The spirit that heeded her call this time was more substantial. Still clearly weaker than Nok and Jata, but it would do. It looked like a bundle of shimmering needles as it approached in its spirit form, and for a few moments she saw the senbon she'd used earlier shaking on the ground. As a shikigami, it took the form of a palm-sized bird with a sharp metallic look to it. She silently inserted one of the beads of her Overflowing Chain into it.
"Hello, my name is Meissa. I look forward to working with you in the future." A short greeting, delivered straight to the bird's face. It blinked, tilted its head, and ruffled its feathers. Each movement caused a musical tinkling.
"Canto. Happy!" the spirit answered.
Meissa nodded. Its sensory faculties were noticeably weaker than her previous cohorts', as were its thought patterns. Still, this was perfectly acceptable. Through her link with it, she felt it convey a desire for affection, so she stroked its head with a couple of her fingers. It bristled happily and obliged when she asked it to hop onto her shoulder.
"Alright, Canto. We're going to mark this as a place to return to. Can you link with this room so I can come back whenever I'd like?"
"Yes. Try!"
Meissa kneaded some mana into a suitable form and passed it off to her spirit, who wove it throughout the room. It seemed to struggle a bit, but faithfully carried out its task before returning. It looked tired.
"Good work, Canto. Rest now."
Canto responded by silently worming its way into her backpack. That was acceptable, she figured, so she returned her whittling senbon to the bundle from whence it came, left her origami snake totem on the kitchen counter to mark this area as her home base, donned her equipment, and headed out into the cold, gray morning.
Current Goal: Analyzing a new spirit friend.
Mana: 350/350
Stamina: 150/150
Experience: 3825
Money: 890
Abilities Used:
Shikigami:
Beads of the Overflowing Chain (Max. 25):
Inventory:
Mana: 350/350
Stamina: 150/150
Experience: 3825
Money: 890
Abilities Used:
- Shikigami
Homeward Bound
Shikigami:
- Canto (Steel, C, love): Inhabiting a rough wooden bird totem. Appears as a palm-sized bird with very angular features and feathers that have a distinct metallic sheen.
Beads of the Overflowing Chain (Max. 25):
- 100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100
100/100 (inside Canto)
Inventory:
- Clothing: Reinforced Clothing (D-Rank, Scale 5/5), Weather Clothing (includes a white cloak)
Weaponry: Senbon x30 (in a bundle on her belt, below her backpack)
Backpack:
- Skinning knife
Oiled Waterskin
Blanket
Journal x2
Pen x2
Mess kit
Sewing needle
Bedroll (tied to the bottom of the backpack, blocking sight of the senbon from behind)
Spool of steel wire (28 meters; clipped to the side of the backpack)
Loop of steel wire (2 meters; wrapped around one wrist)