I hissed lightly, wishing that I was anywhere else. The less-important Coreless of this nest just kept jabbering on and on; even worse, my own Coreless were letting them. I had better things to do with my time. Even now, I could sense a group of my tiny Coreless running through the paths of the many-nest. I toyed with the idea of going out to meet them. It was important to reassure them that the Great Core’s Champion was present. They were just so...fragile, otherwise.

Despite that, I clung to my perch on the-female-who-was-not-Needle’s shoulder. Even less-important Coreless like these could some day see the light of the Great Core, becoming something greater. Still, that didn’t mean that I had to pay attention.

I burrowed into my own mind, brushing aside Tiamat’s habitual [SUBMIT]. She was extremely persistent. After a moment of basking in the sensation of my mind-nest’s Great Core, I plucked at the threads that linked me to my tiny Coreless and their respective [Little Guardian’s Totem]. Though negative emotions were more likely to pull at my attention, I could read more than that. The littlest of the Coreless were safe, only the minor discomforts and troubles of the day breaking through the general emotion-sense of joy and excitement. I dove in deep, wondering if I could get a better glimpse of what they were doing.

There really was nothing better to do.

Outside of my mind-nest, the less-important Coreless kept making noises at each other and my own Coreless. “The food situation is becoming quite untenable. Something needs to be decided, and soon.”

“It seems that you have something in mind for that, Councilman Port.”

“Indeed, I do. The way I see it, we have a few options. The first is to cut the refugees loose. Should it come down to a choice between the native-born Orken citizens and the survivors of Verdant Grove, we have a duty to our citizens.”

“I hardly think -”

“Calm, Captain Wren. It is merely an option that I thought bore mentioning. I know how you feel about such things. However, while the Seekers may be able to travel through the World Dungeon with relative safety, that is not the case for us all. More than one squad of Guardsmen has failed to return in the last few days, according to the reports that I have received from the Guard Commander. With every new day and every new loss, our citizens grow more hungry.

“Now, as for the second option: retrieving the Nature Core. While we of the Council do not claim to know the specific details of how long it takes for something like a Nature Core to build its defenses to the point that retrieving it becomes a lost cause, it is assumed that you do. What are your thoughts, Captain?”

I plucked at one of the more active Totems, noting that it stretched past the boundaries of the many-nest. What was it doing there? I pressed against it, shrugging off another of Tiamat’s thought-hisses with a light sense of irritation. I idly considered sending a response back, but decided against it. The-female-who-was-not-Needle gave me my head-scales a quick scratch, pulling me back to reality. At the same time Staring One started talking again, making noises at the other Coreless.

“While it has potential, that decision carries a certain amount of risk. Sending a team capable of capturing the Core alone would reduce our ability to bring in food for the city by a notable margin - not to mention, there is no guarantee that the attempt would be successful. Regardless of the circumstances involved, the citizens of Verdant Grove were forced to flee rather than recapture the Core, taking great losses in doing so. I have my doubts that retrieving the Core would be a simple affair. There is also the possibility that other nearby settlements encountered Verdant Grove survivors of their own, and are suffering from similar concerns. We may not be the only ones with the thought to take the Core into our own hands.”

“All the more reason to make a decision quickly. The longer we delay, the more likely it is for the Core to be claimed - leaving us back at square one, with a population far too large to reasonably feed,” one of the other less-important Coreless interjected.

A third Coreless, a woman sitting on a fake-pedestal near the last Coreless, made a few noises of her own. “Councilman Port and Councilman Victor bring up some valid points. Perhaps it would be prudent to send a small party of Seekers to scout out the current situation and make a decision from there on whether the Core may be claimed. A few of our Seekers may even have an advantage over others in doing so; not to mention, if the snake can truly catch glimpses of future events as is suspected, it might theoretically be possible to determine whether the attempt is possible immediately after reaching the outskirts of Verdant Grove. Though still a blow, we would likely be able to sustain the loss of a single party of Seekers for the short duration that it would require. Now, I believe that Councilman Port had a third possibility in mind beyond what has already been discussed?”

“Thank you, Councilwoman Hannah. The third option may be the most promising.” The Coreless leaned over, grabbing something that had been hidden underneath his fake-pedestal. I hissed in interest as a pile of familiar carvings were dropped onto the slab in front of him - a large number of the proto-totems that my tiny Coreless wore. Did these less-important Coreless finally see the light of the Great Core? “I took the liberty of gathering these. For those of you who are still unaware, these necklaces are a recent development within our city; one that pertains to the Ascended snake that you see before you. Recently, the snake seems to have gained the ability to infuse them with mana in a way not unlike a nullsmith would. Afterwards, the items give off a small calming aura, along with a few other possible effects that are not entirely important for our purposes. Regardless, I think that the potential for trade is…”

Ignoring the still-jabbering Coreless, I uncoiled myself from not-Needle’s shoulder, slithering towards the carvings. The watching Coreless followed me with their eyes as I brushed against the carvings’ surfaces, activating [Little Guardian’s Totem]. Though it drained most of my mana, the now-reduced cost of the ability allowed me to turn each one of the carvings into a Totem.

By the time I finished with the last of them, the aura of peace and calm that they exuded was palpable. The thought-light flickered.

Lesser Core Skill: [Little Guardian’s Totem VIII] Increased.

[Little Guardian’s Totem IX] Acquired.

I turned away from the newly-created Totems, giving a hiss towards the less-important Coreless that were so eager to become my Coreless. The closest one reached towards the pile, touching a hand to one of the Totems. I focused on it as he began to speak again, trying to catch hints of his emotional state.

Satisfaction. Hope. Greed?

More of the Coreless reached for a Totem of their own, and many of their emotions matched. Hope was there aplenty, an emotion that I completely understood. My tiny Coreless often felt the same, after receiving a [Little Guardian’s Totem]. Greed was a little rarer, but I still noticed it in a few of the nearby Coreless. I’d have to watch out for those.

I felt a spike of something - concern and doubt? - as one of the female Coreless began to speak. “I see what you mean about their effects, but that does raise a concern. Anything that can cause a mental change has to at least be questioned, especially when it is created by a monster - no matter how apparently tame.” Was this Coreless doubting the Great Core?

Somewhere behind me, the Staring One spoke again. “No ill effects have been observed to date, and if our suspicions on the origin of this ability are accurate, it is highly unlikely that any will be found. As far as we can tell, the Little Guardian Totems - that is what they are being called - are completely benign.”

The previously doubting Coreless’ emotions smoothed over, but something grabbed my attention before I could give the Staring One an appreciative hiss.

A thought-hiss reached me, far louder than any I had received from a Totem yet.

[TERROR/PANIC/DESPERATION]