I curled upon myself, the Great Cores light splayed across my scale-flesh. The warm glow bounced from the surface of my coils, filling the air around with its brilliance.
I hissed, relaxed and at ease. Safe.
There was a knocking on the walls that kept the outside away, sothing that wanted in. Its hunger only grew with each forceful strike, a hunger that I could hear in the roars that slipped between the tiny wall-cracks.
[SUBMIT]
I hissed again, telling the beast to go away. It didnt belong here. It was other.
It went away, barred from the light of the Great Core. I let myself fall back into the place between sleep and not-sleep. Relaxed. Safe.
It knocked on the walls again, striking differently this ti. Searching for a way in. Frustrated.
The roars changed, becoming sothing a little less demanding, becoming sothing a little more sly. They shifted forms, trying to angle through the wall-cracks, unable to break through the wall that kept us safe.
I hissed again, telling the beast to go away.
It didnt.
A sharp, bone tipped limb shoved itself through the gaps in the wall-cracks, reaching for .
Reaching for us.
Another broke through, and then another.
The disgusting, wrong limbs stretched out, trying to bring back to their master. I curled upon myself; there was nowhere else to go.
They were coming for .
Coming for us.
[SEARCH/FIND/SUBMIT]
I twitched, and my vision flashed, flickering verdant green.
Lesser Core Skill: [Little Guardians Focus I] Increased.
[Little Guardians Focus II] Acquired.
Lesser Core Skill: [Little Guardians Focus II] Increased.
[Little Guardians Focus III] Acquired.
I twitched, jerking away from Tiamats thought-hiss, unwinding my coils rapidly and preparing to slither away. A sharp glow pierced at my eyes; warm, relaxing, safe. I looked around carefully.
Tiamat wasnt here, nor were her disgusting creations. It was just a dream - or a warning, maybe?
Hey, little cutie. I heard a familiar mangled hiss, and allowed myself to relax just a little bit more. The-female-who-was-not-Needle stared at , her eyes shining in the light of the [Little Guardians Focus]. Her mouth was split wide, teeth bared. Done sleeping? she hissed again.
Still sleepy, I reached out, checking the [Little Guardians Totem] that I could feel sowhere on her. My fangs sunk deep, and I tasted the [excitent/adoration/happiness] that was reflected in her eyes.
It was nice.
The-female-who-was-not-Needle shuffled closer and, after a mont of thought, I decided to reward her faith and adoration. I lifted up slightly, moving my head a little closer and allowing her to scratch my head-scales.
Her [Little Guardians Totem] blood with the taste of [satisfaction] and [happiness], accompanied by so sort of high-pitched squeal.
It was sowhat annoying, but that was my not-Needle, I supposed. A mix of annoying and occasionally-acceptable.
The scratches were rather nice, though, so I let my annoyance pass.
She hissed again, but the unintelligible sounds were interrupted by a series of joyful squeals and shouts. These ones were equally high-pitched, but sohow less annoying than the-female-who-was-not-Needles.
I raked my fangs across the incoming connections, basking in my tiny Coreless [joy] and [excitent]. As they always were when not sad or afraid, they were an energetic bunch- they squealed and hissed and reached out at with their tiny little fingers.
Sothing about the surety they held - the innocence, the utter faith that I could taste from their emotions - never failed to affect . They were the Great Cores tiny Coreless, so of its most precious faithful. Its most ardent believers.
My favorites.
I gave them a hiss of greeting. Amusingly enough, so of them hissed back - not with the unintelligible mix of Coreless-words and hissing that the-female-who-was-not-Needle always attempted, but sothing closer to a copy of my own. I was sure that they were just mimicking , unable to understand the aning behind it, but it was...cute.
I tried to push worries of Tiamat and her disgusting creations from my mind, enjoying the mont while it lasted.
They would co for us - for .
Hopefully, on that day, my cute and tiny Coreless would still feel the sa.
Darkwood carvings brushed against my scale-flesh; I slithered through the gaps between them, leaving a gentle glow to light my trail. [Little Guardians Totem] took hardly any effort, after growing so much stronger than it had once been. The weave of mana that it ford was just as complex - just as beautiful - as before, but it sohow took less. What had initially required a vast amount of my available mana, and a notable amount of my ti, now took but a drop and an instant.
The pattern ford again, a single droplet of mana twisting into a beautiful shape and pushing into a nascent [Little Guardians Totem]. Then again, and again.
I hit the bottom of the pile and began to move outwards, forming a coiled path. By the ti that I was done, my vision was filled with a wonderful glow. A hand reached towards , and I accepted the offered limb.
Wonderful, just wonderful! an overweight Coreless cheered. I couldnt taste the emotions from his [Little Guardians Totem]; he was wearing one, but it rested against the strange skins that the Coreless liked to cover themselves with. I felt nothing from it.
Still, I was becoming more familiar with the Coreless. I could recognize the tones they used, if not the anings themselves, and I could understand the [satisfaction] and [excitent] in his widely-bared teeth.
He kept talking, and I draped my length across the-female-who-was-not-Needles shoulder. She reached towards and I rewarded her by leaning in ever-so-slightly, allowing her to scratch my head-scales. She had done well with my tiny Coreless, earlier. Made them happier sohow, using a string of gestures and words that I hadnt been able to understand. I leaned in a little more as the overweight Coreless continued speaking.
These...[Little Guardians Totem] was the term, correct? Yes, these [Little Guardians Totem]s should do quite nicely. Its just a sha that the newest benefits appear to require being near that Statue. We could sell them for quite a bit more, if that werent the case. You know, it was partly my idea to commission that Statue, so in a way
The overweight Coreless chattered on and on; I started to get a sense of [resignation] and [impatience] from the-female-who-was-not-Needle. It increased over ti, building upon itself, and then she finally interrupted with a sharp cough, one hand raised to cover her mouth.
I apologize, Councilman. Sothing caught in my throat, she said.
Oh, thats quite alright, Miss Valera. Now, as I was - the Coreless tried to continue. Tasting the rising [impatience] from not-Needle again, and feeling a bit of my own, I hissed loudly. He stopped.
I apologize, Councilman. I think sothing may have caught in his throat as well, the-female-who-was-not-Needle said, [amusent] flashing across her [Little Guardians Totem] and the edges of her lips beginning to turn upwards.
Eh hem. Thats quite alright, Miss Valera. I suppose we can discuss this another ti. Orken thanks you for your assistance, the Coreless said, one hand rubbing stiffly at his face. He picked up the pile of newly-created [Little Guardians Totem]s, now placed inside of a giant skin-mouth, and walked away. He staggered a little under the weight, not nearly as strong as my warrior Coreless - and far more annoying, honestly. I could only handle so much inane babble; even the-female-who-was-not-Needle, able to actually understand it, had been becoming annoyed.
Still, I was sure that - like many of my Coreless - he could be useful in his own way. As long as he worked to spread the Great Cores light to other Coreless many-nests as he seed to be doing, I would try to bear with it.
The-female-who-was-not-Needle made so noises at , scratching my head-scales lightly. When I checked, [amusent] and [approval] radiated from her Totem.
We make a good team, little cutie. It takes a powerful duo to make Councilman Port stop rambling, especially when hes trying to brag about sothing. I swear, the man never misses an attempt to make himself look better. She made a sound that pushed out from sowhere in her throat; a light taste of [annoyance] flashed across her [Little Guardians Totem] again. As if he predicted anything about what you could do...Skies above, Im not even sure you knew - but of course, the wise Councilman was ten steps ahead of everyone. Nevermind that hes the one who was so insistent on putting that muzzle on you before.
She continued to ramble on as we walked out of the nest but, unlike the overweight Coreless from earlier, I didnt find it all that annoying. Her shoulder vibrated ever-so-slightly with each and every noise she made, a steady rubbing against my scale-flesh.
No, it wasnt that annoying. It was a little nice, actually. I let her continue on uninterrupted.
Despite Tiamats threatening thought-hisses, I was in a good mood.
I decided to enjoy it while it lasted.
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