Abyssal Road Trip - 317 - Burning alive (Patreon)

Amdirlain’s PoV - Material Plane - Qil Tris

Kadaklan’s gaze twinkled in amusement, but Amdirlain had had enough of the games.

“I know there is a lot you’d like to know about me, but really I’m just not going to share it unless it's needed. So please ask questions directly related to restoring my legs, and you’ll get information. You seem on a fishing expedition at the moment,” observed Amdirlain.

“I’ll admit I’m procrastinating. My Third Eye caused you actual injury and a lot more pain than I expected. This will not be pleasant for either of us,” warned Kadaklan. “You will be in continual pain.”

Amdirlain nodded. “Not having legs is beyond unpleasant for me, so my discomfort is beside the point. Please explain the process and what we need to do. I’ll volunteer anything I see related. Anything relevant I don’t address you can ask me questions about, fair?”

Hissing in sympathy, Kadaklan shook his head. “Warrior types. You could have a productive existence as you are right now without risking your Soul.”

“That’s not an option. Start with the basics, please,” instructed Amdirlain.

“The ends of your spiritual lines have a lingering energy from the severing. We need to get them clear of your flesh and cause them to expand by running Ki and Mana with the same energy that severed them through your sigil. Primordial energy isn’t for the faint of heart; one slip and you could explode.”

“I still need my legs back,” shrugged Amdirlain.

“Do you plan to rush off and get into more fights with Primordial-wielding foes?”

“I cut myself in two while in an incorporeal state to prevent the rot from a wound from spreading. The energy in the wound was from outside the realm. However, you’re fishing again. Whatever I run off to fight isn’t related to the procedure,” declared Amdirlain.

“Maybe I need a reason to steel myself to do this other than it being an interesting experiment,” proposed Kadaklan.

“Really?” huffed Amdirlain, and she gave him a look of frustration.

Kadaklan shrugged. “I don’t enjoy the suffering of others, yet I will know your agony. If you explode and I’m weaving the strands of your spiritual net, I’ll suffer injury or worse. Convince me this is important, or Master Cyrus can look for another Tao Healer to take on the challenge.”

His revelation caused Amdirlain to wince, and she nodded in apology. “My apologies. I hadn’t realised you were exposed to risk. There are virulent entities here that put this world at risk.”

“Eldritch foes, from out of the Primal Chaos that births the realms,” interjected Cyrus.

“Far Chaos,” corrected Amdirlain.

Cyrus waved a reproving finger. “It’s not the term used in the Middle Kingdom, and not all realms have a place like Limbo.”

“There are over a billion living beings on this world. They have no deities, and a slumbering Eldritch Demigod is beneath a city whose population seems a couple of million at least. Other Eldritch beings are running a cult dedicated to it in that city, and potentially others. If the Demigod gets woken up, it might not stick around to eat the rest, but the lives and souls of those in the city will probably be forfeit,” explained Amdirlain.

Kadaklan blanched. “Okay, that’s a fairly sizeable reason. Now, to the injury, was their rot spreading through your spiritual net?”

“It had twisted strands of my form into a different dimensional state. As the rot advanced, it caused pain in my sigil’s lowest node, which bypassed my Pain Eater Skill,” clarified Amdirlain. “I had very little time to act. I would have tried to isolate the strands but didn’t have time to play around if I was going to stop it from reaching any nodes.”

“Most skills that I’m aware of relating to physical pain management can handle physical or stretch to mental pain, but not spiritual,” noted Kadaklan. “Alright, let's start with the basics. Is that the form you need for the foreseeable future?”

Frowning, Amdirlain stared at him in concern. “How long will I need to stay in one form?”

“Your spiritual net is going to be very fragile for anything up to a couple of years after this,” explained Kadaklan. “You’ll want to start the process in whatever form you intend to hold on to for a while. The less you stretch or compress it in the early stages, the faster it will heal.”

Amdirlain nodded and shifted into the dark blue Catfolk form she used for Am, the absence of her tail feeling odd.

“Oh, you’re a fur lover,” laughed Kadaklan, and he gave Cyrus a wink. “Yeah, she’s another freaky one.”

Cyrus frowned.

“Really?” grumbled Amdirlain.

“Hey, I’ll admit I’m not in a position to judge,” Kadaklan said, lifting his hands defensively. “I’m a bird brain, so you can enjoy your fur. I was referring to an old tale those following the White Tiger find embarrassing.”

Livia tried not to snicker, and she gently patted Amdirlain’s ears. “How long will healing Móðir take?”

Kadaklan tapped his chin. “A few months.”

“Is there any way to speed it up?” groaned Amdirlain.

“We’ll conduct healing sessions daily, but most beings surrender to the pain after half an hour. It's enough time to weave the strands into place for one frame, but not two,” explained Kadaklan. “Given you severed your torso just below your belly button, you’ll need a load of sessions.”

“Any other factors limiting the session length besides the pain?” asked Amdirlain.

“Well, it's impossible to cycle continuously; you’ll need to use up the Ki and Mana you generate. Also, I’ll need to gather more materials to guide the spiritual net as things progress.”

“That won’t be a problem,” advised Amdirlain. “Is it just normal cycling, or do I have to do anything extra while activating the sigil nodes?”

Kadaklan raised a questioning hand. “Hold up. Why won’t it be a problem?”

“I’ve got the means available to store massive amounts of Ki and Mana,” clarified Amdirlain. “Get me fully functional legs, and I’ll give you all the excess Ki I produce during it.”

“Master Cyrus already paid my bill,” advised Kadaklan.

Cyrus shrugged. “I can’t teach my interesting pupil if she doesn’t have legs. I’m looking forward to when you return to Nolmar.”

“Then consider it a bonus, or if that’s frowned upon, take it as a payment to help those in need,” proposed Amdirlain.

Kadaklan smiled. “Considering the danger, let’s go with it as a bonus. No healer, least of all me, will object to a bonus from a happy patient. To address your question: You’ll have to cycle with Ki and Mana already aligned with the Primordial aspect.”

“How does it matter with it contained in my sigil?”

“It’s not completely contained, is it? Otherwise, those cycling to their limits wouldn’t see their flesh start to glow,” noted Kadaklan. “Wisps of Ki and Mana will run through your net when your sigil flares. Ki State prevents it from injuring you normally, but when they hit the severed ends, they’ll likely feel like heated razors.”

“Likely?” asked Amdirlain.

“That’s the experience when the Mana is Yang or Fire attuned. I’ve never done this with someone who had their net severed by Primordial energy,” clarified Kadaklan. “Now, the severed ends of a spiritual net are elastic to the energy that severed them. As the wisps reach the ends, I can stretch them, and the Ki in the strand will make it permanent. My fun is ensuring the strands don’t fuse improperly or get entangled outside the proper nodes.”

Amdirlain started to interrupt with another question, and Kadaklan raised a hand.

“Hold up. I’ll need my Third Eye turned on to see the strands, which neither of us will enjoy. I use various exotic materials to form a scaffold to guide and infuse into the strands. It provides resources for them to form the nodes, and being out of alignment can cause later issues,” finished Kadaklan.

“I’ll have to endure the pain from Primordial Mana wisps and the injury your Third Eye inflicts. You get a front-row seat throughout the unpleasantness,” observed Amdirlain. “I’ve got a Power called Harmony that helps me meditate and understand the energy flow. It's a more spiritual experience, so hopefully it mentally lets me handle this pain. What materials do you need?”

“Lots of exotic stuff, some of it keeps for years, and I’ve got those with me, but others only maintain their energy for a few months or weeks. I’ve got enough of everything for the first few sessions, but I’ll need to gather each day,” advised Kadaklan. “There are limited windows of time throughout the day so that they’ll have maximum efficiency.”

“No, if you’ve got a sample of everything you need, I can likely provide the lot,” corrected Amdirlain softly. “Can you show me the materials?”

Kadaklan snorted in disbelief and laid a series of glass jars from a storage bag. They were each infused with Ki and a combination of Wood and Water Mana. “Distilled essence of Phase Spider silk, dewdrops from the Jade Emperor’s peach trees, moonlight distilled in a pool inhabited by a water Shen.”

As he continued listing strange materials, Amdirlain silently duplicated their music. Shelves filled with matching glass jars appeared behind him. Rows of them filled with the essence and dewdrops, and after confirming their songs matched, Amdirlain progressed onwards. Kadaklan looked at her enquiringly in the short time it took her to set up the supplies, and Amdirlain finally pointed behind him.

Fixing a sceptical look at her, Kadaklan glanced over his shoulder and froze. “No!”

Turning back to Amdirlain, he mouthed the word again, and Amdirlain nodded. “Oh yes! Check them for yourself?”

“How?” gasped Kadaklan when he got through examining each of the containers.

“I can deal with pain and provide materials,” evaded Amdirlain. “If you wish to continue, then so do I. When do we start? And do you need breaks?”

Kadaklan huffed, and it seemed like his inner Phoenix had his feathers ruffled. “I’ll have to get your strands set up to expand first.”

Amdirlain shifted to lie flat on the couch and pulled the blanket up to expose her stomach. “Let’s get started then.”

Shaking his head at her impatience, Kadaklan drew the unguent jar back out, along with the bronze-hued knife.

“Why do you use bronze?” asked Livia.

“It’s not bronze; it’s orichalcum,” corrected Kadaklan, and he looked across the gathering. “No one besides me or Am needs to be here.”

Livia started to protest, and Kadaklan raised a reproving finger to silence her.

“If we take a lengthy break, you can keep her company, but Am can’t afford me to be distracted during this work. If you want her to have functional legs, kill anything that tries to interrupt this process,” advised Kadaklan.

“Save your unguent, I’m sure it's expensive,” instructed Amdirlain.

“It takes some Ki to purify the materials, but it’s not prohibitively expensive,” hedged Kadaklan.

Amdirlain sighed. “Just cut me open, and let’s get this done.”

“And there is your freakiness on full display,” chortled Kadaklan morbidly.

“Guilty,” snorted Amdirlain. “My Profile has my Willpower rated at six thousand, four hundred and eighty.”

“Okay, you might not explode on me,” blurted Kadaklan. “You’re unique situation is turning out to be a little insane.”

“No more insane than other situations I’ve found myself in,” replied Amdirlain. “My flesh is a false thing. I need this malfunction fixed.”

“All of you shoo,” ordered Kadaklan.

As the group moved, he got out various medical instruments, many of which wouldn’t look out of place in an Earth operating theatre except for being made of orichalcum. Amdirlain adjusted the compound’s shape to add a side entrance to the living quarters and attuned them to unlock for the group.

As he looked over the arrayed tools, Kadaklan spoke softly. “Wherever you are in life, strive to find happiness in yourself. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to improve, but disliking yourself is toxic.”

Amdirlain exhaled. “You’re about to be cutting into me. I’m trying to distance myself from my flesh as much as possible. Would it make it easier if I was on a higher surface?”

Kadaklan gave her a dissatisfied look and sighed.

“A practical subject change at least, instead of cursing me for a fool. If you can magic up a proper operating table, I won’t say no,” agreed Kadaklan, waving his hands towards the open space in the hall. “I’ve worked in worse conditions than this couch.”

Amdirlain created a truncated operating table with side gullies to remove blood she couldn’t control. Rising to the ceiling on either side were two three-metre-tall crystal spires to store Mana and Ki. With the first stage setup, Amdirlain floated atop it. “I heal rapidly, so you might have to work faster than you normally do. Tell me whatever changes I need to make.”

Standing at the table’s end, Kadaklan requested various adjustments to the length and height. When satisfied, he clamped the blanket’s folds to the table to keep it out of the way and placed what looked like a frame of hooks above her. “I believe my Third Eye will help keep the wounds open. Start cycling with Ki alone. It will help me locate any that have receded. Ready?”

Laying back fully, Amdirlain nodded and felt the metal rub against the back of her head. She cycled a lap of her sigil only for Kadaklan to squawk.

“Seriously! That is not what I was expecting at all. How do you have so many nodes involved in your sigil!” yelped Kadaklan.

“This is normal for me. What did you expect? You said you knew it looks like a phoenix rising from a flaming pyre.”

“Maybe a dozen points like a star sign, not this,” Kadaklan said, waving a hand at the afterglow illustrating her upper torso.

“It's my normal sigil,” advised Amdirlain. “Master Cyrus didn’t make the amount of fuss you did about it.”

“If you say so,” responded Kadaklan dryly and, as he made the first incision, he turned on his Third Eye.

It took an hour before Kadaklan had all the ends of the strands located and forceps attached to each. He carefully hung each long implement from a specific location on the hook-lined plate he’d set up. Pain Eater barely noted the operation, but Mental Hardening and Protean had repeatedly increased from his Third Eye.

“We’re all set, miss monster,” noted Kadaklan as he put the last forceps into place. “I’ll let you know when I need the table extended, and we can take breaks at that point.”

“I’ll make some sections that you can slide into place to keep my legs from dangling over,” breathed Amdirlain as the pain eased down. “Also, I’ve got a tail in this form.”

“Sectional tables with locking rollers sounds like the go-to. I might need to form your tail and not just your tailbone. We’ll see if the flesh expands when the nodes nearby form.”

“There are a few things I need to set up to disguise my absence,” said Amdirlain. “I’ll just need a few minutes before we push on.”

“Do whatever you need to do for this cover story of yours, and let me know when you’re ready to begin,” instructed Kadaklan.

Amdirlain added a host of linked songs to the crystal that maintained the illusion of her sleeping form at Jal’krin. Some were to insert set memories or reactions to situational shifts, while others would alert her to problems that needed attention.

As she worked, Kadaklan used the materials she’d provided to set up frames for the first sections extending the net of her torso. Each looked like a cross between a cat’s cradle game and a glistening spider’s web, measured to match up with her form. His fingers blurred as his hands danced between the now-open jars, materials mingled in dishes before him and the resultant strands wrapped through notches.

“Ready,” advised Amdirlain at last.

“Any time you want to take a break, just stop cycling. We’ll have to take a break eventually when I need to prepare more frames,” informed Kadaklan, and he tapped on the polished rectangle before him. “Now, I just need a few minutes to finish the initial set, and we’ll begin. You can start cycling to warm things up, so to speak.”

The first wisps of Primordial Mana hitting the severed ends sent an inferno of pain through her awareness. The agony made enduring the timeless state of ascension in the Abyss seem like good practice. Though her cycling momentarily wavered in her surprise, her Mental Hardening supported her Willpower, and it was a river of lava that was a familiar theme.

Harmony with the Primordial flames helped her swim in the inferno that waxed and waned through the repetition of the sigil’s pattern. Yet, of all the things she’d endured, thinking past pain was what years of straining against the Abyss, and the wear of True Song, had taught her. Under the battering of his Third Eye, healing required Universal Life to supplement Protean.

Despite his earlier joking, Kadaklan’s theme grounded Amdirlain in his dispassionate and meticulous precision. As he completed the nodes, Protean extended her flesh a centimetre at a time. Kadaklan’s grounded emotions helped Amdirlain ignore the discomfort when he worked in intimate places.

Breaks had come and gone over the first twenty hours of work each time Kadaklan had stopped to build frames. On another routine stop, this time at mid-thigh, Kadaklan’s gaze tracked back over the completed work. As he considered a spot high on her inner thigh, he tilted his head like a curious pigeon and poked at it with clear dissatisfaction showing on his face.

“Problem?” gasped Amdirlain in surprise, now able to speak past the pain of his Third Eye being active.

“The node there doesn’t seem to have sealed together properly. It’s more just overlapping strands than a proper junction,” explained Kadaklan. “You might lack sensitivity or even find spontaneous wounds occurring if it doesn’t resolve itself.”

“Will it impact my combat ability?”

Humming unhappily, Kadaklan shrugged. “I’m not a fighter, a possible weak point in your Ki State, maybe?”

“Do we prune my leg back and start above it again?” asked Amdirlain.

Kadaklan grunted in disgust. “I mentioned your spiritual net being fragile. Do I look like a butcher to want to do you additional harm on that scale?”

“Then can you stop poking me? Your fingers are a little high right there,” noted Amdirlain.

“Oh,” blurted Kadaklan, and he quickly yanked his hand away. “Lucky I had the higher points buttoned down properly.”

Buying into the embarrassed laugh Kadaklan gave as his Third Eye turned off, Amdirlain went with the flow. “Are you trying to push my button?”

“I didn’t even have to buy you any alcohol, and you’re legless,” huffed Kadaklan.

Amdirlain groaned. “That joke’s too soon and so wrong.”

“Too soon or torso?”

“That doesn’t rhyme,” complained Amdirlain, and she groaned again. “Can I kill you now?”

“Only if you want me to put your knees on backwards when I return from Judge Po,” Kadaklan playfully threatened.

“Meow,” hissed Amdirlain.

Snorting back a laugh, Kadaklan moved to gather new jars from the shelves. “Are you practising being a cat, or was that a comment on my choice for revenge?”

Amdirlain waved a hand at the spires she’d been almost continually charging since she’d first approached the overflow. “Consider the jokes part of what the hazard pay covers.”

“I’d expected you to blow us sky-high by now, so there is no need to be catty,” grumbled Kadaklan.

“Are you going to milk that for all it's worth?”

Kadaklan turned back and gave her a haughty look. “Please, you’re just lapping up the attention.”

“Well, at least I have a lap now,” joked Amdirlain.

“True,” noted Kadaklan. “You know, you have a very warped sense of humour.”

With no need to cycle presently, Amdirlain took in the feathery pattern’s afterglow shining through the fur along her arms.

Kadaklan glanced across at her movement and laughed lightly. “You’ve got a bit of vanity, but your plumage is clearly showing through your skin and fur.”

“I’m concerned about what that will mean later,” admitted Amdirlain.

“Hopefully, something good for you,” replied Kadaklan. “We phoenixes are a good omen for many people. As for the node in your leg, once your net has recovered, we can operate to fix it. I’m pleased that it seems to be the only one with issues. Given the pace we’re moving at, it's remarkable that you’ve only ended up with one trouble spot; clearly, you came to the right healer, recommend him to your friends. Meanwhile, I recommend doing lots of Ki Cycling with Ki alone until the net stabilises.”

Nodding her understanding, Amdirlain let him focus on his measuring and preparation work.

After finishing the next setup, Kadaklan turned back towards her and froze. With a discrete cough, he moved around to the side of the table and unclamped the blanket. After unfolding it down over her hips, he secured it again. “My apologies. I got caught up in the work and didn’t consider adjusting the blanket earlier.”

“We were both caught up in everything else. It was the last thing on my mind until you started poking my leg,” reassured Amdirlain.

“Have we exchanged enough diplomatic reassurances now?” enquired Kadaklan awkwardly.

“I think so, but don’t be a sleaze again, or you can talk to Judge Po,” grumbled Amdirlain with mock menace.

Kadaklan returned to his operating position and gave her a grin. “I’m the sleaze? That’s so nice after I said nice things upon seeing your beauty. You were the one that started talking about fisting of all things. You'd be in trouble if he kept me there a few years.”

“Tell him I’ll foot the punishment bill,” rebuffed Amdirlain.

Kadaklan groaned and dramatically shielded his face with his forearm. “Our jokes are getting worse.”

“Truly terrible. I understand why I’m resorting to humour, but why are you?”

“I get an impression of relaxation from you at the inappropriate humour,” explained Kadaklan. “I’ll have to slow down so you don’t have more problem spots. Ready, baby?”

Grinning at the ceiling, Amdirlain sighed. “Be gentle.”

“I didn’t feel a thing,” Kadaklan replied, and he reactivated his Third Eye.

“That’s my line,” laughed Amdirlain. As the Yang heat felt like it was scorching through her skin, Amdirlain resumed cycling. Lava licked at the end of her stumps and tried to snatch her attention from cycling. “Except it would be a lie.”

“Tell me, was it good for you,” breathed Kadaklan.

Amdirlain growled. “Oh yes!”

“Please don’t make me laugh,” replied Kadaklan, his hands moving steadily.

When Kadaklan unlatched the next frame, the insubstantial material snuck into the raw ends of Amdirlain’s flesh, and she signalled for a break. “I’ve got to keep another of my cover identities intact; need to call my fan club.”

Kadaklan frowned in confusion. “Fan club?”

“I’m an expert in getting people to have feelings about me: loathing, fear, and hatred, the usual. Pretty sure he’d enjoy knowing I got cut in two, but I won’t tell him that,” advised Amdirlain.

“Also love,” corrected Kadaklan. “I saw the emotion in the woman with the exotic crystal blue eyes. It's one reason I helped.”

Clearing her throat, Amdirlain adjusted the song to connect to Mor’lmes’s link unit to make her sound like J instead of Am. When the grouchy professor answered the link unit, he sounded wrung out.

“J,” grumbled Mor’lmes. “Thanks for the student’s life. My mate said I acknowledged the debt but pointed out I didn’t explicitly say thanks.”

“Did the student tell you who killed her?”

Mor’lmes growled in frustration. “No, which means it's likely someone from a patron’s pride. I wish she’d believe her word alone is enough. Can we talk about that in person?”

“Alright, but that won’t be for a bit. I’m busy cleaning up after Alyolhe and Cen’ki Spellclash. They were already dead. Eldritch beings took them and thirty-one others over when they ‘ascended’ to seats on the cult’s inner circle.”

“Will any of the missing be turning up? There has been a lot of fuss about the lakeside and this manor explosion. They’re connecting the events since law keepers found a basement with black stone and illegal wards,” reported Mor’lmes.

“Alyolhe’s replacement dissolved them. The basement is on my clean-up list, but a pair of powerful beings possessed them,” advised Amdirlain. “Even I wouldn’t take that basement lightly.”

“Going to throw it at the sky again?” questioned Mor’lmes. “You got a lot of groups very nervous, wondering if parts of the city will be next. Though you also have interesting ways to distract them—tonnes of mithril and people leaving hospitals with impossibly healed wounds. I’m assuming that’s your work as well?”

“I healed a few people,” admitted Amdirlain

“The accounts on the caster put it at nearly a thousand,” corrected Mor’lmes.

“I wasn’t keeping track, as I was busy with their injuries and diseases. I can’t give you reassurances that you can share with anyone,” noted Amdirlain. “Most of the stuff I’ve detected is more isolated, so I can clean it up without the drama. Who’d believe the entity responsible for such devastation won’t hurt them?”

“Most wouldn’t believe me, but the teams would,” said Mor’lmes. “What are the exceptions to your ‘most’? You mentioned something you’d tell me about the campus the other day.”

“The worst Eldritch danger is from under your campus. Would you follow advice about it?” enquired Amdirlain, and she tried to keep her voice calm.

“Depends if I thought it justified,” admitted Mor’lmes. “What is it?”

“There is a sleeping Demigod hidden on your campus that I think is the cult’s focus,” answered Amdirlain, opting to rip the band-aid off.

“How do we kill it?” asked Mor’lmes immediately, and Amdirlain banged her head against the table beneath her.

Amdirlain growled in frustration. “Your world didn’t kill the last gods in a confrontation. Your ancestors starved them of worshipers, and they created the effect you call the Gods’ Grave while they were fading. Relatively, they were puny gods. That sleeping being is from beyond reality’s edge. It’s not a weak Avatar, it doesn’t follow the rules, and it doesn’t need your worship. If the cult or someone attacking it wakes it up, millions will die.”

Mor’lmes’ breathing went quiet, and Amdirlain could picture him with his ears laid back flat. “How do we stop them?”

His words were a breathy, concerned whisper that eased Amdirlain’s fear.

“If you trust the medallions are wearable, have at least one team member in each group wear them. They will warm when near Eldritch energies. Have your people keep track of any time they warm up. Where they are, who or what’s around. Avoid confronting any of the people. The warmth is to let you know who not to trust. Don’t go digging until I get back, okay?” asked Amdirlain.

“You said the Arch-Wizard was involved. Did he bring it to the city?” Mor’lmes asked, his tone ranging from respect to disgust. “Please don’t keep us ignorant. It's in our city.”

His point was valid and tipped Amdirlain’s decision. “Yeah, he brought it. There was a journal entry about bringing them all back to the city. We need to talk and plan more first. Unfortunately, as mentioned, it will have to wait a few days. I need to undertake some more legwork and cleanup. I’ll call you in a few days. Please get me that list of the medical staff’s associates I asked you about. Also, there is a printing press making books with a sigil in an illustration. Perhaps investigate them for cult connections or if it's just a paying job.”

Amdirlain gave him the details and teleported the address book she’d taken to him.

When Amdirlain ended the call, Kadaklan looked at her in amusement. “Legwork, seriously?”

“You’re worried about my play on words and not a sleeping entity?” questioned Amdirlain.

“You’d already told me the stakes,” pointed out Kadaklan.

“Time to get back to my leg day,” quipped Amdirlain.

Setting a new frame on the table, Kadaklan aligned it. “Are you doing exercise references now?”

“Would you prefer I stick to gumshoe metaphors?”

Kadaklan frowned in confusion and tapped just about her raw stump. “Gum would be one way to keep your shoes attached.”

* * * *

There were a few interruptions during the second day of their labour. Am’s continued ‘illness’ prompted increased concern from Jal’krin in the morning and evening. Amdirlain had to provide unscripted responses when Pal’tran dropped him home to check on her in person. A tale of vague dreams of dozens of evolved classes connected to crowds pointed Pal’tran in the right direction. It caused Am to get dosed with extra food she needed to make disappear and tweak memories.

Kadaklan’s operation kept her under continual stress that caused a key group of skills and a Power to progress.

They’d passed the fifty-hour mark, and Kadaklan was working on her feet when Amdirlain got notified that Protean had advanced to Grand Master. No sooner had she pushed it aside than a new announcement appeared.

[Power Evolution Options available:

Immortal’s Endurance

• Evolution combines Protean, Mental Hardening, and Pain Eater.

Primordial Malleability

• Evolution of Protean

Phoenix’s Immolation

• Evolution combines Protean, Mental Hardening, Pain Eater, and Angelic Aura

Note: You can’t have all of them. Options 1 and 2 conflict.]

They were a distraction that Amdirlain pushed aside to continue her cycling. It was less than an hour later before Kadaklan declared everything complete. Disabling his Third Eye brought relief from the constant barrage. As he started to tap parts of her feet to check her reactions, her body recovered from the damage.

“I appreciate your efforts, Kadaklan,” breathed Amdirlain.

Kadaklan moved up the table and unclamped the blanket. “Do me one favour.”

“What might that be?”

“Don’t lose your legs again,” pleaded Kadaklan.

Amdirlain laughed and slowly sat up, extracting her tail from the gaps Kadaklan had left in the sections supporting her hips. “I’ll try to avoid it.”

“You had such a fierce expression that it was frightening. I thought you would come after me, even if you had to crawl across worlds,” admitted Kadaklan. “Figured it was part of your focus, so I didn’t say a thing earlier.”

Hopping carefully off the table, Amdirlain drew out Am’s clothing from Inventory and donned it directly. After nearly emptying her entire Ki Pool into the first spire, her skin stopped glowing through the fur.

“I was harmonising with Primordial Mana, which is pretty fierce. These are yours now,” advised Amdirlain, and she pointed out a rune on the side of one spire. “This will store Ki, the other can store various types of Mana, and you can pick the type to draw on. You’re the only one who’ll be able to draw on the contents.”

“I’m not sure what use I’ll have for Primordial Mana,” admitted Kadaklan, scratching his head. “The affinities you listed before will make the Ki useful.”

“I have all the affinities, I only told you the Mana types I can infuse within Ki State,” advised Amdirlain. “Except for the Eldritch energies, not sure if that is Mana or something else.”

“All,” muttered Kadaklan, and he gingerly touched the side of the Ki Spire. “That is a mass of Ki in there. You remember me asking Cyrus if you were a freak, miss monster?”

“I do, and it's quite understandable,” said Amdirlain. “As for the Primordial Mana, perhaps you can figure out an elixir that will benefit from the Mana boost during its creation.”

“I’ve no way to transport them, not them and the excess materials we’ve left,” laughed Kadaklan, looking up at the three-metre-tall crystal spires.

Rolling her eyes, Amdirlain created a storage ring and stored each before she handed it over. “Now you do.”

“I had thought you were joking about paying extra,” breathed Kadaklan

Singing again, she created a crystal rod the length of her forearm and interwove all the songs for the materials he’d used to help her. “This one will create jars of the materials as you need them. If someone steals it, the rod will return to you. It won’t last forever, but while it lasts, I hope you’ll use it well.”

Kadaklan took the rod from her almost reverently. “For someone so particularly freaky, you give delightful gifts. Remember, gently cycle with Ki alone. It will help your net stabilise.”

Realising how close it was to morning in the city’s time zone, Amdirlain cursed under her breath. “I wish we could talk more. The crystal Cyrus has can get you both back. I’m running very short of time.”

“My name is Kadaklan, send a Message if you have any issues, I’ve ways to reply to one whose Ki I’ve touched so much.”

Sending her apologies to the others and a promise to return soon, Amdirlain teleported to Jal’krin’s apartment.