Abyssal Road Trip

Amdirlain's PoV - Círbann

Amdirlain attuned a new plate to the local surveyors to replace the one Isa had taken with her to meet the hound archons. Zoomed in on the display with the cavern used for scale, it was clear to the others the closest pack was only forty kilometres away, with their settlement set into the valley wall. Though Amdirlain could hear their melodies, their minds were beyond her telepathic reach, and with the trip insufficient to strain her Ki Flight, they waited for Isa and Ilya's return.

When the pair reappeared, a russet-hued Hound Archon compressed into a Skrel's form accompanied them. Even through the archon's Shapeshift, his form was stranger in the flesh than the images of the Skrel she’d retrieve in the cavern. Amdirlain took in the form's theme and noticed its adaptations came from ocean life. The sideways mouth couldn’t apply pressure to chew his food, and four prehensile tongues had adapted to draw food in and scent the air. His long fingers had sheathed needle-like claws closer to a pufferfish's spines than a cat or lizard's talons. A pair of mithril bracers concealed beneath his rawhide clothing supplemented his Celestial protection and strength.

[Name: Georg

Species: Hound Archon

Class: Fighter / Scout / Ranger / Wizard

Level: 34 / 34 / 34 / 32

Health: 2,616

Defence: 302

Magic: 68

Mana: 11,008

Melee Attack Power: 324

Combat Skills: Axes [Ad] (21), Long Blades [M] (34), Short Blades [Ad] (23), various affinities, spell lists, and blessing paths.

Details: A former servant of Freya, he opted not to take service with her successor. When Livia sought the names of independent celestials to assist her new people, one of Týr's valkyries provided his name.]

Georg's gaze widened when he saw Amdirlain, and he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. The Celestial's thoughts raced around, his public mind churning through the right way to introduce himself and broadcast his name and Amdirlain's.

"Lady Amdirlain."

And it's great you went for that option.

"I don't believe we've ever met," replied Amdirlain.

"Forgive me, Lady Amdirlain, I'm G-"

"Not to be rude, but please don't speak names useful for summoning," interjected Amdirlain. "One never knows exactly what might be listening."

Georg coughed. "My apologies for forgetting myself. What that filth tried is unforgivable."

"I meant both our names," reassured Amdirlain, and she drew Georg to his feet before motioning to the others. "My companions are called Sarah, Isa, Ilya, and Silpar. How are you commonly known?"

"Oh! My friends call me Whiterine," said Georg, and he touched his throat, where a patch of silvery fur glistened within his True Form.

"I had shared my full 'Use Name' so he could contact us," admitted Ilya. "I take it you had something else planned?"

She took the risk in place of Isa. I wonder how that conversation went.

"Another device," said Amdirlain. "That’s no longer needed. How are the archons assisting the Skrel placed for equipment?"

"We have what your daughter gifted us and our equipment, so we're over-supplied at present," replied Georg.

"I'm going to be nosey, so if I'm out of place, tell me," said Amdirlain. "Are any of you planning to enter her service, or are you just here for the goods to help whatever personal causes you'll pursue?"

"The Lady asked us to consider the work she employed us to undertake before deciding," replied Georg. "I'll admit I would have once found the Skrel hideous, but they are overall good folks within. That could be the stage of their civilisation and the fragility of their lives, but I see potential in them. So far, I've seen them work as a community and resolve issues openly rather than allowing strife to fester. If we continue to see such evidence, I know some of us will probably enter the Lady’s service to aid them further."

"Are there other wizards among those escorting the Skrel?"

Georg nodded. "Yes, two others."

Amdirlain populated three memory crystals with grimoires and handed them to Georg. "Hopefully you find enough useful knowledge here to help you in future endeavours."

"That isn't necessary," protested Georg. "We've received ample compensation for the service requested."

"You're presently helping my daughter, but whether you continue to help her or someone else, I still want you to have these. If you're stronger, I hope it makes a difference to someone in trouble," replied Amdirlain. "How are the tribes for supplies?"

"Things will be lean. We've helped them by hunting animals they couldn't usually kill without risk of death," replied Georg. "Their normal prey are some smaller beasts about hip height on them, but the giants herded them away from the packs they'd been following. The beast we hunted for them was gigantic and provided tonnes of meat and materials. With the number of them we have to feed in this cold, one doesn't take them far."

"Do you mind if I get the image from your mind?" asked Amdirlain.

Georg spread his hands, and Amdirlain saw the recollection from his thoughts. The creature was as alien in appearance as the Skrel themselves. It had an elongated tubular body three and a half metres at the top of its flank, segmented around sixteen sets of legs and dozens of tentacles around its mouth for foraging items out of the snow and stripping trees bare.

Ideas from games mixed in with Ori’s memories of the endless trays of food in the fey's banquet halls. Amdirlain focused her experience allocation on her new Class before she sang. The leather bags were about the size and shape of a military duffel bag but appeared made from cured hides that the nearby Skrel used.

[Crafting experience (Category: Miscellaneous)

Provision bags x 3

Total Experience gained: 63,000

Olindë: 63,000

Olindë Levelled Up! x9]

As the others looked the items over, Amdirlain allocated the eighty attribute points she'd gained straight to Willpower and checked to confirm the increase in her Defence and Melee Attack Power. The increase in her Magic rating from nine levels increased her temptation to push the Class higher.

Setting the urge aside, Amdirlain held out the bags to Georg. "They'll create suitable food for the person reaching into them. Anyone can draw out food while the bags' enchantments last. While it's not infinite, they should provide enough meals to keep the tribes fed for a few years. The bags will last longer if the Skrel supplements them with gathered food."

"Do you wish them returned after the tribes reach safety?" asked Georg hesitantly, his hands pausing short of the handles.

"You can keep them. A skilled enough Artificer could renew the enchantments."

Taking the bags with both hands, Georg gave her a deep bow. "This will raise the tribe’s spirits. I hope no one argues over the right to eat first."

"It would be best to roster it unless they have a hierarchy system," suggested Silpar. "I'd make it clear it comes through their Goddess' favour, and it could easily vanish, but that is up to Livia. The tribal elders might argue about who gets to control them."

"Nothing like a treasure to divide people," observed Sarah.

“Dragon fever,” snorted Isa, and she received a mock glare from Sarah.

"There are three tribes, so I made three bags," said Amdirlain. Frowning, she scrubbed a hand through her hair. "I could limit it to one of Livia's priests being able to retrieve the food, but that would put too much power over the tribes in their hands."

"They're only receiving your help because of her connection to them," said Silpar. "I would suggest there need to be some controls in place as I've seen wars between tribes fought over less."

Tweaking the bags' enchantments, Amdirlain sighed. "I've changed it so one person can only draw out a limited amount of food daily. Also, if less than three hundred people have drawn food since their last use, they'll get nothing. What one person can draw out will be enough to feed a few people in case of sickness, but they'll ‌need to let people draw rations for the meal. They're also interlinked, so taking supplies from one blocks the others."

"Each tribe numbers greater than that," confirmed Georg. "Why this particular shape? Most meals don't require such a volume."

"I wasn't sure how much material they use in a meal, and they can also use them to generate fodder for any beasts of burden. It will create food based on their thoughts, so if they expect raw vegetables or grains, they can tip them out," explained Amdirlain. "Using them to generate the raw materials might be the better idea since it will minimise the strain on the enchantments."

"They use a communal cooking approach," advised Georg.

"Then maybe they can take turns providing materials to the cook," proposed Amdirlain. "Please contact Ilya if any issues occur, and we'll sort something out."

"Hopefully, you don't need to get in touch for someone to be smacked in the ear hole," quipped Isa.

Georg looked momentarily confused at Isa's statement but finally nodded. "I'll ensure they appreciate it. Thank you for these and the memory crystals."

When Georg vanished, Amdirlain frowned and considered her companions

"Was it Gail or Isa that provided you the Inventory ability, Ilya?" asked Amdirlain absently.

"After Gail almost killed herself giving herself the ability, she taught Isa the song she'd learned," replied Ilya. "Isa provided it to me with no problems."

As Amdirlain's thoughts continued to churn, she chewed her lip.

"I'd never paid that much attention to the ability, and she was fortunate to manage it trying it so young," Isa declared, dabbing Amdirlain's chin to break her introspective mood. "Why the long face?"

"Just thinking about contingencies," said Amdirlain, retrieving more crystals from her inventory. She created a few devices and tossed one to Ilya, Isa, and Silpar. "Keep these devices on you. If you're summoned and not released from the circle, these create localised earthquakes outside the circle."

Silpar has a storage device, so I won't give him Inventory, especially since my main concern is the risk to Ilya.

"Did you make this because I gave Georg my name, and he's former Norse?" Ilya asked.

Amdirlain gave a sharp nod.

Ilya returned her nod. "You don't trust those that served the pantheon after one of Odinn's lot tried to screw you?"

"Just being paranoid, and I don't know if someone might have learnt Silpar's name. Since some among the cloister believe I'm Ori and have a bone to pick, I don't want him imprisoned for having helped me," explained Amdirlain.

"Some among the cloister know my 'Use Name'," admitted Silpar.

Ilya frowned. "And you don't want to change it? This lot convinced me to change my name after a few thousand years, so I know it can feel weird. Especially since Isa continues to use my old name when the one for summoning me has changed."

Silpar's nostrils flared, and he clicked two claws against each other. "I don't believe changing my name would sit well with me."

"You've certainly been more careful with it than some," allowed Amdirlain.

"Including Georg mentally broadcasting your name as well as his own when he considered how to introduce himself," said Silpar.

So tempted to un-sing that memory, but is that a breach of ethics?

Amdirlain grimaced. "I hoped you hadn't heard."

"I do my best to be alert when I'm around celestials," said Silpar, and he smiled apologetically at Isa and Ilya before he continued. "They can be more unpredictable than Fallen."

"That's most certainly the case with me," answered Isa slyly. "Shall we get to clearing out the giants?"

Silpar frowned again, but he kept silent.

Amdirlain nodded and teleported them to just beyond a ridgeline from the pack's alert sentry. Isa wrinkled her nose at the sharp notes within the giants. Their group totalled thirty members who had dug their accommodations into the valley's side and left the approach to the settlement's entry littered with rubble and debris. The sentry had taken up a post beside an enormous upright slab positioned directly before the entrance to serve as a windbreak.

Isa shook her head forcefully. "Ilya's right. These frost giants are as foul as those in Hell. I wonder how many Skrel were on this world before they arrived."

Sarah gave a fierce smile. "About half the breeds of giants I've known treat anything smaller than them as food."

“Dragons don’t?” Ilya asked.

“Please, there are certain things I’m never putting in my mouth,” huffed Sarah.

While the pair were talking, Amdirlain sifted through the giants' thoughts to locate the largest strongholds. She not only found where they'd travelled but witnessed tribes and herds being wiped out. She felt Sarah's mental touch gathering information within their mind as well.

"I've found the glacier where the clans' main leader is located," advised Amdirlain.

"I bet you found more than that," said Sarah. "I know I did."

There was a mental scream from Sarah directed at the giants' lair, and Amdirlain heard their songs snuffed out.

Isa blinked. "Dead giants."

"I dislike squatters," drawled Sarah.

"Is that, like, a Dragon thing?" asked Ilya.

Sarah gave a wide smile. "Disliking squatters or wiping out giants?"

Ilya moved up the slope and peered over the ridgeline. She took in the sentry with his ruptured eyeballs and blood leaking from his ears and exhaled sharply. "No, I was referring to killing them that way. Why do you have so many enchanted objects if you can do that?"

"Psionic screams don't work against everything," replied Sarah. "Also, I'm more skilled as a Shaper than a Telepath, so some things are mentally robust enough to soak the damage. None of the giants were above level thirty in their classes, so they were easy kills."

"Cheating with Analysis," huffed Ilya.

"It's not cheating. It's using my abilities," rebuffed Sarah playfully, and with her inventory, she collected the dead from the chambers below.

Amdirlain jumped in before they continued their banter. "Is it better to take out their leader on the planet or deal with the smaller groups first?"

Sarah shrugged. "This isn't a threat that's worth you spending time on. Are you sure I can't just let some dragons know they're making a mess and get them to take care of it? I don't think they'll be strong enough to challenge your combat abilities. Frost giants don't tend to be hard workers. Their species gives them a ton of strength and endurance, so tack on thirty or forty levels in one Class alone, and a pack of giants is a disaster for most tribes or towns."

"A disaster that dragons can apparently make quick work of," noted Isa. "Do you want to handle the trash removal or something else?"

"I said I'd take care of it for Livia," objected Amdirlain.

"That I can appreciate," replied Sarah. "And we can certainly deal with this lot, but remember that not everything needs your personal touch. Like when you delegated dealing with the Eldritch parasites to me."

"I've got no objections to hunting giants while you ensure the safety of the other Skrel tribes," Ilya said. "Doubt I'll find an interesting fight, but they're closer to my strength than yours. Pretty sure you'd need to go toe to toe with a Demon Lord or Master Cyrus to get a decent challenge, not have a brawl with a Giant pack or twenty."

"The Dao would be a better fight," sighed Isa.

Amdirlain clenched her jaw slightly and counted to ten. "It's not about what is the better fight."

I'm being very sensitive about this situation. I'm sure Livia can look after herself and has enough help to sort this out between Bahamut and the other helpers she can get.

"What's up, sweetie?" asked Sarah softly, her amusement gone instantly.

"I don't know. Something about this situation has me on edge, and it's more than the risk to Livia. Let's deal with them quickly," said Amdirlain.

"If you're feeling emotional, this is the worst time to work on such endeavours," interjected Silpar. "You've got two species of mortals involved here. Even when you make the right choices, the emotions involved also matter. Especially when strong emotions are involved, and the situation leads to battle, it usually causes problems with your path's progress. We've learned what causes problems because of the path's criticisms, and it's never made allowances for failings, no matter the cause."

"Orhêthurin seems to have expected celestials to find the course with the most overall good provided objectively," agreed Amdirlain.

"How about a wager?" proposed Isa.

Ilya groaned and covered her face with both hands. "Now it's on."

"Are you being mean to me?" asked Isa.

Ilya dropped her hands and gave Isa a saucy smile. "Not unless you want me to be."

Isa blushed, and her eyes went wide.

"What did you want to bet?" asked Amdirlain. "Silpar is right in that I should at least determine ground rules."

"If you can one-shot the head honcho, call in the draconic cavalry," replied Isa and she tried to regain her composure. "If you can't, I'll join the hound archons protecting the tribe while you tidy up."

There is a loss in both those outcomes.

Sarah shot Isa a haughty look. "You think any self-respecting Dragon would let someone put a saddle on them?"

"You're trying to distract the subject. I didn't say they had to be safety-conscious cavalry," muttered Isa, and she pouted at Sarah. "You mean the shows and books lied to me?!"

"Yes," grunted Sarah.

Isa pretended to swoon with the back of her hand pressed dramatically to her forehead.

Sarah gave her an unimpressed look and turned to Ilya. "Was she like this in Hell?"

"Only when it was lucky that someone thought her insane," replied Ilya.

Amdirlain watched the exchange silently and merely lifted an eyebrow.

Sarah is trying to change the subject. She doesn't want me getting annoyed with Isa for attempting to steer how I handle things here, nor getting in an argument with Silpar.

[Muse’s Insight [S] (103->104)

Note: Look at you getting better at reading a room.]

"It's alright, Sarah. You don't have to play the burr to draw the conversation away," said Amdirlain. "I jumped right into this without a defined plan or goal. So, let's focus on a primary goal: keep the Skrel safe so the Mantle doesn't take Livia. I'm afraid for her and don't want to lose her as well as Torm. How do we achieve that?"

Ilya immediately looked like she'd bitten into something sour. "Why put all your eggs into that basket?"

"Do you not like something about the Skrel?" enquired Silpar.

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with them as a people, but we weren't there long. It's more the situation that worries me as I know how fragile life for a small community can be," replied Ilya, motioning to herself. "All it takes is one idiot or an incident that incapacitates the priests first, and then everyone dies from a monster or a plague. The hound archons are here to get them to safe territory, but counting on a small group to remain alive isn't wise. Does Týr know a place he can sponsor her?"

"Livia was working with Týr, but the worlds he's made it to have deities of protection already. I asked Bahamut to help her extend the connections of her faith to another world," explained Amdirlain. “She avoided telling Ebusuku, so I set someone stronger on her.”

“Naughty Livia,” laughed Isa. “Am's gone all protective, and it’s no wonder she wants to kill everything that threatens her daughter.”

Ilya clicked her tongue. "I guess leave them to it unless you have other options. That leaves us keeping the tribes alive, at least until they get some success. From a Scout's perspective, we need to secure a path of withdrawal for the tribes."

"At least?" asked Silpar.

Ilya shrugged. "Nothing is permanent. Any reason we don't just open a Gate to get them away to warmer lands?"

"It could be dangerous to take them outside the lands they know," replied Amdirlain. "They might not know how to prepare the plants to eat safely or the dangers of the local wildlife."

"I guess I'm more used to Hell's armies in that regard," said Ilya. “No need for supplies.”

Silpar gave a surprised head twitch that spoke volumes with his quiet tone. "You were both Erinys?"

Ilya gave a curt nod. "Stupid teenage me ended up in Hell. My family’s bloodline wasn't completely Mortal, so the journey along the river Dis transformed me into an Erinys."

"Then, much later, she got assigned to mentor me. I was so lucky," gushed Isa.

"If you think I'm the odd Celestial," said Ilya, and she regarded Amdirlain and paused with a finger raised. "Wait! What have you told him about your background?"

"Silpar knows I’m a reincarnation of Orhêthurin, and I lived in a different realm before getting cursed," clarified Amdirlain.

"Alright, I won't get into the weird stuff you've achieved," laughed Ilya. "For yourself and some special celestials."

"That's information I don't intend to share," replied Amdirlain. "If they want to talk about it, that's another matter."

"Kli's always happy to talk about it," said Ilya. "You know you could ask her to help wipe out some giants. The upper floors of the training tower have become a little busy. I doubt she gets much play time in there anymore."

The memory of Amdirlain's last encounter with Klipyl had a smile twitching to life. The possibility of how some of the Fallen would react to the news of a former Succubus now being a Trumpet Archon was amusing.

"She's lovely," declared Isa. "And she knows Livia, so I'm sure she will be more than willing to help."

Their endorsements of Sarah's former hunting partner brought a matching gleam of amusement to Sarah's gaze, and Amdirlain caught its flicker towards Silpar. "I think that's a grand idea. More hands make light work, and she can fill us in on the changes at Xaos. The question still is, what do you plan to do? Are you looking to do this with a small team to get a Tier 7? While it might be enough for others, I doubt dealing with this incursion will get you one."

Isa hummed happily. "You closed the gates on those worlds Orcus had seized. I take it you weren't going to do that here because of wizards or priests among the giants being able to get back to the world?"

Amdirlain nodded sharply.

"I think you're underestimating something," said Isa. "You're a self-interested and mean-spirited Giant. Something seizes you and punts you back onto the Para-Elemental Plane of Ice without so much as a by your leave. How scared would you be? Would you want to go back and see what it might do to you next time? Punt them home, close the gates and leave a set of surveyors in orbit to see if any frost giants show back up again."

"I want to kill them, but that could be my draconic instincts talking. I think part of the reason there are giants is to provide supper for dragons," huffed Sarah.

Silpar snorted in amusement. "Do many dragons think everything in the realm relates to them?"

"Dragons were the first species created within the realm, in an agreement between four primordials," grumbled Sarah.

Silpar frowned and opened his mouth to argue but shut it with a snap. “Really?”

A predatory grin broadened on Sarah’s face. “You don’t want to know what I remember.”

"Be that as it may. From my perspective, Amdirlain has three main options around her primary goal: Kill the giants, banish them from the world, or place the Skrel on one of your demi-planes after creating its contents based on this world," said Ilya.

I could do that for the whole species, but it feels like it might become permanent and would impact the other Mantle holders through no fault of their own.

Isa's mouth twisted with distaste at the last. "How is it fair to take them from their world?"

"As Ilya pointed out, their existence here is fragile. It would be a safe environment while their species increases in numbers," replied Silpar.

"I'd also be duplicating all the diseases and animals that might be hazardous to them," observed Amdirlain. "It leaves them in a precarious state, and I've taken them from their world. To have enough numbers for the species to be viable, I'd have to move the other tribes as well. The results from the Analysis say there are other beings among the Skrel with mantles."

"They likely have their Domain still on the Material Plane until their strength grows," stated Silpar. "If you can identify them, sending a messenger before changing the world would be polite."

"It might be good for Livia to know the beings she'll have to deal with," Ilya noted. "Or to know potential enemies."

Part of Amdirlain wanted to end the giants to prevent them from being a danger to someone else instead of passing the buck. The knowledge that untold trillions likely lived on worlds and planes didn't make it easier to ignore the ones present here.

I'm not ignoring them by banishing them back to their Home Plane, and it'll get them away from the Skrel.

Amdirlain retrieved the crystal plate from Isa, called up the surveyors' scan results for the frost giants, and found it matched Analysis’ tally. They had also discovered multiple natural rifts to the Para-Elemental Plane of Ice but no gates or portals.

“But my new toy,” Isa protested, fixing her pleading gaze on Amdirlain.

"Naughty, no stealing my things. I'll see how many I can send home, but I expect plenty will be left behind. There are some things to arrange, so I'll borrow one of Ebusuku's messengers and get that started first," said Amdirlain.

Silpar and Isa exchanged a nod of relief.

"The tribe will still need guidance to make it through an Ice Age," said Silpar. "Have you determined if that is artificial?"

"There are a few hundred rifts, so it seems the planet had cooled naturally, and they formed through environmental attunement, though the giants’ presence likely accelerated it," replied Amdirlain, and she prepared a Message Spell.

"Kli, do you want to help me with a project?"

Amdirlain voiced the question aloud before she released the Spell.

Klipyl's response blazed into existence a moment later and echoed across the snow-covered valley. "Yes, please!"

Though she grinned, Sarah covered her eyes and slowly shook her head. “Did she bother to learn the discrete versions?”

“Likely not,” giggled Isa.

Amdirlain didn't bother with a circle, just sent the summoning across the planes and felt an enthusiastic acceptance. A patch of white light blazed on the snow, and Klipyl soon manifested. Her appearance confirmed the transition through the tunnel to the Material Plane caused the reversion to True Form.

Nearly three metres tall, Klipyl had a single pair of white wings, and her golden metal trumpet was slung casually over one shoulder in a pose that thrust out her chest and made the most of her minimal outfit. Her attire was composed of a single ribbon of luminous white silk that matched her wings' glowing white feathers and stood out from her bronzed skin. The ribbon's endpoints were secured in a small bow at her throat and wrapped around Klipyl in a complex pattern, which, while covering all the essentials, left a lot of exposed skin.

"Ammie," squealed Klipyl, and she dashed forward. Her trumpet disappeared into a storage ring, and Klipyl transformed.

Amdirlain took in the shift of Klipyl's form from archon to a black-haired Wood Elf that matched Amdirlain's height but retained Klipyl's well-endowed figure. The ribbon she wore effortlessly shrunk to fit her adjustments yet kept a tightness that made it appear glued on.

Klipyl wrapped her arms around Amdirlain and planted a kiss on her cheek. "It's so good to see you again. What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to deliver messages to local Mantle holders that have been having problems with some giants," advised Amdirlain.

Klipyl nodded happily, almost bouncing on the spot with the energy of the gesture and jiggling against Amdirlain. "I've had a lot of practice fighting constructs and undead, so fighting giants is fine. What have they done?"

"All I know for certain is that they've invaded a world. You might not need to fight them," said Amdirlain, and she glanced at Silpar.

"Do you want me to go deliver those instructions to whoever is in charge?" asked Klipyl. "Or do we kick them in the rear until they get the idea?"

"Out of those options, I vote for kicking," replied Sarah.

Klipyl's gaze snapped towards her, and a broad smile stretched her lips. "Do we tell them it's not cool to come into other people's worlds?"

"I see holiness doesn’t fill in for a developed sense of humour," quipped Sarah.

"Jokes and I are always winging our relationship," laughed Klipyl.

Sarah looked Klipyl up and down and sighed. "Maybe you need to feather your humour's nest more. What's with the ribbon?"

Klipyl pouted. "Don't you like my special weapon?"

"You categorise your boobs as a special weapon?" replied Sarah. "Do you knock people out with them?"

Stepping back from Amdirlain, Klipyl gave Sarah a wink and grasped the bow at her throat. The ribbon peeled off her body and turned into a braided whip in a smooth transition that left her completely naked. "It's a whip of entanglement, and I can turn someone into a well-secured present with it."

"If you'd wear something more normal, the messages I want you to deliver are to the other Mantle holders, not the giants," said Amdirlain. "I'm going to send the giants home and then try to seal the paths to the Para-Elemental Plane of Ice."

"The locals might walk around naked," countered Klipyl, looking over the snow-covered valley. "Would that lead to bits of them falling off?”

Despite Klipyl's words, a white backless dress with a loop to secure it around her neck appeared from her storage ring, and she quickly wiggled into what turned out to be a body-contouring outfit that barely reached below her butt.

"Ta-da," said Klipyl, as she threw her arms wide. "Don't I look pretty?"

Silpar’s gaze narrowed, and he stared at Amdirlain in disbelief. ‘This is your trusted messenger?’

‘Absolutely,’ projected Amdirlain.

"Are you buying every dress from a paint store?" asked Sarah.

Klipyl huffed and crossed her arms beneath her breasts, deliberately accentuating them. "That’s rich from the Dragon who normally wears sheer silk. I'm somewhat disappointed today. What's with the hunting leathers?"

While they bantered, Amdirlain tried to get further information on the Mantle holders and, fortunately, one of the early options yielded results.

[World: Círbann

Native Mantle holders:

Livia, Mantle of Protection (Original Species: Human, Altered Soul)

Nendes, Mantle of Waters (Original Species: Nereid Matron)

Erfaron, Mantle of Hunting (Original Species: Redcap Lord)

Fuichon, Mantle of Darkness (Original Species: Pixie Elder)

Note: While they are only fragments of who they once were, be careful of the rules of hospitality.]

I don’t know what to say about Livia's original species. All three of the others are types of Fey: nereid are water entities, redcaps are vicious fighters that dye their hats in blood, and pixies are usually associated with air, not darkness. Yet they carry neither summer’s heat nor winter’s chill but autumn's slowing. And they all feel older than this world, yet somehow young. When did one of the dead courts get here? Is this why the world’s name is elvish for haven?

The thought of the courts being dead prickled up from Orhêthurin’s memory of slaughtering Fey, but nothing further rose, so Amdirlain focused on the three entities.

With the words came the songs of their locations and natures. Despite their Fey origins, all seemed to be deities of balance and nature, and their domains were in the warmer regions.

Amdirlain brought up images of locations at the edge of each Domain for Klipyl and provided her with their names. "Would you ask them to come see me?"

Klipyl tilted her head. "Is that a diplomatic way of saying: I'm stronger than you?"

"They’re Fey, so I might not be. Something is odd here, but ‌the entire world except their domains is neutral territory. Let them know I'll save the Skrel people but request to talk to the Mantle holders alone."

"Fey don't like to deal with Fallen," cautioned Silpar.

Amdirlain nodded. “Yet I feel like I need to meet with them.”

"Meeting them here or somewhere else?" asked Klipyl.

Amdirlain brought up an image on the crystal plate and zoomed in to show Klipyl a large lake. "We'll meet all three by this lake in a warmer region. While it's away from Nendes' Domain, it's near water, so she shouldn't be uncomfortable. There are shadows under the trees for Erfaron and Fuichon to manifest in, though only Fuichon seems to need the concealment."

“I’ve not dealt with Fey previously. Any special instructions?” asked Klipyl.

“If they ask for something, even something simple, don’t agree,” replied Amdirlain, and she handed her three memory crystals. “Don’t say thank you, say it's appreciated. Don’t say no directly; use wording like not at present, or you’ll think on their offer. Get one of these crystals to a servant from each Domain, but don’t go inside. Meet me at the lake when the deliveries are finished so I know you’re safe.”

“And if they lure me in?”

Amdirlain smiled. “I’ll make them regret it until they’ve returned you unharmed. No one messes with one of my friends.”

Klipyl blinked, and her joking was gone. “Friends with an ex-Succubus, you’re gonna make me cry.”

She blew Amdirlain a kiss and vanished.