Getting comfortable turned out to be rather simple but no less impressive. I had my senses running high, looking for mana. That was how I spotted the enormous amount of herba vis moving out of the little mantis’ body. It flowed into the branches around her and soon, fruit was sprouting from nearby branches. Even my weak sense of smell was able to make out the sweetness in the air. Within a minute, flies and worms had found their way to the juicy crops and were rapidly entangled by miniature vines. Nymph guided one of them over to herself and started snacking.

I was still keeping some distance but she extended a few vines over to me and dropped some insects onto an improvised table. Banélin had received his own wooden plate with some fresh fruit. He partook with gusto while the two of us started our conversation. It was very useful to talk with [Telepathy]. We still had our mouth and beak free to eat as much as we wanted.

“Your flux is… not increasing? Is that because of the Affinity?”

“Yes. Though it only works on my main aspects. And it is increasing, just not by much.”

“That makes sense. I remember something about increased flux generation when recharging. How does that work?”

“I can sort of… drain? Yes, that might be the right word. Drain energy from within myself. It comes with a lot of flux and only works for the three aspects but it means I can easily keep casting magic if I so wish.”

I considered for a moment.

“Drain, as in, from the Empty? Do you have a personal node replacing your inner gate?”

“You mean the Beyond? What the nodes connect to? Then yes, that is where my extra vis comes from. Though I do not understand what you mean by inner gate. Is it where your core is?”

I nodded.

“But it was there before. The entrance to the soul. The place ma… vis goes when you absorb it for enrichment. Beyond that is the Empty. At least the part that’s one’s soul. That’s my observation.”

Nymph tilted her head downwards. One of her scythe arms rubbed an eye.

“I see. That is… not really a place I know about. Though I do have something similar to a node in myself. It is bound to the node I guard. From it, my own vis is recharged. As long as I stay close, I will be able to keep this grove blooming.”

“I noticed. You have a small flow of vis going into the land all the time. Though I suspect the node also emits some herba and arbor vis to help the trees grow near it. Or do you have some large crystal there?”

“I do not. I keep guiding the energy from the vis crystals into the grove. Though a few every month go to one of my friends to sell to the dwarves. As per our Guardian Contract.”

I glanced at the dwarf. He seemed to be recovering, albeit slowly. His flux level was still very high and the mana-laden surroundings were not advantageous for its dispersal.

“I am wondering, though. What does your Core do?”, Nymph picked up the conversation again.

“It’s… done a few things. It does not do much actively, though. I can’t draw on a ton of vis, like you, even from my primary aspects. The biggest thing, I suppose, was the evolution. My race being changed means I gain experience aligning with actions I am more likely to take. For example, my race description says ‘It is lonely’ and whenever I gain a friend from a new species, I gain experience. New species, because it’s also about exploration and learning.”

“That is a great advantage for growth. Though you will have to survive long enough to make use of it.”

I nodded.

“It is, though I also gain a free Attribute Point on every race level. Also part of the evolution. And I’m more resistant to flux.”

I felt the exasperation and envy seething off Nymph’s soul for a short moment. Then she had severed the connection and was rubbing both her eyes. My ears made out the tiniest, softest sigh I ever heard. It was absolutely endearing.

“Well, I suppose I should not complain”, she sent after reconnecting. Her feelings had settled or been hidden from me. She was once again a fountain of calm.

“I have gained much immediate power from my Affinity without which I could not have survived.”

I felt there was a story there but my curiosity bleeding over was rebuked with another mental retreat. Maybe once we were better acquainted would she be willing to tell me?

“Does the Affinity mention something about improving it when you [Identify] it?”

“Yes. Though I am unlikely to find superior sources of vis while staying in my grove and my Class is specialized around it.”

She sounded dejected. The feeling felt small, just a tiny new speck of desire springing up in her soul. As if meeting me had given her the idea in the first place.

“I suppose as long as you are a [Node Guardian] there is little reason to leave the place. Though I have yet to find superior sources, whatever that means. I wouldn’t mind coming back when I do, though. I’m planning to tell my stories to the Adena Clan, anyways. Might as well include you.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The insect looked up at me. Her tiny eyes focused on mine.

“You would do that? If that is true… I am not surprised you gained citizenship. Such altruism is highly regarded in their people. Even I have benefited much. Yes, I would be glad to know of any superior sources you may find. Especially herba, arbor or terra. Those are my aspects.”

I felt the weight of her words through the connection. She put a lot of trust in me. Telling someone else about one’s aspects seemed very private. Like, three sizes private could not come close to it.

I nodded my head deeply, nearly bowing.

“I will keep my senses out. My aspects were, when I had the option, tenebrae, aer and metallum. Though I am partial to a few others, particularly alienis and ordo.”

I felt a hint of apprehension at the mention of alienis. The eldritch was not well regarded by the mantis. She quickly hid her feelings, though.

“What an odd combination. You seem to lack any adaptation to aqua-based aspects. And ignis is quite distant as well. But ordo and perditio… do they combine to something?”

“You don’t know? I suppose you’re not in contact with any thaumaturges, then. Just a moment.”

I opened my storage and pulled out a sheet of paper as well as a vis-powered quill. Just pouring some mana into it would activate the artefact and let one write in the colour of that aspect. I simply used darkness to have perfectly black letters and started making a list of aspects. There was one in the Thaumonomicon which I assumed to be incomplete but all the common parts of reality could be described with them. And thaumaturgy, of course, which is why the magic, taint and eldritch aspects were included.

“Here. This is the list ork thaumaturges know about. Ordo and perditio combine into permutatio, the aspect of change.”

Another brush with the feather and I added something as a bonus.

“And this is tempus, the aspect of time. I stumbled upon it while experimenting with ordo and vacuos. It has not been very useful outside of my storage Skill.”

Nymph looked over the list, carefully reading every entry. I saw a surprising amount of expression in her tiny face, though most of that might be the feelings still bleeding through the telepathic connection.

“This is… interesting. Though most of these I know about. Are you a thaumaturge, then?”

I nodded.

“Once again, I am surprised you were granted citizenship. How did you convince the parties responsible?”

“I… just helped out? My friend, Vivi, a sapient ocelot, wanted a major node to reach her own evolution. We hunted down a non-sapient [Node Guardian] at a lake near Borsdown and now she’s their Guardian.”

“That’s not what I mean. Even with that kind of merit, you would at most be granted permission for a temporary stay. Did you use some kind of mind magic?”

I felt her suspicion rise. She was very worried. Though, could I really know if I did not use mind magic?

“I think not… Captain Dor Holden interviewed me and he had some Skill to judge truth, or something like that? I’m not a danger like other thaumaturges. No warp effects or stuff like that. Unless I provoke it, which I… really don’t want… But I’m not sure. My supersensory matrix does work differently from telepathy. There might be something going on that I don’t know about…”

I was getting worried myself. Had I influenced the captain’s decision? Was my creation doing things I did not want it to?

“Let us test that. Tell me about that… matrix.”

And so I did. All I knew about the items it was based on and what I did to modify the memory bracelet. I told Nymph about my thoughts before and after making it and all the feelings and side effects I had noticed while using it. Then she separated her [Telepathy] and it was my turn. With Banélin’s help, we could run some quick tests to compare the supersensory matrix and Nymph’s Skill. The result of our investigation was… it did not manipulate others to think like the user.

“Then”, Mantis began anew, “can you ensure what the Captain’s Skill gave him was correct? Or was it simply detecting how you believed to be telling the truth?”

I tilted my head.

“But I was telling the truth?”

The exasperated sigh sent mentally and done physically nearly made me flinch.

“Yes, the truth you believe. You’re not even a year old. How much can you really know?”

“I…”

I trailed off. Should I really talk about that? I did not want to remember. Or did I have to remember? I was conflicted.

“Tell me, Fio. Why do you believe you are immune to warp? Is that not the gravest error a thaumaturge can make?”

I looked at Nymph. For the first time in a while, I really looked at her. She had taken half a step back, mana flowing into the branches around her. More than before. Two large leaves were ready to hide her at a moments notice. Her scythes were held close and up, able to defend as soon as needed. She was scared. And she was hiding that feeling so well from our [Telepathy], I could not help but think that was a common circumstance.

I sighed.

“Fine. I’ll tell you.”

And I did. I relived the horror of the Circle meeting, skipping how I was captured and moved there. I simply told of what happened after I used my eldritch [Winged Death] on one of the thaumaturges. The mind spiders, the eldritch guardians, the flux and warp making orks and golems go on a madness induced killing spree. All because of one single magical attack, affecting a slightly broken soul and shattering its connection with reality. By the end, I was shuddering. It took what felt like hours until I could focus enough for a deep breath. Then another one. In and out. In. And out. I opened my eyes, seeing the sun just past its zenith. I had not taken more than half an hour. Still, I was exhausted. And I felt my feelings bleed over to the praying mantis just over half a metre in front of me. She had moved closer. No, I had. I had stepped up at some point. And she had not retreated. I felt her feelings, confused and unclear as she blocked most of them from reaching. But she could not stop it all.

“I… see. That must have… been… an experience. I can not fathom to begin what I would have done in such a situation. I am sorry. I see why you believe yourself immune. And I at least believe you are no immediate danger to my home. You are welcome to visit at any time. I am here. And I will listen if you wish to talk. Thank you for trusting me.”

Towards the end, Nymph sent along a distraught feeling. She knew I had given her an intimate view of myself but was not ready to replicate her own fears.

“I am impressed you faced your fear. One day I might face mine. But not today.”

I nodded weakly. I was exhausted. This had been a very scary experience but it was also incredibly relieving. I no longer feared myself. I still feared what I could do to my friends and even my enemies but I knew how to do it. That also meant I knew how not to do it. How to avoid swamping the world in warp and destruction. I could just stick with assassinating those that wronged me. Or something like that. I was aware my moralities were not very human anymore but the dwarves did accept me as one of their own. I was not evil. I just had some issues to look out for.