I notice that Icey and Essie are in the pouch hanging from my neck, next to Bud and the egg. Teuila must have awoken earlier, and shoved them in here, to be alone with her thoughts. When I started to stir, that’s when she addressed me. Oh Te, my beloved Teuila. I’m here for you, when you’re ready. Just tell me what you need, when you need it. I don’t think she can hear me thinking at the moment, and I’m not going to try to force psychic conversation, but I’m sure she knows my thoughts well enough to know my line of thinking.

Still, while I sit here, weeping silently for my beloved Wings, I may as well be productive. Essie and Icey have been waiting a long time for me to try to understand their powers. I make certain that my aura vision is cranked up to the maximum, so that I can attempt to parse their auras. Icey is probably the easiest to determine, being that his name became even more descriptive. Shellcracker’s Iceflame Spark. I assume that he’s somehow able to act similar to the ring we’d given to Luni so very long ago. He likely raises the thermal and electro resistances of his wearer. Or maybe it’s a bit more complex than that. It’s odd that I can’t exactly see runes for the artifacts the way I can for other magical things on Rayileklia.

I’m left vaguely guessing in approximations to try to determine their possible magical potentials and effects. Like, Bud’s abilities I’d never have guessed, even after being told approximately what his purview was. The ability to ease travel in minute ways, that, when taken to extremes, can alter entire landscapes. And now, Bud hasn’t spoken in days. I hope I haven’t taken his friendship for granted. Somehow, some way, I need to find a safe way to help reforge him into a tool, from a weapon. For now, I’ll just hope that he’s resting, and try to focus on Icey and Essie. Icey, Essie, can you two hear me?

Oh whew, thank goodness. I’m glad you’re both okay. Yeah, yeah that’s exactly what I’m trying to do. Hm? No, not because of the dragon. I just finally have some free time where I’m not distracted by constant dangers. We aren’t going anywhere at the moment. I’m sorry it took me so long. Please forgive me? Ouch, okay, hah, yeah, I deserve that. I’m glad you were just kidding, but, yeah, I’d understand if you were still upset. You are upset with me about Bud? I—. I understand. That makes sense. I feel like it was my fault too.

I’m sorry. That’s the only thing I know how to say. Do either of you have any feedback on how I should go about sensing your abilities? Do you want Te to wear you and wield you? Sure, sure, I’ll try to convince her before we leave. Sorry, yes I’m sniffling and crying. I’m sad. Okay? Teuila is upset, Bud is unresponsive, you’re both mad at me, Tiktik and Hellga are injured, the kobolds are under siege, a lot of bad is happening, and I’m still not entirely done grieving Dawn, let alone Autumn Brook, The Drake, and poor Tim being out there alone, landbound, trying to catch up to the refugees. Okay? I’m not trying to guilt you two into not being upset, you’re allowed to be upset with me, just like I’m allowed to be upset and parse my emotions and cry, even if I don’t want to.

Just, just hold on a second okay? Thank you. Grr. Sorry. I’m not upset with you two for being upset with me, I’m just, I’m frustrated that there seems to be so much bad happening. Somehow, some swirling crapstorm seems to keep me at its eye, while hurting destroying everything and every one around me. Huh? Hah, okay, that’s true. I guess I’m not in the eye of the storm after all, since I’m also constantly being hurt, and slash or destroyed, or at least on the road to destruction. Yes, thank you for reminding me that I’m dying, and don’t really have any time to spare. Yes, I’m being mildly sarcastic, since it wasn’t on my mind for the briefest of moments. Sorry for being snarky.

Anyway, Icey, do you, um, want to experiment? I’d understand if you were worried this was some kind of hostile attempt to get even or something. It’s not, I just have a suspicion about your abilities, but, well, I have no way to be certain, and the best I can come up with is shocking the crap out of myself while wearing you. Hm? Oh, true, yeah, it’d be a kind of dumb payback if that were my plan, yeah. Thankfully the right-sizing magics make it easy to slip into and out of armor.

Hm, I feel numbers when I put you on. Hm? Yes I know how weird that sounds. Remember, I’m not from Rayileklia. I’m from Can’Z’aas, where things had numerical quantification available in our minds and such. I’m almost certain you have elemental resistances now. I think, and no offense, they’re probably lower than mine. I’ve spent a lot of time breaking limits of elements, and taking a lot of pain and fire and lightning to the face. I’m sure they’d add together in some way, but there’s a diminishing return for higher and higher values, but that’s why you’d be even better for Teuila. She didn’t have the natural advantage I did for raising skills with limit breaking. Plus, there’s something else. I’m not willing to test hitting you with electricity right now, due to my current state.

If what I suspect is true, we might go into some sort of overload feedback loop, and that could destroy us both, and possibly everything else around us. Yeah, only because of me and my personal weirdness with needing to be charged with electrokinesis. I think you somehow intercept about half of an offensive or hurtful element, and transfer that half of that element in a non harmful fashion to your wearer, or something. So, for someone like Teuila, or anyone else, she might be almost unharmed by a lightning bolt, because you’d be soaking up half of it, and rejuvenating her from the half that she had taken. But with me, well, if I’m taking half of a lightning bolt, positive or negative, it’s amping up my system and jolting out, back into you, and you’re doing the same back into me. Yeah, exactly. The loop, at best, would probably wear us both out on some psychic, or aetheric level. At worst, mutual destruction before we could even unequip and separate. Too great a risk to test out.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

How did I get this idea? Well, I don’t even have to test out heat, because thermal fluctuations are constantly happening, all around us. I can feel you intercepting warmth and cold externally, and filtering that to a neutral value to pass to me in some sort of minimalistic vitality kind of way. Even my own body heat. I’d gained a thermal sense a very long time ago now. I figure, anyone other than me, might be able to survive some of the things I’ve already survived, while wearing you. Like what? Like walking through fire, being frozen in a block of ice, or possibly, maybe swimming in lava, if they were resilient enough to not instantly be incinerated by proximity. I wouldn’t test that last one on anyone unless they also had some sort of regenerative powers or supercooling enchantment though. It essentially took both for me to survive it. You might have more abilities too, but I can’t really decipher your aura.

Hm? Yes I’m still sniffling, yes I’m still sad. It’s not that easy to get over. Teuila is so beloved to me, and she’s hurting, and she’s not ready or willing to let me try to comfort her. I’m sure when she’s feeling better, she’ll happily wear you Icey. That— that is such an awkward sentiment. Erm, moving on. Yeah, I’m going to unequip you and put you back in the pouch for now. I won’t keep you from her. As soon as she’s ready, I’ll give you back. I know what it’s like to have things kept f—. Kept from you.

Holy crap. Aces. Aces never saw magic, something actively kept Aces from being able to perceive it. Aces wasn’t just some idiot, they were a nearly century old assassin who’d seen a lot of the world, but they were never allowed to perceive magic, as If something was keeping memories of magic hidden from them. Could it possibly be the same force that— ow! I’m right! Ow! Okay, okay! I’ll stop guessing. For now. Wait, guessing. Luni. Our beloved Lu. Has she been trying to save me from this pain, since our early days on Can’Z’aas? Ever since she first evolved? Oh Lu. What burdens do you yet bear for us? Is Te also under—. I can’t guess. I have to stop. I need My Anchor to help me see what paths I’m able to explore without destroying my own mind.

Huff. Sighing, I unequip Icey and set him in the bag, before re equipping my suit of Valkyrie armor, well, a fresh one that Teuila had dug out for me. The one I’d worn into battle seems to be slowly mending itself over time while shrunken down. Speaking of mending oneself. I gaze down at the holes through several of my limbs. They are knitting rather quickly. Whether that’s because of Kozzurth’s dragonforce, or my semi-digital nature, I’m uncertain. Huff, more mysteries about my origin, my identity, my anatomy even. Whatever, I’m unimportant at the moment. Or, err, rather, those particular mysteries of me are unimportant at the moment. I’m not trying to go down some path of self deprecation or self-pity.

So Essie. What about you? Requiem, the Silent Song. I’m fairly certain that you can quiet, or even mute areas that you strike. Huh, that could prevent an enemy caster from utilizing their mnemonic at all. Inability to incant, or to engage a mnemonic means that they’d be stuck manually crafting runes if they wanted to try to cast spells, which can take minutes, if they even had the runiforms fully mastered to be able to do it manually at all. That— that’s amazing. That would put me on par with, or above, enemy archmages.

Speaking of, yes, as always, I’m always practicing at least one rune while I’m conscious, and not in the middle of a battle. I thought my rate of mastery was fairly consistent, especially after the one tome allowed me a new insight into runostructure and runic crafting, but I’ve been running into more and more runes that take entirely random numbers of attempts before I master them down to rote perfection.

I steal a glance over towards Teuila, and I’m beset by further tears. My beloved Wings is curled in on herself, withdrawn, silently sobbing in a corner. She alternates between this sullen sadness, and fits of rage that cause her to smash her fist into the cavern floor. At times, her hand switches from clasping tightly in a fist form that strains the skin about her knuckles, to seemingly reaching for, and grasping at empty air near her. I so badly wish to offer her comfort of any form at all. Te, Teuila, please, please don’t go through this alone forever. Please know that I’m here for you.

Dippy must have already been informed to leave her be as well, as he now appears to be checking on all the survivors, but avoiding Teuila’s corner of the cavern. Zippy flits near Teuila, but in her current state, I’m worried she might lash out, and he’s such a fragile little drake. Despite the pain and erratic nature of my electrokinetically induced movement, I force myself to crawl vaguely in Teuila’s direction, placing myself between Zippy and Te, shaking my head sadly at Zippy. I lay my hand upturned, just outside of arm’s reach of Teuila, so that she knows it’s there, and I’m here, but so that I’m not intruding on her personal space as she tries to cope and grieve. Tears continue to stream unabated and my nostrils itch as snot refuses to form for some odd reason. Probably some of the various internal damage I’ve taken over the last week.

Teuila’s hand twitches slightly in my direction, and for the briefest of moments, I experience a glimmer of hope, but she does not reach out for my hand. Instead, she clasps her hand into a fist and once again smashes the floor of the cavern, as strongly and loudly as ever. The stone shatters beneath her fist and rouses most anyone who was still unconscious. There are cries of surprise and gasps of fear, but for Teuila and myself, there is just crying.