Owlnother World

Hera and Circe were waiting downstairs under the watchful eyes of Banélin. Catori gave him a smile as she walked up.

"These two are trustworthy", she said, "Though Circe might need some holding back. She gets a bit excited sometimes."

"Hey!", the girl in question complained.

"I see", the dwarf said, "Thank you Madam Catori. Madam Alex already vouched for them."

"We're going to see if Nymph wants to meet them."

"That would be appreciated."

Alex and Catori stepped out onto the meadow surrounding Nymph's grove and took a deep breath. The late-autumn air was fresh and cleared their minds as the wind rustled the grass. Obviously, the grove was still green and fresh like it was summer. The mantis was specialized on herba vis, after all.

They crossed the distance with easy steps, keeping an eye on the grove. In between the branches, it was difficult to spot the insect Guardian but Catori's [Eye for Danger] Skill nearly blared Nymph's position at her. Catori waved as they arrived and Nymph connected to both of them with her [Telepathy].

"Why hello, Catori. And welcome back Alex. I hope you two are doing well."

"We are", Catori said out loud, "Would you mind if we bring in two more people?"

"Not at all, as long as you trust them."

Alex turned to get the others but stopped as Hera was already stepping out of the guardhouse. The maid was holding onto Circe's hand to stop the girl from running off, which looked to be necessary by the amazed eyes observing every detail.

"This maid…", Alex sighed, "Her Skills are just so strange."

"What do you mean by that?", Nymph asked.

"She's extremely specialized to serve me, and exclusively me. She can read my intentions and act on them before I ask her to. Usually, she at least lets me do that."

"Ah. How curious. Where have you found such a devoted individual?"

"I saved her life when the caravan we were on was attacked. She kinda attached to me."

Alex turned again to introduce the newcomers as they got close.

"Well, this is Hera, my maid. The girl is Circe, a young [Witch] out on an adventure and her familiar Mex."

Hera bowed while Circe just waved. The raven gave a caw, looking around with interest.

"Guys, this is Nymph, Guardian of Serrington."

"Pah", the Guardian in question sent as she added the other two to the telepathic connection, "Just Nymph is fine. I have been trying to be more social so there's no need to scare your friends with titles."

"Oh! You talk like Fio!", Circe clapped her hands, "And you're so small. Wow."

"I don't believe I could scare them", Alex grumbled as Catori giggled.

"Right. Let's sit down?"

Nymph nodded.

"Come in. I have a more welcoming area to receive guests, now."

The mantis turned and slid into the undergrowth which quickly parted behind her. A few steps in, Catori found herself in a slight clearing with a few roots placed in a circle at just the right height for a dwarf to sit on. There was a little pedestal that would put Nymph up on eye level with anyone she wanted to talk to and a low table in the centre with a few branches carrying fruit growing out of it.

"Help yourself to the fruits. I can also provide some nuts or vegetables, if you wish. I am still trying to figure out how to provide tea."

Catori nodded approvingly.

"You've been busy these last few days. Any particular reason?"

"As a matter of fact, I will be hosting the other Guardians. I wanted to have your opinion on this as a reception for them and their protectors. What do you think?"

"It's pretty good. Do you know what species the Guardians coming here are?"

"Yes. An avian raptor, some sort of large eagle, and a wolf. I will expand the clearing a little to make space for the latter but the former will be fine with a comfortable branch. Though I have heard a third Guardian is also on the way. As he is a mouse, he will take a little longer to get here and might only meet us at the goblin village."

"Mhm. Should be fine, then. We can figure out how to provide tea later. I've got some time."

"I will gladly assist", Hera said with a dip of her head, holding down Circe by the shoulders to stop the girl from running around the place. Her raven was not hindered and happily jumped around, inspecting every little thing.

"Thank you, Hera."

They switched to small talk and sharing stories of the last months. Nymph knew about most of the broad details but the retelling from a direct source was still very interesting to her. Eventually, the mantis turned to Catori with a question.

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"Have you made progress on your decision, yet?"

Catori lowered her eyes and fiddled with her fingers.

"Um… no. I haven't."

"What decision?" Circe asked. The seraphim looked up and caught her friends' expectant gazes.

"Well…"

Nymph sent a telepathic sigh.

"She has not chosen a Class."

"Wait, what?" Circe blinked rapidly, "Why?"

"You should have done that earlier," Hera nodded.

"I…"

Alex put a hand on her arm.

"Catori, you don't need to feel pressured. Classes are great power magnifiers, yes, but if you want to make this choice stick I can see why you'd wait."

"But you can change Class?" Circe tilted her head.

"It appears Catori has decided to avoid that process. The pain of her evolution was large enough she wishes to avoid a repeat."

"Mm…" Catori pulled her legs to her chin. She felt a gentle arm wrap around her shoulders and leaned into the embrace.

"Shhh," Alex said, "I'm here. It's okay."

Circe slammed into her as well, face full of worry. Catori could not help but chuckle. She heaved a breath, forcing air into her lungs, then held it for a moment. With a shudder, she let it go.

"I'm fine," Catori said, "Thanks."

"No worries, Cat. That's what we're here for."

"Cat?" she blinked.

"You don't like it."

"No. I… it's fine."

Alex nodded.

"What options do you have for your Classes?" the living fortress asked.

"Well, I have access to everything Fio has. There are a few more that I unlocked but nothing really…"

"Let's go through it?"

"We have already talked about it", Nymph sent, "The problem lies less with what options she has and more with her interests. Or the lack thereof."

"Huh?" Circe blinked.

"I don't know what I want…" Catori admitted sheepishly.

"Oh. That sucks. But you can just try things, right?"

"I don't want to have to switch Classes if I don't end up liking it."

"Then don't take a Class. Just try things. All the kids do it before they become youths and unlock the first Class slot."

"That's… not really that easy. I like magic, you know?"

"Ah. Yeah," Circe nodded, "But that's the solution, right? Take a magic Class."

"There are more things to consider than just that", Nymph sent, "Aspects play a major role for all magical Classes."

Catori nodded.

"We already excluded research stuff. I don't need a Class to help with that. So no [Thaumaturge] or [Scholar] or something like that. Which means I should do something with the aspects I have access to."

"That means?" Circe asked.

The seraphim sighed.

"My options are rather… dark. But my racial Skills use more positive ones."

"Don't you have ordo?" Alex asked, "You have everything Fio has, right?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe you can build on that… Something focused around ordo and its adjacent aspects."

"I'm not sure. I only really have vitreus there. Going with perditio as a base would be much more efficient."

"But do you want to do it?"

"I still believe you should find an option focused on permutatio. But, as you know, it will be easier to work on a Class evolution to get there and start with either perditio or ordo."

"Ugh… I don't know."

"What are the Classes for that?" Alex asked.

"There are none the dwarves know of that are focused on permutatio. Ordo and perditio both provide options but nothing has been satisfying enough for Catori to look into more deeply."

"You lack purpose", Hera said. Everyone turned to look at her, "It's quite simple. I had my Class changed due to my desire to serve Lady Alexandra. You have nothing you truly want."

"But why…" Catori muttered.

"It's that damn node, isn't it?" Alex said, "Makes you think you can't really plan for the long term."

The seraphim extended her wings, wrapping them around her body. She turned the thought around in her head. It… was not wrong. She should have no issues living for centuries but right now this world would not last that long.

"So I'm supposed to pick something that helps with that problem?" Catori grimaced.

"You may regret it, but better to live and be able to have regrets than never being able to change anything about them", Nymph sent.

"Right. I'll… think of something. What do we even need? More [Thaumaturges]?"

Alex snorted.

"I doubt it. Is there something that can manipulate vis? Maybe having someone able to interact with it at range could allow us to learn more about the smaller hungry node."

"… it's worth a thought."

Nymph nodded, finally satisfied.

"Very well. You have made a decision. Now only follow that path and remember we will help you across any obstacles."

Catori smiled.

"Thanks, guys."

"No worries", Alex said, "That's what friends are for."

"Yup! We're friends!" Circe pumped her fist, "Can we go see the city, now?"

Mex landed on her shoulder and cawed, making everyone laugh.

"Yes, Circe", Alex said, "We can go see the city, now."