Our experiments lasted three more days before we had enough data to be somewhat confident in the effects of thaumium. As a simple replacement for the brass mesh, it was not very helpful. The constructs previously used to attune the brass to an aspect were mostly useless for the purple metal. The thaumium simply absorbed the vis and was thus less capable to accept more from external influences. Only when using a small amount would it do anything useful. The aspect stored in the thaumium was able to combine with whatever we shot at it with the vis blaster. This even slightly reduced the amount of flux forming in the material.

This effect was almost exactly what we wanted. We were also able to remove the vis via conductor to an empty vis crystal. So far so good. Now, we only had two problems. One, we were unable to effectively absorb higher-tiered aspects that we could produce no other one to combine with. Two, we had no idea how to translate this effect into brass. The mesh shape helped with catching but we somehow needed to surpass the self-insulating effect of the cheaper material. At least as a proof of concept, we had something going. Then Riggard reminded me he also wanted to draw flux, warp and taint and turn it into usable energy. At least we were able to confirm the device could absorb flux. I tested it by using an [Eldritch Shift] and then touching the mesh. It drew in a good part of the flux I had formed using my Skill.

I went through the Thaumonomicon again looking up the advanced flux scrubber and other methods to draw in or transform magical energy. There was a centrifuge that could turn essence of compound aspects into its components. There was also a method to turn essence into vis crystals, though it looked to be very time-consuming. And there were a lot of arcane trinkets and tools that could use essence to produce some effect in reality. In short, there was nothing useful. The flux scrubber was the most promising but it required an infusion altar. I might be able to somehow make do without but that would not help Riggard. He needed a method to produce his device without me.

I got back to Safrah’s home that evening feeling a little disappointed. This roadblock was frustrating. I had a good idea how to make what we wanted to do but it was just not sustainable for the artificer. He would have to delve deeper into thaumaturgy.

I settled down to rest after a quick meal. My mind would not leave me be. I knew there had to be a way. A soft breath on my facial feathers pulled me out of my musing. I half-opened one eye and looked into the concerned face of Vivi. The ocelot sat right in front of me, her nose not even a centimetre away. I huffed and closed my eye. I wanted to keep going, wanted to figure this out. The cat nuzzling my face distracted me again. Then she slid around me, always keeping in contact. When she sat at my back, her head resting next to mine, she suddenly pushed me to the ground. I panicked and nearly shifted out of her grasp. Then the cat started grooming my feathers. She connected to my mind with her supersensory matrix. Calming thoughts flowed into my mind.

“You… Relax!”, she sent.

I let out a sigh and gave in. She was my friend. She would not hurt me.

When I woke up again, the ocelot was cuddling into my side. I was flat on the ground and a little tired still, but the good form of tired that spoke of a well-rested sleep. It took a few minutes to stand up without waking Vivi. I looked down at the sleeping feline. Yup, this was nice. Through the window, I saw it was still night but I did not want to rest more. After getting my feathers in order, I decided to take a little stroll. Or maybe drift was the better word? I drifted along the night sky. It was maybe two hours until sunrise so I had enough time to make a large circle through the forest. The air under my wings felt wonderful. The absolute silence this high up. The cold air entering my lungs. I broke through the sparse clouds and the moon met my eyes. My senses opened up without me paying attention to them. I simply enjoyed being.

When I spotted a slight shimmer of orange on the horizon, I decided to return. Vivi and Safrah were already awake and sitting in the living room. The dwarf had a cup of tea in her hands, carefully blowing on it to reduce the temperature. There was a bowl on the table with more of the hot liquid inside, the ocelot eyeing it curiously. When I entered they greeted me with a nod and a soft purr. I answered with a hoot and moved next to Vivi.

We simply sat there for a few minutes until the tea was cold enough to drink. Vivi tried and pulled a face. She sent an emotion of disgust over our mental connection. Safrah let out a chuckle. I patted my friend's back with a wing. Then I decided to try for myself. It was a bit difficult to drink tea from the bowl but I managed. And contrary to my expectations, I really enjoyed it. The soft warmth spreading in my belly, the mild aroma, slightly bitter with a hint of fruit. It reminded me of my previous life. I let out a deep sigh before drinking another sip. This was wonderful! Enjoying sustenance not just to feed energy to my body? Absolutely great! I had not realized how much I missed it!

When the bowl was emptied, I finally snapped out of my daze. Vivi was staring at me incredulously, mouth half open and with wide eyes. Safrah had a hand in front of her mouth and avoided looking at me.

“What? It was delicious!”, I sent.

“Meow!” came the protest from my friend. The dwarf reached over to the teapot and poured some more into the bowl. I thanked her with a nod.

“You really like this, huh? I thought you don’t want dwarven food?”

Right. There was something. I tried to turn off my human wants and only listen to my owl instincts. It felt like it took a while until I realized there was nothing to separate. If tea had been harmful, my instincts would have warned me already. Though there was a case of some weird feeling. Until now, I had mostly gotten all the liquid I needed from the blood of my prey. I realized I had not even once drunk water. It was not bad, however. I could drink normally. Maybe… Just maybe… This could mean I was not unable to eat cooked meat. I only needed to get a different source for my water intake. I asked Safrah if she had some dried meat. She was surprised but brought it out nonetheless. A few pieces of jerky, cut into mouth-sized pieces. Dwarven mouth-sized, that was. Vivi ate some herself as I carefully tried one. It was not bad. In fact, the slightly salty taste was quite nice. Though I still preferred fresh prey. But as a snack along with some tea, this was just fine.

It was soon time to get back to work. Before I could make my way up to leave, someone rang the doorbell. There was a doorbell?

“Oh. Who could it be this early?”, Safrah wondered.

It actually was a doorbell. Why had I never noticed it? Right, I was using the window to come and go.

“I’ll have a look”, the dwarf said as she went downstairs. I heard her welcome the guest. The voices were muffled a little but that was no hindrance to my ears.

“Ah, Captain. Good morning. What can I do for you?”

“Good morning Safrah”, the words were accompanied by a bit of shifting cloth and clinking metal. He seemed to be wearing his chain vest. “I’m looking for the Guardian and Fio. Are they in?”

What did he want from us, now?

“Yes. Of course, come in. They are upstairs in the living room. I’ll get them, take a seat.”

A bit of shuffling and a chair scratching over the floor was followed by steps coming up the stairs.

“You two”, Safrah said as her face peeked over the stairs, “There’s someone here for you. Would you come on down?”

We looked at each other. Vivi shrugged and I bobbed my head. We followed Safrah down into the kitchen and greeted the guard captain. Of course, both of us had heard him talk to our host. He nodded and we sat down across from him. Well, Vivi sat and I stood.

“Good morning, Guardian. Fio”, the captain began with a nod to each of us, “How are you doing?”

I established the connection.

“Good morning. We’re doing good. It’s a nice town. What about you?”

The man let out a cheerful laugh and drew a hand through his hair. When Safrah put down a cup of tea in front of him, he thanked her before turning back to us.

“Right. Thank you. I’m doing well enough for the time being. I’m glad our little town could satisfy the two of you.”

He took a sip of his tea and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Hmm. This is good. Thank you, Safrah. Now. I’m just gonna get to the point. You still remember the talk about Monstrosity?”

Our reactions could not have been different. Safrah was shocked and a bit scared. Vivi was snarling with narrowed eyes, though her ears still sat tall and attentive, rather than laying flat as if to attack. I simply gave a bob of my head. I wanted to get back to my tea. Why had Safrah not given me a bowl?

“Good. Well, we’ve been thinking about it and found the potential rewards to justify the risk. We’d like to take it down and have the Guardian here take over the major node. But we can’t do it without you. Your magical expertise should help us a ton in developing a strategy. So, what do you say? Of course, there would be a reward for you as well.”

The dwarf had been facing Vivi during his explanations but it felt more like he was talking to me. Vivi, of course, nodded eagerly. A major node was just the thing she needed to evolve. I wanted to help my friend, so I agreed as well. Tentatively.

“What kind of rewards are you talking about?”, I asked.

“Yes. That is the question. For Guardian Vivi, there’s obviously the node. We would want to build a town around the lake and then, at some point, connect it to Borsdown turning it into a proper city. Any of that would be an additional agreement we would form after successfully taking down the Monstrosity. For you, it’s a bit more difficult. I’m not exactly sure what you want. I could offer a house in Borsdown but you don’t strike me as someone who wants to settle down. Is there anything specific you want? Otherwise, it might just be best to agree on an amount.”

I considered for a moment. The only thing I really wanted from the dwarves was knowledge. The library, artificing, brewing, their take on thaumaturgy. Maybe there would be more in the future, but… A favour might just be too little. The risk was pretty high. The Monstrosity was over level 100 and had a serious home advantage. It did not hurt to ask, at least.

“I’m learning about artificing right now. I also want to learn about brewing, especially potions. And I want a library membership. Maybe some information about dwarven thaumaturges, if you have those?”

The captain drew his fingers through his beard.

“Hmm. Brewing is problematic. I don’t have any influence or connections with them other than the few potions we buy. If it was only alcohol, they would teach you without reservation but their potions are a deeply guarded secret. Only the best brewers are even allowed to learn how to make those.”

I nodded. I half expected that. He had already told me something similar the last time I asked.

“I can of course ask but it’s highly unlikely. As for the library, I take it you want the lifetime membership?”

With my confirmation, he continued.

“That’s definitely something we can do. No problem. The last thing… well. Thaumaturges practising in dwarven lands are bound to a bunch of laws. They have to stay away from any towns or cities, for example, and they need to regularly visit someone to check on their warp. Most often, that’s gonna be a Guardian. They have the best senses for magic after all. All that means, there are very few dwarven thaumaturges. And those that do practice the craft are hermits and recluses. It’s gonna be almost more difficult to find one of them than get you a brewing teacher. The easiest solution might really just be to pay you an appropriate sum. What do you think?”

That was a little bit less than I hoped. At least I had gotten some information right there. Maybe… Yeah. More gold would not be so bad. I could spend it on base materials to use for thaumaturgy and artificing. And… tea. That probably cost some money as well. Hmm, it was a bad idea to brew tea in my crucible. The magic item would break down the aspects rather than make actual tea. So I needed a teapot as well. Along with a smaller heating plate and a pot, or better, a bowl to drink out of. All that would cost a bit of money. I still had some gold but it would not last forever.

“What would you consider an appropriate sum?”, I asked.

“That depends on how useful you are and how much effort you want to put in. I don’t know how good you are at fighting. Though, if you took part in the battle, I could not pay you less than 50 gold. That’s before taking out the library membership fee. How about you come to the barracks when you have some time? Guardian Vivi as well. We could spar a little and talk strategy. This hunt will be dangerous, what with the disadvantageous terrain. We should prepare as much as we can.”

That sounded fair? I was not confident but considering the danger, 50 gold for taking part in the battle without actually being ‘useful’ sounded alright.

“I’m pretty sure my contribution will be worth more than 50 gold. We’ll come to strategise in two days. I have a day off there. Maybe we’ll be able to get some sparring in as well.”

The dwarf smiled as Vivi confirmed she would be coming as well.

“Great. I can’t wait. Making this town into a proper city has always been my dream!”

He shook Vivi’s paw and a shadow tendril of mine before bidding goodbye. I looked at my friend and saw her savage excitement.

Safrah stood over in the corner, brewing more tea. She turned to look at us.

“You two. I’m not going to forgive you if you’re being reckless. Do you understand?”

We looked at her and I let out a chuckle.

“Of course.”