“Oh, alright. Hey have you seen Mina's belly lately?”

“Yeah. It looks like she's starting to show doesn't it?”

“I believe so. If she gets real big though we know that it's a sister.”

“I hope it's a brother though. Perhaps Mina could even have twins.”

“Oh! That would be neat. I don't believe I've ever seen twins.” While she was speaking Terima began to heft the deer onto her shoulders. “Alright let's get on home.”

Pera gave a nod and waited for Terima to take the lead. As her friend began to move she took a moment to glance behind them then follow. Since the attack on the village sisters below guardian status had been forbidden to leave the village by themselves. As a further complication though those sisters who were below proper fighting age found themselves being assigned all sorts of tasks to free up the elder sisters. In Pera and Terima's case that involved hunting for the days meals to keep them from having to open up storage more then they already had. It was a bit frustrating. “Hey Terima we fought good on the beach didn't we?”

“I thought so.”

“Why aren't we being allowed to fight then? We've proven ourselves capable.”

“Well someone has to go and gather don't they? Even if we're capable of fighting that doesn't mean we are the most capable.”

“I hadn't thought about that and it is true. It's a little crazy we're only being sent out to gather one animal though.”

“Okay that I have to agree with. I mean the two of us could bring back plenty of food if we were just given permission to hunt at will. This isn't even enough meat to feed all of our brothers. So I don't exactly know what they're thinking sending us out to get one deer unless they really just want to keep us busy.”

“Oh. So you're back to thinking how I was are you?”

“Damn it. That's not a funny thought.  I bet they have the others doing the same busy work.”

“I guess there isn't much we can do about it. Still, I'm going to ask Stella about it. She's a keeper so she should know for certain.”

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

“No Pera we don't have you out there just doing busy work.” As she was speaking Stella didn't look away from her current tasks. Currently her fingers were moving about an apple her claws slightly extended and easily removing the skin. “The reason we put you and the others out hunting is that we need the supplies. I know that one deer doesn't seem like a lot but we're taking our gathering one day at a time and trying to watch out impact on the forest. It isn't just that though. We're also keeping you near the village in case we're attacked once again.”

“Then why not send out a small group to do the gathering and all the others stay near the village?”

“Because that leads you to doing something stupid.”

“Huh?”

“Pera.” For a moment Stella went silent and held the apple she was holding up to her nose sniffing it several times before tossing it out the window as not suitable. “Pera, you know just as any of us that we have a desire to hunt and kill. If that desire isn't released once in a while it can become overwhelming and lead to very poor choices. So while keeping you close enough to the village to defend it we also send you out hunting to gather supplies and relieve those desires.”

“Oh. That makes sense. So Stella what are you doing?”

“I'm just making some baked cinnamon apples. Allen loves them and well with this weather fresh apples that are suitable for baking won't be around much longer.”

“I'm surprised you found any at all. How did you managed that?”

“A dryad lives in the area where I found this apple tree and she keeps the plants stronger then what the natural cycle allows for.”

“That's nice of her. So when will Allen be getting back anyway?”

“Not for a few hours.” As Pera spoke she couldn't help but notice a different scent on the air then usual and it wasn't the apples. Rather the scent drew Stella's eyes to Pera and actually brought a smile to her face as she realized what she was smelling.

For a moment Pera said nothing but noted Stella observing her. After a short while though she couldn't stay quiet any longer. “What?”

“Oh it's nothing Pera. So did you notice anything  strange while you were out with Terima?”

“Nothing really strange. We didn't go very far though. I believe most of the local animals  don't consider us as much of a threat as the others do though. I suppose they're used to seeing us pass over without attacking them. Then again I would normally like to browse the area looking for a truly nice pick.”

“You didn't like the buck you retrieved?”

“Well he didn't scream delicious like I would prefer.”

A sigh escaped Stella as she gave her head a shake. “Allen has told me how picky you can be about your food.”

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

Shifting from one plain of existence to another was not something that went unnoticed. Though if the spell was done right the trip could be gentle something was always felt. As Mirin found himself returning to the physical world though he couldn't help but wonder if he was going to throw up. A feeling that was apparently shared by everyone except Desmon as he continued to look around. “Do you. Do you recognize where we are?”

“Yeah I know this area. We're actually a little further from your homes then I believed we would be. However, I'm certain the sisters will still be able to hear us. Do you have strength enough to cast the spell Mirin?”

“It was only a little blood.”

“You look a little pale to be saying that.”

“Yeah I feel a little bit off to be saying that as well.” Even as he was speaking Mirin began to gather energy and alter the wind currents around his hand. The result was a signal too high for human ears that would carry for miles. Now he only had to hope that it was one of the sisters who knew of their operations that would answer otherwise they would have to start doing some explaining.

Desmon couldn't help but grin as he looked at the brothers. “Well you all did better then I expected you to. However, it wasn't quite as good as I expected mages to do. Those sisters of yours are truly quite picky about letting you wonder outside of their protective zone aren't they?”

“It's hard for us not to be. You all seem so fragile and protection is as deeply built into us as our desire to hunt and kill if not more so.”

Both brothers and Desmon were rather surprised whenever the heard the voice of a sister though many relaxed when they turned to see Versa. None spoke up though as a rather note worthy roar was released from the sister. A clear indicator to all in the area that she had found the source of the sound and the situation was in control. “So Vera has the day found you well.”

“No.”

“Huh? Has something happened?”

“Yes. My favorite berry patch is dead and I don't meant due to the cold. I know there wouldn't have been any berries this time of year but I still went by the spot. The entire thing was blackened and I had to go retrieve a vial to burn it properly. I really liked that patch to.”

“Huh. I wonder if it could be related to the dead zone we found in the shadow world.”

“I wouldn't know anything about that. However, I do know that your heart rates are off and you're looking pale.”

The first notion that struck Mirin was to tell Vera that it was due to the shift between realms. This notion left his mind though as he began to speak. “We made a deal with a spirit and she required her payment be in blood.”

“Well you seem to be alright for the moment. I'm hoping that was paid in full though and not a starting down payment. If it is I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you all some trouble.”

“The debt was paid in full on our part. However, the spirit still is indebted to us as far as some information is concerned. If you would help us get back to the citadel we'll fill you in on the rest of the information.”

“Sure. I imagine Sora is moving in this direction to help out as well.”

“Good. There are some locations we'd also like to examine. Desmon do you believe you could lead us to them now?”

“Sure.”

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

“They're that many already?” As Joseph looked at the map set out before him he couldn't help but give a low whistle. Several areas on the map had been marked as dead zones that had to be cleaned out. While it was still only a tiny portion of the forest it was more then he had been expecting.

Maria had been scouting the forest while delivering news to various groups and instructions. She was the one that was responsible for finding most of the dead zones as well though other sisters were contributing as well. “Yeah. They're not as big as they look on the map though. Some of them are only a few trees or in a few cases just one tree but we're taking them pretty seriously. The instructions are simple. We kill everything in that region that isn't already dead, gather it together and burn it then one of the brothers comes along to finish the job with some magic. I hear that the dryads are helping them with that part especially the one that moved into the protected area.”

“That's interesting. What about the dead zone that was found within the protected area?”

“That still has us on high alert. The spot was cleansed really well but I have to say I'm still nervous.”

As Joseph was looking at the map he found himself trying to find some kind of pattern in the location of the dead zones. None was coming to mind though and he soon found it rather hard to focus as he felt something warm, soft and heavy begin to settle down atop his head. At first he wasn't certain what it was but as the weight began to truly be felt and he looked up he came to a quick realization as he looked up at Maria's chest. “You really love being able to do that don't you?”

“You're darn right I like being able to do this.” As she was speaking Maria had settled down behind Joseph and leaned forward so that her breasts came to rest upon his head. It was actually tempting to push down a bit harder and see if she could squeeze his head between her breasts but she held off on that desire for fear of hurting him. She was fairly certain that either one of her breasts was now a good bit larger then his head though. “Getting to grow this much larger so quickly has been really wonderful.”

“Have you noticed a change in how much hunger you feel?”

“That's the odd thing. I haven't really noticed a change in how much I want to eat but from what everyone has told me that desire goes down as you get larger. I guess my hunger is a bit stronger then normal though. It'll take more growth then this to convince my stomach to settle down.”

“Well Dan and I are doing our best to see to that.”

“How are things going on your project anyway? You know. The project that you were suppose to keep quiet about but told me about anyway.”

“Maria you make it sound like I've told you everything there is to know. You also know that I can't tell you more then what I have. I gave my word after all.”

“Humph. You just wait until I have a secret to lord over you.”

“I somehow doubt I would ever know about it. After all, I doubt many brothers know exactly what you all do whenever you're out in the forest together.”

“It'll stay that way to until you brothers quit having your secret meetings.”

“You don't say.”

“Yep!”

For a moment Joseph said nothing but continued to look at Maria. After a moment he couldn't hold it in though and a massive grin formed on his face as he found himself beginning to chuckle. “The breast on my head tell me I'm dealing with a woman but the tone of voice makes me think I'm dealing with a child.”

“Hey!” Instead of allowing Joseph to continue Maria reached up and parted her breasts she then quickly lowered them while releasing her breasts. The feeling of Joseph's head being engulfed by her chest sent a tingle up Maria's spine and before she'd realized what she was doing she'd wrapped her arms around his head. “Who's a child now huh?” A slight giggle escaped Maria whenever only muffled protest reached her ears.

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

As Dan worked the stone floor he moved his tool carefully noting each line he took. The tiny pin like device was specially made for cutting through stone with a very note worthy earth enchant upon its tip. Rock of most type yielded to it with ease especially if the stone wasn't augmented somehow. Currently he found himself cutting the glyphs they would need to redirect the energy from the life bloom into the energy distribution system. These would be later filled in with the crystal he and Joseph had been developing.

“Hey Dan. I haven't seen Mina in a while how is she doing?”

“She's actually becoming rather irritable again though I believe it's how everyone is treating her. She's used to being thought of the big invulnerable power house.”

“Ah so she doesn't like everyone treating her like she's some delicate doll.”

“That's precisely the situation.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he continued with his own task. He was currently focusing on the junctions between the various glyphs. While they made up only a tiny fraction of the overall design they were by far the most delicate area and required the most focus. One miss drawn line could easily result in energy leaking out or building up into a massive explosion later down the line. “Dan this is a pain in the wrist.”

“I know. This is normally the type of work you'd have an entire team working on instead of two men. These pins are helpful though.”

“Yeah, I don't believe I'd even be attempting this if it wasn't for them. Once we're done you're going to have to check over my work.”

“As long as you do the same for me. I want a third person in here though to check it after that though and perhaps even a fourth.”

“That sounds like a good ideal. So has Mina been wanting to eat more now that she's with child?”

“That's hard to tell with our sisters. They always want to eat more.”

“Very true. Hey Dan I've been thinking. Do you believe that the sisters could be called the sisters of humanity? After all they were designed to live along side of us and provide protection. At least they were designed to do that for the Luvarians.”

“I suppose that's one way you could look at them though I believe many would disagree. Also it's not like humans are the only species they have to live along side of. Are you trying to think up a species name for them?”

“Yeah it's been bothering me a bit.” 

“The Luvarians actually had an official name for them. They were called the Srale. It's a name that isn't used often around here though.”

“I'll say. All this time here and I hadn't heard it. Why don't the sisters call themselves that?”

“It's one of the things they don't agree with their creators on. You see they don't consider themselves an entirely separate life form from humans as their existences also depends on ours.  After all a species must be able to reproduce for it to be a true species. So they view that name as more of a product title then anything else.”

“I see what you mean. So I guess calling them the Srale people wouldn't make them happy would it?”

“Honestly I believe they'd take it as a pretty serious insult. I wouldn't try that with a sister I didn't know very well and even then I wouldn't want to push it. It could end up with some seriously hostile feelings. It may be nice if they were to give themselves a name of some type though. Perhaps we should first ask them to name the forest though and that could help bring upon a name. After all if they're ever going to reach out to the outside world it would be nice for them to have an official title. Then again that may never happen.”

“Well they were made by the Luvarians. Why not call them the Luvery?”

“Mm you think that's a good name?”

“Don't you?”

“Luvery, luvery. I really don't like how that sounds coming off the tongue to be honest.”

“Well I'm sure a name that's more pleasing to the ear could be came up with later. I don't know perhaps I'll speak with Maria about it and you could ask Mina. Though I imagine Mina would get more to listen to her about the need for an official name then Maria would.”

“Probably but you can't rely on Maria to do such things or Mina. If you believe it's important you need to bring it up yourself. After all, you're one of us as well.”

“That's true. Perhaps I will whenever I feel the time is right. With me and you working on this though I really don't feel I have the time to be arguing politics.”

“That's true. Okay I need to wrest my hand is starting to kill me.”

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

Three weeks had passed since they'd taken their first step into the shadow realm and Desmon was showing greater concern with each trip into it. It wasn't just related to time though. Mirin had noticed a sharp increase in how careful they were having to be as they moved further away from the main village and the protective spirits. As he stood behind Desmon he realized now as several shapes stood before him. The figures appeared to be tuskers in some regards yet they weren't. A tuskers's tusk were something to be feared that was for certain but they only had one set. The creatures that stood before them had several though. Tusks came out their sides and ran along their backs forming menacing blades. Their teeth were clearly not meant for grinding plants as well. “Desmon what are those?”

“Spirits that have been influenced by the tuskers and peoples fear of them. Territorial spirits that will defend a given region well beyond what common sense would tell you.”

“Can we get away from them?”

“As we are right now? Not a chance. Keep in mind though that looks aren't everything here. Now.” As he finished speaking Desmon fell to his hands and knees and let out a massive roar, his shoulders seemed to explode and his hair began to rapidly grow while his mouth shot outward. In only a few moments where had once been a man now stood a very impressive looking bear.

As the leader tusker looked at the group it readied itself to charge. The spirit wasn't quite prepared for the massive fireball that slammed into it moments later though. The searing flames reached around and engulfed the tusker as well as those spirits around it, the shock wave generated by the expanding gases lifted the creatures off the ground and the roar of the flames covered up their squeals as they were sent flying backwards for but a moment. Tizad had no intentions of losing though as the stubborn spirit dug its hooves into the ground it let lose an enraged roar and charged strait towards the group.

Desmon and all there knew that a tusker who had just been hit by such a fireball wouldn't be pressing the attack. This was no true tusker though  but the creature of hunter's nightmares. Desmon braced himself for the spirits attack however before it could reach him the creature was once again stopped in its tracks as a crack of thunder shot throughout the area and for a moment the creature was lit up by tendrils of electrical energy coming from the four brothers that had joined them. A shrill scream escaped the creature as the lighting paralyzed it. For a moment Desmon risked looking back at the brothers and was surprised to see Mirin preparing another fire spell. “Okay so you really are mages.”

Now it was Mirin's turn to grin. “Yes we are.” With those words Mirin released another wave of fire that slammed into the lead tusker. The other spirits having fallen back from the sight before them as their pack leader was made to once again be sent flying through the air.

When the tusker had first attacked Desmon had expected to have to fight it. As Mirin's second fire spell slammed into the creature though he knew that wouldn't be the case. The creatures injuries were significant but what was even more apparent was the other spirits turned towards their former leader. A harsh shrill escapes the spirits and they quickly pounced on their weakened leader sinking teeth and tusks into the downed spirit who's shrieks filled the area. “Let's get out of here.”

“Desmon what's going on?”

“They're turning on him. They may look like tuskers but they're not like I said before. As tempting of targets as we are they now have a far more tempting one in order to increase their strength. Now let's move once they're done eating their former leader they'll remember us.”

“Shouldn't we finish them off then?”

“No. Their leaders fall will upset the real tuskers badly enough. If we destroy this spirit pack though it could upset a great many more in the physical world.”

“I see. I've never seen tuskers turn on one another like though except for mating and whenever one was challenging the leadership.”

“That's what's going on here. Now come on.”

To this Mirin gave a nod and began to follow behind Desmon. The other brothers soon joined though none of them could resist looking back to insure that the tuskers weren't following them. As they were moving though several of them noted the weaker spirits beginning to fight one another for the majority of their former leaders body. “Does everything in this place have such a predatory nature?”

“Spirits feeding on essence and the greatest source of spirit essence other then a font is another spirit being.  Loyalty here is quite fleeting and is only truly held amongst the most powerful of spirits. You have to remember to a spirit being everything that makes up this world is food. However, some sources of food are more desirable then others and worth seeking out. Thus why you don't see the spirit of a bird trying to eat that of a tree. At least not in most cases.”

“Is that how amalgams come to be?”

“For the most part yes. It's a spirit that ate something that it wasn't meant to and it was warped by it. That isn't the only way that such things may happen though. It can also happen whenever a spirit adopts the roll of one that is unnatural to its calling.”

“So because those tuskers would normally challenge one another for leadership this won't influence them?”

“It's something like that yes. In the physical world whenever a tusker challenges the leadership and overcomes them the group in theory becomes stronger. Here whenever the same thing happens the victor grows stronger.”

“I've known for a while that spirits would feed upon one another but seeing that. Well it isn't quite like I imagined it would be. Gah!” Mirin found himself silence as he held his staff up blocking a rather threatening claw which threatened to impale his body. What he found on the other end of the claw wasn't what he expected. A massive black figure stood before him. The being was humanoid except for its hand though  it clearly wasn't human. The figure seemed to house teeth throughout its body while its face only shown one eye. He didn't get to inspect it too much as a bear slammed into it.

Desmon couldn't believe he'd let the spirit of death get so close to Mirin. As he tackled the creature though he took the chance to dig his claws deeply into the spirit's body. The creature released a scream that seemed to come from its entire being as it leaped backwards. Instead of retreating though the creature slashed out at Desmon and slammed his weapon solidly into his upper shoulder. His body held though and moments later Desmon noted several mystic attacks slamming into the creature sending it sprawling on the ground.

As Mirin regained his footing he looked at the creature before them. “What is that?”

“It's an amalgam!” Even as the words left his mouth Desmon had already began to charge the spirit. A temptation to bight into the spirit was there but he held it in for fear of the creature's tainted essence. Instead he slammed his claws into the creature this time digging them deeply into it. “Burn it!”

None bothered to question Desmon but every brother including Mirin released a focus flow of fire into the spirit. The roar of the flames were soon joined by the screams of the creature as the flames began to consume it. As Mirin channeled his magic though he found himself trying to examine the creature and figure out exactly what it was. He didn't get to think much on that though as he noted something moving towards them. “They're more of them!”

As Mrin's words hit his ears Desmon released the spirit and quickly charged back towards the brothers. This spirit didn't get past him as he slammed solidly into the creature. “Ready yourselves this is an assault!”

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

“Mirin what the hell happened to you!” It was impossible for Sora to hide her concern as she looked at Mirin who was currently sporting a few nasty bruises and had most likely been carrying some nasty cuts as well. More then likely he had healed them before their return.

Instead of responding right away Mirin continued to walk towards Sora. “Sora would you mind picking me up? I really don't have much strength right now to stand.”

Sora didn't need Mirin to repeat himself as she reached down and slipped a massive hand under his bottom. Her fingers easily encompassed his rear and her thumb pushed against the base of his back to give him some support as she picked him up. “Mirin you look like you got the day lights beat out of you.”

“We were attacked by several spirits of death in the forest. At least they were spirits of death according to Desmon now they're something else. They apparently didn't like us being in the shadow world.”

“Are all the others alright.” As she was speaking Sora slipped one of her fingers under Mirin's shirt. She didn't need to ask him to  lift his arms above his head as he did so automatically helping in the removal of the garment. As she looked at his chest though she found her concern growing.

“We all lived but we're all pretty beaten up. Fortunately I can say the only one who looked worse then me is Desmon.” Mirin didn't bother protesting as Sora lifted him up to her face and her massive tongue flicked out. The warm powerful muscle pressed against his chest covering a noteworthy portion of it and then ran along it. He couldn't help but cringe though as her tongue brushed just over his heart where one of the creatures had tried to impale him.

“Mirin I can taste your blood and what do you mean looked?”

“Druids seem to heal up better then mages. Please be careful Sora I'm really tinder right now. I'll finish healing myself up after I've had some time to rest.”

“Why rest? Let's get some healing potions inside of you now.”

“No. No thank you Sora. I don't want to waste our reserves on something that I can heal myself if you just give me a little time to recover.” As he was speaking Mirin took hold of Sora's massive left hand which had continued moving over his sore muscles. As he held onto her hand he couldn't help but grin as he realized how tiny his hands were. His fingers couldn't even encircle her fingers or really begin to and yet she would be growing more in time if Dan and Joseph succeeded.

“Mirin I don't like seeing you like this and what will happen if our other sisters see you in this state?”

“That's why I'd like to stay somewhere I won't be seen for a while.”

“Alright/” As she spoke Sora held Mirin against her body and began to conceal herself. As she did so Mirin also vanished from sight as he was wrapped up in her embrace. “I'll take you back to my home and you can rest up there. If you haven't managed to heal yourself by tomorrow though you're going to be taking those potions and I'm going to treat your injuries immediately.”

“Sure. Do you have any disinfectant handy?”

“I'm certain that I do. The stuff that apparently burns like fire whenever used on a cut.”

“I somehow think I'll need something about that strong to insure that these don't get infected. At least we learned some things today. One of the major ones being that our enemy doesn't like us looking around the shadow realm. I'm fairly certain it was the amalgam that sent those tainted spirits to kill us.”

“You're not exactly helping the ideal that I should let you go back into the shadow realm.”

“I know. Next time though we're going to be better equipped and we now have a better ideal of what we're dealing with and why it has been tainting those spirits of death.”

“Well don't just keep it to yourself. I want to hear this.”

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

“Okay that was an ordeal.” Dan couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the silver bars before them. Joseph and Carter had joined him and both of them were nodding though it was Carter who spoke up.

“Well the two of you have made off with an awful lot of silver lately. I can understand why they'd want to know what was going on.”

To this Dan gave a nod and picked up one of the bars. “It can't be helped though. We're not suppose to talk too much about what we're working on for the moment. Anyway, Carter the reason we asked for you is we really need your help making some shapers and getting them to function properly. We've already began work on a transmission system and a power source but the receivers are another issue.”

“How come? Given your knowledge I figure it'd be easy between the two of you.”

“The thing is this energy transmission system is for our sisters. You see we've been trying to develop a shaper that could provide them with a constant stream of energy without degrading. It's the not degrading part that's proving tricky though. Now we understand that you've worked on the protective items our sisters where while in the alchemical shops correct?”

“Yes but what do you have in mind?”

“We were thinking that you could surround the shaper which would transmit the energy to our sisters with a damper. The damper would protect the shaper from the influence of our sisters so that the energy flow wouldn't be disrupted.”

“Hm I'm afraid that wouldn't work Dan. You see the dampers resist the flow of all mystic energies so while the shaper would be protected while inside of one it would also dampen the flow of energy to the shaper and the flow out of it once it had actually reached the device.”
“There isn't a way to modify the damper?”

“None that I know of which would stop our sisters from draining the energy away from it.”

“Darn. Well maybe if I explain what we're trying to do. At first we thought of using magic items but we all know how magic items respond to our sisters over time. So instead we went with the ideal of a shaper which can function as a magical item yet that also results in a problem. In order for the shaper to receive the energy it would first need to be awakened with some mystic energy. After that it would act as a magic item for our sisters and could receive the energy unless they drained away the power too quickly. If that happened then the shaper would lose its charge and quit working entirely.”

“I see. So you're trying to find a way to insure that it always retains something of a charge.”

“That's correct.”

While Dan and Carter had been speaking Joseph took this opportunity to speak up. “We've considered the ideal of an adjustable flow rate which would only let so much energy be siphoned from the shaper at any given moment. The problem with that though is that the bodies of our sisters may still force the energy to be pulled through too rapidly and cause the shaper to lose its charge.”

“I'm not certain if what you're asking can be done really. I know of a way to insure only so much energy flows through at any given moment however the influence our sisters body will have on the shaper will always be there. That said even the drain they put on such items is limited. We can't make something that perfectly resistant but I'm certain we can make something that's resistant enough.”

“What do you have in mind Carter?”

“I swear one of the worse problems is that what's often used to control and guide magic is magic itself. You two are skilled alchemist though. Why don't you design the shaper with a strong receiving crystal but a very resistant transmission crystal?”

“That could work. How resistant are we talking about here though? One of the reason we called you here is neither of us has really felt the influence our sisters have on the flow of mystic energy.”

For a moment Carter went silent and began to tap his fingers against the table before him. “We're talking very resistant here to be honest. I would say that the damper would need to be able to resist a third level spell at the very least if you want to accomplish your goals and even that might not work for all of our sisters.”

“Third level? That's doable but. Carter I hate to ask this but would you be willing to come on board with us? Dan and I still have extensive work to do on the energy system and we really need an extra set of hands.”

“Guys I'm sort of busy at the moment. I've been helping Mirin and the others with some projects as well. Some events gave me some free time today in order to come by and help you but I really can't double up on two projects at once.”

“Alright. Well then perhaps while we have you here you can help us with the design of the shaper?”

“I'd be happy to. Though I have to ask. Exactly how do you expect our sisters to carry such a shaper with them at all times?”

“We'd considered several options actually though we kept running into issues due to our sisters expanding bodies and healing abilities. Then Dan came up with the ideal of an earring.”

“An earring?”

Dan was quick to nod and rejoin the conversation. “Indeed. The skin on our sisters ears is some of the easiest to pierce in their body and if we set up the shaper correctly it should be well protected. After all they typically don't just allow someone to hit them in the head. Also if we use a large loop we should be able to set it up so that even as their bodies expand the earring will remain. Well as long as they don't grow too much.”

“So you're thinking of putting the earring in their lower ear?”

“Indeed. What do you think?”

“It should work though I wish we could find somewhere a bit more protected then that. That can probably come later though. Alright let's get to work. You've got me for the next three hours but after that I just don't know. I'll help out when I can though.”

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

Maria wasn't happy with the current arrangement. Currently she found herself spending the majority of her day running around the forest and at times she had to spend the night. In the mean time Joseph had been working on some secret project and had only been able to give her limited information. Now she found herself waiting for her mate to finally get home and spend some time with her and he was already over an hour late. She didn't blame him for this as she knew his work was important but it left the young beast girl rather frustrated. As she heard a familiar heart beat though and caught a sent on the wind  she was made to smile and quickly dashed towards the door. Welcome back Joseph!”

At Maria's greetings Joseph was both made to jump and grin. For a moment he said nothing but gave the sister who had carried him back an awkward smile which was met by another before she dashed off. “Thanks Maria. It's good to see you again. I didn't mean to be late but things ran over.”

“I know you're busy and I forgive you for it. After all you're working for the good of us all. Besides you're a few hours late at times I've been an entire night late. What do you have in the bag?”

“Can't you tell?”

Maria was made to chuckle as she gave a nod. “Yes I can tell. You brought back some smoked meat, bread and fruit. I wish I could eat some of it.”

“Huh? I brought some of it for you though.”

“Well I guess you'll be having it for breakfast come on and set down though you're exhausted.”

“Why can't you help me eat any of this?”

“We're still working on the kobold and despite attempts to preserve it the flesh is still getting a little age on it so we've been asked to focus on it. Joseph would you believe I'm getting sick of the taste of those creatures?”

“Well sure. You eat anything enough and you'll get tired of it.”

“Not us. Those things though. Yeah even we get sick of them.” As she was speaking Maria stood aside to let Joseph walk by. As he began to move past her though she couldn't help but grin as she noted his head didn't even come up to her chest level. The temptation was too great and she leaned forward. “Bop.”

The word reached his ears before the boobs met his head but Joseph didn't have time to think about that. He felt too large soft and rather heavy objects bump into his head with enough force to knock him off his balance. Instinctively he reached out to catch himself and his hands came to rest without fail upon Maria's hips. “Woe.”

Instead of letting Joseph move away Maria wrapped her arms around him and pulled him against herself. As she did so her left hand released and quickly took hold of the bag he'd been packing which had slipped from his grip. “I missed you. I've been missing you a lot.”

“I know and I've been missing you. I love you Maria.”

“Mm I love you to Joseph. You know what else I do though?”

“Love bopping me on the head with your boobs?”

“Well yes. I also want to take you into our bedroom though and make love to you so that you're too tired to leave me in the morning.”

Joseph couldn't help but notice the tone in Maria's voice or the feeling of Maria's nipples pressing against him. He felt his throat going dry and his penis beginning to respond as Maria began to shift slightly rubbing her breasts against him as she did so. “That's. That's quite an offer there.”

A slight giggle escaped Maria as she leaned forward and opened her mouth slipping the very tip of Joseph's ear between her lips and then closing them on it. For a moment she said nothing as she lightly sucked on the tip of his ear. It was clear to Maria that she was having an affect on Joseph as she could hear his heart rate speeding up and had noticed the change in his breath. “It's such a shame that you're going to have to decline isn't it?”

“Huh?”

“I bet you haven't eaten all day have you Joseph?”

“Well that is.”

Now Maria released Joseph and stood back up. “Go ahead and go eat. An empty stomach wouldn't have the stamina I would require from you anyway. After that though perhaps we can enjoy one another some. I'll just have to remember to leave you with enough strength to work in the morning.”

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

“Joseph what happened to you!”

“Hey Dan. Maria happened to me. I. I think she was a little rougher then she intended to be.” While he was speaking Joseph had already settled down and retrieved a small bottle from his pocket. He wasted no time putting a bright blue gel in his hands. He didn't hesitate in the least to begin rubbing it into his right shoulder.

“Oh damn. She's still not used to her increased size and I bet you haven't had much time for her to practice yet. She's probably feeling rather eager as well.”

“Yeah. I'm guessing this is what you go through with Mina at times?”

“Oh heck no. Mina would kill me if we tried to get truly intimate right now. We're still taking it very easy whenever we're together.”

“What about whenever I saw you all beaten up drinking that potion?”

“That was mostly due to me being put through an exercise routine I wasn't ready for. Honestly Joseph you look really beaten up. Didn't you say anything?”

“I was a bit caught up in the moment myself. I didn't really noticed how roughed up I was until this morning.”

“How did you even convince Maria to let you go.” Instead of just standing around Dan made his way over to the alchemical supplies he and Joseph had been using. He didn't bother asking if Joseph would like a potion to help with the pain and healing but began to rapidly mix one together.

“I told her that I couldn't afford to delay our work and that I would treat myself as soon as I was able. I actually had to promise to treat my injuries once I got here before she'd let me leave. Dan I'm afraid I'm going to have to put a little more of the work on you then normal though.”

“That's alright. What are you rubbing in anyway?”

“It's a salve that will help my body to heal but it tends to weaken the muscles while it's working.”

“Hm I see. Well I got something that I believe will help you as well. Just give me a few to finish putting it together. You couldn't have had too many supplies at your home to make that anyway.”

“Actually I made it a while back. It was something of a private joke at the time though. You see I got to thinking about how you looked after a horny Mina got hold of you and decided I would want something prepared in advance. Now I believe I should have made something stronger.”

“Well here you go this should help with your healing along with that salve. With you not feeling up to it though I'm going to go ahead and get to work on those etchings. If you don't mind would you continue work on the formula we started yesterday?”

“Yeah. I hope Carter manages to come by to help us out though.”

“I would not bet on it. I saw Mirin earlier and he was packing one of the better made mages staffs. It looked like he was getting ready for war and that means the others will be as well.”

“Okay that's not comforting in the least. So Dan how is Mina doing? I haven't seen her in a while but I hear she's showing.”

“Honestly she's on a hair trigger and that ax she's packing isn't helping anything. She feels embarrassed that she's having to use a weapon and the fact that she's showing means some are treating her like she needs their help and she insist that she doesn't. Between already feeling self conscious, a high hormone level due to the pregnancy and how people are treating her she's liable to snap someone in half if they aren't careful.”

“Have you had any ideals on how to calm her down?”

“I've been preparing her honeyed tea and other sweets that are meant to sooth and I think they're working to an extent. She seems to calm down after spending some time at home regardless though she she came in furious three days ago. They were apparently some beginning to wonder if she could still perform her function with as far along as she is. From what I heard later she nearly sent three sisters air born for talking too loudly about such things. She insist that she still has a few months before the baby will be ready to be born and that she's strong enough to protect herself the baby and the village.”

“How do you feel about it?”

“I. I. I really want her to stay home.”

At first Joseph said nothing but continued to look at the formula before him. He could feel the weight in Dan's words and knew it hadn't been easy for him to say that. “Have you told her?”

“Yeah. I told her. She wasn't really happy about it.”

“Did she get angry?”

“She started to cry. Joseph telling a sister something like that is almost like saying you don't trust her or have confidence in her and I should have used different words then what I did.”

“Dan. I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault Joseph. I should have chosen my words more carefully or not said anything at all.”

“How is she doing now?”

“She hasn't brought it up but I really need to apologize I just don't know what I'm apologizing for. It isn't wrong to want to keep your wife and unborn child safe after all. Right?”

“I completely agree but  I also know what it's like to be sorry for having to hurt someone in order to be honest.”

“Sorry for having to hurt her? Yeah that's what I'm feeling and I'm scared that if I bring it up again I'll just end up hurting her more which I don't want to do.”

“Mina's a smart woman Dan I'm sure she'll understand if you're honest. You just need to explain that you trust her and love her but you'd still prefer if she played it safe.”

“My Mina is a smart beautiful woman but Joseph telling a sister to play it safe is like telling her that you don't trust her.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I'm going to tell her that I'm scared and ask her to stay closer to home for me. I'll explain that I can help being scared for her safety and that I want her to stay closer because if I lost her and our child I don't know what I would do. Probably mix up a big batch of some alchemical reaction that requires a life sentient sacrifice and throw myself into it.”

“Dan that's not even remotely funny.”

“She's my life Joseph. I gave up everything in order to be with Mina and she's been my everything pretty much since the day I was taken under her care as a claimed. The thought of living without her and losing our child as well that just. Well I'm not going to think about it.”

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

“Okay Maria are you ready for this?”

“Joseph that's just a silly question. Of course I'm ready for this.”

Before commenting Joseph took a moment to look at the ten crystals he had set out. Each one of them was attuned to sing whenever they felt the presence of mystic energy. A short distance away from them was a simple alchemical fluid that released said energy into the environment made in part from the juices from one of the life blooms. Currently all the crystals were silent despite the presence of the liquid though all indicators said it was giving off energy. Then setting in the center of it all was Maria with a massive meals set out before her. The food was simple largely consisting of grains, fruits and some meats but there was a lot of it. “Okay you may begin.”

The moment Joseph said begin Maria grabbed a big loaf of bread sliced it in half with her claws and slipped a chunk of meat inside of it. She didn't worry about manners or holding back as she took a massive bight out of the bread and began to chew. The test was simple. While Maria was in the room she was absorbing the energy from the liquid so the crystal would not sing. What would happened as she ate though? Would her body have less of an influence on the mystic energy in the surrounding environment and how much of an influence would it have? This was why Joseph had the ten crystals set up. Each one would respond to different levels of mystic energy. “So. Joseph how much energy is needed for the little one?”

“It doesn't take much at all to make that crystal sing. If I were to simply hold it in my hand it would begin responding to the weak amount of energy I give off. They're typically only used in areas in which mages are flat out not allowed.”

“I bet they work well.”

“Not so much. They're very easy to set off and will often respond to even weak magic items. They've even responded to people who had simply drank a magic potions a few hours or even a day beforehand. They're really too sensitive for accurate use.”

“Yet they're still used?”

“Well like I said only in areas where mages flat out aren't allowed. Once one goes off the person can be more carefully examined to insure that they aren't a mage.”

“Then the big one?”

“In order to get that one to start responding someone would pretty much have to be casting a spell right in this room and I mean a big spell. The type of spell that would probably take down a castle wall.”

“Um then why even have it?”

“I'm just being thorough. I'll admit though if that one starts going off I'm going to wonder about the accuracy of the test. As well this solution shouldn't have nearly that much energy inside of it.”

Maria didn't bother responding with words but continued to shove food into her mouth. Joseph had explained to her that for this test to be done properly she had to eat until she felt like she couldn't take another bight or sip. It was a fun challenge but she worried that there wasn't enough food there to bring her to that point. As she began working on the apples though she made certain to eat the core as well as the seeds to get as much into her body as she could. While she was gorging herself she couldn't help but observe the crystals from time to time listening for the slightest hint that they were beginning to sing. “So you really didn't find any documents on experiments like this?”

“Much to my surprise no I didn't. I found experiments where the brothers had tried to find out how much energy you could absorb from a spell but nothing like this.” As Joseph was watching Maria he was also keeping track of the rate at which she was eating to the best of his abilities. Given her speed he couldn't write down every little thing she ate however he was able to observe percentages and how empty the table was becoming. He also had a good ideal of what they had began with. “Now this experiment might take a little longer then simply how long it takes you to eat all of that.”

“No problem.”

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

Dan took in a deep breath as he prepared himself to step into the living room. Before he could begin to move though he heard Mina's voice.

“Dan something is troubling you and you're preparing to talk to me about it so you might as well get started. You know that I won't hurt you no matter what you say.” As she was speaking Mina placed a massive hand on her stomach just over where her baby was.

“I know Mina but this isn't easy.”

Instead of commenting Mina closed her eyes and listened to Dan's heart beat. She wondered how long it would be before she could hear the sound of her baby's heart beat inside of her. She hoped that it wouldn't be long. “Well you're not going to make me worry and begin to dread whenever you finally do decide to talk to me are you?”

“No. No. Okay.” As he spoke Dan walked into the living room and moved until he was standing in front of Mina. Even with her setting down though and him standing up he found himself looking up into her eyes. They were warm and soft and it only made his heart beat faster. Was he really going to hurt this wonderful woman more? The ideal was rather sickening to him but he had to speak up. “I was talking with Joseph earlier today and he helped me come to a realization.”

“What's that?”

“Mina you're my everything and I love you as I love no other. There is nothing that I love more then you and no one. I believe in you and I'm confident in your strength and yet I have to tell you that I fear for you.”

Now it was Mina's turn to sigh as she looked at Dan. Now she knew what was wrong. He was afraid of hurting her not that she was going to hurt him. She knew she wasn't going to like this conversation but she could see it was important to Dan. Instead of responding right away though she continued to observe Dan as he began to step back apparently giving her room to leave should she choose to do so. Instead of leaving though Mina brought her tail around behind Dan and pushed it up against his bottom. The result was immediate as he lost his balance and took hold of her tail she wrapped it around his waste ever so slightly to help him keep his balance.

Dan couldn't help but grin despite the situation as he found himself seated on Mina's tail. “Mina as small of the chance of harm coming to our child is while inside of you there is still a greater chance when you're actively in the field then when you're at home. It would comfort me and make me feel much better if you would take a patrol path that's closer to the village so that I wouldn't worry about you so much. I know how powerful you are I've seen it more times then I could name and I love your strength but despite all your power I still fear for you. I believe you could be a matron and I would still fear for you now. I fear for our child as well.”

“Dan I need to stay in the field for as long as I can. If I'm not there another sister will have to brave that danger and she won't be as strong as me.”

“I know that but I don't love her as much as I love you. I.” For a moment Dan went silent and took in a deep breath. “Please Mina do this for me. It would mean more then I could say if you would stay closer to home. It's not like they could only send one extra sister into the field if you remained behind either. With your power they could send several and cover a wider area. You're concentrated power after all and the more you can focus on a single area the better off we all are.”

“Dan. That. Well that actually makes a lot of sense.” As she was speaking Mina lifted Dan further with her tail and brought him closer to herself. As she did so she embraced him. “Alright Dan I'll speak with my sisters and see what we can do. I'll try to stay closer to home.”

“I love you Mina and thank you.”

“I love you to Dan.”

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

“It's singing.” As the words left his lips Joseph didn't know quite what to think as he looked at the smallest of the crystals.

“Should I stop eating?”

“No! I mean no. Keep going Maria please. This little one can be made to respond so easily but if we can get some of the larger ones to respond.”

There was no verbal response from Maria as she began to eat again. What she did not mention to Joseph though was the fact that she could hear the second and third crystals just beginning to sing as well. She knew she'd have to tell him about it once she was done eating in case he didn't hear them. For the moment though she was going to see just how many of the crystals she could put to singing. Already it was clear that the results had Joseph's interest as he continued to focus on the tiny crystal and its song.

“Maria. This is. This is just amazing. I can't wait to tell the others. Do you have any ideal what this means?”

“Mmo.”

Now Joseph was made to grin as he looked at Maria for a moment and noticed her still stuffing herself. “It means that it shouldn't be impossible for you and your sisters to use magic. At least it shouldn't be impossible to begin teaching you to use certain types of magic at least. I'll have to speak with some of the mages about this but this could have truly profound implications. It means that your body isn't absorbing every last bit of mystic energy it encounters but rather it depends on what's in the environment.”

“What do you mean it's not impossible for us to use magic?” As Maria spoke she couldn't hide the shock in her voice and for a moment she forgot to continue eating.

“We'll talk about it later.”

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

“What!” Mirin couldn't hide the surprise on his face as he found himself looking at Joseph. Dan had joined the two of them and seemed surprised as well though not as much.

“I did a test with Maria in which I had her eat until she couldn't stand to eat any longer. While I was doing the test I had several crystals setting in the area as well as a solution that released a small amount of mystic energy. After Maria had eaten enough the first second and even third crystals were made to begin singing. Maria told me that she also heard the fourth just beginning to sing. I had chosen the crystals so that the first and second could easily be made to respond with just the energy coming from the solution. However, the third crystal would have needed a little extra mystic energy to cause it to respond. Though it's possible this energy could have come from me I doubt that. The fact that the fourth crystal was beginning to respond though almost guarantees that some of the energy was coming from Maria.”

“What do you mean almost guarantees Joseph?” As Dan spoke he took a few steps closer to his friend as if to make sure he heard him correctly.

“I wasn't able to hear the fourth crystal singing. Rather Maria was the one that told me and whenever I placed my hand on the crystal I felt if vibrating. Though to be honest I was so excited that could have been my hand shaking.”

Now Mirin took in a deep breath as he looked at Joseph. He trusted Joseph as an alchemist and his methods but everything he knew told him this wasn't true. Could it be that a more powerful energy source then the solution had passed by their home and caused the response. “Well before we get too excited. Would you mind if we did the experiment again with different sisters? Just to be certain.”

“I believe that would be wise.”

“Joseph I have to tell you I'm finding this very hard to believe. However, I have to admit that I haven't conducted such an experiment myself. If what you're telling me does prove to be true it could mean a great change in our understanding of our sisters. However, there is a problem.”

“We're over stretched.”

“Yes. Even with as important as the work you and Dan are doing right now we can't devote extra man power to help you. We don't have the resources to begin looking into this either despite what it may mean. I hope you'll understand if we can't act on your findings immediately.”

“It's quite understandable. However, once me and Dan finish with our work I would like to begin looking into this myself.”

“That should be fine. How are your efforts going anyway?”

Now Dan spoke up. “The solution that will form the crystals is being produced but we still haven't finished with all the glyphs. We also ran into a problem.”

“Which is?”

“Certain portions of the transfer system have so much energy flowing into them it may prove overwhelming. We've responded by designing new paths however that changes the entire glyph which requires even more work. We strengthen those portions that we can without modifying them but it's time consuming.”

“That isn't surprising. Joseph, Dan the actual drawing of the glyph doesn't require the hands of a mage or alchemist. How about I have a few sisters lend you a hand?”

“Aren't they all occupied at this moment?”

“Some are less busy then others. Joseph, Dan you've both met Tera and Nora right?”

For a moment Joseph's mind went back to the two sisters who had him help with their clothing designs so long ago. It was actually an awkward moment. “Yeah I remember them.”

“They've been helping with the protection of the village for the most part but having them hasten your work seems more important now and I believe they can be trusted to keep quiet. They've also had experience working with very intricate designs. If you want I'll send them to work with you.”

“That would be useful. If we're working on speeding this up though why don't we just have Maria help out?”

“I'm sorry Joseph but we need Maria as an information carrier and scout for a moment. Unless she's willing to use her personal time there is little we can do.”

“Alright.”

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

As Maria kept her body low to the ground she had to be careful to keep her claws extended and steady as she carved the complex figure into the stone.  A small dust cloud was actually able to be seen forming behind Maria as she moved about. From time to time glancing behind herself to check her progress then quickly refocusing on what was in front of her. She could see Joseph and Dan moving behind her sweeping as they went. Both of them seemed to be grinning from ear to ear. “I hope I'm doing this right.”

“You're doing wonderfully Maria!” As Joseph called out he glanced over at Dan. “I can't believe she remembered the design so well after such a short period of time.”

“Well she studied it for a solid thirty minutes and tried making several copies so it shouldn't be surprising. You have to keep in mind that they really don't think like we do especially whenever they're running. I mean here we believe we're the smart ones but they're just wow. The average sister processes information at least three times faster then we do and that Maria of yours is even faster then that. So what was only thirty minutes of hard studying to her would have taken us several hours.”

“That's a thought alright but even then with a few hours this is really impressive.”

“You do realize that if your theory is right and they can learn to use magic they'll surpass us before long. Right?”

“Would that be so bad?”

“It makes me wonder what I'll do for a job.”

“Mm I guess you'll just have to be Mina's boy toy and earn your living through pleasure.”

A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he shook his head. “Well that doesn't sound too terrible but I'd rather have a purpose beyond that. Damn is she ever fast.”

“I believe she's already done more work then either of us since we started in here.”

“Hey you two speed it up the dust is building up and it's threatening to make me lose traction since you wont' let me use the claws on my feet. This design is kind of pretty by the way. Is that intentional or just how things work out?”

“Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder but that's pretty much how it works out Maria.” As Joseph was speaking he began to work faster to clean up the dust. “There have been theories if there is some connection between mystic energies and whatever spark of imagination leads to art but really we can't be certain. I'm of the mind set though that whenever something is designed to perform properly beauty naturally follows. Your body is a wonderfully effective killing machine after all and quite lovely.”

“Ah! Thanks! I have to say though your human body looks a lot better then it performs.”

“Gee how sweet of you.”

A slight giggle escaped Maria as she withdrew her claw and looked towards the far wall. Joseph and Dan had hanged the design for the glyph on the wall in case she had to take a moment and reference what she was doing. The  diagram was far too distant for it to be useful to human eyes but it was fine for hers. After a few seconds of examining the diagram she resumed her work.

Dan couldn't help but shake his head as he watched Maria working. “We should have done this in the first place. At this rate Maria will have the main body of the diagram finished in a few hours and we'll just have to work on the finer details such as the junctions. This is going to save us weeks if not months. We could have already been finished with this part of the project if we'd asked for her help sooner.”

“I don't know about that Dan. I really haven't had much free time to help out this past week or the energy to do so. If it hadn't been for Joseph's little project I don't know if I would have the energy right now. Oh but tomorrow is going to be such a pain in the tail.” As she was speaking Maria couldn't help but think about how she should be sleeping at this moment. Tomorrow she would be expected to go scouting and probably have some messages to deliver. However, one day of being tired was worth it she felt if she could help Joseph finish his project more quickly. “Once I'm done with this what do you have to do next though?”

Joseph chose to answer Maria before Dan. “Once you're done with this we'll have to connect the glyphs together so that the energy will flow freely. Then we'll have to fill the channels with the crystalline solution and let the crystals form.”

“That is after we insure that the channel are all clean.”

“Yeah. Won't that be fun?”

“How do you plan to tend to that?”

“We're hopping to have a mage help us wash out the channels. It shouldn't take them very long even if they have other tasks to tend to. This will come after Dan and I have cut the finer details into the glyph though. There isn't really any point in cleaning the channels out until then.”

Maria gave a quick nod and continued to focus on the tasks before. As she moved she had to be careful not to push her claw too deeply into the stone or she'd risk widening it too much. Joseph and Dan had been fairly exact on how they wanted the glyph to be cut into the stone. As she looked back at her work though she couldn't help but believe there had to be some mistakes in the glyph. Cutting something so massive was hard to do without making a single mistake especially given how quickly she was working. “You're going to have this looked over aren't you?”

Joseph couldn't nod or reply quickly enough to Maria's question. “Oh yes. Without a doubt yes. We're going to have this glyph checked over at least three times once we're finished before we begin anything else. Once we poor the solution into the glyph we really don't want to risk finding an error it would be well nightmarish.”

“How come?”

“It's the solution. Once it has formed into a crystal breaking it would be horrible as it wouldn't mean just removing a small section. In order to properly treat a damaged region we'd have to cut out a massive chunk to insure there were now flaws inside of the crystal. It would be nightmarish as even in cutting the crystal to remove a crack there is a risk of causing additional cracking.”

For a moment Maria said nothing but looked around at the tree which were growing all around her. The life bloom had been doing well though there were still several vacant areas where the plant hadn't been placed yet or began to grow. Hopefully those would be filled soon enough. Thoughts of growing larger began to move into her head once again as well as what that would mean. The last time she had been intimate with Joseph she'd injured him despite her intentions. She didn't want to do that again and knew she would need to speak with her mother. After all she was roughly the same size as what her mother had been for a long time.

What would happen if they grew larger though? Maria's mind was immediately made to turn to Sora. She'd been with Mirin many times there was no doubt about that. She'd be able to give some advice. “Joseph how long do you believe it'll be until this entire room is filled with trees?”

“That will be a while yet Maria. The life bloom grows quickly but this place is massive. Are you already looking forward to have more on your diet?”

“Of course. Are you looking forward to being bopped by even bigger breasts?”

“Hm well as long as they don't send me on a trip to the healer or grave I would say so.”

“Well don't you go worrying about that trip to the grave or healer. I'll figure out how to work this body of mine yet.”

It was tempting to tell Maria that he hoped that wouldn't be by experimenting on him but Joseph held his tongue. He didn't want to make Maria believe he didn't trust her. Despite that he didn't have any intentions of jumping into bed with the same eagerness they had only recently. He didn't want to get bruised up quite that badly after all. His thoughts turned to how Maria worried about his safety though and he felt confident that she would do what was needed to insure she didn't hurt him like that again.

Dan, “You know Maria. You could always speak with my Mina about such things. She might even be able to give you better advice then your mother as she has a mutation the same as you.”

“That's true. Still, I believe I should speak with my mother first. I know she doesn't have a mutation but well she's my mom and I'd feel a bit more comfortable asking her.”

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

“Phinila this really isn't necessary. I'm fine.”

“You stink of blood Desmon and it isn't animal blood.” As she was speaking Phinila continued to scrub away at Desmon attempting to get the scent to leave him.

“What's the big deal? It's my blood after all.”

“No. It isn't. I can smell Mirin's blood on you as well and we have to get it off if you want your activities to stay unknown. I swear I should have you go bear just so I can smack you around properly.”

“You can tell who's blood it is?”

“Yes. You're lucky you didn't get into serious trouble smelling like that you know. I can't believe you waited this long to come back here and didn't get more attention.” As Phinila was speaking she found it hard to keep her anger in check. While she cared for Desmon and trusted him for him to behave so foolishly was hard for her to take. In all truth truth though her concern for him only made her angrier as she continued to try to remove the scent.

“Phinila you're starting to remove skin.”

“Then you can grow more. It's easier then regrowing a head.”

A sigh escaped Desmon as he bit down on his lip and continued to endure the washing. “Do you believe Pera will be okay?”

“Yes. I just hope she thinks we're having sex and doesn't realize I'm trying to wash blood off of you. Otherwise it's going to be a lot harder to explain.”

Instead of responding Desmon went silent and glanced over at the hand on his shoulder. Desmon's primary animal shape was that of a bear. A form which granted great size, power and fortitude. This bleed through into his human body making him abnormally large. Coupled with his life style and he had quite a sturdy build. Yet compared to Phinila he felt positively tiny and she was only a guardian. They were much bigger ones. He knew this but as he looked at her hand the point was driven home more clearly then it had ever been. The rough treatment he was getting from those hands didn't really help matters either. “I'm sorry that I didn't protect them better.”

“Do you think that's the reason I'm upset!” As she spoke Phinila grabbed Desmon and quickly spun him around so that he was facing her.

The sudden action had caught Desmon off guard and for a moment he went silent as he looked up into her eyes. “Is isn't!”

“No, you idiot! I'm upset because I'm worried about your safety! Desmon you're not my mate but I do care for you.” A long sigh escaped Phinila as she closed her eyes and placed a hand on her forehead for a moment to wait for the throbbing to stop. “Just don't talk. I'll just channel this anger into washing you and we can talk once I no longer smell blood on you.”

“Until that anger is gone? You're going to end up skinning me if you wash until then.”

“Well then maybe you won't do something so stupid again.”

Despite the entire situation Desmon couldn't help but chuckle as he was once again turned around and Phinila resumed her efforts to clean him off. Despite the pain he could feel a warmth inside of his chest that seemed to radiated outward and diminish the pain. At least it diminished the pain until Phinila found a spot she decided to scrub particularly hard. During those spots he gritted his teeth and thought about how the pain meant she cared for him. “You're a good friend to Phinila Ehh!”

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“I see. So that's why Joseph was all beaten up a few days ago. The poor thing. You must have been tossing him around like a rag doll.”

“He didn't show any signs of distress though. I mean I was listening and he didn't say anything or even scream.”

“No doubt. He was probably quite lost in the moment as where you. Oh Maria.” A sigh escaped Flora as a massive grin formed on her face. “Where to even begin. I suppose the first thing I should tell you is most brothers will let you know whenever you've seriously injured them. Few brothers could handle a broken bone and not scream especially during something like sex when it'd be likely to get far worse if they held the pain in. That said bruising can be another issue and while they might not notice it during the sex they will afterwords and if it happens enough they'll become more reluctant.”

“I don't want Joseph to become reluctant though!”

A sharp chuckle escaped Flora as she heard the passion in her daughter's voice.  “Now sweet heart there is no need to get quite that worked up. The first advice I can give you Maria is pacing. You recently increased your size a great deal and you jumped strait into a full on sexual encounter with Joseph. You didn't give yourself time to experiment with your new size and see how your passions would work out. You really needed to start with some gentle playing around before you went all the way again. That's one of my biggest pieces of advice.”

“I know. I was just so darn horny though.”

“I know that feeling. Now if you can't stand to wait and test your body's new traits then what you need to do is work to retrain yourself as much as possible. Now did you grab Joseph at any time during your love making?”

“Yeah. I took hold of his shoulder.”

“Don't do that.  Now I'm not saying that you can't touch him but you're not to grab him. If you're worried about his stability you may loosely wrap your tail around them but don't apply any force and make sure you keep it under control. Though that's a bit risky in itself. Using your hand to take hold of him during such times though is a major no no.”

“I was worried he might fall off though.”

“Maria if you're worried that you might throw your mate off of you then you should realize that you're bouncing him too hard and holding him still just means more of that force is damaging his body.”

“That's true.”

“At least this way if you do end up throwing him off you know you're putting too much force into it. The major thing whenever you're not certain of your body's performance though is to let him take the lead. Joseph cares about you Maria and he'll see to your pleasure as well. He'll probably even see to it before his own. So there is no need for you to try to squeeze your pleasure out of him.”

“So I should just lay there like a log?”

“Oh heavens no! I said you can't grab him I didn't say that you couldn't interact. They're several encouraging touches that don't involve restraining your mate after all. Though you have to be careful. Some brothers are more adventurous then others and some don't like certain types of attention. I remember this one time I started to use my”

“Stop! Stop stop!” A sigh escaped Maria as she looked at her mother. “I don't believe I want to hear the wrest of that story.”

A slight chuckle escaped  Flora as she looked at her daughter. “Well suit yourself. You could always try it out on Joseph and see how he responded.”

“I don't believe so. Let's just get back to the information to insure I don't send Joseph to the healer while we're making love.”