Chapter 225: 225
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It didn't take long to see how the boy had gotten hurt. When he reached out to see if there was anything he could do to lessen the dryad's misery, she swiped at him with small but razor sharp nails that left superficial cuts on his suit. Feeling a power building on her, he had no doubts that a second attempt would have dire consequences and the over robe hadn't fully regrown out for very long. There was nothing to do but lead the confused and crying boy away.
There was a part of him that wanted to take the distraction opportunity up to enact their plan a little faster but felt a trap in it. However, a trap can easily turn into an opportunity of its own. Either way, Orison saw a chance to get things done easier than ever. It would highly depend on how he could take advantage of the event.
Once things had calmed down and Hazel would allow them back into the Sky Hall, he asked, "Is there anything I can do to ease your suffering?"
Once again, with a warm voice she delivered cold words. "Any attempts to touch me or my tree while I'm recovering will be seen as an act of violence. I will respond with that assumption."
Sighing, the young mage said, "Then would you allow me to see if there are any items of use where the invaders were struck down?"
She said, "No. There is little to gain from desperate and hungry goblinoid tribesmen save for the corpses which belong to the bone collector by agreement."
Looking out, Orison gawked at what he saw. A wingless serpentine dragon the size of a tour bus was scurrying into the distance.
Feeling a little faint, the young mage muttered, "That was out there the whole time?"
Hazel responded, "Yes. And over the winter, you may see this land's other... creature of agreement."
He thought to himself, "Well, that complicates the hell out of things."
"So, they're a resident of this land. Then, I'd like to speak with them," he said, more to fish for information than any real desire.
Hazel replied, "They reside in the inner sanctum which is denied to you."
Orison pushed, "Then, I would settle for speaking with this other creature of agreement."
"They also reside in the inner sanctum," she said but added as an after thought, "Once they are done with their meal, they may come for a visit."
"What was all the fuss over? All a sudden, the fish laid at the bottom of the pond and wouldn't stir for nothing," the archer said.
"It was a bugbear hunting party raid, I think. Hazel isn't that free with details... On the up side, we might have an unknown creature visiting us after their lunch." the young mage said.
Cray offered, "Well, it'd be nice to see a fresh face trudging around. Not even a week in and I'm feeling a little cooped up."
Orison looked at him and saw a deep spark of intellect running its own course. It made him wonder if he had been underestimating another one of his companions again. It suddenly dawned on the young mage that Cray had been more worried about their host than him when they returned. He found himself wondering if he understood the man as much as he thought he did.
On the off chance that the person they were going to meet might be someone that first impressions could matter about, the two got cleaned up. Heath didn't join them as he shuffled around looking hurt and lost. The young mage was starting to seriously consider the boy's past.
He gathered that Heath might very well have been a shaman's nature familiar but he doubted that the boy's previous form had been bonded to Ezra. It was plain as day that Heath was deeply emotionally attached to Hazel and the old girl just wasn't herself on any level. It seemed that with guests around, the crazy apple tree had tightened the reigns to max power.
"It feels strange to be anticipating another person this much but I can't deny that I am," Orison said.
The archer replied, "I think that with all the the 'other' strangeness, maybe we're hoping to run into somebody geared towards the middle ground but I ain't holding my breath on this one."
When the 'person' in question finally did show up, Cray just looked confused but not overly surprised. Orison, on the other hand, felt just shy of outright terrified. It took everything the young mage had to greet the newcomer with a neutral but friendly face.
Looking for something to complement, Orison said, "I like the robe. It's very fashion... forward."
Before them, at the ring of standing stones was a relatively tall and slender octopus headed person.
In a mental voice so smoothly delivered a mundane person might miss the difference, the creature said, "Up until today, I'd say it was made out of the finest leather available in these wild and accursed lands but I would have to reevaluate."
Doing his best to jump in and be social in spite of the oddness the mind flayer represented, Cray said, "All them motley squares and patches, are you a traveling storyteller?"
The creature was so stunned by the absurdity of such a question, they experienced a rare moment of genuine mirth and mentally projected, "I do, in fact, have many entertaining stories. Perhaps I should consider the possibilities within such a profession."
In an odd moment, Orison fell into a kind of flashback feeling. It was a lingering sentimentality of the 'Al' he'd once been. He never really got many visitors to his apartment nor did he mingle much but he had a strange compulsive habit. When meeting a potential friend for the first time, he'd give them something of his own he'd thought they'd appreciate.
The young mage delved into his inner space and pulled out the two heads of the dhampirs he'd twisted off. Originally, he had kept them with the thought of experimenting to see if he could figure out some clues on the originating point for psionics within the physical mind. He'd been so mentally preoccupied with other things and had completely forgotten about them until he saw the brain eating monster.
He was fairly certain after some initial spirit sight scans that he'd need specialized equipment to really be able to do the digging he wanted to. He realized that the 'keeping them on ice' idea with degree shift and his space's semi stasis effect on objects within still wouldn't likely be enough to 'keep' them viable for much longer. Since that was the case, he offered them to the creature.
"We've managed to put together a pretty decent tea but I don't really know enough about your potential physiology to know if you'd enjoy that kind of leisure thing. Have these instead. By normal standards it would seem to be a fairly inappropriate-" the young mage said before he was compelled by a flinching instinct to jerk away when the creature grabbed them.
Immediately, the mind flayer shoved 'Silent Beauty's head under the tentacles that covered the most inhuman feature on the creature's face. "Pardon my ill manners after your gracious gesture... It has been some time since I have been able to receive a properly nutritious meal... You are a quite surprising pair.
"Cray, is it? Please allow me to inform you that it is refreshing to be received with friendly curiosity but if you ever see another like myself, run or kill them quickly. Your mind would be quite the prized delicacy.
"Orison, I believe. Your thoughtful gesture may provide you a moment of consideration among my kind. I believe that it wouldn't take long for hard, ingrained habits to make a mockery of it. If you meet one such as myself in the future, I wouldn't suggest being affable. Assume hostility because if hungry, you are food. If not, you are a slave to be acquired.
"Overall my race is vain, cruel and consider all other intelligent life as livestock and lesser beings. Ones such as myself are an oddity and are considered abominations. My host lives on as a dominate part of myself and I'm not quite sure how it happened but I have no connection to the mother of my hive. The two coincidences combined allow me to think beyond the boundaries of our directives."
Leading the creature to their fixed up crash pad, Orison asked, "How did you end up here?"
The mind flayer replied, "As an outcast slated for death, I escaped the shadowed roads to the land above. It seems I may have chosen the direction of my escape poorly. As for my presence here, I was assaulted by the wailing men idols that line this place. I survived only for that destructive force to direct me to either submit or die. It's... not so bad to be a part of a collective of sorts.
"It's not perfect or even 'good' but it does provide. We live in an unequal but tolerable symbiosis. Look around. It's quite a comfortable life for misfits with nowhere else they can go, don't you think?"
Cray smiled and said, "Sounds like something an old military recruiter might say."
The creature shook its head. "I do not believe you to misfits or outcasts. There are plenty of places for you to go. Many things that I have seen and experienced have convinced me that the natural predilection of my kind to think of ourselves as superior is based off of some nebulous inevitable outcome of all existence. In that environment our kind IS superior but we are ill suited for this time.
"Ah... It is difficult not to assume some statements are in direct reference to myself. No, I do not believe that you should stay here IF you desire to be elsewhere. I may have been confused that you were asking to become like myself."
Orison said, "You are a wealth of knowledge and experience. If you're not inclined to turn on us or see us as a food source, It would be mutually beneficial for us to share. Are you open to the possibility?"
"More than... Intelligent creatures of any kind crave community and the dryads … are busy. Our carrion eating wyrm isn't... equipped with the capacity for deeper intellectual communication. I believe the wailing men may have targeted the poor creature's head." the mind flayer said.
The young mage smiled and engaged the creature for all it was conversationally worth. Two more days passed as he tried to get the most out of their unique exchange. The creature was delighted to exercise its 'superior' knowledge and insights which were far more beneficial to Cray that Orison but the young mage did begin to understand his small innate talent better.
Minor telekinetic and telepathic applications of his feeble gift smoothed out into something reliable. Coincidentally, their talks gave him a huge leap in tackling the most useful of all the divination type magics he could sense in the echoes, 'Tongues'. Cray's elusive and specialized applications of psionics experienced some improvements as well but the two companions weren't the only ones to benefit.
Not knowing exactly how to feel about it but reasoning that 'fair was fair', Orison aided the creature in developing the ability to create a crystalline type 'familiar'. After he shared insights into conjuring that delved into the psionic spectrum to a minor degree, the mind flayer latched on to some kind of inspiration that resulted in its creation. Fortunately 'Snow White's head was readily available because the process had left the creature drained and ravenous.
Unfortunately, all things had a limit. To preserve his health, the creature spent most of its time in stasis within the inner sanctum. They only emerged when there was food to be had or the place required their special talents to neutralize a threat.
When Hazel told the mind flayer that their time for socializing was almost over, Orison saw an opportunity. "Ezra said to 'respect' the border of the inner sanctum and to not tamper with its seal. May I escort our new found friend to their rest? I'm perfectly capable of 'respecting' it long enough to observe a small social gesture."
Hazel went silent for a time and Orison could feel a faint stirring of awareness within the apple tree. "Since you and your companion are potential long term guests, Ezra has decided it would be best if you were to develop friendly relations with the inhabitants. Xaxtoctl, are Orison's overtures of friendship welcomed and can you control your cravings long enough for his visit to your abode to remain...safe?"
The mind flayer gave the young mage a piercing stare and said, "Yes, on both counts."
With a wink to the creature he hoped was a universal sign for 'play along', Orison coaxed Heath into pestering him for a candy by making a display of having one himself as they walked to the standing stone transport.
Acting exasperated, the young mage said in a humorously agitated tone, "Cray, could you come over here and get Heath? I doubt that our new friend wants an untamed wild child pilfering through all of his things."
After a halfhearted attempt to call the boy over that was thwarted by Orison rustling the wrapper of the candy in his hand, the archer made his way over to grab the boy. With a perfectly set up scene, Hazel was caught in a quandary that didn't seem important enough to bother Ezra with but was definitely something she didn't like. To solve her minor dilemma, she cut power to the transporter and watched the scene unfold.
The young mage smirked internally. As soon as Cray grabbed onto Heath, Orison powered the transporter himself and took them to the destination it was set for. Immediately, Hazel reached out to find them and was only irritated that all of them were in the mind flayer's abode.
Hazel said, there seems to have been a surge. The transport will be unable to operate for a few minutes. I want all three of you back here as soon as it is or I will consider you in breach of guest rights.
Orison replied, "We will definitely be out of your inner sanctum in the few minutes you've given but if you insist on treating us like prisoners by threatening us to return to a specific place within your power, I will consider YOU in breach of guest rights. Within those rights is the ability to leave unharmed, in case you weren't aware."
A dreamy and unfocused voice of Ezra cut in, "Do not forget about your friend who is with me."
The young mage sighed. "Cray and Heath were dragged into a surged jump. They didn't even intend to come. In a few minutes, we'll be out of the sanctum with no harm done to the seal... Did you have some form of treachery in mind? I thought we had become closer than that."
Unable to focus or think clearly in her semi hibernating state while 'entertaining' Dustin, she wasn't at her full crazy cunning. "The wailing men are set to eliminate anything more than a single humanoid wandering our territory. As a guest, you have been warned. Til spring you asked asylum and it has been granted."
Whatever else she had meant to say was cut off. Those sensitive to psychic emanations got a mouthful of emotional dog food as a strong wave of 'enjoyment' permeated the air before the crazy apple tree spirit could no longer hold onto focus.
The mind flayer shuddered and said, "I never expected to feel that feeling again. I don't particularly miss it but it isn't unpleasant."
Cray, the newbie wild talent, was a little less indifferent but hid it all except for a pink tinge in his cheeks and the edges of his ears.
Orison chuckled and turned to the mind flayer after giving the candy to Heath. "Sorry about all the ruckus."
Catching onto the oddness of the situation, the creature said, "Should I be concerned that I aided you in doing something that will harm me?"
"Not at all... Purely hypothetical, would you prefer to stay on this world if it meant being some other sentient species or would you prefer to be what you are on another world?" the young mage asked.
"Too many variables unaddressed to be a valid choice over what I know and understand of my situation now. So, neither. Please don't make me stun you," the creature said with emotionless eyes.
Orison said, "Keep your channel open and I'll feed you information as I work."
The building ominous psychic resonance in the air dimmed and the creature said, "Every instinct says that I'm making a mistake but the voice of my host is loud enough to evoke my curiosity. Proceed."
Right at that moment, the serpentine wingless dragon came barreling into the room with teeth bared and ready to destroy. Pieces of goblinoid flesh dangling like warning flags of what was to come. For a moment, it looked like the mind flayer was going to help them but it turned out wishful thinking as the creature quickly stepped out of the way.
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It didn't take long to see how the boy had gotten hurt. When he reached out to see if there was anything he could do to lessen the dryad's misery, she swiped at him with small but razor sharp nails that left superficial cuts on his suit. Feeling a power building on her, he had no doubts that a second attempt would have dire consequences and the over robe hadn't fully regrown out for very long. There was nothing to do but lead the confused and crying boy away.
There was a part of him that wanted to take the distraction opportunity up to enact their plan a little faster but felt a trap in it. However, a trap can easily turn into an opportunity of its own. Either way, Orison saw a chance to get things done easier than ever. It would highly depend on how he could take advantage of the event.
Once things had calmed down and Hazel would allow them back into the Sky Hall, he asked, "Is there anything I can do to ease your suffering?"
Once again, with a warm voice she delivered cold words. "Any attempts to touch me or my tree while I'm recovering will be seen as an act of violence. I will respond with that assumption."
Sighing, the young mage said, "Then would you allow me to see if there are any items of use where the invaders were struck down?"
She said, "No. There is little to gain from desperate and hungry goblinoid tribesmen save for the corpses which belong to the bone collector by agreement."
Looking out, Orison gawked at what he saw. A wingless serpentine dragon the size of a tour bus was scurrying into the distance.
Feeling a little faint, the young mage muttered, "That was out there the whole time?"
Hazel responded, "Yes. And over the winter, you may see this land's other... creature of agreement."
He thought to himself, "Well, that complicates the hell out of things."
"So, they're a resident of this land. Then, I'd like to speak with them," he said, more to fish for information than any real desire.
Hazel replied, "They reside in the inner sanctum which is denied to you."
Orison pushed, "Then, I would settle for speaking with this other creature of agreement."
"They also reside in the inner sanctum," she said but added as an after thought, "Once they are done with their meal, they may come for a visit."
"What was all the fuss over? All a sudden, the fish laid at the bottom of the pond and wouldn't stir for nothing," the archer said.
"It was a bugbear hunting party raid, I think. Hazel isn't that free with details... On the up side, we might have an unknown creature visiting us after their lunch." the young mage said.
Cray offered, "Well, it'd be nice to see a fresh face trudging around. Not even a week in and I'm feeling a little cooped up."
Orison looked at him and saw a deep spark of intellect running its own course. It made him wonder if he had been underestimating another one of his companions again. It suddenly dawned on the young mage that Cray had been more worried about their host than him when they returned. He found himself wondering if he understood the man as much as he thought he did.
On the off chance that the person they were going to meet might be someone that first impressions could matter about, the two got cleaned up. Heath didn't join them as he shuffled around looking hurt and lost. The young mage was starting to seriously consider the boy's past.
He gathered that Heath might very well have been a shaman's nature familiar but he doubted that the boy's previous form had been bonded to Ezra. It was plain as day that Heath was deeply emotionally attached to Hazel and the old girl just wasn't herself on any level. It seemed that with guests around, the crazy apple tree had tightened the reigns to max power.
"It feels strange to be anticipating another person this much but I can't deny that I am," Orison said.
The archer replied, "I think that with all the the 'other' strangeness, maybe we're hoping to run into somebody geared towards the middle ground but I ain't holding my breath on this one."
When the 'person' in question finally did show up, Cray just looked confused but not overly surprised. Orison, on the other hand, felt just shy of outright terrified. It took everything the young mage had to greet the newcomer with a neutral but friendly face.
Looking for something to complement, Orison said, "I like the robe. It's very fashion... forward."
Before them, at the ring of standing stones was a relatively tall and slender octopus headed person.
In a mental voice so smoothly delivered a mundane person might miss the difference, the creature said, "Up until today, I'd say it was made out of the finest leather available in these wild and accursed lands but I would have to reevaluate."
Doing his best to jump in and be social in spite of the oddness the mind flayer represented, Cray said, "All them motley squares and patches, are you a traveling storyteller?"
The creature was so stunned by the absurdity of such a question, they experienced a rare moment of genuine mirth and mentally projected, "I do, in fact, have many entertaining stories. Perhaps I should consider the possibilities within such a profession."
In an odd moment, Orison fell into a kind of flashback feeling. It was a lingering sentimentality of the 'Al' he'd once been. He never really got many visitors to his apartment nor did he mingle much but he had a strange compulsive habit. When meeting a potential friend for the first time, he'd give them something of his own he'd thought they'd appreciate.
The young mage delved into his inner space and pulled out the two heads of the dhampirs he'd twisted off. Originally, he had kept them with the thought of experimenting to see if he could figure out some clues on the originating point for psionics within the physical mind. He'd been so mentally preoccupied with other things and had completely forgotten about them until he saw the brain eating monster.
He was fairly certain after some initial spirit sight scans that he'd need specialized equipment to really be able to do the digging he wanted to. He realized that the 'keeping them on ice' idea with degree shift and his space's semi stasis effect on objects within still wouldn't likely be enough to 'keep' them viable for much longer. Since that was the case, he offered them to the creature.
"We've managed to put together a pretty decent tea but I don't really know enough about your potential physiology to know if you'd enjoy that kind of leisure thing. Have these instead. By normal standards it would seem to be a fairly inappropriate-" the young mage said before he was compelled by a flinching instinct to jerk away when the creature grabbed them.
Immediately, the mind flayer shoved 'Silent Beauty's head under the tentacles that covered the most inhuman feature on the creature's face. "Pardon my ill manners after your gracious gesture... It has been some time since I have been able to receive a properly nutritious meal... You are a quite surprising pair.
"Cray, is it? Please allow me to inform you that it is refreshing to be received with friendly curiosity but if you ever see another like myself, run or kill them quickly. Your mind would be quite the prized delicacy.
"Orison, I believe. Your thoughtful gesture may provide you a moment of consideration among my kind. I believe that it wouldn't take long for hard, ingrained habits to make a mockery of it. If you meet one such as myself in the future, I wouldn't suggest being affable. Assume hostility because if hungry, you are food. If not, you are a slave to be acquired.
"Overall my race is vain, cruel and consider all other intelligent life as livestock and lesser beings. Ones such as myself are an oddity and are considered abominations. My host lives on as a dominate part of myself and I'm not quite sure how it happened but I have no connection to the mother of my hive. The two coincidences combined allow me to think beyond the boundaries of our directives."
Leading the creature to their fixed up crash pad, Orison asked, "How did you end up here?"
The mind flayer replied, "As an outcast slated for death, I escaped the shadowed roads to the land above. It seems I may have chosen the direction of my escape poorly. As for my presence here, I was assaulted by the wailing men idols that line this place. I survived only for that destructive force to direct me to either submit or die. It's... not so bad to be a part of a collective of sorts.
"It's not perfect or even 'good' but it does provide. We live in an unequal but tolerable symbiosis. Look around. It's quite a comfortable life for misfits with nowhere else they can go, don't you think?"
Cray smiled and said, "Sounds like something an old military recruiter might say."
The creature shook its head. "I do not believe you to misfits or outcasts. There are plenty of places for you to go. Many things that I have seen and experienced have convinced me that the natural predilection of my kind to think of ourselves as superior is based off of some nebulous inevitable outcome of all existence. In that environment our kind IS superior but we are ill suited for this time.
"Ah... It is difficult not to assume some statements are in direct reference to myself. No, I do not believe that you should stay here IF you desire to be elsewhere. I may have been confused that you were asking to become like myself."
Orison said, "You are a wealth of knowledge and experience. If you're not inclined to turn on us or see us as a food source, It would be mutually beneficial for us to share. Are you open to the possibility?"
"More than... Intelligent creatures of any kind crave community and the dryads … are busy. Our carrion eating wyrm isn't... equipped with the capacity for deeper intellectual communication. I believe the wailing men may have targeted the poor creature's head." the mind flayer said.
The young mage smiled and engaged the creature for all it was conversationally worth. Two more days passed as he tried to get the most out of their unique exchange. The creature was delighted to exercise its 'superior' knowledge and insights which were far more beneficial to Cray that Orison but the young mage did begin to understand his small innate talent better.
Minor telekinetic and telepathic applications of his feeble gift smoothed out into something reliable. Coincidentally, their talks gave him a huge leap in tackling the most useful of all the divination type magics he could sense in the echoes, 'Tongues'. Cray's elusive and specialized applications of psionics experienced some improvements as well but the two companions weren't the only ones to benefit.
Not knowing exactly how to feel about it but reasoning that 'fair was fair', Orison aided the creature in developing the ability to create a crystalline type 'familiar'. After he shared insights into conjuring that delved into the psionic spectrum to a minor degree, the mind flayer latched on to some kind of inspiration that resulted in its creation. Fortunately 'Snow White's head was readily available because the process had left the creature drained and ravenous.
Unfortunately, all things had a limit. To preserve his health, the creature spent most of its time in stasis within the inner sanctum. They only emerged when there was food to be had or the place required their special talents to neutralize a threat.
When Hazel told the mind flayer that their time for socializing was almost over, Orison saw an opportunity. "Ezra said to 'respect' the border of the inner sanctum and to not tamper with its seal. May I escort our new found friend to their rest? I'm perfectly capable of 'respecting' it long enough to observe a small social gesture."
Hazel went silent for a time and Orison could feel a faint stirring of awareness within the apple tree. "Since you and your companion are potential long term guests, Ezra has decided it would be best if you were to develop friendly relations with the inhabitants. Xaxtoctl, are Orison's overtures of friendship welcomed and can you control your cravings long enough for his visit to your abode to remain...safe?"
The mind flayer gave the young mage a piercing stare and said, "Yes, on both counts."
With a wink to the creature he hoped was a universal sign for 'play along', Orison coaxed Heath into pestering him for a candy by making a display of having one himself as they walked to the standing stone transport.
Acting exasperated, the young mage said in a humorously agitated tone, "Cray, could you come over here and get Heath? I doubt that our new friend wants an untamed wild child pilfering through all of his things."
After a halfhearted attempt to call the boy over that was thwarted by Orison rustling the wrapper of the candy in his hand, the archer made his way over to grab the boy. With a perfectly set up scene, Hazel was caught in a quandary that didn't seem important enough to bother Ezra with but was definitely something she didn't like. To solve her minor dilemma, she cut power to the transporter and watched the scene unfold.
The young mage smirked internally. As soon as Cray grabbed onto Heath, Orison powered the transporter himself and took them to the destination it was set for. Immediately, Hazel reached out to find them and was only irritated that all of them were in the mind flayer's abode.
Hazel said, there seems to have been a surge. The transport will be unable to operate for a few minutes. I want all three of you back here as soon as it is or I will consider you in breach of guest rights.
Orison replied, "We will definitely be out of your inner sanctum in the few minutes you've given but if you insist on treating us like prisoners by threatening us to return to a specific place within your power, I will consider YOU in breach of guest rights. Within those rights is the ability to leave unharmed, in case you weren't aware."
A dreamy and unfocused voice of Ezra cut in, "Do not forget about your friend who is with me."
The young mage sighed. "Cray and Heath were dragged into a surged jump. They didn't even intend to come. In a few minutes, we'll be out of the sanctum with no harm done to the seal... Did you have some form of treachery in mind? I thought we had become closer than that."
Unable to focus or think clearly in her semi hibernating state while 'entertaining' Dustin, she wasn't at her full crazy cunning. "The wailing men are set to eliminate anything more than a single humanoid wandering our territory. As a guest, you have been warned. Til spring you asked asylum and it has been granted."
Whatever else she had meant to say was cut off. Those sensitive to psychic emanations got a mouthful of emotional dog food as a strong wave of 'enjoyment' permeated the air before the crazy apple tree spirit could no longer hold onto focus.
The mind flayer shuddered and said, "I never expected to feel that feeling again. I don't particularly miss it but it isn't unpleasant."
Cray, the newbie wild talent, was a little less indifferent but hid it all except for a pink tinge in his cheeks and the edges of his ears.
Orison chuckled and turned to the mind flayer after giving the candy to Heath. "Sorry about all the ruckus."
Catching onto the oddness of the situation, the creature said, "Should I be concerned that I aided you in doing something that will harm me?"
"Not at all... Purely hypothetical, would you prefer to stay on this world if it meant being some other sentient species or would you prefer to be what you are on another world?" the young mage asked.
"Too many variables unaddressed to be a valid choice over what I know and understand of my situation now. So, neither. Please don't make me stun you," the creature said with emotionless eyes.
Orison said, "Keep your channel open and I'll feed you information as I work."
The building ominous psychic resonance in the air dimmed and the creature said, "Every instinct says that I'm making a mistake but the voice of my host is loud enough to evoke my curiosity. Proceed."
Right at that moment, the serpentine wingless dragon came barreling into the room with teeth bared and ready to destroy. Pieces of goblinoid flesh dangling like warning flags of what was to come. For a moment, it looked like the mind flayer was going to help them but it turned out wishful thinking as the creature quickly stepped out of the way.
It didn't take long to see how the boy had gotten hurt. When he reached out to see if there was anything he could do to lessen the dryad's misery, she swiped at him with small but razor sharp nails that left superficial cuts on his suit. Feeling a power building on her, he had no doubts that a second attempt would have dire consequences and the over robe hadn't fully regrown out for very long. There was nothing to do but lead the confused and crying boy away. There was a part of him that wanted to take the distraction opportunity up to enact their plan a little faster but felt a trap in it. However, a trap can easily turn into an opportunity of its own. Either way, Orison saw a chance to get things done easier than ever. It would highly depend on how he could take advantage of the event. Once things had calmed down and Hazel would allow them back into the Sky Hall, he asked, "Is there anything I can do to ease your suffering?" Once again, with a warm voice she delivered cold words. "Any attempts to touch me or my tree while I'm recovering will be seen as an act of violence. I will respond with that assumption." Sighing, the young mage said, "Then would you allow me to see if there are any items of use where the invaders were struck down?" She said, "No. There is little to gain from desperate and hungry goblinoid tribesmen save for the corpses which belong to the bone collector by agreement." Looking out, Orison gawked at what he saw. A wingless serpentine dragon the size of a tour bus was scurrying into the distance. Feeling a little faint, the young mage muttered, "That was out there the whole time?" Hazel responded, "Yes. And over the winter, you may see this land's other... creature of agreement." He thought to himself, "Well, that complicates the hell out of things." "So, they're a resident of this land. Then, I'd like to speak with them," he said, more to fish for information than any real desire. Hazel replied, "They reside in the inner sanctum which is denied to you." Orison pushed, "Then, I would settle for speaking with this other creature of agreement." "They also reside in the inner sanctum," she said but added as an after thought, "Once they are done with their meal, they may come for a visit." "What was all the fuss over? All a sudden, the fish laid at the bottom of the pond and wouldn't stir for nothing," the archer said. "It was a bugbear hunting party raid, I think. Hazel isn't that free with details... On the up side, we might have an unknown creature visiting us after their lunch." the young mage said. Cray offered, "Well, it'd be nice to see a fresh face trudging around. Not even a week in and I'm feeling a little cooped up." Orison looked at him and saw a deep spark of intellect running its own course. It made him wonder if he had been underestimating another one of his companions again. It suddenly dawned on the young mage that Cray had been more worried about their host than him when they returned. He found himself wondering if he understood the man as much as he thought he did. On the off chance that the person they were going to meet might be someone that first impressions could matter about, the two got cleaned up. Heath didn't join them as he shuffled around looking hurt and lost. The young mage was starting to seriously consider the boy's past. He gathered that Heath might very well have been a shaman's nature familiar but he doubted that the boy's previous form had been bonded to Ezra. It was plain as day that Heath was deeply emotionally attached to Hazel and the old girl just wasn't herself on any level. It seemed that with guests around, the crazy apple tree had tightened the reigns to max power. "It feels strange to be anticipating another person this much but I can't deny that I am," Orison said. The archer replied, "I think that with all the the 'other' strangeness, maybe we're hoping to run into somebody geared towards the middle ground but I ain't holding my breath on this one." When the 'person' in question finally did show up, Cray just looked confused but not overly surprised. Orison, on the other hand, felt just shy of outright terrified. It took everything the young mage had to greet the newcomer with a neutral but friendly face. Looking for something to complement, Orison said, "I like the robe. It's very fashion... forward." Before them, at the ring of standing stones was a relatively tall and slender octopus headed person. In a mental voice so smoothly delivered a mundane person might miss the difference, the creature said, "Up until today, I'd say it was made out of the finest leather available in these wild and accursed lands but I would have to reevaluate." Doing his best to jump in and be social in spite of the oddness the mind flayer represented, Cray said, "All them motley squares and patches, are you a traveling storyteller?" The creature was so stunned by the absurdity of such a question, they experienced a rare moment of genuine mirth and mentally projected, "I do, in fact, have many entertaining stories. Perhaps I should consider the possibilities within such a profession." In an odd moment, Orison fell into a kind of flashback feeling. It was a lingering sentimentality of the 'Al' he'd once been. He never really got many visitors to his apartment nor did he mingle much but he had a strange compulsive habit. When meeting a potential friend for the first time, he'd give them something of his own he'd thought they'd appreciate. The young mage delved into his inner space and pulled out the two heads of the dhampirs he'd twisted off. Originally, he had kept them with the thought of experimenting to see if he could figure out some clues on the originating point for psionics within the physical mind. He'd been so mentally preoccupied with other things and had completely forgotten about them until he saw the brain eating monster. He was fairly certain after some initial spirit sight scans that he'd need specialized equipment to really be able to do the digging he wanted to. He realized that the 'keeping them on ice' idea with degree shift and his space's semi stasis effect on objects within still wouldn't likely be enough to 'keep' them viable for much longer. Since that was the case, he offered them to the creature. "We've managed to put together a pretty decent tea but I don't really know enough about your potential physiology to know if you'd enjoy that kind of leisure thing. Have these instead. By normal standards it would seem to be a fairly inappropriate-" the young mage said before he was compelled by a flinching instinct to jerk away when the creature grabbed them. Immediately, the mind flayer shoved 'Silent Beauty's head under the tentacles that covered the most inhuman feature on the creature's face. "Pardon my ill manners after your gracious gesture... It has been some time since I have been able to receive a properly nutritious meal... You are a quite surprising pair. "Cray, is it? Please allow me to inform you that it is refreshing to be received with friendly curiosity but if you ever see another like myself, run or kill them quickly. Your mind would be quite the prized delicacy. "Orison, I believe. Your thoughtful gesture may provide you a moment of consideration among my kind. I believe that it wouldn't take long for hard, ingrained habits to make a mockery of it. If you meet one such as myself in the future, I wouldn't suggest being affable. Assume hostility because if hungry, you are food. If not, you are a slave to be acquired. "Overall my race is vain, cruel and consider all other intelligent life as livestock and lesser beings. Ones such as myself are an oddity and are considered abominations. My host lives on as a dominate part of myself and I'm not quite sure how it happened but I have no connection to the mother of my hive. The two coincidences combined allow me to think beyond the boundaries of our directives." Leading the creature to their fixed up crash pad, Orison asked, "How did you end up here?" The mind flayer replied, "As an outcast slated for death, I escaped the shadowed roads to the land above. It seems I may have chosen the direction of my escape poorly. As for my presence here, I was assaulted by the wailing men idols that line this place. I survived only for that destructive force to direct me to either submit or die. It's... not so bad to be a part of a collective of sorts. "It's not perfect or even 'good' but it does provide. We live in an unequal but tolerable symbiosis. Look around. It's quite a comfortable life for misfits with nowhere else they can go, don't you think?" Cray smiled and said, "Sounds like something an old military recruiter might say." The creature shook its head. "I do not believe you to misfits or outcasts. There are plenty of places for you to go. Many things that I have seen and experienced have convinced me that the natural predilection of my kind to think of ourselves as superior is based off of some nebulous inevitable outcome of all existence. In that environment our kind IS superior but we are ill suited for this time. "Ah... It is difficult not to assume some statements are in direct reference to myself. No, I do not believe that you should stay here IF you desire to be elsewhere. I may have been confused that you were asking to become like myself." Orison said, "You are a wealth of knowledge and experience. If you're not inclined to turn on us or see us as a food source, It would be mutually beneficial for us to share. Are you open to the possibility?" "More than... Intelligent creatures of any kind crave community and the dryads are busy. Our carrion eating wyrm isn't... equipped with the capacity for deeper intellectual communication. I believe the wailing men may have targeted the poor creature's head." the mind flayer said. The young mage smiled and engaged the creature for all it was conversationally worth. Two more days passed as he tried to get the most out of their unique exchange. The creature was delighted to exercise its 'superior' knowledge and insights which were far more beneficial to Cray that Orison but the young mage did begin to understand his small innate talent better. Minor telekinetic and telepathic applications of his feeble gift smoothed out into something reliable. Coincidentally, their talks gave him a huge leap in tackling the most useful of all the divination type magics he could sense in the echoes, 'Tongues'. Cray's elusive and specialized applications of psionics experienced some improvements as well but the two companions weren't the only ones to benefit. Not knowing exactly how to feel about it but reasoning that 'fair was fair', Orison aided the creature in developing the ability to create a crystalline type 'familiar'. After he shared insights into conjuring that delved into the psionic spectrum to a minor degree, the mind flayer latched on to some kind of inspiration that resulted in its creation. Fortunately 'Snow White's head was readily available because the process had left the creature drained and ravenous. Unfortunately, all things had a limit. To preserve his health, the creature spent most of its time in stasis within the inner sanctum. They only emerged when there was food to be had or the place required their special talents to neutralize a threat. When Hazel told the mind flayer that their time for socializing was almost over, Orison saw an opportunity. "Ezra said to 'respect' the border of the inner sanctum and to not tamper with its seal. May I escort our new found friend to their rest? I'm perfectly capable of 'respecting' it long enough to observe a small social gesture." Hazel went silent for a time and Orison could feel a faint stirring of awareness within the apple tree. "Since you and your companion are potential long term guests, Ezra has decided it would be best if you were to develop friendly relations with the inhabitants. Xaxtoctl, are Orison's overtures of friendship welcomed and can you control your cravings long enough for his visit to your abode to remain...safe?" The mind flayer gave the young mage a piercing stare and said, "Yes, on both counts." With a wink to the creature he hoped was a universal sign for 'play along', Orison coaxed Heath into pestering him for a candy by making a display of having one himself as they walked to the standing stone transport. Acting exasperated, the young mage said in a humorously agitated tone, "Cray, could you come over here and get Heath? I doubt that our new friend wants an untamed wild child pilfering through all of his things." After a halfhearted attempt to call the boy over that was thwarted by Orison rustling the wrapper of the candy in his hand, the archer made his way over to grab the boy. With a perfectly set up scene, Hazel was caught in a quandary that didn't seem important enough to bother Ezra with but was definitely something she didn't like. To solve her minor dilemma, she cut power to the transporter and watched the scene unfold. The young mage smirked internally. As soon as Cray grabbed onto Heath, Orison powered the transporter himself and took them to the destination it was set for. Immediately, Hazel reached out to find them and was only irritated that all of them were in the mind flayer's abode. Hazel said, there seems to have been a surge. The transport will be unable to operate for a few minutes. I want all three of you back here as soon as it is or I will consider you in breach of guest rights. Orison replied, "We will definitely be out of your inner sanctum in the few minutes you've given but if you insist on treating us like prisoners by threatening us to return to a specific place within your power, I will consider YOU in breach of guest rights. Within those rights is the ability to leave unharmed, in case you weren't aware." A dreamy and unfocused voice of Ezra cut in, "Do not forget about your friend who is with me." The young mage sighed. "Cray and Heath were dragged into a surged jump. They didn't even intend to come. In a few minutes, we'll be out of the sanctum with no harm done to the seal... Did you have some form of treachery in mind? I thought we had become closer than that." Unable to focus or think clearly in her semi hibernating state while 'entertaining' Dustin, she wasn't at her full crazy cunning. "The wailing men are set to eliminate anything more than a single humanoid wandering our territory. As a guest, you have been warned. Til spring you asked asylum and it has been granted." Whatever else she had meant to say was cut off. Those sensitive to psychic emanations got a mouthful of emotional dog food as a strong wave of 'enjoyment' permeated the air before the crazy apple tree spirit could no longer hold onto focus. The mind flayer shuddered and said, "I never expected to feel that feeling again. I don't particularly miss it but it isn't unpleasant." Cray, the newbie wild talent, was a little less indifferent but hid it all except for a pink tinge in his cheeks and the edges of his ears. Orison chuckled and turned to the mind flayer after giving the candy to Heath. "Sorry about all the ruckus." Catching onto the oddness of the situation, the creature said, "Should I be concerned that I aided you in doing something that will harm me?" "Not at all... Purely hypothetical, would you prefer to stay on this world if it meant being some other sentient species or would you prefer to be what you are on another world?" the young mage asked. "Too many variables unaddressed to be a valid choice over what I know and understand of my situation now. So, neither. Please don't make me stun you," the creature said with emotionless eyes. Orison said, "Keep your channel open and I'll feed you information as I work." The building ominous psychic resonance in the air dimmed and the creature said, "Every instinct says that I'm making a mistake but the voice of my host is loud enough to evoke my curiosity. Proceed." Right at that moment, the serpentine wingless dragon came barreling into the room with teeth bared and ready to destroy. Pieces of goblinoid flesh dangling like warning flags of what was to come. For a moment, it looked like the mind flayer was going to help them but it turned out wishful thinking as the creature quickly stepped out of the way.
