“Canadian goose, actually.” Gerald clarified to Roy. “Various attunements and I came to the attention of the Vaneers. Been working the Ways for over 5 years now, I like it, and my partner’s happy enough I stay out of her hair for days at a time. And my time at home…”

While I wanted to ask, I really didn’t think that I wanted to know about the personal life of the Waywalker who had responded to Jordan’s emergency signal. Especially with watching the Mana flows taking place with Tok and Muto. Tok had said they had an ability to assist with healing one another, and it certainly seemed to do wonders for patching up Muto’s mangled arm.

Both of the scruffies were laying on their backs, not far from where Muto and I had crashed to the ground. Muto’s uninjured left arm pressed against Tok’s right, and their fingers laced. The Mana flows pulsed where the scruffies were joined with clasped hands, swelling about once a second in a shade of bluish green. Ripples of mana undulated across the injured man’s chest closing in on his injuries and sinking within. Friday and I were unable to puzzle out what the Mana was doing exactly, however we could see the wounds slowly knitting closed.

Jazmine interrupted our viewing, “Monday, those injuries may take an hour or more to heal. I mean, I guess it is interesting, if a little disturbing to watch. But we could go over the Ways' uses now that we’re waiting, or chat with Waywalker Gerald before he goes.”

I shot a glance at the only woman in the Merits and smirked. “Is Gerald done implying things about his sex life then?”

“Hah-Hooo-Hoon-Hoonnnkkk.” While the honking laughter didn’t blast anything apart in sonic devastation, it certainly carried enough power that the tufts of grass along the Ways quivered. “Monday March, unaffiliated System User, right?”

After the spider-bear-monster-thing had been defeated and Muto had been stabilized, Gerald had us all tap our Ways passes against a silver plate. Telling us that it confirmed our identities and would act to make certain that appropriate confirmation about the combat would reach us at any Guildhall or Ways Station.

With a nod I responded, trying my best to meet the avian’s eyes with a normal conversational gaze. “Yes, Waywalker Gerald. Thank you again for your assistance.”

Gerald’s neck bent so as to cause his head to bob and nod at me though the angle of his beak and face didn’t change. “Just doing my job, Monday March honk. If I’d been ahead of schedule you might have had no encounter in the first place honk.” His verbal tic was a little at odds with his generally understandable, if raspy, speech. He continued to speak after I tilted my head and gave him a quizzical look. “One aspect of my position is to disperse any threats that have managed to encroach on the Ways honk. Was working my way through this branch when I got Merchant Jordan’s signal honk.”

“But, How do they encroach if there is a built-in…”

“Encroach might be a bad word honk.” Gerald paused for a moment, head tilting up and gazing at the misty green and blue before looking back to my face. “Or inaccurate honk. The danger repel works to prevent over 90% of threats honk. Sometimes a threat develops inside the range of the repel. Imagine our critter there attuned or evolved inside the repel honk. That sort of thing is one of the reasons we patrol honk.”

“So, it might have been harmless last week? But suddenly it is a giant fuzzy clawed rage monster?”

Gerald, Jordan, Roy and Jazmine looked at me a little confused, either nodding or agreeing with my statement.

“Well, that’s terrifying. Where would all the extra mass come from?”

“Everywhere, Monday. And from the Mana of course, depending on the attunement or evolution.” Jordan tried to explain.

“So it could take parts of me?” I was appreciative that I seemed immune to panic these days, because this would be a perfect opportunity.

“Well, no. You’re part of a Mana construct, so it couldn’t do that.”

“So just my clothes and money and dinner and any other random bits of matter I just might happen to have liked?” Maybe I could still panic a little, my voice certainly seemed more anxious by raising half a note.

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Jordan’s shoulders sagged just the littlest bit. “I’m not doing a good job of this. Any of you can feel free to jump in…” She trailed off while looking at the others.

“Conversion of mass during evolution or attunement tends to be a slow process.” Roy spoke up. “Rarely more than a kilogram per minute. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and the like from the air, trace elements from the earth, Mana transmuting anything that is missing. Such things have a harder time drawing mass from anything with a Mana construct, like complex organisms. That isn’t to say there can't be unexpected consequences, though.” The man chuckled before continuing. “Know a guy with a dog companion that evolved into something called an Iron Boned Bloodhound. Well it used to sleep in the kitchen, and the morning after it evolved 4 knives and the guys favorite skillet were nothing more than handles. Nice dog though.”

“So, I’m hearing it is mostly safe, except maybe sometimes destructive? Meaning inanimate things?”

“Inanimate things without a Mana construct, sure.” Roy clarified. “And money has a Mana construct if it isn’t counterfeit.”

“Honk well, I should get back to my rounds. It’ll be a couple hours before I get back here, so feel free to strip anything you want off the beastie honk. I’ll dispose of the rest later honk-honk.” Gerald paused for a moment as if making sure no one had additional questions, then took flight.

I waved goodbye, awkwardly.

“Was I polite enough? Of the things I sort of automatically know, social interactions with intelligent non-humanoids feels… vacant.”

Jordan chuckled at me. “You did fine. People are people, no matter what they look like, or their origins.”

I thought about how Gerald was very deft with his beak and that little pack that had contained the silver plate. “There have got to be challenges though, at least with some things.” I thought aloud.

“There always are.” Roy interjected. “Now Monday… While I appreciate you trying to help fight, why did you engage despite Jazmine saying to withdraw?”

“Yeah Roy, that’s actually my fault.” Jazmine spoke up while I was confused, a bit blindsided by Roy’s question. ”I didn’t say for her to withdraw until after I fired the sensory overload arrow, so it would be more surprising if she had heard me. I forgot she didn’t have suppression gear as we lost our last spares on the ghoul job.”

“Oh, right. That’s on our list when we get to Big Bay, right?” The archer nodded and Roy continued. “Monday, thanks again, but for the rest of the trip please withdraw, stick to what Jordan does, or follow our direction if you can hear or see us. We are escorting you, not expecting you to fight.”

“I thought I did okay.” I said quietly, perhaps a hint of the frustration I'd let loose at Granny G and Bluebird leaking out towards Roy.

“Well, we can talk about that later, if you like. For now, you agreed to follow our instructions during the trip before we left, will you do so?” Roy didn’t sound like he was looking down on me, more like he was clarifying a point of a contract or business deal. I suppose he was, at that.

With a sigh I agreed. “Yes Roy, if dangerous things happen I’ll try to follow Jordan’s example or withdraw if I’m not given different directions by one of your team. I guess I just felt like I couldn’t run and do nothing while you all were fighting for our lives.”

“It can be hard, but for this trip it would help us most if we can be sure you watch out for, and avoid, danger as a priority.” The mustache quirked from the smile, then Roy turned away from me to get the attention of the other two ladies traveling in our group.

I was considering going back to watching the Mana ripples on the scruffies. Meanwhile Roy consulted Jordan and Jazmine about stripping anything worth the effort to gather and carry from the monster’s corpse.

“Monday, this might be worthwhile for you if the blood and mess isn’t too offputting. I saw you watching the boys, you can sense Mana somehow, right?” Jordan called over to me.

I simply nod and join them standing closer to the corpse, a furry multi-limbed headless mass now pressed to the earth rather than lashing and looming.

“Try using whatever you do to sense the Mana and try describing it to us.”

Focusing my Mana Perception proves more challenging than watching whatever the scruffies are doing with their Mana. “I see there’s Mana here, I mean on the corpse, but it is getting thinner? Like it is dripping off, or… Evaporating, maybe?”

Roy responds, rather than Jordan. “So you are only able to see the Mana on the surface then? With practice it is likely that you will learn to detect the flows behind and beyond other layers of mana, but what you are seeing is not wrong. Incomplete, but an adequate description for what is happening on the surface.”

Roy gestures at the surface of the corpse and along the large limbs as he continues. “When a Mana construct is broken the Mana that is tied to it dissipates, and that is what you are seeing. What we are looking to do here, is see if any of that Mana pools or binds to a portion of the beast. Now, if this creature was recent in its change, the likelihood isn’t high because it might not have had enough bound to the broken structure for it to bond to any portion.”

“Why not simply wait, and collect any bits that show residual Mana?

“I have some skill with controlling Mana. If we detect a pool, we can attempt to direct more of the creature’s Mana to fuse there. Strengthening the result.”

“Why not just force the mana to a spot you want?”

“Poor results, natural affinity is better. And it takes incredible control to achieve what you are talking about.”

“Oh… Roy, it seems like a small amount of brownish Mana is pooling around that claw.” Monday points.

Glancing at the indicated claw, Roy holds up his staff and seems to concentrate. Monday can see the pool of Mana ripple, and begin to merge into the claw.

Roy takes a gasping breath. “Exactly. Thank you, Monday March. Please take a look for anything similar? It’s good training, and condensing the Mana is rather tiring.”