Meesei nodded. “Indeed. The Ring seems to make it magnitudes easier, and I have no reason to go without it. My efforts now are more motivated by…academic curiosity. Using even a minute amount of magic without the Ring is still far more than nothing. I believe it supports the idea that my beast spirit has been fundamentally changed. If I could somehow learn to channel a useful amount of magic without the Ring, then what if I could do the same for others? What if I could change another’s beast spirit just like mine? The possibilities are exciting. But, such studies could take years, if it is possible at all.”

Meesei gave a brief grunt, then took a few steps across the open flood. She extended and contracted her fingers, and rotated her shoulders to pop the joints. She was still feeling strange without the Ring, but at the very least, was not feeling violent. She just imagined that it would take some time to become accustomed to the feeling of her beast spirit again. “At any rate, since I have finished my experiment, what would you like to do now?”

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“To help us against Do’rhajul, you would need to be experienced as us.” Ahnasha answered, directly and honestly. “But there are other things we do that you could join us with. Perhaps after this matter with Do’rhajul is dealt with. And after this whole war is over, I think you could join us almost all the time. But until then, the best way you can help us is to hone your skills, and to help the clan while you are at it. What kind of…I suppose you would say apprenticeship, do you think you would want to pursue? What kind of skills do you want to grow? The clan has plenty of people to learn from. There are warriors like Ri’vashi, or scouts and rangers like your father. Though, I would also count him as a skilled fighter in any regard.” She said with a quick smile towards Fendros.

“I have also seen you and Julan dabbling in magic before. Mages like aunt Meesei or aunt Sabine can be very powerful. I myself am a, um, conjurer, as well as an archer. It is not the most usual combination of skills, but I have found it effective. There are also more traditional spellswords, battlemages who work on a combination of destruction and straightforward fighting. Like uncle Janius. Or, if you wanted to avoid fighting altogether, you could be something like healer or alchemist. You can choose to work on any skills you like.” Ahnasha explained encouragingly.