Zagaroth

  While Moriko was occupied keeping tabs on what was happening with the dungeon’s new visitors and gathering all the gossip, Kazue’s avatar was meditating in a small clearing a little bit away from the densely inhabited areas; she was focused on taking a ep in her spiritual abilities. Whereas her psychic magic was a maion of her will upoy, uning with spirits to gain access to their magic was about coaxiy to choose to work with her.

  There was a certain amount of overp, she still o focus and direct her will to ma it, but it was a very different mind state for each aagic. Ironically, her issues with staying focused orain of thought made it easier to switch her state of mind quickly as needed.

  And right now, she was calling for the stro spirit maion she had ever deliberately sought out. It was her power and mana, carefully trolled a outside of her body, shaped into an invitation. An invitation that ted, her mana cimed and refed.

  “Hello stepmother,” came the mildly amused voice, “You’ve been progressing well.”

  Kazue opened her eyes to see the spirit’s avatar sitting across from her, and gave a slight greeting bow with a smile, “Hello Norumi. It’s good to see you again.” Kazue kept her voice low as she couldn’t guarantee no one was nearby. Uhe meeting several weeks ago, the spirit’s maion was not fully solid, as Kazue wasn’t strong enough to power that entirely by herself yet, so Kazue’s words would be the only ones most would hear. Norumi had used some of her own power to ma so fully before, and it had still taxed Kazue’s power.

  “How has your visit been going?” The forest spirit asked.

  “It’s bee. I’ve gotten to see all my friends, and I’ve missed it so much, it’s just o be back here for even a little while.” She’d also dealt with visiting both where she’d died and her own grave, and on a lighter aken Moriko to a few locations where she’d long imagined having a lover’s tryst, but none of that was stuff that she wao discuss here.

  “I’m gd to hear it,” Norumi replied, “And I am gd that the spinning of your awakenihis way, though I suspect our patroy may feel a touch differently.”

  Kazue blinked in surprise, “What do you mean?”

  “I was curious, and used a little sg to figure out when you had awoken your spiritual powers, and found the traces leading back to your first night after leaving your dungeon’s territory.” Norumi chuckled, “Do not worry, while it was easy to guess what had just happened, I did not withe prelude. But examining the traana, you were teetering on an edge, able to fall in a few dires. You might instead have bonded with the primal physicality of nature and bee a druid like your mother, ained a deep enough uanding of the primal aspect of even the most civilized people to awaken as a priestess of Mericume. Instead, you resonated with the spirits of nature around you, making it easy to have this versation.”

  Huh. Kazue thought about that for a moment, “Are those things I could still do?”

  “No, at least, not in full. You are far too young to delve deeply into other paths, and it would hinder your current growth to spread too thin. Do not look to myself or my father as examples of what to aspire to in power, such strength es from ever-growing in ways that are true to yourself. But, in time, you might. In truth, the ability to retire an avatar and begin again, having to develop your powers anew, makes that easier, but an avatar won’t be able to do everything at once. Unless, of course, you do what Father did, but that is a long way off for you. Now, how I help my summoner?” She smiled with a shrug, “I accepted your call, and though the bindings are soft, there is an itch to help you do something.”

  Oh, she hadn’t thought about that. Um, “Well, I was mostly just practig, to better uand my limits. But, well, I guess there are a couple of questions you could answer. I create a temporary bond with you like I with the on spirits?”

  “No, at least, not yet. The ones you have formed bonds with have a weak sense of self and ck a fully formed soul. A stronger spirit, whether a mortal turned spirit like myself or an older spirit that has formed a strong sense of self and a soul, is much harder to bind with as it requires the spirit to temporarily surrender a portion of their free will, in order to respond to your will and not just your words. When you grow strong enough, you might be able to call upon me for a brief period, but such a bond will be an exhausting few minutes in the heat of battle while I grant you my power in addition to your own.”

  “I see,” Disappointing, but not really a surprise, “Well, on a different topic, what you tell me about this Gil person who just showed up? Moriko didn’t have a ce to pass on muformation, too much was happening for her to pass it on coherently while it was going on, and I had this exercise already pnned.”

  Now the kitsune-dryad grinned, “He’s quite the character. I’ve never beeain how serious he was in pursuing Mordecai’s female avatars, I think it was more of a game or in-joke for them. I remember being slightly miffed that he never seemed to notice my beauty and trying to flirt with him, and seeing a hint of fear in his eyes before he made a poor excuse and fled. I suspect Father had threatened him in some way, though I never did ask. He didn’t treat other men in my life like that, I think he just didn’t like the idea of his best friends and me being that close, and when you look at it that way I ’t say I bme him.”

  She tilted her head thoughtfully, “Other than that, I know he was good friends with my father, and based oories I was told, the two of them would meet up te in the cycle of an avatar that had almost reached its peak and head off to pursue more challenging explorations and adventures. He’s a bit much to really be an equal panion with if you aren’t strong yourself, so his presence would have stifled the growth of a freshly formed avatar. Oh, Kuic mentiohat he was traveling with a young luponi girl, I take it that he was esc her to your dungeon?”

  “Yeah, there’s a lot of story to unpack there. I tell you more tomorrow after I make sure to extract all the details from Moriko ter tonight. I guess she felt it when he crossed her borders?”

  “Oh yes, and it's quite clear he felt the border of the territory, so he knows there is a dungeon c the kingdom, but he’s not iigated or made an issue of it so she’s left things alone and not introduced herself.”

  Kazue frowned, “If it’s so easy to feel a territory, how has Kuic not been found out about more publicly?”

  A new voice chimed in, “I thought I heard my name being used personally. Allow me to ahat,” Kuic’s avatar stepped into the clearing and waved, “I mute my territory’s pressure to aent, so most people who are slightly aware of such things don’t notice me at all. But a brute like that man puts out his own pressure, and I ’t really not push back. He doesn’t mean it as an attack, but it would be like letting a giant pore casually lean against you and fill you with quills. It hurts too much to let a presence like that invade what is part of you.” She shrugged slightly, “I am sure there are a few others who are more subtle than him who had also noticed, but the truly powerful usually have the good seo not butt into the affairs of other powers without good cause.”

  Well, she hadn’t been expeg this sed visitor, but it was quite o talk with both of them again. “Hello Kuic,” she said with a smile, “I take it no one else is nearby at all?”

  “That’s correct,” the avatar said as she joihem in sitting on the ground, “And I’ve added a little bit of extra privacy warding to ehat it stays that way. So what is going on in your territory?”

  “Well, as I was telling Norumi, I don’t have the full details yet, so if you really want to know then you might want to meet with me tomorrow. But it looks like Fuyuko, that’s the oni – ly girl, was guided here with a bit of divine assistance. Mordecai doesn’t kly what for, but seems ined to roll with it and see what happens. Gil ran into her when she was nearly killed by a peryton, and they have been traveling together to get her safely here. I’m guessing Gil isn’t staying, and Mordecai thinks that Li will be leaving soon too.”

  Kuic winced slightly, “Oh, that means they are going to tromp through here together. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll head south instead. I think I prefer it when Li’s shards just appear in pces and then disappear. Wheually travels he seems to create even more havoc.”

  It made Kazue feel much better to know that they weren’t the only ones affected by Li’s aura. “Anyway, it turns out she’s dedicated to Li and was living in some pce called a sanctuary, and st I heard, Gil and Li had set off to travel the battle path, and Mordecai was going to show Fuyuko around. That’s when Moriko started getting really distracted keeping up with everything, and I decided to pick her brain ter and head out here to practice by summoning Norumi.”

  The dungeon and the spirit exged thoughtful gnces before turning back to her, “Kazue,” Norumi began, “I know you’ve been enjoying your time here, but I think you should push on with your journey soon. We know each other well enough that you call upon me in this form while you are just close to the woods, so you could call upo night, when you are camped, instead. And Kuic join us then.”

  That sounded w. “Why? Is something wrong?”

  “Not as such,” Kuic replied, “But something must be brewing somewhere. The gods help hings a little and provide a little extra power to their most devoted followers in the form of divine magic, but even that is limited by the personal strength of their priests and champions. Your choices matter, including the choice to bee stronger, whether personally or through es with others. And not taking a, well, that’s a choice too.”

  “And to be clear,” Norumi added, “We don’t know what choices will be best. But personal growth has never been the wrong choice that I have seen, unless it es at the expense of others.”

  That was a lot to think about, and maintaining Norumi’s avatar, even in a non-physical state, was being tiring. “Alright, I’ll head bae and talk with Moriko.” She rose and bowed to both of the other women, “Thank you for visiting me here, I look forward to talking with both of you again.”

  Watg how gracefully the other two rose made Kazue feel a little awkward, but that was something she could get better at too. After they returned her bow, Kazue released the spell holding Norumi’s avatar in pce, and Kuic disappeared right after the kitsune-dryad did. Pleasantly exhausted, she turned back toward the home she’d grown up in to go snuggle with her wife. She pnned on taking a nap before she brought up the details of the versation.

  Zagaroth