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While Zarena watched the sight before her she gave a low groan and tried to raise herself to a standing position. With no fear for her life immediately present though her body didn't respond as quickly as she would have liked and she hardly had taken a single step before she found herself needing to rest again. Despite that she could feel energy flowing into her body and for a moment her eyes were made to widen as her right hand reached up and covered her right eye. The receiver Nathan had hidden near her right eye. It was still channeling energy into her body. The revelation was a little frightening as she looked at the Amalgam. How much had the steady flow of energy helped her this day? The question made her shiver as she took in a deep breath.

By now the Amalgam's body had began to crumble it's massive claw had fallen free from its body and the flames were moving to engulf its entire being. Zarena could still hear screams but they were softer now and seemed to be coming from every part of the creature's body. If she had more strength she would have lent the flames aid but in her current condition she felt it best to recover. Her healed ears reminded her of something though as she could still hear the sound of wings in the sky and she turned her eyes towards them to see the kobolds flying away from the area. A low growl escaped her as she saw the creatures. There wasn't anything she could do in her current state and she felt confident that her sisters had done all they could as well. Perhaps it was time to call her sisters back and let them know what had happened.

Zarena, “My sisters the enemy is receding the battle is ours! Please return and make sure none of it remains after this day!” As she finished speaking Zarena released a massive roar to summon all her sisters to her location. She felt confident that her words would carry to them but the roar wouldn't be quieted.  “You were one of the most dangerous creatures I've encountered in a long time. We'll have to work to make sure nothing like you ever invades our forest again.”

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As Maria dashed ahead of her sisters she couldn't truly contain her excitement. As she burst through the brushes though that excitement was made to fade. While she had seen the influence of the Amalgam's attack upon Zarena she hadn't been prepared for this. Zarena's fur was a mixture of red, gray and white instead of its regular gray and white. To make the situation worse there was far more red then there was gray or white. A gust of wind carried a smell to her and for a moment Maria had to fight her body's gag reflex as she looked at the great smoldering mounds of flesh. Her eyes were brought back to Zarena before she could think about the smell too much.

A tremble ran throughout Zarena's body that shook the entire landscape it seemed. Her body was so badly damaged that she was having trouble holding herself steady. Maria's legs began to work before her mind could catch up to them and she found herself dashing towards the massive sleeper. The fact that she found herself running into Zarena's shadow long before she had actually reached her didn't slow down her movements.

Maria, “Zarena are you alright!”

Despite the unpleasantness of hearing the Amalgam scream Zarena was glad to hear Maria's voice as she turned her head to look towards her. “I'll live if that's what you want to know and I'll heal but this really hurts. I don't believe there is a centimeter of my body that doesn't have some degree of cut on it.” As Maria neared her Zarena moved her hand up slightly in a halt position. “Stay back Maria.”

Maria, “What? Why?”

Despite the situation Zarena was made to chuckle as she looked at her tiny sister. “I'm kind of scared that I'm going to topple over at any moment here.”

For a moment Maria did nothing but looked around. A long sigh escaped her and she felt her claws extend before she began sprinting towards the nearest remains of the Amalgam. She had been asked to insure that the Amalgam didn't reform and that's what she intended to do. She could already hear other sister's coming into the devastated land and  knew they would be doing the same soon. At least after they managed to overcome their gag reflexes. As she ran towards the nearest pile of goo though her mind turned to their brothers and she found herself wondering what condition they were in now. Had the battle ended for them as well or were they still fighting?”

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Linod took in a deep breath as he set down and looked towards the mountain. Nightfang stood a distance away either surveying the region for any last bits of the enemy or perhaps just processing the energy he'd absorbed. Thoughts of energy turned his eyes to the sky where he noted a dragon soaring above them. He wasn't sure what her intentions were for the moment but as long as they remained together he doubted she would attack. Especially with the powerful wolf spirit near by. “So Nathan do you have energy enough to open a gate back to our world?”

Nathan, “No where near enough I'm working on it though.” As he spoke Nathan pulled a small bottle from his side and opened it up. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to regain mystic energy. Rather it was a simple bottle of water. “Do you want a drink of water?”

Linod, “I'm good for the moment. That was not fun. I wonder what that was just now.”

Nathan, “I have a few good guesses. My first one would be that we just experienced a massive blood sacrifice on the enemy's part.”

Linod, “It sure felt like one. So do you believe those sisters of yours even realized how much of that we were holding back?”

A slight chuckle escaped Nathan before he took a sip from the bottle. “Probably not. I hope that they're alright though they're probably worried about us.” As he spoke Nathan began to look around as if trying to guess where Zarena was. She must not be fighting anymore as he couldn't see her claws flashing into the spirit world from time to time. “I'm sure that the fight is over for them though. Hey Desmon you're looking remarkably well.”

As Desmon approached the group of shaman and mages he gave his head a slight shake. “I wish I could say the same for you all. You're looking pretty darn beat up. Perhaps I should cut myself a few dozen times so that your sisters won't believe I let you do all the fighting. They'd be mad at me if they thought I was slacking while you all struggled for your lives.”

Nathan, “You're probably right about that one. Where were you anyway?”

Desmon, “I was fighting alongside Nightfang working on dealing with the other generals. We would have gotten to you sooner to help with the storm but we had a few to take care of.”

Nathan, “That is right. There was at least two other generals wasn't there?”

Desmon, “Yes and they were acting pretty desperate to reach you all. I'm guessing they wanted to prevent you from restricting the flow of energy to their master. Mm as you're all still here though I'm thinking you plan on helping with the clean up. Shouldn't you be getting back to your sisters first though?”

A low groan escaped Nathan as he placed a hand on his forehead. “The clean up. I'm not even sure where to begin if we're going to try to clean this place up. I believe it'd be best just to burn everything to ash and then work on regrowing the region then simply try to siphon the poison out.”

Linod, “I would tend to agree with you.”

Nathan, “Really? I would have thought you shaman would be against burning part of a forest to ash.”

Linod, “No that's mages who don't believe things should ever change. Such happenings are a natural part of the forest's life cycle after all.”

For a moment Nathan went silent and looked at Linod. A grin formed on his face as he shook his head. “You may be right about that.”

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A low moan escaped Zarena as she shifted her legs and settled down trying to aggravate as few wounds as possible. It didn't seem overly successful as she looked around. Something did catch her eyes which made her smile and she looked to her sisters. “Our brothers have gathered a bit to my right over there.” As she spoke Zarena moved her arm to indicate the direction. “They seem to be settling down they probably don't have enough strength left to cross over so they'll need a little while.”

Flora, “Are they alright?”

Zarena, “It's hard to say sister. I can only see energy and when they're that exhausted some of them are hard to make out or be sure it's more then one brother I'm seeing. Especially with the orcs around them. They seem to be interacting with a powerful spirit of some sort but there doesn't seem to be any hostility. I can clearly make out Nathan and he doesn't seem to be concerned.”

Mira “Can you make out Carter by any chance?”

Zarena, “Unfortunately I'm not yet familiar enough with his aura. They don't seem to be gathering any corpses though. What about us?”

Silence ran over the battlefield as the sisters began to look around each one checking to find familiar faces they knew had been on the battlefield with them. “Inia? Inia! Tamia! Havena!”

Havena, “I'm still with you Jinah so stop yelling like that. I'm just a bit not all here.”

As Haven called out more voices joined those calling for lost sisters. Each time Maria heard a voice respond she felt more relaxed but when some voices didn't respond she found herself growing concerned and turned to look to her mother who was walking over to her. “We lost some.”

Flora, “We knew that we would.” As she spoke Flora made her way over to Maria and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Now it's time to start figuring out exactly who we lost.”

Maria, “When did we lose them? We were all watching one another and I was constantly going around and.”

Flora, “Enough Maria. Even you can't watch everyone all the time even with your speed you can't be everywhere at once.”

Maria, “I didn't hear any of them calling for help though and your alright and Mira is alright. You're barely even injured. So how do we have sisters missing?”

Mira, “Did we lose them when we retreated or before that?”

Flora, “Which retreat do you mean? Daughters please try to calm yourself and just listen for those who are answering back. Even those who don't give voice may not notice their names we do have injured after all and after battle it can be hard to listen when you're nursing an injury that nearly took a limb off. There will be bodies to be taken care of though and we'll know what took them from us when we recover them. Actually, Maria as you aren't injured would you please begin searching the battlefield for the fallen? Just go where the smell of our blood is the strongest.”

Maria, “Sure mom.” As she spoke Maria didn't find herself dashing away but walking and smelling the air carefully. This was not a fun time.

Mira, “I'll help her mom. This isn't something that should be done with haste.”

Flora, “Thank you.”

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As Dan looked over the tomes he had to grin. “When I was a child I imagined places like this would be dark so that you had to get right up close to the books to see what you're looking at. Now you still have the vast stone fortress all around you and the heavy metal protective gates but where is the darkness?”

Mirin, “We had that replaced with good lightning when we realized that reading in the dark hurts your eyes and can lead to quite a head ache.” Mirin had a wide grin on his face as he looked back at Dan. “How is the search going?”

Dan, “What about this one?” As he spoke Dan drew one of the books from the shelves.

Mirin, “Huh that does look like an interesting read. If you don't mind take it back to the table and we'll check it out once we're done searching. I'm certain that if the spirit hunters would have left anything behind it would be here. Hopefully they'll have left enough so that we can begin reviving them.”

Dan, “Hey Mirin. I know Zarena wants us to but what do you think about that? Who would even begin the training to become a spirit hunter? I'm guessing it isn't the safest position there is.”

Mirin, “Well me for one. I'm certain that other brothers will step up to begin the training.”

Dan, “And if it requires someone of a younger age group?”

Mirin, “Hey now I'm not that much older then you.”

Dan, “Yeah but what if the training is meant to begin while they're still a child? You know magic has an easier time shaping a child's body then an adults.”

For a moment Mirin went silent and looked up to the roof. “My body has been shaped by my magic for quite some time now. So I should still be suitable and if I'm not I'm sure some other brothers would be. This doesn't seem to be the type of thing you can just throw a child into after all.”

Dan, “That's true.”

Mirin, “What have we hear? The shadows, the hunters and the bond. This sounds promising.”

Dan, “It sounds interesting but don't you believe a little creepy?”

Mirin, “Well yeah. Okay I believe that's enough reading material let's go set down and see what we can find before Mina comes down here to snatch you away.”

For a moment Dan said nothing but began to walk towards the table with Mirin after a few steps he couldn't keep it in any longer. “I'm surprised that she didn't come down here to get me the second you said that.”

Mirin, “So am I. Would you believe that they even sneak up on me? I don't even believe they realize they're doing it either they're just naturally disposed to walk quietly. The fact that they walk quietly even at their scale is surprising.”

Dan, “Have you ever considered that they might not have been designed that way for stealth? Rather is it possible they were meant to be light on their feet so at their larger sizes they wouldn't leave a massive path of destruction regardless of where they went.”

Mirin, “I've actually had that same thought before! Perhaps they simply adapted their careful steps to be stealthy once their size became small enough that it became practical. Did you notice it when Zarena was walking the way her foot moves to diminish the force of the impact from her steps?”

Dan, “I can't say I was watching her feet.”

Mirin, “I've noticed it with other sisters but with Zarena it's so obvious due to her scale.”

For a moment Dan said nothing but looked through the book he was holding. “I wonder how far we'd have to read until we recognized we'd found the right book. Mirin don't these books contain restricted information?”

Mirin, “Indeed they do. I'm pretty sure that this isn't the book.” As he spoke Mirin set the book he had been holding down and picked up another one. “Just check through as many pages as it takes to be certain that it isn't the book you're looking for. Once that has been done move on to another book.”

Dan, “Alright.”

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Kelah took in a deep breath as she looked out towards the beach. It was covered by the body of the water kobolds and creatures of the forest even some her own. “Ten percent.”

Kersara, “Is that what you lost?”

Kelah, “Yeah we lost ten percent of the orcs we brought with us. Unfortunately that's nearly sixty percent of the ones who were new to the unit. How about you?”

Kersara, “Two. I lost two of my sisters in the fighting at least I haven't been able to find one of them.”

Kelah, “What about the one you were able to find?”

Kersara, “I found her a little while ago. Apparently she to got hit by the wave whenever it came ashore unlike some of the others though she didn't have any of your orcs to cover her after being hit.”

Kelah, “I see. I'm afraid I don't know what that means to your people entirely. I know it must hurt though.”

Kersara, “It's rare that we lose a sister so yes it does hurt. I wish I knew how the wave caught her though. Those sisters were struck were only struck while attempting to flee with some orcs or while shielding them. However, when I found her body I couldn't find any of your people with her.”

Kelah, “Kersara if she shielded any of my people they wouldn't have abandoned her.”

Despite the situation a grin formed on Kersara's face. “I have no doubt about that. They were no signs of your orcs with her though. What was she doing out there during an attack and how did she fail to escape from the wave? I guess that's something I'm going to have to wonder about. Right now though we need to find the second missing sister.”

Kelah, “Is it possible that she was swept out into the ocean? If that's the case then I don't believe there is any hope of finding her remains.”

Kersara, “You're probably right. It's strange though I smelt.” For a moment Kersara went silent and took in a deep breath. “I smelt both of their scents in the same location and it was rather strong.”

Kelah, “Do you believe that they were together?”

Kersara, “Could it been that they were doing something during the attack that kept them from noticing the wave? That or it at least delayed their reactions long enough for the wave to reach them?” For a moment a low growl escaped Kersara. “I don't like to think about that to be honest.  Kelah is there anyway that you could ask the spirits what happened during that fight?”

Kelah, “I could. I could ask the spirits of death in the region if they know anything. Right after the battle one of them might know something. They might not be honest though Kersara and the price could be rather high.”

Kersara, “Please Kelah could you do this for me? I want to know why they died at least for when I go home and I need to know if indeed two of them are dead.”

Kelah, “Sure. I'll consult the spirits and see what I can find out. There was a lot of death here Kersara so I might not be able to get a clear idea of what happened even with the battle being recent. Please keep that in mind when I consult the spirits of death. Often they don't care what died only that something died. If you and your sisters weren't such powerful beings I would say there is no chance of them recognizing their deaths as even remotely significant.”

Kersara, “I will keep that in mind.”

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It was rare that a sister died. Their live spans were long and their bodies were quite powerful. As Maria looked at the corpses though she took in a deep breath feeling her chest growing heavier as she looked at the corpses. They caused so much death throughout the forest but seeing their own dead was still difficult. Five corpses had been recovered and laid out before the sister who found themselves looking at them. Even Zarena's eyes were drawn to the corpses.

Litia, “Ridon is going to be so torn up.” As she spoke Litia found herself covering her eyes both in order to hide her own tears and to keep from looking at the corpse. One of her close friends was amongst the dead and Ridon had nearly been her mate. They spent so much time together that some assumed they were mates. If it wasn't for their occasional forays  with other sisters and brothers none would have doubted they were mates.

Mira, “Yeah but I don't know what to say.” As she finished speaking Mira felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder and found herself looking at her mother.

Flora had been around long enough to see sisters dieing from age and battle. For a species that numbered less then two thousand thought including brothers, children and the elderly even losing a few of their numbers was hard to take. Especially when one considered how long it would take to replace those numbers. “None of us are invulnerable. Do we know how they died?”

Maria, “As far as we can tell they were smothered. I found two of them covered up in the earth apparently the kobolds managed to pull them under and the thin air finished them off.”

Flora, “I see. Were they off by themselves?”

Maria, “I believe so.”

For a moment Flora took in a deep breath then she walked over to the bodies. Overall the bodies were mostly intact dieing of suffocation had seen to that. “At least we were able to recover their bodies. If they did indeed die because they were allowed to be alone then we've forgotten much. It seems that it's time that we begin training again and relearn to fight as a team instead of individuals.”

No one bothered arguing with Flora though another keeper did walk over to join her. Stella stood next to her friend for a moment as she looked at the bodies. She could remember watching three of the five as young sisters running around and playing together. They were still rather young in her eyes. “We need to prepare the bodies to travel whenever our brothers return. We're not going to leave them here.”

Zarena, “I'll carry them back to the village so that they can be properly tended to.”

Flora, “Thank you Zarena. Do you have any news in regards to our brothers?”

Zarena, “Yes they've changed locations and began to gather energy I believe that they're going to return to our world soon.”

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

It had taken a while to gather enough energy to begin opening a portal back to the natural world though Nightfang had offered to provide them with enough energy  to do so.  Linod had declined saying that the price for such a favor would still be quite steep. The brothers had declined as well taking the time to recover their injuries as best they could in order to prevent the sisters from worrying too much. Unfortunately some wounds were too deep to heal entirely with their limited energies and time and they were all covered in the scent of blood. This was considered alright though if they came back perfectly intact there would be no way the sisters would believe them when they explained what had happened.

The feeling of the barrier between worlds opening was quite welcoming to everyone involved though Nightfang moved away from the gap. Nathan and Linod both held their places on the side of the gap waiting for the others to pass through. While they were exiting the two found themselves looking around for any hostile spirits. As they did so Linod was the first to speak. “It seems the dragon has finished watching us for now.”

Nathan, “I was worried I'd just lost track of her. Do you believe she would have attacked us if Nightfang hadn't remained?”

Linod, “I don't believe she would have but I don't trust her not to either. Come now everyone back to our own realm of being. Make sure you don't leave anything behind. We don't want the spirits finding anything that they could use to find us.”

No one said a word as they passed through the barrier. Even if they weren't the ones holding open the barrier it was quite a destabilizing event. Once on the other sides it was the brothers who showed the greatest relief as they found themselves surrounded by the sisters. The orcs for their part would have recoiled if there was a place to fall back to not being quite comfortable with their allies at the moment. There was no room to retreat though and no time though as the moment the brothers began to exist the gateway the brothers were snatched up and the orcs along with them.

Each time a brother stepped through the sisters knew that one of them had made it back to them and if they couldn't grab one of the brothers to hug they'd take hold of an orc. Given the disorienting affects of passing through the gateway some of the orcs responded to this instinctively and began to struggle but the sisters seemed to pay them no mind. In their energy depleted state they had no real strength to resist. This was perhaps unfortunate for the first few through as they found themselves snatched up by the most energetic of the sisters. It was also a slight blessing to Nathan and Linod who passed through last.

Linod, “I had nightmares about this you know.” As he looked around Linod couldn't help but grin as he noted the sisters completely surrounding them. If they had ill intention towards his orcs they wouldn't even last a moment.

Nathan, “Well don't worry about that right now. From the way they're acting the only risks we face is being hugged to death.”

Zarena, “Let me help you with that.” As she spoke Zarena reached down and picked up both Linod and Nathan quickly adjusting her hand so that they were setting in her palm as she did so. “I'm glad that you made it back Nathan.”

Nathan, “Me to. What happened on this side though Zarena? There was a massive amount of energy flowing from the spiritual world into the physical and I saw signs of you fighting. Plus well. You don't look like you're in great shape.”

Zarena, “We lost some of our sisters in the fighting Nathan and I was cut up rather badly. Well I suppose was isn't the right word at the moment my bodies hurting quite a bit  but I can feel it healing. I would love it if I could gorge myself on our enemy to help with my recovery but I can't bring myself to eat this thing.”

Nathan, “I see. How many did we lose?”

Zarena, “Five. We lost five of our sisters and one of them was a keeper.”

Nathan said nothing at first but took in a deep breath. Compared to the enemy the numerical loss was extremely minor. However, when your entire society only numbered around two thousand and had an extremely low birth rate five could mean quite a lot. “Zarena this is Linod the leader of the orcs that helps us in the spiritual plain.”

Linod, “Please to meet you Zarena.”

Zarena, “You as well and thank you for allying with our brothers. I imagine your combined strength is one of the reason you returned to us now.”

Linod, “I believe that you're right.” As he was speaking Linod chose to make no mention of the energy they'd kept restrained in the spiritual world. He would save that for another time when it might actually be needed. There was no reason for this massive lady to learn her injuries could have been far worse if the Amalgam had full access to the energy from the spiritual plain. 

Zarena, “Perhaps you'll tell me about it before I go to sleep. Before then we need to return our sisters to their home. Linod if you want a few of us can take you and your orcs back to your village or you can come back to ours and we'll transport you back once you've had time to recover. In all honesty we would prefer if we could return to our home first.”

For a moment Linod said nothing. Then he gave a nod. “I would prefer to return to my village. I'm certain that you fear an attack upon your home but that concerns me as well. As we sided with you it is possible that the Amalgam had struck us while we were weakened.”

Zarena, “I understand. I need several guardians to volunteer to see the orcs home and keep in mind that they lent their strength to our brothers when we needed it.”

Flora, “I don't believe guardians are appropriate Zarena. Any who have a mate or close brother to return to you may go. Any one else you're coming with me.” As she spoke Flora retrieved two of the orcs from her other sisters. She could hear some light grumbling but many sisters were already stepping forward.

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

Nadia took in a deep breath as she looked over the burnt buildings. The fires had been put out by those sisters who had rushed towards the village when they smelt the smoke. “Well it doesn't look that bad.”

Rita, “The alchemist shop doesn't seem to have been damaged neither was the dining hall. What happened with the other buildings though?”

Instead of responding right away Nadia took a little time to move some of the burnt remains about examining them carefully as she did so. “Honestly I believe the buildings weren't that well maintained. After all it's not like we gave them the same level of attention.”

A long sigh escaped Rita as she gave a nod. “I'm just glad that none of the really important buildings were lost. Oh the sisters who work on making clothes for our brothers are going to be so upset though. Nearly everything they'd left in the building is ashes.”

Nadia, “I somehow doubt our brothers will be as upset as they are.”

Rita, “Why do you say that?”

A wide grin formed on Nadia's face. It truly amazed her at times how rarely her sisters noticed their brother's dislike for many of their clothes. “It means that the second batch of clothing will be more refined and require less breaking in before they become comfortable.”

Rita, “That's true. I'm going to be less happy about this when I actually have to help them rebuild aren't I?”

Now it was impossible for Nadia to keep from giggling as she looked at the guardian. “Yes I imagine that is true. Look on the bright side though. This will give you all a chance to plan the market area all over and perhaps move some buildings around. I might be a little too large to enjoy eating at the dining hall these days however oh actually.” For a moment Nadia went silent and looked around. “I guess this was bound to happen sooner or later. We may as well take this chance to make plan for the new market area in order to accommodate everyone at their larger scales. So see the kobolds just saved you some trouble.”

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

Following Dan's trail was easy enough for Mina she knew his sent so well. In a clean environment like the library it was laughable. As Mina made her way down the halls though she found herself wondering why Dan had journeyed to such a deep level of the library. The fact that one required permission to go past the last door she noted made her even more curious. She could smell Mirin was with him so she had no doubt that Dan had been granted permission but the why still interested her. As she'd grown closer she could hear their conversation and even the turning of pages. Before they'd come into view she already knew what they were doing.

Dan, “I see. So they began exposing their bodies to mystic energy in advance to make traveling through the veil easier.”

Mirin, “I don't know if the word exposing is appropriate. These levels. They're strong enough to cause magic poisoning in those who don't respond to it well. Even I wouldn't want to try casting a spell after being exposed to such levels of energy. If this is how they began preparing people to become a spirit hunter I'm worried about the later lessons.”

Mina, “You don't say?”

Dan had a grin on his face as he turned to watch his massive mate walking towards them a smile on her face. “Hey there lovely. How are things going topside?”

Mina, “We lost less of the village then some believed but still enough to have some very angry sisters. Most of the brothers seem pretty well exhausted and are having a lay down. Joseph found himself a nice bench and seems to have went to sleep. Hey my cuddle bug? Are your bruises still hurting you?”

Dan, “That's been taken care of. Mirin patched me up a little while ago so I could focus on research.”

Mina, “Thank you Mirin.”

Mirin, “You're welcome. Mina I hate to asks this but would you mind leaving Dan here for a while? I need help searching through these documents and he's the only brother I know who's available and not about to fall over.”

Mina, “Well I don't mind if he helps you but I don't plan on leaving just like that. Would you mind telling me what you're researching though?”

Dan, “We've found some of the training exercises that the original spirit hunters used to prepare themselves. So far what we've found has shown us why the sisters of the past insisted that they stop using such methods. I imagine you heard the part about exposure to spiritual energies.”

Mina, “Yeah. You're not going to ask us to let you use methods that have a chance of killing you are you? Even one in one hundred brothers would be too much.”

Mirin, “I don't believe you have to worry about that Mina. They also include descriptions of detoxing methods and steps taken to insure that they wouldn't die. The rough estimate they offered is that only one in ten thousand brothers would be killed during to the exposure though injury is far more likely. Oddly it's suggest that trainees spend time with sisters after the training sessions in order to cleanse their bodies.”

Mina, “You mean they were using us like sponges to soak up the excess energy?”

Mirin, “Well yes. That's not the only time they involve the sisters in the training though which is rather surprising. Apparently they actually had them practice sparring with sisters in order to learn to predict their enemies moves. They knew it wasn't possible or at least not likely one of them could match a sisters speed or reaction time but by learning to observe an opponent and predict the attack they could have a similar affect. This was apparently considered invaluable for dealing with spirit beings who don't always behave in a predictable manner.”

Mina,  “I always imagined the spirit hunters as being very secretive and not letting the sisters know how they were training. I mean. I don't mean to be insulting but we know that's how you do things now to keep us from interfering. I can't say we're very different though.”

Mirin, “Those meetings of yours we don't hear anything about? Yeah we know. What I've seen so far indicates that the spirit hunters were open about their training though and even intentionally involved their sisters. I'm afraid that might be one of the reasons they were shut down though. They probably believed that by letting you see and be part of their training the sisters would relax and be less resistant to it. Then again we shouldn't assume that it was your doing alone. Zarena seemed to assume that it was the sisters who were the primary instigators when it came to the hunters removal but I'm not sure how much of a fight the brothers put up. Still, this can't be from the original spirit hunters. These books training methods involves training with sisters after all. The originals wouldn't have had that choice.”

Mina, “Mirin do you really want to find the methods of the originals?”

For a moment Mirin said nothing but looked down at the books. “I suppose these hunters did well enough for our people. I would still like to find the original writings but this should work for the time being. Mina would you help me find a way to present this to your sisters along with Sora? I'm sure she'll be willing to help me as well. I need to make this as palatable as possible despite Zarena's aid to insure that it sticks after all.”

Mina's only immediate response was to pick up the book and begin looking through the pages. She didn't bother reading everything in detail but she did find herself noting certain keywords. “They were very careful to detail the injury and fatality rates during each stage of training weren't they?”

Mirin, “Yes they were.”

A low groan escaped Mina before she set the book back down. “Okay Mirin, I'll help you present this to my sisters in the best possible way. I'm not really certain if there is a way to make them like it but with everything that has happened they won't be able to argue against it. Have you finished reading what you've found so far?”

Mirin, “Not yet. Dan and I have barely scratched the surface really. Is there something you want to know?”

Mina, “Yeah what's the total chance of someone dieing during the training?”

Mirin, “To become what they considered a master well. One in fifty died during the training process, two out of five was badly injured and well anyone who didn't succeed received minor injuries.”

Mina, “You said to become a master.”

Mirin, “Indeed, I haven't gotten that far yet but apparently the final stages of development to become a true master guaranteed at the very least injury in the case of failure and for many the injury was rather severe. It could even cause death despite safety measures being taken.”

Dan, “Mirin I believe I know why that is. The final stage of the training involved branding the person with mythrial markings during some kind of ritual. If the person responded poorly to the markings it's little wonder that they would kill them. Actually I don't believe branding is the right word. It's more like the mythril was fused with their skin.”

Mirin, “That would explain why there is no escaping without injury in the case of failure.”

Mina, “Dan how do you know that?”

Dan, “Here they've listed the different levels of spirit hunters and what each level involved. It also gives various statics. Apparently less then one in a thousand could actually obtain the master level. Given what was needed to bring that person to the final level though this isn't really surprising. Economics alone would prevent many from trying. I don't believe we could even attempt to put someone through the ritual with the limited amount of mythril we have.”

Mina, “I see. How about you don't mention the masters to my sisters? Those who become curious will probably learn of them but this isn't the type of thing you want to bring up.”

Mirin, “Yeah that sounds like a good idea.”

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

Kelah took in a deep breath as she felt the spirits of death surrounding her reaching out to her. There was a rush of energy as they neared her encouraging her to take hold of her weapon and strike out at those around her. It brought a grin to her face. Many assumed that spirits of death always sought to end your life. In her experience they were hardly so simple. The more powerful spirits of death didn't try to end the life of a single person but rather would seek to encourage an already powerful warrior to end the life of others. The rewards were apparently far greater then just ending a single life. She could easily resist such urges though.

Spirit, “Tell me death bringer. Why do you draw us here so openly? Is there someone you still wish to end on this battlefield and you require aid?”

Kelah, “No. There were two mighty beast on this forest humanoid in mind though. They died recently and I want to know how they died. I want to speak with the spirit who fed upon them.”

Spirit, “A promise must be made first and a price paid.”

Kelah, “I promise I will bring no harm to the spirit or spirits who fed upon them for feeding upon them and I am willing to offer five days worth my own energy over a month if the information is good.”

Instead of responding right away the spirit looked upon Kelah. “No one spirit fed upon them but we fought for that energy. None of us have a clear idea of what happened to them but all of us know a piece.”

Kelah, “I see. I can not extend that offer to many spirits. Only one is suitable. Do you believe you have enough information to earn the reward? I doubt you would have come to me if you didn't believe you did.” As she was speaking Kelah noticed an expression on the spirit's face that seemed like a grin.

Spirit, “Make a promise with me now that if the information is sufficient you will uphold your deal. Make this promise upon your contract with Nightfang himself.”

Kelah, “I swear that should your information be sufficient you will have the payment on the pain of breaking my tie with Nightfang should I fail.” As she was speaking Kelah could fill something taking hold of her. She knew that these words were far more then simple words. Rather they carried the same power as  a spell as the bond between her and this spirit of death was formed.

Spirit, “Very well. What you truly seek to know is how they died so I will tell you this first. One turned on the other and struck her when the enemy moved against them. The one who died was not able to escape the wave due to this blow.”

Kelah couldn't help but groan. There was a moment she was grateful Kersara couldn't hear the spirit's side of the conversation. “I see. Did the other die as well?”

Spirit, “I do not know. Her death was not here if she did.”

Kelah, “Can you tell me what led up to the fight?”

Spirit, “Only that there was great anger in the beginning it was not an anger of passion. It was the type of anger that comes with waiting and watching.”

Kelah, “I see. Let me here every little bit you know.”

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

Kersara, “They turned on one another!” As Kersara responded to Kelah's words she couldn't keep the rage out of her voice. Every muscle in her body flexed and she dug her toes deeply into the sand as if to anchor her legs in place to prevent herself from running off in search of the remaining sister. That wasn't what kept her place though. Rather the look in Kelah's eyes held her stationary.

There had been a moment when Kelah had been truly worried she'd have to use her ax to defend herself. It wasn't surprising that Kersara was quite angry by this news though. “The spirit I spoke to was one of the ones that fed off of her life energy and had been near by when the battle began. He said that there was anger there but it wasn't an act of passion. Kelah I think the killer in this case had been waiting for a time to attack your sister and took upon the opportunity.”

Fights amongst the sisters weren't exactly uncommon especially when competing for a male. However, these never reached the point of attempting to kill one another. Rather it was more of a display to prove yourself more suitable to be that males protector. Murder amongst the sisters was almost unheard of after all it was almost impossible for the murderer to hide what they'd done. Unfortunately it seemed one of them had believed that the middle of a war zone was a perfect time to risk it and now she was down two sisters even if the second one was alive. “Did the spirit say why it happened?”

Kelah, “He didn't know anything about that.”

Instead of responding right away Kersara found herself turning to her side and lowering herself into a seated position. As she did so she couldn't help the growl that escaped her lips. “I need a moment Kelah to let my head clear. I can feel my mind fogging right now. Just give me a moment and tell me what debt I need to repay for this information. Just give me a little time to gather myself.”

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

Maria, “Joseph!”

The suddenness of Maria's words hitting Joseph's ears made him jump despite his exhausted body. He couldn't jump very high though as he struggled to look towards Maria. He didn't have to worry about that as he felt a set of hands slip under him and lift him from his seat. “Maria you're alright.”

Instead of responding right away Maria pressed Joseph's body to herself and looked down into his eyes. “Of course I am! I was so worried about you whenever I saw the village upon my return.  Joseph are you alright?”

Joseph, “Maria I'm a little sore right now and you're squeezing me a little tight.” There was a bit of an odd moment for Joseph as the moment he said the word sore he felt Maria's grip relax and the pain began to fade before he was even finished. It made him grin as he looked up into her sapphire eyes.

Maria, “What happened to you?”

Joseph, “I was given a word so that I join in on the battle. I actually fought alongside of Nora or more like I fought in her hand. She pushed me to my limit though and well the human body only does well with so much mystic energy running through it. My muscles are kind of beat up.”

Maria, “Well you don't appear to be injured and I don't smell any of your blood on you so I imagine Nora took good care of you.”

Joseph, “She was careful to keep me safe. What about you though?” As he spoke Joseph found himself surprised when he got a good look at Maria. She was covered in blood.

Maria, “I was killing kobolds Joseph and it was rather mess business.”

As she was speaking Joseph found himself becoming aware of something else. He wasn't sure if it was the drying kobold blood in Maria's fur but she truly stunk. Instead of mentioning it he just grinned despite his exhausted body and the unpleasant scent. He couldn't help but notice the strange look Maria was giving him. “What is it?”

Maria, “Do I smell that bad?”

Joseph, “Huh? I didn't say anything about how you smelled.”

Maria, “You turned your nose up at me. I mean. Oh. Oh good grief I wreak. Joseph how about we continue this conversation in the shower I bet the hot water will do your muscles some good.”

Joseph, “That sounds nice but can we really return home.”

Maria, “Home? I'm not talking about going home just yet the library has some showers installed.”

Joseph, “I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering the size of this place.”

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

This was a little awkward for Joseph as he looked around the bathing area. Several sisters were moving about the area some of them soaked through to their skin while others hadn't went into the shower yet. Apparently several of them had noticed their smell and been working on correcting that. Maria seemed fine about this but it left Joseph feeling extremely awkward as he set upon Maria's thigh.

Maria, “What's wrong Joseph?”

Joseph, “Maria um there are an awful lot of your sisters walking around. Perhaps you should shower off without me instead of taking a brother into the showers.”

Unknown sister, “It's alright with us if you join in!”

At the words Joseph felt himself lock up and his cheek become bright red as he blushed. It actually took him a moment to realize that his seat was shaking. A moment later and he realized he could hear giggles and upon looking at Maria he knew where they were coming from. It was a surprising moment though as he noticed the massive smile on her face while her eyes were clearly focused on him. He felt her right hand reach up behind him and a few fingers slip under his shirt to gently rub his back. The entire situation seemed strange despite the time he'd spent living with the sisters.

Maria, “Don't worry Joseph I'll keep you covered.” As she spoke Maria brought her tail up. Her relatively slim tail could only afford so much protection but she was able to cover most of Joseph's mid section. “See. Now come on and join me in the bath. I won't set you down and I'll keep you facing the wall so no one will get a good look.”

It was strange but the look on Maria's face held Joseph's attention more firmly then normal. It seemed like she didn't want to let him out of her sight or was that his imagination?  “Isn't it unusual for sisters to take brothers into their baths.”

Maria, “Of course not.  You've been with us this long and you haven't learned that yet?”

Joseph, “Well it just seems a little strange.”

Maria, “Don't worry. I won't get angry so long as you don't look at any of the others and I'll make sure they don't see your man parts. How is that?”

Joseph, “Just a quick simple shower?”

Now Maria was slow to respond as she bit down on her lower lip.  “I should probably get cleaned up before we do anything intimate. It'd be a shame if I was just getting you into the mood and you got a good sniff of this foulness. How about this? You soap up the front of my chest and that's as intimate as we'll get.”

Maria was trying to carry him into the shower fool of damp sisters walking around. The only thing that he was going to have to cover him would be her tail and most likely he was going to spend the majority of his time pressed against her body. Now she wanted him to be the one to soap up breasts that had come to be larger then his head. The situation actually made him feel a little light headed but then again perhaps that was the exhaustion from casting all those spells. “Alright, but we're not going any further then that until we're somewhere private.”

Maria, “Oh does that mean you want to get somewhere private soon?”

Joseph, “Um Maria do you remember what happened when you picked me up?”

Maria, “OH yes. Sore. Sore. I completely forgot. Okay let's get you under the hot water and see if that helps your muscles relax. Now get those clothes off.”

To this Joseph gave a slight nod as he noticed Maria's hand leave his back and move to offer him more cover along with her tail. When he looked up at her face though he noticed that she hadn't even began to divert her own eyes. First instincts were to say something but instead he grasped the bottom of his shirt and began to pull it over his head. If Maria wanted to watch him undress even in that situation it was fine with him. It was quite nice to have such a lovely woman eager to see him after all. As he was removing his shirt questions about the battle began to pop into his head but he pushed them to the side for the moment. Maria was happy to see him, he was happy to see her and they were going to get cleaned up. Unpleasant questions could be answered later.

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

Joseph's scent was so welcome. The hot water vapor flowed up all around then and carried his scent to her nose. A scent that for Maria cut through the smell of the blood and gunk that coated her fur and took them completely from her mind.

Maria had adjusted his position whenever she first turned on the water so that both of them were facing the spray. He wasn't sure about the system that the library used to warm the water but given what had went into building it the hot water didn't surprise him. At first nothing seemed to be happening as Maria seemed intent on just enjoying the water. Then he'd felt his position changing and Maria's breasts rubbing against his back as he'd been lifted higher. He could actually feel her nipples becoming pert as his back was rubbed against them and worried that Maria had forgotten their earlier talk. Then he'd felt her nose press against the top of his head. The feeling of Maria's breath running through his hair and against his neck when she exhaled was a bit more stimulating then Joseph was ready for. When she held him there for a good two minutes though he had to speak up.

Joseph, “Um Maria are you trying to inhale me?”

For a moment Maria felt light headed and it took her a moment to realize what was going on. Immediately she straitened up and lowered Joseph away from her face. The sudden movement caused his position to shift and he ended up leaning against her chests while looking up at her face. She knew she had to have the silliest grin of her life on right now though she made no attempt to stop it as she looked down at Joseph. “My mistake. I forgot myself for a moment. It just seems like it's been months since I've gotten to smell you.”

Joseph, “You know where I come from that wouldn't exactly be a good thing.” A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he looked up at his massive lady while leaning back against her breasts. “Just be careful about things like that. If you get much larger I might end up in your nose.”

Maria, “Pfft I'm not that big. I'm not even certain if Zarena is that big?”

Joseph, “Oh I believe that she is and besides.” Now Joseph chose to straiten up and shift so his side so that he was still looking up at Maria. “If we continue at the rate things have been going we'll get you and your sisters back to that size before you know what's happening.”

With Joseph straitening up Maria took a moment to locate the soap which she handed to Joseph while holding her free hand in front of him. “Get a good layer of lather built up on my hand if you don't mind. I'm going to need to work this deep into my fur and well one of my hands are occupied.”

Litia, “Hey Maria if you don't want to put your guy down I could soap you up.”

Maria, “No thanks it's more fun this way.”

Joseph could hear some chuckles run throughout the room. It was an odd feeling to remember that the room was full of sisters who could hear everything that he said to Maria. Then again given the sister's ears that was normal. He was still grinning as he began to work the soap over Maria's massive hand. A hand which his entirely vanished into. As Joseph pressed the soap against her palm he couldn't help but notice the fact that even side by side his hands couldn't cover Maria's palm any longer. The one beneath him easily and comfortably supported his bottom after all. It was actually an exciting thought and he found himself working the soap into her palm with unexpected energy.

Maria, “Joseph you should know that even back in the days of the original Luvarians we didn't all grow as large as Zarena.”

Joseph, “Didn't you say that in those days you didn't know hunger though?”

Maria, “That's true we didn't know hunger back then. However, we don't have to be as big as Zarena not to feel the hunger. Just a few times the mass of most matrons and the hunger fades away entirely. At least that's how things seem from the information we've gathered. That is for most sisters at least.” As she was speaking Maria removed her hand from Joseph and reached behind her back beginning to work the soap deeply into her fur.

Joseph, “You sisters are a flexible bunch! Your muscles are more defined then mine even proportionally speaking and I can't even bind like that. So do you have any idea what caused some sisters to grow larger then others?”

Maria, “Well agility was designed into our very being after all. As for the reason. It seems that it's related to the hunger that they felt at smaller sizes. Simply put the more hunger a sister felt at her smaller size the larger her body tended to grow before she stopped feeling it.”

Joseph, “I believe you mentioned that to me before now that I think about it. So Maria how would you say Zarena's hunger compares to yours?”

Maria, “I have no idea. Typically we don't like to talk about who's hunger is the strongest as well it's just not a pleasant thought. There once was a movement to have us adapt our body sizes based on who's hunger was the strongest. You can imagine that didn't go well especially given how the feeling of hunger is subjective.”

Joseph, “Did you ever try coming up with a system that wouldn't be subjective? I wonder if perhaps your hunger is related to how much energy you body tries to pull from the environment. It would be simple to test all we would need to do is isolate several sisters in rooms with the same amount of mystic energy. Then we could observe if the rate at which they absorbed the energy was the same or not. Of course we'd.”

Maria, “I thought you were feeling drained.”

At first Joseph didn't know what Maria was talking about and then realization set in. “Sorry about that. A new idea can just take hold of me and make me forget all other things.”

Maria, “Apparently even more easy then the idea of making love to me.”

Joseph, “No! No! That's not true Maria. It's just being intimate with you. Well it can get a bit physical and and I'm talking about this in public.” Immediately Joseph felt his body warming up and found himself leaning forward so that his face pressed against Maria's chest. It was impossible for him not to notice the way Maria's chest was shaking as she tried to contain her giggles.

Maria, “It's okay Joseph that was very sweet. I guess I really hit a button there if you forgot where we are I was only teasing though. Believe me I can smell how much you want me literally.”

Joseph, “Yes and now I can smell how badly you needed this bath.”

Maria, “You're darn right I do!” This time Maria broke into open laughter as she used her tail to bring Joseph back to a setting position. “Now you said that you would soap up my chest and you've got a lot of chest to cover. Don't be gentle you really have to work deep down into my fur to make sure you get everything. I'm not going to be laying in bed thinking about how bad I smell tonight.”

Dan, “They can be plain awful can't they Joseph?”

Upon hearing Dan's voice Joseph risked leaning away from Maria and exposing himself. It didn't take him long to locate Dan who was currently being carried by Mina who had a wide grin upon her face.

Joseph, “You're darn right they can be. How Dan where have you been?”

Dan, “Doing some research with Mirin before Mina came and drug me away to get cleaned up. Apparently she noticed that her fur was a bit scented as well.

Maria, “How did that happen? I mean we were fighting the Amalgam which is where our reek comes from but what about the rest of you.”

Mina, “We had a horde of ill tempered bad smelling pigeons flying above us and we had to knock them out of the sky. I've eaten so much kobold lately that I am not only sick of the taste but I'm sick of the scent as well. Besides I was hoping to catch up to you two and figured this is the first place Maria would take you after getting a smell of the others. I hop I'm not interrupting anything too intimate.”

Maria, “Well I was seeing how bright I could make Joseph blush but they'll be time for that later. If you wanted to talk to me why did you bring Dan along though.”

Mina, “I hate showering without Dan he's my scrub buddy. Besides after what we went through I'm not letting him out of my sight for a while.”

Dan, “I ended up giving Mina a bit of a scare during the fight.” While he was speaking Dan had already retrieved some soap and began working a thick lather up on Mina's hand much as Joseph had done for Maria except he had an even larger hand to cover.

Maria, “Well I can understand that. What did you want to ask me about Mina?”

Mina, “How are you holding up Maria? I know this is the first time you've seen so many of your sisters die at once.”

Joseph could feel Maria's body tighten up in response to the question as he was pressed against her chest. He hadn't wanted to ask her how many had died not wanting to destroy a happy moment. Why was Mina asking Maria this now? He didn't say anything but he couldn't help but take a moment to look to Mina in hopes of getting an answer.

Maria, “I didn't know what to do when I first heard it. I felt like it was my fault and every death listed was an accusation against me. After all we're suppose to be watching out for one another and even if I'm not a keeper I'm one of the more capable sisters out there.”

Mina, “You felt responsible for their deaths even though you had Zarena out there with you?”

Maria, “Yeah.”

Mina, “I know how that feels. When I first realized how strong I was I began thinking that I needed to protect everyone even my sisters. In some ways they started looking like brothers to me. Then I became a keeper and the instinct became even stronger so I was stunned whenever I heard the report of a dead sister. She hadn't been on a particularly dangerous path at the time but she'd ran into some trouble and well she didn't retreat quickly enough. Even though I had been several hours away though I couldn't help but ask myself why I hadn't been there to protect her.”

Maria, “You're strong though Mina. I'm fast I could easily have covered that entire battlefield but I got distracted taking out things I wasn't assigned to.”

Mina, “Maria even you can't watch everyone. Even you can't be everywhere at once. Your mutation makes you more powerful then the average sister but you still have your limits. Just like I do.”

While she's been listening Maria was grateful for the hot water hitting her face. Her soaked fur did a good job of covering up the tears that were beginning to form. The signs were still there though even for those who didn't have an enhance sense of smell as Maria held Joseph more firmly against herself. She didn't even realize what she was doing but he was now firmly pressed against her chest part of him vanishing between her breast. “I believed that I could protect more of them.”

Now Mina turned to face Maria though she continued to hold onto Dan. Her free hand reached out and came to rest upon Maria's shoulder practically engulfing it. It served to illustrate the difference in their scales still. “I know. I thought the same thing at one time as well. We have a strong desire to protect those that we care for especially if they're weaker then us. When you develop a mutation as powerful as yours so many more become weaker then you then you're used to though. We out number our brothers so as long as you're average you feel a need to protect less then half the population. For us though that has changed. I bet now our sisters look even more fragile to you then they did two days ago.”

Maria, “Yeah. They do.”

Both Dan and Joseph found themselves in a bit of an awkward situation as Mina pulled Maria against herself. Both sisters wrapped their tails around one another to make up for their restricted limbs and Maria found herself leaning her head against Mina.

Mina, “It's wonderful that you want to protect your sisters Maria but remember you can't protect everyone. Instead focus on what you can protect but don't smother it.” As she was speaking Mina released the hold and glanced down at Dan and Joseph who were indeed looking a bit smothered. “Too much cover and what you're seeking to protect will die just the same.”

Maria, “So you had to deal with these feelings as well?”

Mina, “Oh yes. When they were near by it only made the situation worse. It's important to remember you can't be everywhere and not to try to hold everything you value too close or you'll just crush it. Speaking of crushing.”

Maria, “Oh!” Immediately Maria relaxed her grip on Joseph and let him flip free from her breast's embrace. Now it was her turn to blush as she looked down at him. “I hope that wasn't too uncomfortable.”

There was no immediate response from Joseph as he took a moment to catch his breath. “I'm fine. It was just a little tight it's not like I couldn't breath.”

Maria, “You'd think I'd know better then to do that by now after how long we've been together.”

Joseph, “Don't worry Maria it's like I said. I could still breath it was just a little bit uncomfortable.”

Maria, “Thanks and thank you as well Mina. What made you decide to come and speak with me so soon though?”

Mina, “I just remembered my first time of learning of a sisters death after developing my powers and figured you could use an ear to listen to. The fact that you made a strait line for what you valued the most and hadn't put Joseph down since then was another tip as well.”

Maria, “Hey it's not like you've put Dan down this entire time.”

Mina, “I know. That's because I like the feel of his little hands on my tits though and he can't reach them without my help.”

Dan, “Mina!”

End Book 5.