Chapter 386: Her?
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Chapter 386: Her?
Tala quickly checked with everyone, and after verifying that they were ready to go, she used a moderate act of will to move everyone to a spread of food already made ready for them.
Moving Mistress Vanga among the others was interesting.
Tala felt that the woman could have resisted.
Tala also felt that she would have won the struggle, but it wouldnt have been as effortless as moving other things.
I havent felt that when moving anyone else. She must have greater density than I realized.
-Could be.- Alat was focused on going over the transportation, which shed observed from all directions.
She had been observing all such movements, trying to build out a model of how they happened.
Both of them still had absolutely no idea how it was accomplished.
Now that were bound with Kit, it is clearer. I feel like we are on the edge of understanding. But, regardless, theres still time.
-Yeah, we have an eternity to figure it out.-
Lets hope it doesnt take that long. Worse case, we can try to get Kit to tell us. She definitely didnt experience the qualitative mental enhancement that were expecting from Terry, but she also didnt effectively disappear like the dasgannach did.
It was also possible that Kit hadnt been advanced enough to have had any sort of awakening due to the bond.
Either that, or whatever type of creature Kit was didnt react in the same way as those traditionally used as familiars.
-Agreed. It almost feels like Kit became a portion of our involuntary functions, actually acting based on our will without needing conscious action.-
Tala considered that for what felt like minutes to her enhanced mindrunning as it was on an extra pull of powerbut was in fact less than a couple of seconds in real time.
She felt Alat was also considering something, but she couldnt see that, yet.
You know, I think youre right. Kits addition to our whole very much is like an extra sub-mind of sorts. She definitely still is herself, but she is also bound to us more closely than a familiar would be.
-A sort of half-state.-
Tala huffed a laugh internally. Its like she filled in the void around our mind.
There was a noticeable pause then, emphasized somehow by both of the persons within their mind.
Well, rust. Thats exactly what happened, isnt it.
-Kit is a being of the void, and we are not.-
Were not Were bound to her now, and just like she became more like us, we became more like her.
-Thats true. Hmmm-
Its worth investigating, but not now.
-Yeah, not now.- Alat seemed to be considering something else, too. Likely what shed been considering earlier. -Back on movement within the sanctum: Do you mind if I use a bit of our will and focus to hop stuff around and see what I can learn?-
Absolutely. Thats a great idea. I trust you to be wise about the use of our resources.-
-Thank you. Ill get right on that.-
Focusing back on the meal spread out on the largest table in the sanctum, Tala had to smile.
It looked spectacularly delicious.
The food had, of course, been prepared by Mistress Petra, and she had joined them along with Master Simon and Adrill.
Apparently, Segis and Metti were in Alefast with a tutor for the day.
Tala had not known that the two children had a tutor, but she supposed it made sense.
They were learning from their parents, but having a third adult to teach them and keep them on track during specific times likely made everything much easier.
As soon as the others noticed where they were, they had begun moving toward the table.
Anna somehow seemed to skip even as she walked over to her mother to give the older woman a big hug. Oh, mama, this looks so good!
Thank you, dear.she bowed toward Tala, then Mistress VangaMistress Tala, Mistress Vanga, I hope that the fare is to your liking.
Mistress Vanga gave a small bow in return, It looks excellent, Mistress Petra. Thank you.
Tala nodded in gratitude, It really does look excellent.
Mistress Petra smiled and nodded toward Rane and then Brandon, Master Rane, welcome. Brandon, it is good to see you again.
Rane gave a deferential bow her way. Thank you for preparing such amazing food for us, yet again.
Brandon stepped forward and gave the woman a hug. Im glad youll be here, too.
The Zuccat and Feshua families were becoming quite close. From what Tala observed, theyd been eating many of their meals all together.
She suspected that Artia would be here, too, if she didnt have the shop to mind.
Hmmm
-Oh, thats an idea. Not useful now, but-
Yeah, at the end of the waning, it could be a wise investment.
-We can talk with Artia about it at some point, but probably not until after shes learned what she needs to keep up with her husband.-
Agreed.
Master Simon gave his wife a chaste kiss on the cheek as they sat down all together.
They chatted about a lot of little things.
On one extreme, they discussed what Master Simon and Adrill were working on.
The white steel fabricator was an ongoing side project that was forefront in their thoughts, and they actually thought they were getting close to getting it to work.
Though, to be fair, when Tala asked for a tentative timeline, Master Simon had said that three to six months would be an optimistic window. Apparently, it was in process of losing the magic-bond it had picked up with Tala by dint of being within the sanctum for so long.
Now, the pure power that was flowing through its inactive magics were slowly clearing it out.
Master Simon didnt want to actually fire it up until the process was complete as otherwise it might give odd or inconsistent results.
Tala agreed with the delay.
Blessedly, there was still a lot to learn about the device even while it was undergoing the shift.
Aside from the white steel fabrication, Master Simon, Adrill, and Brandonwhen he worked with themwere investigating all the oddities of the sanctum, attempting to backwards-engineer the arcane methods to achieve the sameor at least similarresults.
Tala had approved that project as well, and they were even collectively receiving a stipend from the Constructionist Guild to be kept in the loop on what they learned. More was paid out when they had breakthroughs, or found especially interesting or useful information.
And we still need to take a bit to reshape and reimagine how Kit will work, going forward.
On the other end of the conversation, the group had a detailed discussion of what Tala and Kedva had been up to.
There was some teasing, which Kedva took with grace.
Even so, he patted her back, Too hard!
She was already letting up, but she didnt let go entirely.
So do you think she has a place here? This is the only place the echo-stone would work properly, but it isnt required.
Tala nodded against his chest. She absolutely does. Thank you, Rane.
He squeezed her in return. Of course.
Lets find a good spot for her, shall we?
He pulled back to look down at her. Lets.
Thus, the time passed until the appointed time for the meeting with Master Nadro.
* * *
Tala returned from her morning shift fulfilling her duties as a defender, arriving where shed left Kiton the wall of Artias shoponly to find Master Nadro already inside.
The bloodstar that Tala had left in the cavern with Ios body had ended up serving many purposes. Now that she was soulbound to Kit, it was trivial to move the bloodstar and hold it stoneward just enough to give a passable view of her sanctum even when she wasnt there.
As usual, Alat handled that aspect-mirrored perspective so that Tala could focus on what she needed to.
Regardless, Alat was able to give Tala notice that Master Nadro had arrived a full half-hour before the slated time.
Hed knocked, and Master Simon had let him in.
That was another change that had come about with Kits binding to Tala.
Kit now would obey some instructions given by others, at least she would if Tala would have generally agreed with them.
Unfortunately, it wasnt like Tala was given the ability to make the choice herself.
Not that I would actually see that as an improvement.
-Yeah we need to offload some of our mental load, not add to it.-
Agreed.
In either case, Kit had responded to Master Simons promptings to let Master Nadro inside.
That was fine; Tala had no issue with Master Nadro being in her sanctum, even if she did, she suspected that he could see as much of it as she could even while remaining outside.
He could probably breach the sanctum if he wanted.
-It might end oddly, though.-
Yeah, who knows what would actually happen if he breached a soulbound dimensional storage.
-...hmmm we never really have had to defend it from such an attack.-
Weve never had to defend it at all.
-Might be worth asking if thats actually something that we need to be concerned about?-
I think it was pretty well covered that its not, but I dont think we actually know why yeah, we can ask.
-Ill add it to the list.-
Truthfully, she was grateful that Master Nadro had been willing to give them any time at all. The fact that hed come early was a good sign.
Though, given his particular nature as a gateless human of incredible power, she had assumed that he had a bit of a vested interest in Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva.
Regardless, he was here, and now so was she.
She almost swung open the door into Kit, directing it to open beside them, but then decided to use her newer method of entry. It was something that shed been trying out and had even used on Rane the day before.
As soon as her hand touched the door, she simply willed herself to be where she wished, as if she were already inside.
As expected, it worked flawlessly, only taking a bit more willpower and focus that moving around Kit normally did.
Ha! I love that I dont have to call doors anymore.
-It is a bit faster, I suppose.-
I would say that you dont get it, but you see my every thought. Youre just being obstinate.
-True enough. It is pretty interesting- Alat trailed off implicatively.
Yes, you can add it to your tests.
-Thank you!-
In any case, Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva were sitting with Master Nadro in a circle with a spot set aside for Tala.
They were in a lovely little glade beside the infinite river.
How long is the river anyways?
Alat made an Im thinking sound within their head for a moment before responding, -Hmmm Well, weve never actually measured it, but it looks to be at least two miles in circumference. Though, its obviously not a perfect circle.-
Huh, that makes sense.
Master Nadro stood at her arrival, rising from a chair that hed obviously brought himself. It held an ancient serenity to it, like a cherished possession that had been cared for and meticulously maintained for generations.
-Or, given his age, just by him.-
Good point.
Mistress Tala, it is good to see you again.
Acting on a whim, Tala stepped forward offering him a hug.
He accepted without comment, returning the companionable hug even though he knew that she wasnt much for such things.
To her surprise, it reminded her of hugs before she was a Mage.
Not only was there something comforting about him that took her back to a simpler time, but his strength, and his flesh, interacted with hers as if they were both mundanes, rather than Tala being reinforced and toughened until she felt like steel to most people.
And even that didnt take into account that she actually did have iron encasing her at the moment.
It didnt seem to have mattered.
How strong is he?
-How reinforced?-
Her threefold sight was still utterly unable to detect anything specific about the man, as even his aura was shrouded.
But, she was being rude, so she addressed the man, Master Nadro, thank you for coming.she stepped backward and bowedI know your time is valuable.
She called a chair into place even as she sat down into it.
What did I miss?
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 386: Her?
Tala quickly checked with everyone, and after verifying that they were ready to go, she used a moderate act of will to move everyone to a spread of food already made ready for them.
Moving Mistress Vanga among the others was interesting.
Tala felt that the woman could have resisted.
Tala also felt that she would have won the struggle, but it wouldnt have been as effortless as moving other things.
I havent felt that when moving anyone else. She must have greater density than I realized.
-Could be.- Alat was focused on going over the transportation, which shed observed from all directions.
She had been observing all such movements, trying to build out a model of how they happened.
Both of them still had absolutely no idea how it was accomplished.
Now that were bound with Kit, it is clearer. I feel like we are on the edge of understanding. But, regardless, theres still time.
-Yeah, we have an eternity to figure it out.-
Lets hope it doesnt take that long. Worse case, we can try to get Kit to tell us. She definitely didnt experience the qualitative mental enhancement that were expecting from Terry, but she also didnt effectively disappear like the dasgannach did.
It was also possible that Kit hadnt been advanced enough to have had any sort of awakening due to the bond.
Either that, or whatever type of creature Kit was didnt react in the same way as those traditionally used as familiars.
-Agreed. It almost feels like Kit became a portion of our involuntary functions, actually acting based on our will without needing conscious action.-
Tala considered that for what felt like minutes to her enhanced mindrunning as it was on an extra pull of powerbut was in fact less than a couple of seconds in real time.
She felt Alat was also considering something, but she couldnt see that, yet.
You know, I think youre right. Kits addition to our whole very much is like an extra sub-mind of sorts. She definitely still is herself, but she is also bound to us more closely than a familiar would be.
-A sort of half-state.-
Tala huffed a laugh internally. Its like she filled in the void around our mind.
There was a noticeable pause then, emphasized somehow by both of the persons within their mind.
Well, rust. Thats exactly what happened, isnt it.
-Kit is a being of the void, and we are not.-
Were not Were bound to her now, and just like she became more like us, we became more like her.
-Thats true. Hmmm-
Its worth investigating, but not now.
-Yeah, not now.- Alat seemed to be considering something else, too. Likely what shed been considering earlier. -Back on movement within the sanctum: Do you mind if I use a bit of our will and focus to hop stuff around and see what I can learn?-
Absolutely. Thats a great idea. I trust you to be wise about the use of our resources.-
-Thank you. Ill get right on that.-
Focusing back on the meal spread out on the largest table in the sanctum, Tala had to smile.
It looked spectacularly delicious.
The food had, of course, been prepared by Mistress Petra, and she had joined them along with Master Simon and Adrill.
Apparently, Segis and Metti were in Alefast with a tutor for the day.
Tala had not known that the two children had a tutor, but she supposed it made sense.
They were learning from their parents, but having a third adult to teach them and keep them on track during specific times likely made everything much easier.
As soon as the others noticed where they were, they had begun moving toward the table.
Anna somehow seemed to skip even as she walked over to her mother to give the older woman a big hug. Oh, mama, this looks so good!
Thank you, dear.she bowed toward Tala, then Mistress VangaMistress Tala, Mistress Vanga, I hope that the fare is to your liking.
Mistress Vanga gave a small bow in return, It looks excellent, Mistress Petra. Thank you.
Tala nodded in gratitude, It really does look excellent.
Mistress Petra smiled and nodded toward Rane and then Brandon, Master Rane, welcome. Brandon, it is good to see you again.
Rane gave a deferential bow her way. Thank you for preparing such amazing food for us, yet again.
Brandon stepped forward and gave the woman a hug. Im glad youll be here, too.
The Zuccat and Feshua families were becoming quite close. From what Tala observed, theyd been eating many of their meals all together.
She suspected that Artia would be here, too, if she didnt have the shop to mind.
Hmmm
-Oh, thats an idea. Not useful now, but-
Yeah, at the end of the waning, it could be a wise investment.
-We can talk with Artia about it at some point, but probably not until after shes learned what she needs to keep up with her husband.-
Agreed.
Master Simon gave his wife a chaste kiss on the cheek as they sat down all together.
They chatted about a lot of little things.
On one extreme, they discussed what Master Simon and Adrill were working on.
The white steel fabricator was an ongoing side project that was forefront in their thoughts, and they actually thought they were getting close to getting it to work.
Though, to be fair, when Tala asked for a tentative timeline, Master Simon had said that three to six months would be an optimistic window. Apparently, it was in process of losing the magic-bond it had picked up with Tala by dint of being within the sanctum for so long.
Now, the pure power that was flowing through its inactive magics were slowly clearing it out.
Master Simon didnt want to actually fire it up until the process was complete as otherwise it might give odd or inconsistent results.
Tala agreed with the delay.
Blessedly, there was still a lot to learn about the device even while it was undergoing the shift.
Aside from the white steel fabrication, Master Simon, Adrill, and Brandonwhen he worked with themwere investigating all the oddities of the sanctum, attempting to backwards-engineer the arcane methods to achieve the sameor at least similarresults.
Tala had approved that project as well, and they were even collectively receiving a stipend from the Constructionist Guild to be kept in the loop on what they learned. More was paid out when they had breakthroughs, or found especially interesting or useful information.
And we still need to take a bit to reshape and reimagine how Kit will work, going forward.
On the other end of the conversation, the group had a detailed discussion of what Tala and Kedva had been up to.
There was some teasing, which Kedva took with grace.
Even so, he patted her back, Too hard!
She was already letting up, but she didnt let go entirely.
So do you think she has a place here? This is the only place the echo-stone would work properly, but it isnt required.
Tala nodded against his chest. She absolutely does. Thank you, Rane.
He squeezed her in return. Of course.
Lets find a good spot for her, shall we?
He pulled back to look down at her. Lets.
Thus, the time passed until the appointed time for the meeting with Master Nadro.
* * *
Tala returned from her morning shift fulfilling her duties as a defender, arriving where shed left Kiton the wall of Artias shoponly to find Master Nadro already inside.
The bloodstar that Tala had left in the cavern with Ios body had ended up serving many purposes. Now that she was soulbound to Kit, it was trivial to move the bloodstar and hold it stoneward just enough to give a passable view of her sanctum even when she wasnt there.
As usual, Alat handled that aspect-mirrored perspective so that Tala could focus on what she needed to.
Regardless, Alat was able to give Tala notice that Master Nadro had arrived a full half-hour before the slated time.
Hed knocked, and Master Simon had let him in.
That was another change that had come about with Kits binding to Tala.
Kit now would obey some instructions given by others, at least she would if Tala would have generally agreed with them.
Unfortunately, it wasnt like Tala was given the ability to make the choice herself.
Not that I would actually see that as an improvement.
-Yeah we need to offload some of our mental load, not add to it.-
Agreed.
In either case, Kit had responded to Master Simons promptings to let Master Nadro inside.
That was fine; Tala had no issue with Master Nadro being in her sanctum, even if she did, she suspected that he could see as much of it as she could even while remaining outside.
He could probably breach the sanctum if he wanted.
-It might end oddly, though.-
Yeah, who knows what would actually happen if he breached a soulbound dimensional storage.
-...hmmm we never really have had to defend it from such an attack.-
Weve never had to defend it at all.
-Might be worth asking if thats actually something that we need to be concerned about?-
I think it was pretty well covered that its not, but I dont think we actually know why yeah, we can ask.
-Ill add it to the list.-
Truthfully, she was grateful that Master Nadro had been willing to give them any time at all. The fact that hed come early was a good sign.
Though, given his particular nature as a gateless human of incredible power, she had assumed that he had a bit of a vested interest in Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva.
Regardless, he was here, and now so was she.
She almost swung open the door into Kit, directing it to open beside them, but then decided to use her newer method of entry. It was something that shed been trying out and had even used on Rane the day before.
As soon as her hand touched the door, she simply willed herself to be where she wished, as if she were already inside.
As expected, it worked flawlessly, only taking a bit more willpower and focus that moving around Kit normally did.
Ha! I love that I dont have to call doors anymore.
-It is a bit faster, I suppose.-
I would say that you dont get it, but you see my every thought. Youre just being obstinate.
-True enough. It is pretty interesting- Alat trailed off implicatively.
Yes, you can add it to your tests.
-Thank you!-
In any case, Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva were sitting with Master Nadro in a circle with a spot set aside for Tala.
They were in a lovely little glade beside the infinite river.
How long is the river anyways?
Alat made an Im thinking sound within their head for a moment before responding, -Hmmm Well, weve never actually measured it, but it looks to be at least two miles in circumference. Though, its obviously not a perfect circle.-
Huh, that makes sense.
Master Nadro stood at her arrival, rising from a chair that hed obviously brought himself. It held an ancient serenity to it, like a cherished possession that had been cared for and meticulously maintained for generations.
-Or, given his age, just by him.-
Good point.
Mistress Tala, it is good to see you again.
Acting on a whim, Tala stepped forward offering him a hug.
He accepted without comment, returning the companionable hug even though he knew that she wasnt much for such things.
To her surprise, it reminded her of hugs before she was a Mage.
Not only was there something comforting about him that took her back to a simpler time, but his strength, and his flesh, interacted with hers as if they were both mundanes, rather than Tala being reinforced and toughened until she felt like steel to most people.
And even that didnt take into account that she actually did have iron encasing her at the moment.
It didnt seem to have mattered.
How strong is he?
-How reinforced?-
Her threefold sight was still utterly unable to detect anything specific about the man, as even his aura was shrouded.
But, she was being rude, so she addressed the man, Master Nadro, thank you for coming.she stepped backward and bowedI know your time is valuable.
She called a chair into place even as she sat down into it.
What did I miss?
Chapter 386: Her?Tala quickly checked with everyone, and after verifying that they were ready to go, she used a moderate act of will to move everyone to a spread of food already made ready for them.Moving Mistress Vanga among the others was interesting.Tala felt that the woman could have resisted.Tala also felt that she would have won the struggle, but it wouldnt have been as effortless as moving other things.I havent felt that when moving anyone else. She must have greater density than I realized.-Could be.- Alat was focused on going over the transportation, which shed observed from all directions.She had been observing all such movements, trying to build out a model of how they happened.Both of them still had absolutely no idea how it was accomplished.Now that were bound with Kit, it is clearer. I feel like we are on the edge of understanding. But, regardless, theres still time.-Yeah, we have an eternity to figure it out.-Lets hope it doesnt take that long. Worse case, we can try to get Kit to tell us. She definitely didnt experience the qualitative mental enhancement that were expecting from Terry, but she also didnt effectively disappear like the dasgannach did.It was also possible that Kit hadnt been advanced enough to have had any sort of awakening due to the bond.Either that, or whatever type of creature Kit was didnt react in the same way as those traditionally used as familiars.-Agreed. It almost feels like Kit became a portion of our involuntary functions, actually acting based on our will without needing conscious action.-Tala considered that for what felt like minutes to her enhanced mindrunning as it was on an extra pull of powerbut was in fact less than a couple of seconds in real time.She felt Alat was also considering something, but she couldnt see that, yet.You know, I think youre right. Kits addition to our whole very much is like an extra sub-mind of sorts. She definitely still is herself, but she is also bound to us more closely than a familiar would be.-A sort of half-state.-Tala huffed a laugh internally. Its like she filled in the void around our mind.There was a noticeable pause then, emphasized somehow by both of the persons within their mind.Well, rust. Thats exactly what happened, isnt it.-Kit is a being of the void, and we are not.-Were not Were bound to her now, and just like she became more like us, we became more like her.-Thats true. Hmmm-Its worth investigating, but not now.-Yeah, not now.- Alat seemed to be considering something else, too. Likely what shed been considering earlier. -Back on movement within the sanctum: Do you mind if I use a bit of our will and focus to hop stuff around and see what I can learn?-Absolutely. Thats a great idea. I trust you to be wise about the use of our resources.--Thank you. Ill get right on that.-Focusing back on the meal spread out on the largest table in the sanctum, Tala had to smile.It looked spectacularly delicious.The food had, of course, been prepared by Mistress Petra, and she had joined them along with Master Simon and Adrill.Apparently, Segis and Metti were in Alefast with a tutor for the day.Tala had not known that the two children had a tutor, but she supposed it made sense.They were learning from their parents, but having a third adult to teach them and keep them on track during specific times likely made everything much easier.As soon as the others noticed where they were, they had begun moving toward the table.Anna somehow seemed to skip even as she walked over to her mother to give the older woman a big hug. Oh, mama, this looks so good!Thank you, dear.she bowed toward Tala, then Mistress VangaMistress Tala, Mistress Vanga, I hope that the fare is to your liking.Mistress Vanga gave a small bow in return, It looks excellent, Mistress Petra. Thank you.Tala nodded in gratitude, It really does look excellent.Mistress Petra smiled and nodded toward Rane and then Brandon, Master Rane, welcome. Brandon, it is good to see you again.Rane gave a deferential bow her way. Thank you for preparing such amazing food for us, yet again.Brandon stepped forward and gave the woman a hug. Im glad youll be here, too.The Zuccat and Feshua families were becoming quite close. From what Tala observed, theyd been eating many of their meals all together.She suspected that Artia would be here, too, if she didnt have the shop to mind.Hmmm-Oh, thats an idea. Not useful now, but-Yeah, at the end of the waning, it could be a wise investment.-We can talk with Artia about it at some point, but probably not until after shes learned what she needs to keep up with her husband.-Agreed.Master Simon gave his wife a chaste kiss on the cheek as they sat down all together.They chatted about a lot of little things.On one extreme, they discussed what Master Simon and Adrill were working on.The white steel fabricator was an ongoing side project that was forefront in their thoughts, and they actually thought they were getting close to getting it to work.Though, to be fair, when Tala asked for a tentative timeline, Master Simon had said that three to six months would be an optimistic window. Apparently, it was in process of losing the magic-bond it had picked up with Tala by dint of being within the sanctum for so long.Now, the pure power that was flowing through its inactive magics were slowly clearing it out.Master Simon didnt want to actually fire it up until the process was complete as otherwise it might give odd or inconsistent results.Tala agreed with the delay.Blessedly, there was still a lot to learn about the device even while it was undergoing the shift.Aside from the white steel fabrication, Master Simon, Adrill, and Brandonwhen he worked with themwere investigating all the oddities of the sanctum, attempting to backwards-engineer the arcane methods to achieve the sameor at least similarresults.Tala had approved that project as well, and they were even collectively receiving a stipend from the Constructionist Guild to be kept in the loop on what they learned. More was paid out when they had breakthroughs, or found especially interesting or useful information.And we still need to take a bit to reshape and reimagine how Kit will work, going forward.On the other end of the conversation, the group had a detailed discussion of what Tala and Kedva had been up to.There was some teasing, which Kedva took with grace.Even so, he patted her back, Too hard!She was already letting up, but she didnt let go entirely.So do you think she has a place here? This is the only place the echo-stone would work properly, but it isnt required.Tala nodded against his chest. She absolutely does. Thank you, Rane.He squeezed her in return. Of course.Lets find a good spot for her, shall we?He pulled back to look down at her. Lets.Thus, the time passed until the appointed time for the meeting with Master Nadro.* * *Tala returned from her morning shift fulfilling her duties as a defender, arriving where shed left Kiton the wall of Artias shoponly to find Master Nadro already inside.The bloodstar that Tala had left in the cavern with Ios body had ended up serving many purposes. Now that she was soulbound to Kit, it was trivial to move the bloodstar and hold it stoneward just enough to give a passable view of her sanctum even when she wasnt there.As usual, Alat handled that aspect-mirrored perspective so that Tala could focus on what she needed to.Regardless, Alat was able to give Tala notice that Master Nadro had arrived a full half-hour before the slated time.Hed knocked, and Master Simon had let him in.That was another change that had come about with Kits binding to Tala.Kit now would obey some instructions given by others, at least she would if Tala would have generally agreed with them.Unfortunately, it wasnt like Tala was given the ability to make the choice herself.Not that I would actually see that as an improvement.-Yeah we need to offload some of our mental load, not add to it.-Agreed.In either case, Kit had responded to Master Simons promptings to let Master Nadro inside.That was fine; Tala had no issue with Master Nadro being in her sanctum, even if she did, she suspected that he could see as much of it as she could even while remaining outside.He could probably breach the sanctum if he wanted.-It might end oddly, though.-Yeah, who knows what would actually happen if he breached a soulbound dimensional storage.-...hmmm we never really have had to defend it from such an attack.-Weve never had to defend it at all.-Might be worth asking if thats actually something that we need to be concerned about?-I think it was pretty well covered that its not, but I dont think we actually know why yeah, we can ask.-Ill add it to the list.-Truthfully, she was grateful that Master Nadro had been willing to give them any time at all. The fact that hed come early was a good sign.Though, given his particular nature as a gateless human of incredible power, she had assumed that he had a bit of a vested interest in Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva.Regardless, he was here, and now so was she.She almost swung open the door into Kit, directing it to open beside them, but then decided to use her newer method of entry. It was something that shed been trying out and had even used on Rane the day before.As soon as her hand touched the door, she simply willed herself to be where she wished, as if she were already inside.As expected, it worked flawlessly, only taking a bit more willpower and focus that moving around Kit normally did.Ha! I love that I dont have to call doors anymore.-It is a bit faster, I suppose.-I would say that you dont get it, but you see my every thought. Youre just being obstinate.-True enough. It is pretty interesting- Alat trailed off implicatively.Yes, you can add it to your tests.-Thank you!-In any case, Adrill, Brandon, and Kedva were sitting with Master Nadro in a circle with a spot set aside for Tala.They were in a lovely little glade beside the infinite river.How long is the river anyways?Alat made an Im thinking sound within their head for a moment before responding, -Hmmm Well, weve never actually measured it, but it looks to be at least two miles in circumference. Though, its obviously not a perfect circle.-Huh, that makes sense.Master Nadro stood at her arrival, rising from a chair that hed obviously brought himself. It held an ancient serenity to it, like a cherished possession that had been cared for and meticulously maintained for generations.-Or, given his age, just by him.-Good point.Mistress Tala, it is good to see you again.Acting on a whim, Tala stepped forward offering him a hug.He accepted without comment, returning the companionable hug even though he knew that she wasnt much for such things.To her surprise, it reminded her of hugs before she was a Mage.Not only was there something comforting about him that took her back to a simpler time, but his strength, and his flesh, interacted with hers as if they were both mundanes, rather than Tala being reinforced and toughened until she felt like steel to most people.And even that didnt take into account that she actually did have iron encasing her at the moment.It didnt seem to have mattered.How strong is he?-How reinforced?-Her threefold sight was still utterly unable to detect anything specific about the man, as even his aura was shrouded.But, she was being rude, so she addressed the man, Master Nadro, thank you for coming.she stepped backward and bowedI know your time is valuable.She called a chair into place even as she sat down into it.What did I miss?
