Tala only sat with Terry for a short while before she stood.

“We have to get back.”

Terry squawked questioningly at her.

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

-And I’ll make a modified version of finding our ‘new friend’ for Tali…-

Thank you, Alat. I appreciate that.

As they walked, Tala explained the situation to Terry in a quiet whisper. She included what would likely be needed from him to allow them to stay together.

Be-thric had suppressed Terry before, even if he hadn’t really taken note of him, that Tala had seen.

The arcane hadn’t fought Terry, so at most, he’d know that a magical terror bird had been near Tala’s caravan, once.

Over all, Terry couldn’t act too familiar with Tala, at least not at first.

-Tali does have some meats that she carries around with her in Kit, though she doesn’t think of Kit that way.-

Right, just her dimensional storage. Tala patted Kit. “I appreciate you, Kit.”

Kit did not respond.

She reached in and pulled out a strip of cured meat.

Terry examined it dubiously for a moment, then snapped it up.

“There we go, then. I got him to come to me, and come with me, by giving him some of this meat.”

Terry looked to her hand, then back to her face, then back to her hand, then back to her face.

Tala found herself grinning and pulled out another piece of meat.

“Here you go.”

Tala hesitated.

“Wait… How are you still just an arcanous creature?” As she considered it, the other birds had definitely not been magical, though they also looked orange to her mage-sight.

-No authority or sway over the magic within them. It’s not actually their power.-

Tala thought about the question with regard to Tali’s memories, and came across the same lessons that Alat was likely pulling from.

Right, so Terry actually has control over his power, but beasts have a different track for advancement than naturally sapient species, even though many become sapient through the process.

-Exactly-

Terry is still below the level of magical creature because…?

-Yeah, Tali didn’t know how they advanced either.-

Didn’t Holly say something about magic density?

-She did, but she also might not be fully versed in arcanous creatures. If that was the case, however, couldn’t he just absorb the surrounding power, then?-

Might not want to advance? “Do you want to advance, Terry?”

The terror bird looked at her with a critical eye, then trilled happily.

“Could you advance, now?”

Her regarded her a moment longer before shaking himself.

“So, you didn’t stay back for my sake.” There’s nothing in the books Grediv gave me on the subject. She sighed. Probably worth asking Thron or Gallof.

-Or Be-thric?-

Tala grimaced. Probably, yeah.

“Not sure we can, but I’ll look into it.”

He hunkered down, seeming content.

“Though, that would delay our bonding. You ok with that?” She hesitated. Have I ever actually talked to him about the two of us bonding?

He stared her way, critically, then waggled his body in an uncertain gesture.

“Well, we'll figure it out.”

All in all, Tala returned to the House of Blood’s Platoiri hold with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face.

The human sized door swung open for her after she presented her copper key-ring to be scanned, and she stepped inside, only to find Be-thric, Gallof, and Thorn walking her way down the main thoroughfare of the hold.

The door swung closed behind her with a click.

“Eskau Tali! Perfect timing. We were just…” Gallof hesitated, seeing the terror bird on her shoulder. “Eskau Tali? Why do you have that vermin on your shoulder?”

Tala cocked her head. Vermin? She had seen quite a few terror birds around the city, that was true, but weren’t they a bit big to be vermin?

Be-thric shook his head. “Gallof, look closer. Is your magic-sight inactive?” He gestured. “Can you not see that there is something special about this creature?”

The three stopped a short way from Tala.

She nodded and spoke a bit hesitantly. “Yes. I… I found him as I was taking a moment to sit in a park. I saw his power and got him to come to me with some food.” She shrugged. “I think he likes me.”

On cue, Terry head-butted her cheek and squawked.

Tala smiled and pulled out another strip of meat.

Thorn snorted a soft laugh. “He likes your food, you mean.”

She shrugged. “That’s how any such relationship starts.”

Terry happily took the meat from her hands, and she scratched the back of his head.

The four of them moved away from the entrance, into a lovely little park with a bubbling fountain at its center.

Be-thric was considering even as he walked. “So, this was your choice for a gift? A pet?” He pondered for a moment before nodding and giving a small smile. “Taking care of something a bit lesser than yourself is good for the mind. If this is your choice, I do not object.”

Well, that certainly cements his thinking of me.

-Yup: pet, not mistress.-

Tala nodded her thanks. “Thank you, Pillar.”

“Do you have any idea where his magics lie?”

Tala almost answered offhandedly, saying ‘dimensional magic,’ but she caught herself. That was a human term. She flicked her thoughts to Tali’s memories before replying, “Space magic of some kind.”

The Pillar nodded again. “That is in line with what I thought I was seeing. Well, I can’t say it’s what I would have selected for you, but the best gifts are those desired by the receiver, I suppose.”

Gallof bowed towards the Pillar. “They are indeed.”

Tala cleared her throat. “I was wondering…”

Be-thric paused. “Yes?”

“How do such creatures advance?”

The Pillar laughed. “We definitely don’t want him doing that before he’s well and truly emotionally attached to you.”

“As the Pillar says, of course, but for my curiosity? I can’t remember it being mentioned, before.”

He regarded her for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. Gallof, Thorn, do either of you know?” It was clear that Be-thric did. He was simply checking with the others.

They both shook their heads.

“Good, then consider this a lesson for you all. Beings that are naturally lesser do not advance as we do, nor as Tali here does. We”—he gestured to the three men—“advance by drawing in power and retaining it. Another way of putting this, is that we increase our harmony with magic, itself. This is of course an oversimplification.”

Gallof and Thorn nodded.

“Tali, you advance by way of increasing your level of harmony with your own soul, your gate. This is, again, a gross oversimplification.”

Tala shrugged, then nodded.

“Our little friend here, and most of the animals in this world, advance by increasing their harmony with something else.”

Tala frowned. “Something…else?”

“Yes. The god of a mountain range, for lack of a better term, will have come into balance with those mountains, thus, even if she is killed and harvested for parts, the mountain range, itself, will see to it that she comes back. There will be differences. In some cases, I believe a similar creature can come to fill the same role, but depending on the level and type of harmony, the creature in question may simply be recreated identically, allowing the same spirit to reside within the new body. This is effectively re-birth, though they retain most if not all of their power.”

Tala remembered Trent explaining something like that to her what seemed like a lifetime ago.

“So, this little guy would need to harmonize with… something?”

“Something external to himself. By the amount of power within him, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened, yet. He must be a wanderer to have avoided such ties.” Be-thric nodded sagely. “If you keep him around long enough, he might even bond with you, as a means of advancement.”

Tala’s eyes widened. “Is that like I’ve bound my weapon?”

“Yes and no. He would be bound to you, magically and physically, at least in a sense. The bonds you have with your weapon and garments are at a soul level, though they also include a magical element.”

“Huh, so he could bond me, and I could bond him?”

“If he stays around, and you two get along? Yes. It might even render him effectively immortal, so long as you survive.”

That was fascinating, and had so many implications.

Thorn and Gallof asked some follow-up questions, but Tala didn’t pay much attention. Instead, she fed Terry another bit of meat. “Hear that, little buddy. We could be together a long time, if we both want that.”

He took the meat and gave another happy trill.

Be-thric cleared his throat. “Now, we just finished our lunch, and we have several things to show you. Do you need to eat?”

You could have told me to eat before I returned. But Tali would never say that. “No, I’m more than fine, Pillar.”

Be-thric gave a happy little smile, clearly pleased with the title.

Oh, gag me now. Can’t I just stick a—

-Stop!-

Be-thric paused for a moment, frowning and glancing around. “I thought…I thought I felt something hostile for a moment.” He glanced in the direction of the closed gates. “I don’t believe there was any chance an invisible assassin slipped in after you, but that was distinctly…violent.”

-He can sense action-oriented, ill intent in those around him, Tala. You know this. You cannot actively consider harming him, in his presence.-

Right…

It was like Rane’s kinetic defenses, but on a mental level. The arcane could somehow detect incoming violence, based on the mindset of those around him. It was no wonder that he’d survived to rise in power, despite not being all that popular.

Finally, Be-thric waved it off. “No matter. With Eskau Pallaun in residence and my own Eskau by my side, there is no cause for concern, regardless.”

Is…is he serious?

-I think so? It matches with Tali’s memories, but experiencing this live?- Alat conveyed the feeling of shaking her head. -His ability to flip from paranoia to utter confidence is startling.-

Might be a result of his ability? He can actually tell if those around him are going to harm him. That probably lends a verifiable feeling of invincibility.

-Fair point. It is kind of like how you went a bit off the deep end when you realized that you were ‘knife proof’-

Yeah…that was rusting crazy. Some of that was because of—She found herself nodding—his direct influence. I see the parallels.

-We’re wiser now.-

The four of them started off again, walking through the hold while Terry still rode on Tala’s shoulder.

Thorn fell into step behind and to Tala’s left.

Gallof and Be-thric began discussing some minor details of a trivial matter.

The dwarf cleared his throat. “Eskau Tali, have you decided on a name? For your bird, I mean.”

“I like: Terry.”

“Terry…the terror bird.”

Be-thric glanced back her way. “Oh? Why did you settle on such a name?” His tone didn’t indicate approval or disapproval, simply his curiosity.

Tala had prepared for this in advance. Tali had an implanted memory, and she leaned on that. “I had a cat, growing up. Well, it was a mouser in my village, but I always called him Claud. Calling this terror bird, Terry, reminds me of Claud.”

Thorn seemed a bit taken aback. “You named a cat…Claud?”

“Yup. I was…six? Yeah, right around six at the time.”

“Pillars save us from the naming sense of children.”

Tala scratched Terry’s head again. “I think Terry’s a fine name, and he seems to like it.”

Be-thric turned back to his conversation with Gallof without comment.

Thorn just sighed. “I suppose it’s no stranger than any other pet’s name.”

Tala felt a bit mischievous, so she added. “I considered naming him ‘Thorn,’ but thought it would have just gotten confusing.”

The dwarf gave her a considering glance. “Then, we’d have to change my name to something else. I suppose I could go by Thron.”

Tala hesitated. Isn’t that what Pallaun called him?

-Yeah.-

Is he really that afraid of the Eskau, that he wants to change his own name?

Gallof glanced back using a pause in his conversation with Be-thric to interject. “Don’t be silly, Thorn, you have an excellent name. We’re not changing it.”

Thorn glowered at the back of the hue-folk’s head after Gallof had turned back around.

Tala frowned. Is there something I’m missing, here?

-Probably. We can ask him later if it ends up mattering.-

She and Thorn only exchanged a few more idle words before they reached their destination: The Armory.

Be-thric opened the door for them, and the four people, and one bird, entered quickly, closing the armored and magicked door behind them.

The large space was somewhat fuller than Tala last remembered seeing it through Tali’s eyes.

For one thing, there were now two stands for armor, in which each piece was its own vestige, beside the myriad weapons and full sets of unified armor.

Sanguis and Be-thric each had their sets stored here. Though, Tala suspected that they could summon it from anywhere.

-So, not on the ‘to steal’ list.-

Probably not, no.

To one side, a clearly magical door stood, obviously the object of the three men’s attention.

Be-thric gestured towards it. “Normally, we would commission a sanctum for my new Eskau. After all, the small room you’ve been living in, up until now, simply will not do any longer. Even so, with this new trophy generously donated to us by Eskau Pallaun, that would be an unnecessary delay. Come.”

He pushed open the door, and they all walked through.

There were some similarities, of course, between this smaller hold and that belonging to the House of Blood. Both had fake skies, with fake suns overhead. Both seemed to have weather, as the clouds in the distance indicated. And, both were massive, when compared to Kit or most other dimensional pockets that Tala had interacted with.

Though, I bet Master Jevin’s is bigger.

Even so, Tala was instantly struck by the obvious differences.

The House of Blood hold was full of beautiful, sweeping architecture, each feature seeming to flow, one into another.

There were gardens and pools, places for meditation and for training.

This hold?

It was covered with blood-stains and the remains of the former occupants.

“Obviously, it will need to be thoroughly cleaned.” Be-thric’s enthusiasm was undiminished.

The smell of decay had already begun to fill the air.

“With the contest and the feast, which meant that so many more esteemed members of our House were within the hold, our servants have not had a chance to properly process this acquisition, yet. It will become a higher priority if necessary, but I suspect it won’t.”

Tala cocked her head. “Oh?”

He smiled knowingly. “You’ll see.”

They walked a short way, weaving their way to an armored door which had been ripped from its hinges.

This hold’s treasury, or armory?

The room was mostly empty, save for what occupied the center.

At the center of the raided strong-room, stood a heavily inscribed plinth. Atop that, sat a sphere containing a fount.

“Greetings intruders. I have not defenses with which to obliterate you. Please remove me from my place of rest, so that this hold can collapse and end us all.”

Tala blinked. The voice coming from the pulsing orb was oddly monotone.

Thorn cleared his throat. “Ignore the rudimentary intelligence they faked atop the fount.”

“That’s kind of difficult given—”

“Oh, yes. Ignore me, give me time to reestablish my defenses.”

“—that, given that.”

Thorn snorted a laugh. “It’s all but disconnected. There is enough power, ambiently in this hold to maintain it for a day even without a fount.”

Gallof nodded. “Take a look at its power.”

Tala frowned, leaning closer.

“Yes, come closer. Touch me, and I will free your soul from this world.”

“No way to stop that?”

“No…the inscriptions are carved throughout the sphere.”

“Great…” Tala ignored the continued, inane ramblings of the arcane-created pseudo-intelligence.

Do you see anything?

-What rank is it.-

Well, not even Bound, in quality of power, but that’s required for a fount. It’s been expanded to the point that it’s flowrate is close to…Fused? Her eyes widened, and Be-thric, who’d been watching her closely, laughed happily.

“Yes! You see it.”

“Its flowrate is miniscule. How is it powering this place?”

“That’s simple. Gallof?”

Gallof bowed to Be-thric, before picking up the explanation, “This minor house did not have any magically augmented facilities within their hold. They bent every drop of power towards maintaining the size, and they seemed to have spent much of their coin on increasing the efficiency of the systems. It was cheaper than expanding the fount, after all. The whole thing was a play at appearing wealthier than they really were.”

“Huh. What does this mean?”

“It means that we can replace the power-source with relative ease.”

Tala frowned, but nodded. Purification scripts. Arcanes run basically all power from founts through purification scripts, so there are no issues with using the magic. This is an unbound storage device.

Be-thric stepped in. “So, you see?”

“I’m not sure that I do. You want me to power it?”

“Well, yes and no. We want you to replace the power source with something already magically bound to you. We will then remove the purification scripts, and…” He gestured to her.

Tala immediately looked down to Kit. “That will work? My dimensional storage will meld with this one?”

That’s too easy.

“Of course. A lot of research has gone into the perfecting of hold controls. We could feed this hold to the greater one, outside, and it would meld seamlessly, though I think that would be a waste. Don’t you?”

Tala nodded hesitantly.

-Arcanes use dimensional storage items, and pocket dimensions to an incredible degree. It makes sense that they’d find ways to make meldings easier.-

“So, what do I do? Will I even be able to power this place?”

Thorn grunted. “I was skeptical too, Eskau Tali. But the quality of the power you exude, combined with the efficiency built into this place? It should barely take more power than you use for your pouch.”

Tala cocked an eyebrow. “How would you know that?”

“Pillar Be-thric granted us access to the documents on your items, so that we could better serve. Your pouch is impressive, an amazing trophy from the Pillar’s conquered enemy and a truly magnanimous gift to his Eskau. Even so, it is almost as inefficient as a chaos-sparked artifact, newly arrived from the ether.”

What now?

-What now?- Alat seemed to be flicking through Tali’s memories. -He is referring to what happens around human waning cities, or other locations of incredibly high magical density, where the barrier between worlds is thin.-

Huh.

“Alright, then. Let’s do this.” She was nervous, but she knew she couldn’t refuse, and any further delay would start to look suspicious.

“Yes, please invaders. Crush us all together.”

Thorn sighed. “No one will be crushed.”

Gallof lifted the sphere from the plinth, and the scripts powered down.

Mad laughter came from the orb. “Time is on my side! Before long, we will meet our end, together!!!”

Tala ignored him, pulling Kit from her belt and setting the pouch on the plinth.

The scripts reignited.

Gallof held the sphere to one side, also ignoring the continued laughter. “Give the item power, and we will remove the purification scripts.”

Tala placed her hand on the pouch and dumped in power. Please, Kit, be alright.

Be-thric, Thorn, and Gallof each sent small flicks of power into the plinth below Kit and Tala felt an entire subsection of the inscriptions deactivate under the influence of the hue-folk magic, then it outright vanished when Thorn’s power swept through it.

“Done.” Thorn smiled. “Now, we just have to—”

Kit vanished.

Tala gasped.

A wave of power exploded outward.

Everything went black.

Tala’s mage-sight was overwhelmed.

The orb cackled.

A moment later, Tala could see again.

Instead of an empty armory, they now stood on a raised platform, overlooking the surrounding, rolling hills.

Instead of a plinth, Tala saw a simple stone chair, perfectly sized for her.

Be-thric nodded in satisfaction.

Gallof clasped his hands, smiling.

Thorn laughed triumphantly.

The sphere’s laughter cut off. “Oh…I continue.”

Tala tried not to pay attention to the note of sadness in the utterance.

Instead, she focused on the seat before her.

-That’s a throne.-

It certainly is. Tala sat down, carefully.

It was like when she’d first tried aspect-mirroring her perspective, if not quite to the same extent.

She couldn’t see every inch of the hold, but she could feel it, to some extent.

It felt hungry.

An indentation appeared on one of the armrests, perfectly sized for Tala’s hand.

Glad you’re still in there, Kit.

She placed her hand on it, dumping power into Kit.

Oh, I think I’m going to like this.