Our first task as a unit (Day 3), Part 4

Chiaisei

Upon reaching the area from which her scouting would commence, the girl briefly observed the region while her companion, Finarkzir, showed her what it looked like from above. This was mostly her means of confirming whether any attacks could happen at that point, despite the fact that Nalfimiria herself wasn't being that cautious towards that possibility. Not to say the girl didn't trust the sister's evaluation at that point. This decision was made in parts due to the insistence of Finarkzir, as due to the concentration usage of the spell the girl would conjure there might have been a delay between her spotting a hostile and preparing herself for a confrontation. As the companion loved insisting, there was a minimal amount of precaution that was needed in any form of contact to the wild world. 

That said, after verifying that around them were only trees, normal animals, and the fields on which one of that town's main flock of sheep normally resided, the girl took up the magical item Nalfimiria had temporarily offered her for this task. Touching it, she realized it was meant to reduce the burden of the information being gathered by her, yet not by too much. It still appeared to be potent, especially so to the eyes of someone unfamiliar with her magical practice. Observing its function, she tried to throw a glance at the sister discreetly, only to find that reaction like had been expected. The Path Tracer observed her in silence, likely waiting for the girl to begin, and in the brief exchange of glances no significant information was gained by Chiaisei. Still, this did confirm one of her current suspicions. 

"My nature is likely not being kept a secret to Nalfimiria. A spell conduit's aid would only be needed now based on my false magical level, after all." The association documents concerning her skill that her workmates saw said she had the level of intermediate E in Soul Links, and of initiate B in Link Enhance, the magical structures that would be most useful in this scenario. To a girl in that range of magical power, a conduit would be helpful when trying to probe the layout of a small forest. But her actual skill was significantly higher, hence why the request for an aiding tool had been a lie in the first place. If the provider of said tool intentionally picked one that would be insufficient for the job as announced, this hinted at the fact the provider had already long seen through the deceptions young Chiaisei had been offering them. 

"Perhaps it is good to confirm this so soon, yet. The likelihood of Nalfimiria not knowing the truth was never high. That she handed me this tool and has yet to comment with the others likely suggests she doesn't plan on talking. If anything, it is possible she only offered it to me in order to play along with the lie while we're talking in front of the others. It's best to still keep quiet for now, however. It is still possible the situation is either a bluff or a test." 

Considering the scenario, when asked about how long the girl would need, she once again offered them a lie, one in which she tried to account how difficult this task would be were she was strong as she pretended to be in front of them. At times she feared those estimations might be slightly inaccurate, hence no exact timing was offered. "I shouldn't count on the cognitive suppressors I was offered to deceive an Emblem Bearer in the first place, so there isn't much of a choice." Normally, Chiaisei would prefer to facilitate the act of holding back with suppressors she had been gifted, yet she had no doubt Nalfimiria would detect their activation if they were brought to this occasion. It was best to confirm her position before taking any action that would rely on the sister's assistance. 

Having determined the pacing she would set for herself, Chiaisei looked over the materials offered to her so that she could map the area around their target's location. One of which was a finished map, one that had an estimated position for the settlement they searched for. Beside them, were the materials in which she was supposed to report the information she had obtained. Among which was a large sheet of paper meant for drawing alongside a small note sheet, meant for her to register information of interest. Her tasks were both to confirm the position of the Daokinyev, the terrain around their camp, the state of that camp, and if possible to verify signs of traps along the path. That last part wasn't just centered on their presence, yet also because Chiaisei knew from experience that wild animals she linked herself to were far more cooperative when she offered them information she knew they would value. Link magic could not extract information of the target without their awareness, so having tools to negotiate was always relevant for its use. Considering one of the rivals her unit would face in the next day could manifest Yealmyrn magic as well, Chiaisei thought it best to gather as much useful information as possible for this probing. 

While keeping both close and holding her tools, Chiaisei started her scouting by creating the link to the first trees in her range. As a form of magic, Soul Links is already incredibly long ranged, yet as it and structures connected to it grew, both the magnitude of its reach and speed would grow at a meteoric pace. If simply accounting for her skill in forming the first link, Chiaisei still was limited to a few thousand Fyetrij around her body, however, by that point she could already easily use the connection of a link to create a different connection around the perimeter of her target. Taking both of those qualities into account, her limit for range could reach up to 5,8 Vraistrij1. Naturally, being at the edge of it would restrict how much information she could handle at once, but for the purpose of tracing her mind over a forest that size, it wasn't an impressive feat. 

This didn't mean her influence could spread itself through the whole area, or that her connections would reach the target zone instantly. Weaving a web of links required patience, both due to the concentration required to push her magic to its extremes and the excessive amount of information that would be pouring down her head if she didn't consider this limit while widening her grasp. Trailing her path typically was easier through trees, as their restrictive senses meant very little information could be grasped from them directly, therefore increasing the maximum bindings she could sustain, hence at the start of the task she preferred to work alongside those. Along her track she took note of what information her higher senses detected through her temporary friends, to determine the position and kinds of animals occupying each section of the woods. Reaching the relevant zone was a priority, yet if her job was to act as a scout, there was no set moment in which gathering information should begin. The wildlife seemed to be agitated at that point in time, moving erratically and wary of their normal living grounds. That was a fortunate signal, as it suggested the shift to those woods caused by the Daokinyev wasn't well received by its inhabitants. 

Chiaisei had studied ahead of time the type of animal that inhabited the region, and combined with the link wave created by her magic this made it so even with the limited information she could obtain while linked to a tree there still was plenty she could infer. Her strongest Higher Sense was life detection, and even in a weakened state it was still possible for her to map out the animal distribution through the regions her mind briefly drew connections to. Superficial as this look might have been, it was enough for her to determine the size and shape of the beings she passed through, alongside their positions relative to the trees her perception inhabited. The mixture of those two factors and her prior studies made it simple to determine the organization of the area, and what kind of information each of its inhabitants might view as valuable. Those hints would be her methods for obtaining what she needed to know, so she had every reason to be thorough. 

Near the point in the map where the settlement was estimated to be located, the girl spread her link magic on a larger cluster of trees, seeking to increase her search area. That area contained the target to her search, so both the inhabitants of it and the terrain surrounding the roots of the trees she connected her soul to were of far more interest to Chiaisei's efforts. It was also key to determine what groups had potentially reallocated from those surroundings after the Daokenyev's arrival, seeing as they likely had moved their nests with the active intent of avoiding the hunters of the invasive semi social beings. This made them likely candidates for knowing the zones through which the Daokenyev roamed and worked on, factors that would serve to confirm some of the assumptions her coworkers currently had about the strength of their potential foes. "I've found a lot of things of interest already. Perhaps I should pretend to be slightly dizzy, to better play along with my supposed level of magic." 

With the main region of her interest reached, Chiaisei recalled the objectives of her scouting, and the matters she was expected to report and to draw. The first one, to locate the placement of their current opponents and characteristics of their encampment. Simply using the trees was enough for that, as she merely moved her attention from one to the next until she found signs of a clearing that had been created by intelligent beings. In it, it was evident a high density of living creatures when she expanded her senses towards it's direction, and based on the general movements of those beings it was simple to see traces of sociability and intelligence on them. 

Indications of talking or the various methods of managing such an encampment were detectable through their movements, and those easily separate the more sociable within a forest from normal animals. With that established, she marked the precise location on the map where she found this encampment, as well as made a sketch of its general size and shape. She couldn't confirm this yet, but based on the reports she had been previously offered it seemed like the wall surrounding the encampment had grown a little since the last contact with this group. 

From there, the second step she took was to use the roots of the trees, bushes and grass around that area to try to spot any abnormalities around that area. Mainly to identify potential traps meant for animals, yet also to verify if Nalfimiria had been right on her earlier presumption. She didn't doubt the sister and agreed to her interpretation, yet regardless, information concerning snares would be of great use to her. On one hand, this could inform the girl of how much time the Daokinyev had to scavenge up to that point, as well as their technical knowledge and control over their position. Those hints would make it easier to estimate the force they likely would be facing the next day. All the while, that knowledge was also a valuable coin to get the animals around that clearing to show Chiaisei their recent memories regarding that encampment. Depending on the occasion, her favorite methods of exchange were the location of traps and the places where she estimated fruits or other vegetative foods would grow earlier. This assuming her main eyes would be small grounded herbivores and birds of little stature. 

There were many reasons why Chiaisei developed this preference over the years of studying the practical side of her spellcraft. To begin, those among them who knew about magic (Which wasn't that uncommon among those species living relatively long lives) were usually far less defensive when detecting the presence of a mage through the use of link magic. After all, the sensation connected to Yealmyrn usage is one most animals associated with magic kin first and foremost, meaning that when contacting social mages their expectations usually were greatly affected by their past experiences with magical beings. Most magical beasts capable of Yealmyrn were either omnivorous or herbivorous themselves, so many smaller critters considered them a likely source of protection. 

As a result, those don't interpret us as threats immediately, especially if we aren't already on their territory once the spell begins. Not to mention, warning small animals about a certain big, scary looking eagle that Chiaisei called a sister usually immediately builded report between the girl and the critters. Especially as, to them, befriending the companion of such a mighty and agile magical beast could not only secure them of the fact Finarkzir wouldn't hunt them, but might end up protecting them over her short stay in a region. Chiaisei usually opted not to interfere with this inference, as either dismissing it or using it as the base for threats could alter the way the discussion behaved. Fear tends to make the behavior of wild animals far more erratic, after all. 

Speaking off, a part of her motivation for picking herbivores mainly as chatting partners came from the fact the nature of her magic made it so hiding the existence and targets of her prior conversation impossible. Talking to sets of animals with conflicting goals would mean the ones latter down that process might refuse cooperation due to prior risks I may have caused for them. Convincing a sparrow to help after selling the location of its nest to chimps that can eat its eggs wouldn't be particularly easy. Hence, Chiaisei thought avoiding predators often increased her options for chattering, not the contrary. 

It was through explanation and demonstration of the information she had already collected that the girl would gain the sights she sought. By demonstrating through magic information animals might consider advantageous, that made them far more willing to share with Chiaisei that which she asked about in turn. This way, Chiaisei would gain a deeper grasp on the location they would be treading, alongside memories concerning the appearance of that encampment at present and the types of weaponry the opponents carried. As unlikely as it was that these temporary rivals could prove to be a threat, it was the job of a scout to ascertain their status, and that function was at that point being carried out by that girl. Having found the main targets of her interview for some time, Chiaisei organized the papers in which she would draw this map and report once more. Her real body often felt distant when going through so much linking magic, thus for it often requiring one to readjust to their true selves when controlling it after excessive link usage. 

As Chiaisei began communicating with the inhabitants of that forest though, her pen and hands moved. At first drawing the perimeter of that encampment and position of the trees around it, then the materials from which its small walls were built, the number of tents within or the type of weapons the patrol of the Daokenyev carried. Based on the brief glimpses she had been offered, she also tried determining which tents were likely reserved for the chief and the other spellcaster, as well as the most likely number of opponents they might face, if the negotiations broke down into combat the next day. Through the eyes of the different critters she connected her soul too, she pieced together all of this after offering what she knew as a reward. The girl also slowed down the pacing of her writing and drawing, of course, as her rhythm at gathering information was intensely boosted by a magical structure she would have no access to in her admitted level. 

With that said, the results having been registered at that point, I believe now might be the best time to establish a different factor of this form, one I had mentioned briefly when speaking of my magical line during the first day. Namely, the fact that communication often happens without the presence of words in many cases of using soul linking magic. Basically, most animals aren't truly used to the idea of communication, or even capable of understanding it. Few have the intelligence for any complex form of it, and even among magical kin, they aren't necessarily used to expressing themselves through words while using spells, but rather by giving shape to ideas and concepts within their thoughts. Thankfully as a result of bond magic, to any kind that is somewhat used to language as a concept, my thoughts in my mother tongue are automatically interpreted in the meaning I see in each word, an effect that is quite useful while learning different languages, might I add. That said, this aspect of representing ideas while communicating is even more simplified when connected to animals with normal levels of intelligence. 

In this way, it feels a lot like an exercise to express concepts, like if my mind was painting a picture to the target. So, instead of asking something akin to: "Have you seen some of the Daokinyev digging a hole?" Chiaisei, as any other user of Yealmyrn that was already experienced with the art, would simply try visualizing the question she sought to ask. In this sense, while conversing the picture in her mind were that of digging tools, other tools connected to the task, as well as the actions her opponents would follow to complete them. This of course also includes the fact one would need to communicate desire when expressing such images to animals, to make sure they could comprehend what was being asked, as well as what was offered in turn. That would usually involve demonstrating the sensation of wanting something while showing the image. As for the girl's side of the bargain, it usually was accomplished through demonstration. First, Chiaisei would show them a complete piece of information they might value, and then a second piece that was even more valuable, but that time, incomplete in its demonstration. The implication aimed for was generally "If you show me what I want, I'll show you this in full." 

Though mind you, trees themselves didn't usually ask for anything in return. Rather, although this desire was rather unshaped during the stages seen in normal trees, they had a certain level of awareness that magic usage helped them in the process of awakening and that this process in itself would have been a boon to them. Hence why they are usually so friendly to being influenced over the course of a battle. Being part of the environment, in a sense, they already would have been at risk regardless, so earning a mage's essence and their protection was something trees instinctively understood as beneficial. Either way, once she finished gathering their information, Chiaisei interrupted her casting. Due to how heavily this form utilized concentration when used to its extreme, the moment the magic stopped typically felt strange, as if for a moment returning only to her five normal senses was simultaneously refreshing yet peculiar, seeing as it felt like her mind needed a moment to readjust itself to the world when seen through normal means. As a result, the girl faked being staggered for a second as well, to best fit with her disguise.